gusts blustered less often and eased. Claude listened to the burble in his belly. He realized the squall was over, and pondered why his stomach—still queasy from the difficult passage—hadn’t gotten the message. For his answer, he looked past the bow. The storm residue was pushing the violet waves into six-foot breakers. His abdominal distress persisted until the sun appeared and warm trade winds stroked his skin. Then he relaxed, finally grateful mid-morning had ushered in flattened seas.
By noon, a heat wave had settled in and killed the breezes. A rogue puff of air skipped across his arm and fizzled, making him want more, as he dried his face on his dirty tee shirt. Claude took a deep breath, savoring the mix of sea salt and musk. A coconut scent lingered from the palm trees that hugged the coastline. What captured his attention though was something else. Water so sparkling clear, he counted starfish beneath his keel.
Maybe after the Bahamas, he’d head for the Virgin Islands.
Keep moving. He listened, not to reason, but to his tired, fifty-seven-year-old heart and decided to keep going. At his mooring hours later, the sinking sun seared the sky in the same bright hue as a roaring campfire. This chance to explore the Bermuda Triangle was irresistible, and everything about the sunset told him he had many adventures ahead.
*****
This is my gift to you! Thanks for reading “Cocooned in Darkness”. I hope you enjoyed it.
I also hope this digital short story proves to be an entertaining introduction to my Sea of Secrets Trilogy where you will learn a little more about Claude Pelletier in Shadow Cay (Book #1) and a lot more in Seas of Fury (Book #2). I’d be honored if you check them out.
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