Post by Stu Pott on Mar 20, 2012 18:45:25 GMT -8
The lopsided tilt of the boat gave him pause, darkened eyes looking out over a nebulous ocean. Waves as thick and dark as oil lapped at the rusted siding, a relic of the past hauled into emergency service. En route to America, stars twinkling in the night sky. No clouds here, different from home. He thought back, a lifetime ago. The sky was like that then, everywhere. Things change, and we have to move on. We pick up the pieces and continue on. Yet, we always seem to end up right back where we started. We pick up and continue.
The boat chugged, and he looked back down towards the rolling ocean. The sound of constant motion, a never ending churn. The water behind foamed, and to the front a spray kicked up by the bounce of the bow. Water couldn’t reach him this far up, but he pretended he felt it on his face. He wiped it away, and turned to look at those around him. He was alone. He had felt alone since he had left her before boarding that plane. She had been his everything, and he had left her for home. A stupid choice. A heavy sigh as his gaze returned to the endless expanse.
He walked the length of the boat again. This was not the first, nor was it the last. He knew that he’d make that walk a few times, a week trip in this old hulk. Entertainment was at a minimum on a trip like this, but then again, entertainment was at a minimum everywhere. This was not a time for revelry. It was a time for picking up and continuing.
His mind began to wander as he watched the inky black waves tumble. He flashed back to the moment of his father’s death. It seemed a bit too appropriate of a memory considering his surroundings, but that was the curse of the cynic. With a raspy breath he had said goodbye, the amount of times they’d seen each other countable on one hand. For some reason, it had rung hollow.
On the 6th day, he arrived. They had made good time, the ocean working for them for a change. However, the state here was no different than at home. The people were ravaged, destitute, and without direction. Life had been irrevocably damaged for these people. But he had to push on. He was here for one person, the girl he had left behind before this all came about.
It was days again before he reached what remained of the state he had left. She would be in the same city, he knew it. He had to find her. She was all that mattered to him, and he was all that mattered to her. He hoped.
He hoped.
The boat chugged, and he looked back down towards the rolling ocean. The sound of constant motion, a never ending churn. The water behind foamed, and to the front a spray kicked up by the bounce of the bow. Water couldn’t reach him this far up, but he pretended he felt it on his face. He wiped it away, and turned to look at those around him. He was alone. He had felt alone since he had left her before boarding that plane. She had been his everything, and he had left her for home. A stupid choice. A heavy sigh as his gaze returned to the endless expanse.
He walked the length of the boat again. This was not the first, nor was it the last. He knew that he’d make that walk a few times, a week trip in this old hulk. Entertainment was at a minimum on a trip like this, but then again, entertainment was at a minimum everywhere. This was not a time for revelry. It was a time for picking up and continuing.
His mind began to wander as he watched the inky black waves tumble. He flashed back to the moment of his father’s death. It seemed a bit too appropriate of a memory considering his surroundings, but that was the curse of the cynic. With a raspy breath he had said goodbye, the amount of times they’d seen each other countable on one hand. For some reason, it had rung hollow.
On the 6th day, he arrived. They had made good time, the ocean working for them for a change. However, the state here was no different than at home. The people were ravaged, destitute, and without direction. Life had been irrevocably damaged for these people. But he had to push on. He was here for one person, the girl he had left behind before this all came about.
It was days again before he reached what remained of the state he had left. She would be in the same city, he knew it. He had to find her. She was all that mattered to him, and he was all that mattered to her. He hoped.
He hoped.
