Tentative Trip [FICTION]

My best friend Patty insisted this would be the best way to catch up. I used to have nightmares about the ocean, so I tried to talk her into anything but a cruise. She wouldn’t be swayed, so I packed my bags and joined her at the boarding gate. She giggled excitedly. I tried to hold back the disturbance already brewing in my stomach.

Our first evening went surprisingly well. The second day found us about ready to pull out into the ocean as beautiful sunlight filtered down on the deck of our ship. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in some lounge chairs watching the ocean—after we claimed them from the buffet. By lunchtime, I regretted my choice of heavy pastries. I don’t remember grabbing the huge pile of wax-lined bags, but I was grateful to have them as the ship pitched this way and that as I lay on my bed feeling miserable.

Patty came looking for me around lunchtime and found me still curled up in the fetal position on my bed. I barely understood her as she handed me a tiny pill and a glass of water and commanded me to take it. She shushed me as I tried to explain that putting anything into my stomach was asking for trouble, so I took the pill and hoped she’d stay around long enough to see the error in her ways.

With a sad face, she bustled off to claim food from the buffet. I curled back up on my bed and fell asleep. When I woke up, the sunlight indicated that sunset approached. I gently stretched out my legs, surprised to not feel instantly compelled to roll back into a ball. That success emboldened me. I slowly sat up and swung my feet to the floor. Instead of rumbling threateningly, my stomach gurgled hungrily. I checked the time, relieved to find that the buffet would remain open for a half hour. 

As I slipped on flip flops and pulled open my door, I found a note from Patty telling me she already had dinner and reminding me that she left me a box of seasickness pills on my bathroom sink. I didn’t remember her telling me in the first place, so I said a little prayer of thanks for her intuitiveness. I turned around and read the box carefully before tucking it into my pocket. I knew I wouldn’t want to be without those.

I found the buffet mostly empty, except for fresh food that the wait staff brought out when I wandered in behind a party of six that either hadn’t found their sea legs or found their way to the bar much earlier in the day. A whiff of one of the women confirmed that it was option two. I tried to avoid getting within smelling distance of any of them on subsequent trips to the buffet. I ate slowly to assure myself that anything introduced to my stomach would stay there. After a light meal and pocketing some fruit for later, I wandered out to the top deck. 

A few couples walked hand in hand, whispering to each other under the dim overhead lights. I gave them wide berth and they remained unaware that they were not alone. I stepped over to the railing, expecting to see the water stirred up around us as the ship cut through the water toward out destination. Instead I saw only the gentle sweep of the ocean. We weren’t moving, we were stalled on the high seas. I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this trip.

As if to further convince me how foolhardy my choice had been, a movement along the hull of the ship caught my attention. A tentacle rose out of the water and cupped the side of the ship. Another followed. And another. Until eight tentacles loving enveloped the ship. I stifled a scream and chose a more proactive way to deal with this phenomenon. I went in search of the captain. The staff members I encountered didn’t know where he was and seemed unconvinced by my report of what I had seen.

I stumbled back into the ship, searching for anyone who can lead me to the captain. I finally came across a waiter dragging weary feet along the carpet on his way to his bunk.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, ma’am?” His eyes begged me to have a simple request or none at all.

I tried to keep it simple. “Do you know where the captain is?”

“Naw. No one ever knows where he is until they see him.” 

“Is there a vice captain?”

“A what?”

“A vice captain…like a vice president. Someone who has authority when the captain is sleeping or whatever?”

“Not exactly, but the head engineer should be able to help you out.”

“And where would I find him?” I asked in exasperation.

“He likes to get an ice cream cone before bed and he goes to bed early.” The waiter rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I’ll look around the soft serve machine then.” I mumbled and went in that direction.

“Good luck, ma’am.” His weary voice followed me.

No one loitered around the soft serve machine. Until I reached it, I thought the idea of eating an ice cream cone at this hour ludicrous. Looking at the gently whirring machine changed my mind. I grabbed a sugar cone and filled it up with a creamy chocolate vanilla swirl. Halfway through my late snack, a thin older man joined me. He grinned under his bushy grey mustache.

