Close to the Wind by Jon Walter

angry. ‘Why did you bring your hand up?’
    Papa had a finger inside his mouth, feeling his gums. ‘I couldn’t help it,’ he wheezed. ‘I was choking. My tongue went to the back of my throat.’
    Vex was calm. He put an arm round both of their shoulders. ‘You must be quicker,’ he told Hector. He went and stood again at the back of Papa’s chair. ‘Again. We must try again.’
    Malik moved to the far end of the mattress. He wouldn’t look this time. He put his hands over his ears and shut his eyes tight. He counted to ten, then thought it wouldn’t be long enough, so he counted again, this time out loud so he wouldn’t hear the muffled grunts and gasps that had begun.
    When he took his hands away and opened his eyes, the men were arguing.
    Hector blamed Vex. ‘You should have held his hands down.’
    ‘How can I hold his hands and his head at the same time?’
    Papa looked as though he’d just run for a bus. His face was red and he was short of breath. He ran a finger across the front of his teeth and when he brought it away there was blood. He apologized. ‘I’m sorry.’ He wiped his finger on his trousers. ‘I have never been brave.’
    Hector was exasperated. ‘But you must try, Salvatore.’ He looked across at Malik. ‘You have to do it for the boy. Think of Malik. It’s his only chance of getting on the ship. If we arrive tomorrow without money then there’s no hope for him.’
    ‘We’re all relying on you,’ said Vex. ‘But I disagree. I think you are a very brave man indeed.’
    Papa looked grateful. Having Vex say such a thing seemed to give him more resolve and he pointed to the floor. ‘Bring me my sack again.’ He took the ball of thick yellow twine from the same pocket that he had the tools. He handed it over his head to Vex. ‘You must tie me to the chair – it’s the only way. Tie me tightly and let’s get this over with.’
    Vex loosened the end of the twine and stepped back so he could weigh up both the man and the chair he sat in. He crouched down and took hold of Papa’s ankle and Papa let his shin be put against the wooden leg. Vex wound the twine around a good many times before he tied it off.
    Malik held his own wrist in his fingers as he watched Papa become increasingly helpless. ‘I don’t like it,’ he said quietly, and he lay down on the mattress and curled his knees up into his chest.
    Papa smiled weakly. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks.’ He held his hands calmly in his lap and Vex parted them and put one on either side of the chair and he tied them round the wrist and then again round the wood, at the joint where the seat met the legs.
    When Vex had finished, Papa could move nothing but his head. Vex stood back and looked over his work.
    ‘You’ve used a lot of twine,’ Papa tutted. ‘That’ll take some time to roll up when we’re done, but we shouldn’t waste it.’ He put his head back. ‘Please be quick.’
    Hector approached the chair with a new look of determination and Malik closed his eyes tight shut. He could hear Papa’s breath quicken. Then Papa began to choke. ‘Twist them, man!’ shouted Vex. ‘Pull the handles back!’
    ‘Aaargh.’ Papa began to make a strange strangled kind of noise as though someone had their hands around his throat.
    Malik kept his eyes tight shut. A foot stamped hard on the floorboards.
    ‘Stop it!’ Malik shouted and he put his hands over his ears.
    ‘Aaargh!’ screamed Papa again and Hector let out a scream of his own. ‘Aaargh!’
    There was a loud crash and someone cursed at the top of their voice: ‘Oh, for crying out loud!’
    Malik took his hands from his head and opened his eyes.
    Hector was on his backside, sprawled out across the floorboards. ‘He bit me.’ He lifted a bloody hand and shook it at Papa. ‘You bit my finger like an animal.’
    Malik went to Papa, who sat in the chair with his head hanging to one side. He looked weak. He was breathing heavily and the front of his white shirt