Respect the Sea

First Chapter

The wind brushed against him as he watched the land slowly fall off the edge of the horizon. He looked over the bow to see the water slowly rushing by, creating waves that looked miniscule in comparison. How did he get himself into this mess? Charles stared a few seconds longer until deciding to face the treacherous task before him. He begrudingly turned his head to see a large buffet filled to the brim with lobster, crab, and multiple different salad options. He'd sailed for many years and had gotten used to the solitude that he was gifted when in the middle of the sea, but he'll never get used to this.

"Come on Charles, the buffet's about to begin!"

"I'll be there in a minute, just taking a breather," he muttered out.

Charles contemplated the steps he had taken that had gotten him here, and attempted a smile to please his wife. He palmed his face and ran his hand down his unkempt beard. He sensed a pair of eyes upon him, but felt as if everyone on the cruise ship could see how out of place he was. Through his gruff exterior, Charles was a nervous and self-conscious man, who felt as if he lacked the energy and personality to have a good time on a cruise ship. His wife Nadale, however, was the most ostentatious person he knew. While his home is peace and quiet, hers is loud music and energy.

He slunked over next to his wife, standing awkwardly while she conversed with some of the friends that she had made on the cruise. He thought to himself, Will she introduce me, or do I just stand here and stare at something? Should I leave and go do something by myself? No, I'll just end up having to talk to more people. He stared through the people on the ship and into the sky as he watched the horizon shift colors from light blue to orange. It's almost night, he thought. He knew that when the lights went out in the night sky, he would be even less alone then he was. Charles thought for a moment, and decided that he might just go sit in his cabin, or maybe walk around and try to find somewhere that was at least a little secluded. What he wouldn't give to be the only person on this vessel, and to be able to just sit and stare at the stars as he listened to the sound of the water around him. At last, he decided that he didn't want to completely waste this trip, so he would try to discover a place to sit and relax.

As Charles walked down the hallways between the bedrooms, he felt an odd feeling go through him. It felt as if he had become seasick for a split second, and then the feeling left as soon as it arrived. Although slightly perplexed, Charles sauntered on his journey. As he made his way through the ship, he fantasized about his past. Each time he heard the water crash over the commotion above him brought him memories from long ago.

"Now listen here Charlie, I'm not gonna baby you out here. You're going to have to keep yourself safe because I can't keep an eye on you 24/7."

"I got it Papa, I'll try not to jump overboard", he said sarcastically.

"You know that's not the only thing that worries me. There are thousands of things that can go wrong every time you step onto this deck and even though you're young, you need to be prepared to respond without panicking."

"No, I know, I hear you. I will be careful."

Charles hesitantly made his way on the ship, slight worried by his grandfather's tirade on safety. He stared at his feet and took each step deliberately, making sure not to slip and slide around. His grandfather Edward had already made it onto the ship and watched with a slight smirk as he realized that his warning had not been taken lightly.

"Do you know where we are headed Charles?"

"You said you were just taking me out for a spin. Do you have something different in mind?"

"No, that's still what we're doing" Edward said slyly.

Unnoticed by Charles, Edward had brought with him enough clothes to last a week, and a couple rations of food and water. He had brought Charles some clothes, too, but had stuffed everything onboard before Charles had got there. Edward never specified the duration of the trip, and wanted to show Charles what being a seamen was all about. If he is absolutely miserable, I'll take him home Edward told himself, but he knew himself better than that. Charles father had never been a fan of the sea, and Edward did not want to see the long line of seamen die with him. He would not let Charles off of this ship until he loved the ocean, or if they were in a dire emergency.

Charles watched as his grandfathered prepared the ship to sail. He was not familiar with the actions his grandfather was taking at the moment, but he assumed that over time and with more small adventures he would get the hang of it. Although Charles was not the most athetic child, he loved the brutish nature of seamen, and idolized their passion and hardiness. He wanted to look like his grandfather did, gruff with a thick but well kept white beard, an olive green canvas shirt with rolled up sleeves exposing his muscular forearms. Edward was the epitome of masculinity, and Charles knew that he was slightly disappointed in him and his father for not following his footsteps. His father was an actuary for a small insurance company, and looked like the average middle-aged guy. With a slight bulge in his stomach, early signs of balding, and clearly outdated apparel, he was nearly indistinguishable from his colleauges, and most would probably guess he was an accountant. Charles' father had Edward's eyes, but that was about the end of the similarities.

As the wind caught the sails and carried Charles out further and further out into the sea, he began to doubt his previous willingness to sail across the open ocean. He watched as the land fell off the world behind him, and the small islands dotting the coast became too small to see. They had been on their way around an two hours now, much too far a swim for Charles, for the water was rough and he was not the strongest swimmer. Panic set in as the clouds above him became greyer and greyer, threatening a storm that would surely test the strength of the small ship.

