Here's the fifth part of The Wish Boat!!!

When we opened the door to the furnace room, all was silent. At first, all I could see were a bunch of boxes and a big furnace. But then I saw it. It looked almost like a giant dust bunny, but when I looked closer, I saw that it was a man. He had a beard that went all the way down to his feet, and it was full of things like pieces of food that were more than a week old, hay, and who knows what else. His entire body was coated in ashes from the furnace fire, and his clothes looked like they hadn't been washed or patched up in months.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I... I... I'm Barry," the man stuttered uncertainly.
"Hi, Barry. What are you doing down here?"
"Jenny, please..." Kayla pleaded.
"I'm... I haven't left this room in years," Barry said hoarsely. "I'm the furnace keeper."
"Were you the one making noises down here?" I asked, ignoring Kayla.
"Y-yes, I think so..." Barry answered, "I... I was shoveling the coal into the furnace, and then I burned my hand, and the pain made me scream."
Kayla giggled. "You screamed? A grown man, screaming like a girl?"
"Kayla, be nice. Barry, how long have you been working on this ship?" I persisted.
"A long time, I guess. Could be over twenty years now."
"Do you know anything about any... any strange happenings going on around here?"
"Wh-what strange happenings?"
"Like, for example, bad luck when making wishes?"
"Um..." Barry's voice wavered. Then he did something very surprising. He sat down and started to cry. Not a silent, serious cry. A big, loud, wailing cry, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Uh, are you ok?" Kayla asked uncertainly.
"What is going on? Barry, do you have something to do with this wish thing?" I asked.
"Let me explain." Barry sobbed, "It all started a long time ago, when I was a young boy..."