“Too good to resist one more before bed, I always say.” He greeted me in an Irish brogue, grabbed a cake cone, and filled it expertly.

Mesmerized I forgot to say anything. Luckily, he filled the silence as he grabbed the shaker of sprinkles and decorated his treat.

“You look like that might not be strong enough for what ails you.”

“Pardon?” I croaked.

“You’re pale and you’re shaking.”

“Are you the head engineer?”

He blinked a couple of times before tentatively replying. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I can’t find the captain and I have to talk to someone about something I saw.”

His mouth formed a straight line as he looks at me. “Did one of the staff do something…”

“No. Come with me. You won’t believe me if you don’t see it.”

“As you wish, ma’am.” He gestured gallantly with his cone.

I headed back up to the top deck, half afraid that the creature would disappear before we reached the railing. I forgot to breath until we both looked at the tentacles over the railing.

“Well, that’s something.” He said calmly, clearing his throat a little as he swallowed the last of his cone.

“Something? Something indeed. A giant sea creature has ahold of our ship.” I realized that the water around us roiled due to the ship now being in motion and traveling rather fast. “And it is taking us somewhere at top speed.”

“I wouldn’t worry about, if I were you.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“I can’t say that I am. You see lots of things when you travel the oceans as much as I do.” He looked away from me.

“You’ve seen this creature before.”

He cleared his throat again. “You could say that.”

“So you know what is going to happen to us.” I bit my lip, holding back the hysteria bubbling to the surface.

“Calm down, ma’am. I am going to tell you something in strictest confidence because I can see that not knowing isn’t going to end well, for you but I must ask you not to share. It isn’t my secret to tell, after all. You understand?”

I didn’t really but I nodded my head slowly.

“That’s the captain. Whenever his ship stalls or encounters trouble, he becomes that creature and carries her safely home. It’s a right love story.”

I stared at him.

“I didn’t believe it at first either.” He reached out to stabilize my elbow. “How long ago did you first see him?”

I stared at the tentacles, thinking about what I had done since. “Maybe a half hour.”

“Let’s stay here a little longer.”

I nodded again, leaning against the railing. He didn’t release my elbow. If anything, he gripped it tighter. As we watched the ocean rolling around us, I felt the exhaustion seeping into my bones.

“Here we go.” The head engineer pointed to the furthest tentacle, which lowered into the water.

Soon only four tentacles remained above water. They seemed to shrink into themselves, becoming smaller. Then they gripped the wall and began climbing toward us. As the creature got closer, its body grew more and more human. As the tentacles gripped the railing near me, they disappeared into the arms and legs of a familiar man—more familiar than on our last meeting as he was naked. He lowered his hands to try to cover as much as he could which only made me look in the direction they had fallen. My cheeks flushed and I looked away, wishing to look anywhere but at the captain.

“Jameson, I didn’t expect to be meeting one of our passengers.”

“Sorry, sir, she noticed you towing the ship to keep us on schedule.”

“Ah. So sorry to have worried you, ma’am. I don’t suppose you’d care to eat with me at my table for dinner tomorrow to make up for the worry I caused.”

“I’m here with a friend.” I responded numbly.

“Excellent. The more the merrier. Though perhaps we shouldn’t tell your friend about this.”

“She’d never believe me.”

“Most people don’t believe what they can’t see. You can turn around now. Jameson is always kind enough to meet me up here with a change of clothe.”

I half turned, relieved to find him now clad in swim shorts and a tank top. 

“Shall we?” He offered me his arm and Jameson took the other.

I shrugged and accepted. This evening couldn’t get any weirder after all.

~~Late again. Hope you enjoyed fireworks, friends, family, and fun over the holiday weekend. We were treated to fireworks three days in a row—though my child thought they were thunder and was too scared to sleep like she needed to. But we are awake now and I offer this for your reading pleasure…~~