Through the Storm

The bright, summer sun shone down on the deck of the catamaran Wavedancer. Gentle waves lapped quietly at the dual-hulled ship as it sat at anchor. Seabirds wheeled and called a short distance away. All in all, an idyllic day for a journey at sea. The single occupant of the small ship crouched near the bow as she prepared to move on from this location. She hummed softly to herself as she worked.

Emi stood up straight from coiling rope and looked toward the southwest horizon. Dark clouds were quickly piling together. Her green eyes focused on the distant storm, gauging how it was building and watching its movement. Then, with a curse, she quickly began prepping Wavedancer.

“That looks like it’s gonna be one helluva storm,” she muttered to herself as she began scanning her navigation charts. Storms were always unpredictable. The best way to survive them was to shelter in a safe port. Her lips pursed as she came to the realization that the nearest port was too far away. The storm was moving faster than the Wavedancer could move.

“There’s nothing for it, Dancer, you’re gonna havta to ride it out,”she said as she ran a hand over the ship’s control casing.

She slipped out of the cockpit and began hurriedly checking lines, that her sails were secured, and pulled the anchor up. Under engine power, she carefully steered the catamaran further away from the shore. As she moved to what she hoped would be a safer place to navigate the coming storm, she looked back out at it.

The black cloud roiled and rumbled ominously. The wind tugged at the beaded ends of her black braids, making them click softly against each other. A shiver went down her spine. There was something different about this storm, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Surprise storms, while rare in these parts, weren’t exactly unknown. It moved like a normal storm, but she couldn’t shake the prickling feeling between her shoulder blades that this particular storm was different.

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?