First Posted: Oct 23rd, 2022
Last Updated: Oct 23rd, 2022
Year One: June 14th
Night had long since fallen when I stepped out of the stairwell and onto the deck. A bright waning moon beamed down from a star filled sky, burning through the wispy clouds that flitted across its face. The hot humid air weighed heavy on my lungs, like breathing through a wet blanket. Uncomfortable, but I knew by three a.m. it would ease up as the temperature dipped. Smiling, I paused to survey the area around me. The Goddess had been my home for over a year now, and I felt as blessed to be aboard tonight as I had the first day I’d set foot on her. My destiny, I had decided. She named Goddess, and I named for a Goddess. A match made by the Gods.
“Calypso,” Captain Gray called out to me, gesturing for me to enter the pilot house. I scampered in, all too aware I was late for the shift meeting. I stepped into the small air-conditioned room and bit back a sigh. The air felt deliciously cool.
Meetings were a nightly affair to briefly catch up on the day-shift’s notes and discuss the night’s duty roster. As a Watchman – in – training, my workload consisted of a hodgepodge of duties that straddled the line between Watchman and Deckhand. It was a light load night that had me on spider removal duty. I hate spiders, but killing them didn’t thrill me, either.
Halfway through the night, my spider killing was over. I wiped the last of the webs from the starboard railing and the sweat from my brow with a sigh. The wispy clouds that had played across the moon earlier had been replaced by a dark wall that ate away at the constellations above me. The smell of rain wafted on the wind that tugged at my hair, prying strands from my chestnut braid. Lightning flashed through the clouds as I watched. A storm was brewing.
The walkie-talkie on my hip crackled, then Troy’s voice came over the speaker, sounding scratchy and far away. I raised it to my ear to hear the message better, but the wind pulled the sound away from me.
I depressed the button and said, “Come back.” The walkie crackled again but Troy’s voice remained lost to me. With the rain on the way, I decided to return to my cabin for my slicker and hopefully either run into Troy or have better reception in the foyer where I could try again to reach him. I turned to the stairwell only to have the Captain wave at me from the pilothouse. The deck lights illuminated his face. I could see his lips moving, but I couldn’t catch his words. I hustled along the length of the starboard side to meet him. I’d almost reached him when another bolt of lightning illuminated the clouds, followed by a loud crack of thunder that had me ducking like a child. I gave a bark of laughter and hurried on. Rain was pelting my head by the time I reached the pilothouse door.
“Calypso.” Captain Gray ushered me inside. “Troy has been trying to reach you. Is your radio on?”
“Yes, sir.” I slipped it from my hip and showed the face to him to prove it. “I can hear it crackling but not what he’s saying.” The captain took the walkie from me and clicked the button a couple of times. More crackling came over the speaker.
“Troy, come back.” Captain Gray waited for a response to manifest through the static. None came. “Take it back to the Purser and request another one. Troy was doing the rounds on Venus level, you can probably catch him there.”
I turned to leave, my hand resting on the door handle, when a bolt of lightning split the sky illuminating the deck before me. A sound, halfway between a gasp and a scream leaped from my throat.
“Calypso?” The captain’s tone was both questioning and stern.
I didn’t speak – couldn’t speak. Instead, I pointed out the window in front of me. The flash gone, the image I had seen was no longer visible. I released a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I replied, my strangled voice barely above a whisper. “I swear I saw someone standing out there all-” I struggled to find the words to explain the condition of the person I’d seen.
“Captain!” Gavin, the First Mate, exclaimed, his voice clogged with urgency. “What the hell is that? One of our guests?”
We both turned to see what he was talking about. There on the catwalk, a human form stood, arms raised, stringy white hair swirling in the rain soaked wind. The eyes gave evidence that it was not a guest, glowing deep red as they stared at us through the glass.
“Holy shit!”
I’d never heard the Captain curse before. Every other man on the boat, yes. Even most of the women cussed like true sailors, but not once had I heard such words from our Captain.
Another flash of light and the being was gone.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Gavin was visibly shaken. To be honest, I was too. The Captain, true to form, took charge.
“Calypso, come with me,” he commanded. “We’ll check to see if he or she fell overboard.” He was already out the door when he called back, “Gavin! Call it in.”
I raced out after the Captain, Gavin’s voice following after me.
“All hands, all hands. This is an Oscar. Starboard side. Report to your stations.”
Captain Gray had his hands on the spotlight, sweeping left to right, looking for the person we’d all seen on the catwalk. I joined him, leaning over the railing to see into the water. The rain dripped into my eyes, blurring my vision. I swiped at it, thankful I’d worn my contacts tonight instead of my glasses.
“I don’t see anyone,” I shouted to the Captain over the sound of the storm.
The boat slid quietly to a halt beneath my feet, the first mate having guided us into a pull-out near the bank. The rescue team had quickly assembled, the radio squawked confirmation. The Captain turned the spotlight over to me, snapped up his radio and began giving commands. I watched as the team swung the rescue skidoo over the side and settled it in the water, two crewmen resting on its back. The cord released and they raced away down river, searching for a body. I kept the spotlight trained for their advantage until they were gone from sight.
“How far will they go?” I’d never lost someone overboard before. I knew the training backward and forward, but I’d never seen a real person fall into the water.
“Far enough,” the captain said quietly. “I don’t think they’ll find anyone.”
I looked at him sharply. He looked back at me, a haunted look in his eyes. Before I could respond, the rescue team returned – empty handed.
Craig, the team leader, stepped up to report, leaning in close to be heard. “Nothing, Captain.”
“I thought not.” Captain Gray rubbed a hand over his face.
“Captain,” Craig began. The Captain stopped him with a gesture.
“Not here,” he said. Both looked at me. The gaze was long enough for me to feel uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to excuse myself when Captain Gray cut me off. “Calypso, do an outside sweep starting on this deck and making your way down. Do a thorough check then report back up here. I’ll send Troy through the interior. Call in any unusual activity. Meet back in thirty.”
“Yes, Captain.” I turned on my heel and began my rounds, wondering the whole time what the two were hiding.
All was quiet on my rounds. The wind had died down. Rain still pattered against the open areas on each deck, but the thunder had stopped rolling and I could see stars where the clouds had parted. The storm was moving off.
My meeting with the Captain later, had no new information injected into it. While I tried to ask question, I was cut off, my questions never answered. I lie here on my bunk, thoughts churning in my mind. Who or what fell from our boat? Why was there an air of secrecy surrounding the event? What was my responsibility in this matter? Sleep did not come easy, but when it came it was dreamless.