Times like this remind me of my dog, Mickie. He would sit near me when I sat on my porch swing during the summer drinking my brew and reading my book.
I poured the hot water into one of the ceramic cups and stirred in the mix. Opening my sliding door to the balcony, I set the cup on the small table between the white plastic chairs. The salt sea rose up and down, splashing below my balcony window. This colossal ship cut smoothly through the ocean as a hot knife in a sea of cold butter. Wave foam peaks become tiny Mt. Shastas as they rolled by my balcony window.
I sat sipping my drink and taking in the wonderful view of the harbor below me as I watched the sparkling diamonds dancing upon the sea ahead of the ship. I shielded my eyes from the sun's sweet glare and I returned inside to retrieve my book. Stepping back out onto the balcony, and as I sat down, I reached over to drink more of the warm cocoa. That’s when I noticed the level of the brown liquid appear less than I remembered. I’m sure I hadn’t drunk that much.
Taking a sip, I set my cup back on the table and opened my book called, Fatal Error, Death by Innocence. So far, the read has been a page-turning sci-fi adventure in the future to Mars.
I sipped some more of my hot chocolate and discovered my cup was half-empty. I recalled another situation I had like this before I vanished into the world of Vesda. Since that planet blew up with thanks to Fin and Cal, I waved the thought out of my mind.
“Well, that’s odd. I don’t remember drinking that much. I guess my book captivated me to the extent that I didn’t realize I was drinking my hot chocolate,” I mumbled as I finished off the rest of the drink.
Rising out of my chair, I carried my used cup to my sink, rinsed it, and took my shoes off at the edge of the bed. The latest ship newsletter on my bed was available, so I decided to read that for a few minutes. As I started to feel drowsy, I decided to lie down for a while. After a while, I fell asleep.
“Eyes, sad eyes, scared eyes grew farther and farther away. The blue ocean now black envelopes me or am I watching another? I can’t breathe.”
“Aack!” I sat up, hacking and catching my breath.
What a horrible experience. The scene reminded me too much of the bad dreams I had after Henry died. I must have had too many shrimp rolls for lunch. I looked at the time and it was only two o’clock. Phooey. Now I’m wide awake.
After visiting the restroom, I decided to get dressed and take a quiet stroll around the ship. I didn’t have a tour tomorrow so I could come back and sleep in. I tied my shoelaces, grabbed my sweater, and checked my pockets to make sure I had my room card. I then headed out into the hallway.
Nobody was there. Good. I found the elevators and took one of them up to the sixteenth deck, the top one. The stiff breeze outside made me glad the ship wasn’t sailing as I walked across the deck from one end to the other enjoying the solitude. All one hears during the day is the constant chatter of many people talking at once.
I entered one of the side doors and took the elevator down to the twelfth deck where I could locate the pool. I noticed a blue tarp covering the pool for the night. A few insomniac passengers sat reading or sleeping in the lounge chairs. I walked around them and took the elevators down to the fifth deck. The outside chairs wouldn’t be in the wind as much.
A short steward and an officer walked by when I located a chair and sat down. Just as I was getting relaxed, I looked up at the metal stairway that led up to the next deck. I could swear a steward appeared out of the gray wall and walk toward me. Maybe he was there all the time. Even though the area had outside lighting, the darkness cast long shadows around my table.
“Will madam want a refreshment?” he asked.
I recognized this steward’s voice from the one who helped me opened my cabin door. “Maybe some water. Do you work at nights?”
He didn’t answer but wandered away I suppose to fulfill my request. I tried scrolling through my phone to see if I had any important messages the internet connection wasn’t available. Then a white-sleeved arm set a glass of water down on the table in front of me. I looked up at the attendant but couldn’t distinguish his facial features with the ceiling light behind his head.
“Thank you. Is this the time you usually work?” I asked again.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I sipped some of the cool water and returned to my phone scrolling. After a minute, I picked up my glass and noticed the steward wasn’t around anymore. I shrugged. After all, he can’t attend to me all morning. As I looked up toward the stern railing, I could see two men. Their voices rose in anger. It was then I decided it was time for me to leave. As I rose from my chair, one of the men shouted to another, “You’ll do as I tell you.”
I left as fast as I could. Who knows what those two were up to? I caught the elevator and returned to the tenth floor and walked down the long hallway. My room was closer to the bow, and I had taken the wrong elevator. I passed an older male passenger in the narrow hallway until I reached my door. Entering my cabin, I shut the
