Fated Doom
The calm and the quiet were too disturbing; the kind of calm that puts you on edge. You can feel it as your stomach churns, the hair on the nape of your neck stands up, a kind of shiver it gives you and makes you feel queasy.
He felt it too. He was sure a storm is brewing.
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He had felt it in his bones it wasn't going to be a smooth sailing home, but after not seeing her for this long, with what could he console his heart! He needed answers. Many moons had passed and it was time for them to reunite.
Richard had been on a voyage and returning home. More than home he was eagerly waiting for the moment he'd see her again. But as much as he was anticipating their meeting, he was well aware that she was hiding; there were unanswered questions, secrecy regarding her whereabouts for the better part of the month. Her home is a confidential place, an island he can't pinpoint. And her aura. Nahnna always looked like she didn't belong in this world, her beauty was beyond mortal beliefs and unlike anyone, he had seen before. All these queries had undeniably put him in a difficult situation. There he stood infatuated by a woman he knew nothing about. He was determined to clear his doubts once and for all. At times she fidgeted as if wanting to say something but disallowed herself the very next minute.
She couldn't do it.
No matter how much she wanted to tell him about everything, she couldn't. She was fearful of the consequences that might be led by the constant questions Richard kept asking; her world would blow up into smithereens.
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In between their times together, she didn't realize that she grew accustomed to his company. The moments they shared with each other, how the world was different from before they all fled, the stories of his voyages and the places he had been, so many memories flooded her mind. She too had been to many places but she couldn't tell that to Richard, but the silly man ended up promising her to travel together. Little did he know that she can swim faster than his ship and even capable of leading it into its doom. But there was already a doom heading towards the ship he was boarded.
The storm.
The deck was at a rampant, crew plodded on the floor as Richard shouted orders to his first mate. It didn't take time to flip the calm to madness; he knew that a storm was coming but wasn't sure how big. The ghastly wind was wind winnowing its way tearing away the calming mask of the sea. The crew heaved the sails up but it flapped away uselessly into the raging storm like torn rags on a clothesline. There would be no smooth sailing. The ship heaved and tossed with each raging tide and he gripped the wheel tightly. He could feel the temperature drop significantly. The heavy raindrops against the ghastly wind felt like shattered glass on his skin, lightning illuminated the dark clouded sky; midday duplicating the appearance of the night. With a look of disbelief on his face, a giant wave headed their way and everyone braced for impact. His heart dropped to his stomach; mere mortals against the wrath of the sea. The ship bobbed and a swell crashed on the deck. It was madness.
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His hold on the wheel got tighter but his courage was dwindling. Another wave tilted the ship and something grazed harshly at the starboard side. He turned the wheel to port and the crash was harder than the previous one, splinters came off of the side. There are jagged rocks beneath the ship sealing a death far crueler than that of a tempest. Death was imminent. The mast got split in half as it collided with a giant bowlder. And with the last tidal wave, the ship plummeted and got swallowed down by the merciless sea.
Richard woke up disoriented, it was morning and the crows thought of him as breakfast. His mouth felt dry and salty. He tried sitting up but his body ached and his elbows couldn't support him, falling on his back he breath shaking. The sky looked clear and cloudless. He turned his face and immediately knew that the shore looked unfamiliar. The storm had thrown him off course and landed him on uncharted territory.
He was stranded.
Just Once
After All
Sure Enough
