She smiled back
The captain grinned like a clam cracked open, displaying his one pearl tooth. His eyes bulged out of his face as he cackled, he pushed the old leather binoculars so far into his skin that pink-crescent moons outlined his eyes.
“He’s still doing that thing with his face?” Jed whispered, cupping his mouth with his calloused hand as if the captain could hear.
“Yeah,” Gary sighed, patting the sulking Jed in the back.“Sorry lad, I know y’all been friends for a bit, you should talk to ‘im,”
The sunlight that kissed the black waves melted into a dim white before casting out completely, a quiet drizzle fell upon the white decks. Jed’s tangled black hair stuck against his scalp and fell in front of his eyes as he trudged towards the captain.
Though the rain was cold and drove the captain’s white knuckles into a blood-shot red, still, he cackled.
“Hey, Louis,” Jed smiled weakly as his hand clutched his plump belly, “gettin’ a bit cold out, eh?”
The captain let out a heartful sigh before smiling again.
“Not really,” he responded, though Jed knew Louis wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying.
“The festival should be nice and loud, and super welcoming.” Louis sighed again, rubbing his dirty nails against his stubble. “Imagine the children dancing and singing in the town square. And the blue flags on the food stall--ah, I miss it,”
Jed chuckled, before combing his fingers through his wet hair.
Lightning struck a distant wave.
“Louis, you should head inside, storm’s headin’ this way,' ' Jed interrupted the cations nonsensical rambles.
“Not to worry, friend,” Louis reassured. “T’is just a light drizzle, few sparks of lightning. It’s clear seas from here lad, clear seas.”
Jed bellowed at his calmness, clutching on the railing.
Another bolt of lightning, this time much closer.
“Clear seas?” he mocked, hand clutching his belly again. ”That cackle of thunder means ‘clear seas’ to you?”
“You worry too much, dear friend.” Louis turned to smile at the short man. “All will be well,” and with the tip of his hat, Jed was sent to prepare the deck.
Jed staggered back to Gary.
The captain leaned closer against the railing, inky black paint rubbing off against his white dress shirt.
“Jed!” Louis jumped, pointing towards a disarray of waves.
“IT’S EMERY!”
“God,” Gary muttered, “He’s gotta get over her, she’s been dead for ages.”
“My! She’s just like how I left her, ribbons and all! She’s even sitting on this shiny blue rock, looking just like our diamond wedding ring!”
Another lightning bolt, this time closer.
“Prepare the lifeboats,” Jed whispered, pushing Gary away from the captain. “A storm is starting.”
“She’s missing her feet though! She sure had those last time I saw her.”
Another lightning bolt stuck, hitting the dock.
Jed and Gary rushed towards the lifeboats, leaving the captain drenched in the rain.
#
He smiled at her.
She didn’t smile back.
#
“Should we get the captain?” Caddie asked, wringing rain out of her red curls.
“No,” Gary laughed, “He thinks his dead wife is in the water, without feet!”
Lightning struck the deck..
“God! What the hell was that!” Caddie cursed.
The crew pushed the yellow boats onto the burnt deck, throwing baby-blue oars on them.
Water rose up to ankle level, drenching the crew’s cotton socks and Jed’s dress pants.
“This is ship ALHUBA speaking,” Caddie screamed to the communicator, “The ship is down, we are evacuating to Alhirih island!”
“Where’s Captain Louis?”
“Gone, crazy. I’m not sure what happened to him during our voyages on sea but he’s not sane!”
Jed fled up the stairs, the icy water dripping off his hip and the bottom of his shirt. Finally, he reached the top deck, where Louis had draped his body over the railing, trying to reach out into the water.
Jed ran towards the captain, pouring rain blinding him. He wrapped his arms around Louis’s as they both hollered, eyes full of tears.
They both toppled onto the varnished floor, Louis’s binoculars tangled around them both.
“Jed.” Louis’s foul breath was hot. “Why?”
Louis broke into sobs, hands clutching onto Jed’s shirt as he wiped his snot on his shoulder.
“Jed… She won’t even look at me!” He wailed. “I smiled at her just like I used to, oh but the charming smile is gone! Gone--and she won’t even look at me, not at all!”
Jed looked at the water but saw no one.
“Jed, leave him. He’s gone to far,”
Louis got up and plunged into the water, choking on his blood and tears.
“Emery!” Louis’s arms flailed around in the salty water, his legs flailing around in the water.
“Look at me! Whatever I’ve done wrong you must forgive!”
Gary picked Jed up off the deck, peeling the broken binoculars off of him and dragging him back down.
“Beloved!” choked the distant voice of the captain. “Look at me!”
Gary dragged Jed down the stairs, yanking his limp body down each step.
“I cannot live without your smile,” the once strong-willed captain was reduced only to a whimper, a forgotten breeze in a tornado.
#
Perched on the blue stone, she smiled back at him.
Thank you, Emery.
Then she faded, Louis laughed.
#
“C’mon lad,” Gary hoisted Jed onto a boat with Caddie’s help.
“He’s too far gone.”
They took off into the sea, Louis’s raspy bellowing in the distance. Jed sat limp in the lifeboat, his fingers quivered.
“I see him,” he whispered, “The captain, over there, where the waves part? Louis is just sitting there in the ocean, on that shiny blue rock, we have to get him.”