This old man came to fix the tub in my apartment. I asked him if he was a sailor because he was wearing an old timey sailor cap and all sorts of nautical flair.
"Nope," he said, "I make scrimshaw" and he took out an Altoids box and opened it up. Inside was a handcrafted needle with an eraser stuck on top and little pieces of ivory he was working on. I noticed all his flair was scrimshaw. He even had a belt buckle with a huge Clipper ship. He said he was once asked to do presentations down at South Street Seaport for tourists, I thought that was beneath him but I held that to myself. He should be in a gallery. I wanted to this man
to be my grandfather and scrimshaw mentor.
i can hear the elephants weeping!
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