“Every time you use the little room below deck,” I said, my voice soft as foam, “you must wipe when you’re done, and then wash your hands.” Tomas blinked, and the cat flicked its tail. “Why every time?” he asked, and the question had the honest weight of a young mind learning how the world works.
“Because our hands are like our ship’s deck,” I answered. “They touch the ropes, the biscuits, the map, and the hearts of our friends. When we wipe properly and wash our hands, we sweep away the tiny, invisible guests that might make someone feel unwell. It’s a small kindness, and the sea of kindness keeps our ship steady.”
Chapter Two — The Tale of the Tiny Guests
I told them of the Tiny Guests — not bad folk, but minute, wandering specks that ride on crumbs and puddles. They are curious and sometimes hitch a ride on unwashed hands. “If we forget to wipe and wash,” I said, “those Tiny Guests might find a way to tumble into porridge or climb onto a friend’s cheek.” The cabin cat shivered at the thought and rubbed its whiskers with great care.
“So we wipe to tidy the place, and then we wash to clean our hands,” I explained. “Wiping is the first neat sweep after a visit to the loo; washing is the proper bath for your hands that follows.”
Captain’s Steps — A Gentle Routine
“Let me share our captain’s little routine,” I murmured, drawing a spiral in the salt-streaked air with my finger. “It’s quick, steady, and keeps everyone smiling.”
- Visit the little room when you need to. Take enough soft paper — not too little, not too much.
- Wipe carefully until you feel tidy. For children, that means learning to reach well and make sure everything is clean, front to back so water and travelers move the right way.
- Fold the paper neatly and send it to the bin — don’t let it float back into the galley.
- Now, to the washbasin: wet your hands, lather with soap until you sing two of the short sea-songs (or about twenty seconds), scrub between your fingers and under your nails, rinse, and dry with a clean towel.
“Why sing?” asked one of the sprites, who loved a chorus. “Because a tune keeps time,” I said. “It makes sure your hands have a proper bath. Twenty seconds is long enough to chase the Tiny Guests away.”
Chapter Three — A Little Test in the Moonlight
That night I set a tiny lantern on the deck and asked the crew to try the routine. Tomas went first with brave determination. He folded his paper neatly and marched to the basin, singing softly as he scrubbed. The cabin cat even dipped a paw and walked carefully to the towel, embarrassed but proud.
When they finished, the sprites did a small dance — a Clean-Hands Jig — and the sea seemed to clap in little waves. “You see?” I said. “Wipe every time, wash right after. It’s a small habit that keeps our ship kind.”
Chapter Four — Why the Habit Matters
“Habits are like the ropes and knots of a ship,” I told them. “Made with care, they hold us steady through storms. Wiping and washing are two tidy knots that protect everyone. They show we care for ourselves and for each other.”
I reminded them gently that sometimes grown sailors forget in a hurry, or little waves of distraction pull them away. “That’s why we make it a song,” I said. “A song that travels with us and reminds us on windy days.”
Parting Lantern Light
Before we turned in, I offered each of them a promise: “When you wipe and wash, you are carrying lantern light to someone else. It is a small kindness but a steady one. The sea notices such things, and so do our friends.”
Tomas tucked the memory under his shirt like a lucky coin, the cat curled like a comma, and the sprites promised to teach the jig to anyone who boarded our little ship. The lantern cast its amber glow, and I felt the warm proof of good habits: calmer sleep, brighter mornings, and faces that smiled a bit easier.
So remember, my heart — wipe when you go to the bathroom, and wash your hands after. Make it a song, fold the paper, rinse and dry. It keeps the Tiny Guests at bay and the kindness on our deck. That is the simple magic that sets a captain’s ship to rights.
— Captain Twilight