Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through January 2024. This week, the authors present scenes based on the word ACTIVE. I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones.
Jerome exhaled, thanking the ancient gods and the modern saints for getting them safely across The Minch. Given the rough rolling of the ferry, he bounced off the walls and vehicles as he made his way from the passenger lounge to his Jeep. The stormy crossing had been one of the most harrowing experiences he’d ever had, and he’d had plenty, but he’d always known he would make it through alive. Today, there had been moments when he’d had visions of being trapped aboard the overturned vessel like the passengers in the Poseidon Adventure, probably not the wisest choice for last night’s television viewing.
Unlocking the driver’s door, he settled behind the wheel, waiting to be told when to start his vehicle. What a day it had been. Not only had the ferry been late leaving port, it was almost as if Mother Nature and the mythical Blue Men of the Minch or some other force had been playing tug-o-war with the vessel—one side doing everything it could to stop him and his fellow passengers from safely getting to the island, while the other protected them when he thought all was lost.
At one point when they’d exited the river’s mouth, he’d been certain that the captain would turn the ferry around and cancel the trip, but the man, his crew, and the ship had soldiered on, fighting each wave as if they were David facing Goliath.
Had the man not had a deeply personal reason to get to Stornoway, he probably would have waited for the storm to pass, but according to one of the crew, the captain’s wife was in active labor, and he was determined to get there for the birth of his first son. No man would want to miss that. Of course, the man hadn’t taken any needless risks, but they were here now, and that was all that mattered.
Jerome waited for the crewman to signal that it was his turn to drive off. That was the problem with ferries—first one on, last one off. He checked his watch. It was after three, but given the storm and the heavy cloud cover, it seemed much later in the day. Had the heir’s plane been grounded by the weather? It was possible. As bad as the storm had been at sea, it would’ve been brutal in the air.
That’s it. Come back next week for more. Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.
Living the Dream 
I once was on a crossing like that across the English Channel. It was rough and not something I’d want to experience again. Looking forward to seeing how this is going to play out for the heirs. Great story!
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You do a great job of showing the actions and feelings of the characters is relation to the necessities occurring around them over which they have little control– such as being on a boat or plane. The details add up to a surging movement that fits the moment and moves the story right along.
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great work this week as usual. I’ve been in some storms both at sea and in the air and I really can’t say which is worse. Both are pretty scary. And the sea ones are brutal on the nausea! Jillian
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This is funny. At lunch today with some friends, one of my friend’s sister was here visiting from Canada. Vancouver, I think. And somehow we got to talking about boats and ferries and she was saying that sometimes the crossing is so rough that they have to stop the ferry service. And then I read this here and you’re talking about treacherous seas like this too.
Great scene!
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