Copyright Georgia Koch
Towards midnight, the mooring lines slipped of their own accord; the boat eased out onto open water with the aid of a gentle breeze.
Later her engines powered up unbidden, and with a gentle ‘put-put’ she headed towards the estuary.
Beneath the surface of the water, ancient timbers succumbed to the occasional caress of tree roots, the nudge of an abandoned oil-drum, and the scrape of shingled shallows.
Lower she sat, and still lower.
Lionel, blanketed in morphine, did not feel the chill of rising water, nor the tilt of the keel as ballast shifted.
A long voyage, but now his ship was coming in.
How cheery was that, hey??? 🙂 Well, today we were contemplating starting the second leg of our three-stage winter pilgrimage, this time from mid France to the Spanish border. Fine sunny weather was forecast – so we woke up to find the boat frosted with snowflakes, now predicted to continue all day. When I come back, (if I come back) I’m going to be a meteorologist. It seems like a fairly undemanding way to earn a crust…
Rochelle kindly let me have a preview of the photo in view of our travel plans, so I’ll probably be first up today. Thank you Rochelle, as always. And thank you Georgia – a picture after my own heart.
castelsarrasin 
Dear Sandra,
It’s nice to know that meteorologists are consistent the world over in their “accuracy.” I definitely chose the wrong career. Where else could one make so much money for error?
Your story is another thing. You hit the target square in the middle. Beautiful descriptions blanket us and ease us into the sorrow of the last line.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle,
I think a baseball player might be on a par with meteorologists when it comes to making money for failing. Miss hitting the ball seven out of 10 times and you’re considered one of the best in the game!
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Dear Sandra, Great story and as usual, well penned! Scary and nice at the same time. Poor Lionel will be home soon. This would make a wonderful opening to a movie – if it used ‘flashback.’ Powerful imagery. Nan 🙂
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Thank you Rochelle. 🙂 Yes, meteorology is beginning to display all the credibility (and marginally less accuracy) than astrology these days. I blame it on the weather…
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Brilliantly written. Always a pleasure to read your work, no matter what the subject.
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Thank you! 🙂
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i like the third sentence, nice post, great
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Many thanks for reading.
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So near yet so far… that’s the lingering feeling I had.
But I am sure that wont be with your Journey, whatever may the weatherman or the weather itself may decide ! Have a lovely trip !!
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Thank you Horus!
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I hope you come back safely with all of your fingers and toes intact.
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Such a beautifully written story … brilliant descriptions and a serene but sad ending … a great write.
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Thank you. The photo was a terrific prompt.
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And I thank you, I’m glad it inspired you! 🙂
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Have a great trip, Sandra. At any rate it’ll be a tremendous improvement on the short, tragic trip of your character. Seems it’ll be his last. if I’m not mistaken, a ghost, or ghost boat, seems involved here. Either that of in his state of drugged mind it just seems that way. Well done at any rate and as usual. Great description; I could feel the chill of the water. — Suzanne
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Thank you Suzanne, glad you liked it.
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What a good story to go with the picture. You gave us the scene then hit us with the tragedy.
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Many thanks Irene.
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The description in this is hauntingly beautiful. I could read it over and over and still find it just as engaging.
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Thanks very much Carol.
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Dear Sandra,
You wove a deep and beautiful metaphor here. Nicely handled.
Enjoy your journey.
All my best,
Marie Gail
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Thanks Marie-Gail. I particularly enjoyed yours this week.
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Sandra – how melancholy this is. Nicely done. Safe travels.
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Yes, I shall be back to ‘offing’ people with gusto quite soon, I think. 🙂
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What a description, I have it all in my head. Such an undercurrent of tragedy.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Very cheery! 😉 You really set up a peaceful image here — peaceful, like Lionel. Nice!
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🙂 Thanks Caerlynn.
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Wonderful writing again, Sandra. I guess we need to feel happy for Lionel that his suffering is now over. 🙂 Have a great trip.
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Thank you, I’m looking forward to a change of scenery.
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Wow. this extended metaphor remaining unexplained until the very end reads like pure poetry. .. wonderful word choices.
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Thanks Bjorn. 🙂
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Right from the off, there’s a heavy sorrow in this story, Sandra, and yet it ends on a strangely positive note – the blanket of morphine is just enough to suggest we can be happy for him to find this gentle end. Lovely.
Enjoy your ongoing travels, I hope the snow is at least pretty!
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Thanks for reading Jen. Yes, it is a bit melancholic. I had another one but that was a bit technical (in boatie terms) so I opted for this. We’ll be underway later today for Perpignan.
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Bleak, haunting…great prose….
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That had a viking feel to it
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Yes I suppose it does Bill. Thanks for reading.
