Through the Storm

[Emi]

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.