Chapter 59 - The Midnight Watch
By midnight, the sky had cleared completely, revealing a star-drenched canopy that stretched from horizon to horizon with a brilliance impossible to witness near city lights. The Milky Way arched across the heavens like a river of pulverized silver, so bright it cast faint shadows on the deck.
It was my watch. I sat in the cockpit wrapped in my oilskins and heavy sea boots, keeping one hand resting lightly on the varnished tiller while my eyes scanned the horizon for shipping traffic. Not that we were likely to cross paths with anyone out here in the middle of the North Atlantic drift; we were leagues away from the commercial shipping lanes, floating in our own private universe of water and starlight.
The hatch slid open quietly, and Fay emerged from the cabin, wearing her fleece jacket and carrying a thermos of hot coffee. She climbed up into the cockpit and sat down beside me on the teak bench, pouring a cup and handing it to me.
"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, taking the cup gratefully as the warmth radiated through my cold fingers.
"Too many stars," she smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Back in the city, you forget the sky is actually three-dimensional. You only ever see a narrow strip of gray between brick walls. Out here, you feel like you're falling backward into the universe."
"That's the danger of the sea," I murmured, looking up at the constellations. "It makes you realize how small everything is—all our little wars, our ledgers, our vendettas. They don't even amount to a grain of sand on the ocean floor."
"Good," Fay whispered fiercely, her fingers finding mine in the darkness. "Let the old world keep its little wars. We traded ours for this."
We sat in silence for a long time, watching the phosphorescent wake glow with eerie blue sparks every time the hull dipped into a crest. A shooting star streaked across the southern sky, leaving a brilliant momentary trail that vanished into the dark expanse toward the Azores.
"Did you make a wish?" Fay asked quietly.
May you like
"I didn't need to," I replied, turning my head to kiss the top of her head. "All my wishes are sitting right here beside me."
She squeezed my hand tight, her breath forming a small white cloud in the chilly night air. The Vagrant Spirit sailed on through the midnight sea, an obedient ghost riding the dark water toward a tomorrow that belonged entirely to us.
