Far below, at the main hatch, the older man paused before entering safety in the drier warmth below. He watched the Lieutenant swinging precariously above and oddly, he smiled. Now standing erect, he was not as bad off as he led them to believe.
“Enjoy the time. It will never come again.” Well, not today anyway. His smile grew broader and he turned to his next task below decks.
Pausing absent-mindedly before he disappeared below, he exposed a pocket watch held within his hand. He had just stolen it from the breast pocket of that hapless young officer. The shiny surface reflected the changing and shifting shapes in the storm above. Raindrops fell upon its silvery surface, curving and distorting the fine filigree laid into its casing.
Hathorne literally smiled to himself as he grinned once again at the young officer now hanging from that yardarm. Ten years had passed. Yesterday becomes today in the unique patterns of their family’s existence. Reliving a moment of his own history was supposedly impossible. But, in this special circumstance, he suddenly felt great nostalgic happiness that it apparently was not.
“Goodbye, Lieutenant Hathorne. And welcome to the rest of your life.” Hathorne had a broad grin on his face as he disappeared below the deck of Enterprise.
Baylus C. Brooks is a professional research and maritime historian, genealogist, and writer living in North Florida. Writes for Poseidon Historical Research & Publishing. Author of Quest for Blackbeard, Sailing East, and Dictionary of Pyrate Biography, all now from online stores! All posts are the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted.
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