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What a vivid scene. Sad, yes, but brilliantly written.
Bon voyage, Sandra!
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Thank you Rachel – on both counts.
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Reminds me of poor auld Boromir 😦
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When I saw the photo, I thought “Oh, Sandra’s going to like this one!” Another expertly written story, this one particularly haunting.
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Thanks Barbara. I love a boat story! 🙂
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nice… you hooked me… I wanted more
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Thank you! 🙂
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I loved it all and especially the last line. Beautifully written.
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Many thanks for reading.
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Yes, a haunted boat. Why did I not see that?
I aspire to be as clever as you.
Safe travels!
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Thanks Dawn. I shall be glad when we get to Spain and see some sunshine.
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Lovely – That third sentence is excellent.
Cheers
KT
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Many thanks KT.
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Sandra,
a beautiful story, as always, but no, not very cheery. 🙂 I hope nothing of that sort happens on your voyage. I envy your peregrine ways.
-David
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Thanks David, I’ll be more up-beat next week I think, under a bit of Spanish sun.
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That sounds wonderful, Sandra. My wife loves Spain and she’d live there permanently if she could. I’m hoping we can get enough money to visit every couple years. Have fun there, and on the trip there.
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Nicely done. I always enjoy your takes on the prompts,
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Thanks Roger! 🙂
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Safe and wonderful travels, Sandra. This is indeed a cheery story (not), but so wonderfully done! Fantastic use of the prompt! I was going to congratulate you on your early place in the cue (I will never be that girl– most weeks I forget to link up!), but love that you had a head start. 😉 Bon voyage!
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Thanks for reading Dawn. I like to be early in the proceedings, but I’m not usually first. All down to Rochelle. 😉
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You’re generally in the first few… I’ve only been first (or maybe 2nd) once. I was in the hospital and not sleeping– I don’t think that will happen again soon. 😉
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A great metaphor for those last hours? Wonderful nautical language.
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You’re right, that wasn’t too cheery. But every word leads us to the end and that powerful last line. I need a drink!
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I had always dreamed of my ship coming in. Now, I’m thinking I’d better find a new metaphor. Beautiful choice of words. I loved the flow–all the way to the sinking conclusion. 🙂
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Poor Lionel – your descriptions of the boat gently descending as Lionel does is beautifully done.
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Dear Sandra,
I’m late to the party. Apologies. Was helping a friend who was sinking.
Your story is beautiful and otherworldly and I got lost in its rhythms as I read. Lovely work from a lovely writer.
Aloha,
Doug
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Poor Lionel 😦 A very dark and atmospheric piece that fits with the ‘feel’ of the image.
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Poor Lionel. I wonder if he has ghostly friends. Or enemies. Poignant & sad and a good read for this dreary day. (Our weatherman was spot on, more’s the pity.)
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a nice exclamation point to a life i hope was well-lived. i suppose you’ll be back unlike this fellow in your story.
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Mesmerizing, Sandra. Such vivid and rich descriptions. I surprised by the sad end, but knew it wasn’t going to end well. Happy travels! Can you take a heated blanket in that boat?
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Hauntingly beautiful, though sad, but strangely not, if that makes sense. Travel safe and don’t forget to write from time to time! 🙂
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Beautiful. So much to ponder. Lionel has obviously made his choice, and is going to a peaceful end.
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Descriptive and melancholy. Beautiful piece!
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Beautifully descriptive 🙂
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Beautiful piece Sandra for a murder? Suicide? My uncle has told us he wants a Viking burial, you know push the boat out into the lake and light ‘er up!
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A burial at sea, it seems. Beautifully written, Sandra.
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This is a beautifully written piece with wonderful description! It has such a pervading sense of melancholy that’s brought to culmination with the fate of the morphine blanketed Lionel. 🙂
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Very cheery! Even so I felt lulled and sleepy, along with Lionel. Love the line ‘ancient timbers succumbed to the occasional caress of tree roots, the nudge of an abandoned oil-drum.’ Our first boat being a wooden one, this had added meaning for me.
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I got a little chill reading this. Lovely, as always.
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“and the scrape of shingled shallows.”
Such great wording in this one. The boat sinks, but the quality doesn’t. 🙂
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Finished this piece thinking of of a Viking burial boat. Something to do with the morphine. The ‘ghost’ knows best.
Hope your travels have begun – enjoy!
Ellespeth
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A perfect use of the prompt this week Sandra,up to your usual high standard and very well written. I too felt the chill of the water, hope your travels get warmer and warmer!
Take care
Dee
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Authentic use of language (of course) poetic, atmospheric, sad and I would like to go in similar manner. 🙂
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P S I like your nudging oil drum and scraping shingled shallows.
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