Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury by Kinley Bryan

Author:Kinley Bryan [Kinley Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blue Mug Press
Published: 2021-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Lake Huron

Caught in the trough, the Titus Brown was helpless against the northeast wind that pushed them ever closer to the reef. For Sunny, nothing existed but the Port Austin Reef Light, an indistinct yet persistent flash beyond the pantry porthole. The steel freighter, heavier now with its thick coating of ice, dipped low into the valley between waves. A wall of water blocked the lighthouse. When the boat again rose on a cresting wave, Sunny caught sight of the flashing light.

She shook her head. No, this wasn’t happening. She backed away from the porthole.

The light was brighter now.

She had to tell Herb. Her heart racing, she lumbered through the sloshing water to the mess room. At the opposite end of the room, Herb stood at the door to the spar deck, wounded head and all. He opened the door to let the water rush out. Sunny cried out. Stop! Her husband had gone mad. In his weakened state he was likely to wash right out the door with the water, onto the fantail and over the stern.

“Herb!” Sunny shouted, moving closer, past the men bracing themselves against the tables and bulkhead. The ship heeled to starboard. Sunny—falling against the bulkhead, frigid water swamping her waist—pointed to port. “The Port Austin light!”

Herb opened the door once more, releasing the water. She motioned for him to come with her. He shut the door and made his way toward Sunny, holding onto the table as the boat pitched, and followed her to the pantry.

“Every six seconds!” Sunny shouted as Herb looked out the partially iced-over porthole. The realization spread over Herb’s face. The storm was too much. The Old Man couldn’t get the Titus Brown head-to. They were nearing the Port Austin Reef Light.

They would hit the reef.

Herb leaned against the counter and rubbed his head. Sunny clung to a rolling bar mounted on the counter’s edge. She didn’t want to see it and yet couldn’t take her eyes off the light. Even when the Titus Brown dipped in the trough, she watched and waited for the light to reappear, that she might gauge their proximity to the reef by its brightness.

She stumbled. A shiver of panic went through her. The motion of the boat had changed, but why? What was it? The Titus Brown seemed to come around a little. The anchors must have been dropped. Captain Hanna had seen the lighthouse and was trying to prevent them hitting the reef. The anchors were their only hope.

She watched the light. Please don’t let it get brighter. She waited. The boat turned a little, but they were still drifting toward the light. The anchors weren’t catching.

“I’m never sailing again after this!” Sunny shouted, her voice lost in the din. “I swear to it!”

The Port Austin Reef Light flashed. The anchors still hadn’t caught on the lake bottom. Without looking in Herb’s direction she blurted, “I’m opening a restaurant.”

The light disappeared as the boat fell deep into the valley between waves. She shouldn’t have waited so long to tell him her dream.

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