"What do we do if we're caught out in this storm? Are we going to turn back?" Charles asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Don't worry Charlie, this ship has been through hell out in the water, and I'm still here to tell the tale. We'll be fine."

Edward glanced down at the sea surrounding them, watching as the relentless waves pelted the sides of vessel. Every now and then, a wave larger than average would crash against the walls, and Charles now sensed a bit of unease in his grandfather as well.

As the night went on, the boat started to osink ever so slightly downwards. Edward noticed this subtle changed almost immediately.

"Charlie, do you want to come up and be the captain for a bit?"

The waves were still aggressive, and Charles had never sailed, but the risk had to be taken.

"I'll try my best," said Charles, assuming that his grandfather would never let him steer if there was any danger.

Edward hurredly went down to the lower deck, trying not to encite the attention of his grandson. As he went down the stairs, he noticed a small amount of water was settling on top of the floorboards. He saw a small crack on the portside of the hull, pouring water out at a steady rate. Edward felt a tinge of worry before beginning to patch up his ship. Luckily, he was an experienced sailor and had come prepared for emergencies such as these. Edward opened a small cabinet at the back of the room, and took out a small box with the words "Patch Kit" written across the front in black. He laid the kit on the counter and began to remove the items inside. Inside were many pieces of rope and small cloth bandages, but alongside these were various shaped cones and a small mallet. He pulled out a cone that was approximately the size of the crack and firmly tapped the wood into the gap. He waited by the crack for a while, watching as the cone swelled after absorbing the water flowing around it. Eventually, the wood completely sealed the hole, and the water stopped.

Charles watched as his grandfather dipped below the deck, only to return with a bucket of water to dump overboard.

"Has there been a leak? Are we going under?" Charlies cried.

"Everything's fine, I've already patched it up. Don't worry Charles, things like this happen out at sea."

His grandfather's words did not do much for his anxiety. While Edward monotonously drained the ship below, Charles began to wonder if he should turn the boat around. Although he knew his grandfather was an expert, he did not trust the idea of being in the middle of the ocean while your boat was filling with water. He decided that, as captain of the ship at the moment, he would turn around and make his way to land.

Edward had been bucketing out water for approximately two hours now, and was becoming bored and tired. He was 57 years old now, and he could tell that he was not as spry as he once was. Although he was surprised he lasted two hours of the physical labor, he knew he needed a break. He sat down on a small wooden chair on the right side of the room, directly under where the leak had been. As he sat, he felt his eyes become heavier and heavier. He awoke with a start, and went to the top deck to monitor the situation. The ocean had calmed since he had been below, and he was no longer worried about the ship springing any more leaks.

"How's it going?" Edward asked.

"I'm loving it! Can I stay up here a bit longer?"

"Sure, let me know if you need anything. I think I'm going to take quick nap below."

Edward and Charles were both pleased with themselves, although Edward would not have been if he had known Charle's intentions. By watching his grandfather for the past couple hours, Charles had learned how to change course, and was now headed back home. Edward laid in the small bed across from the chair, and drifted off to sleep.

The next hour smoothly went by as Charles had covered many miles on his journey back. The waves had picked up once more, but Charles' confidence was building, and he was not worried about it. By now, had Edward been awake, he would have noticed the familiar sinking of the boat, and the slight reluctance in the ship's movement. Down below, the water was about one foot deep, about another foot away from waking Edward and alerting him to the problem. If Edward woke now, they would have a chance to pump the water out, and hopefully return to land. But Edward stayed sleeping, not notcing the sound of the water pouring into the ship from a crack right adjacent to the one he had previously filled.

Up above, Charles noticed that the waves were becoming large enough now that some would make it over the side of the ship to splash onto the deck and sink below. Although severely concerned, he felt as if they were close to land now, and would be able to use a lifeboat to get ashore if they had to. Charle's was so focused on the waves growing larger, that he did not realize that he had begun to pass the small islands that dotted the coastline. They were a few hundred feet away though, and would have been hard to see even if he was looking for them, for they were mostly underwater. Edward would have payed attention for any signs of these islands because he knew many a ship had been sunk by these inconspicuous clumps of land. But Charles was inexperienced, and did not notice the small clump of rocks that he was heading right towards. As the ship edged closer, the land became more apparent, but Charles was too focused on the waves to notice. Once he was around 25 feet away, Charles peeked up once more to see if he could see the coastline. He caught a small glimpse of the rocks, and dismissed them initially. Immediately after, Charles had flashback and could see the islands as him and his grandfather left so many hours ago. He remembered his grandfather expertly maneuvering between, making sure to leave a wide breadth between him and the island. Charles snapped back to his senses in a matter of seconds, but it was too late.