Even with her preparations, the storm moved faster than Emi initially thought it would. Before too much longer the storm was there. She watched it closely, determining the “clean” edge. That would be the safest part of the storm. The waves would be smaller there and the wind less strong. Her keen eyes searched quickly as she kept the bow pointed into the waves.

“There!” She closed a hand around the locket hanging from her neck and briefly kissed it for luck. “Alright, here we go!”

As the sea grew choppier and the wind picked up, Emi remained calm. She’d sailed through storms before and this was no different. Thunder rolled overhead as lightning crackled across the sky, but Emi kept Wavedancer running along the calmer side of the storm. She put her earlier thoughts about the storm feeling different out of her mind and focused on the task at hand: keeping her ship upright and afloat.

On the vast ocean, a 60’ boat is rather small. It is easily tossed about and those on board must cling to hope that the vessel can weather the storms. Despite Emi’s efforts to keep to the clean side of the storm, it soon became evident that she was now in the middle. There was no longer a side to be seen. Only darkness occasionally pierced by lightning. As the small boat bravely faced the waves, the uneasy feeling of a different kind of danger crept back between Emi’s shoulders.

She rolled her shoulders a bit, trying to make the prickles between them go away. The storm was getting worse. She could hear the thrum of the rigging as the wind howled about Wavedancer. To make matters worse, rain had begun to pour down in sheets. She could no longer tell the difference between spray being tossed at her windshield and the rain. Waves crashed against the sides of the ship, threatening to capsize it.

A tiny voice in the furthest reaches of her mind began to voice an alarming doubt: could this be it? Could Wavedancer survive this storm?