The Keystone: Finding Home by Seren Goode

Author:Seren Goode [Goode, Seren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GoodeStar Publishing
Published: 2021-02-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Into Astoria

Days later, fatigue was wearing on me and so was the theme song to Gilligan’s Island that was looping through my head at a frenetic pace.

To get into Astoria, we had to deal with the Columbia River and its infamous sandbar. We were also encountering the most shipping traffic we’d seen since San Francisco. Not wanting to alarm everyone, I didn’t mention the area we were entering was known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.”

I’d timed our arrival to use the currents and winds to get us over the bar and past the normally strong seaward current. We made it, and the sun was setting as I switched our radio to channel sixteen and kept an eye out for freighters stacked high with lumber and logs.

Finally, we came to a large bridge spanning the waterway, and I headed to the south shore, pulling into a marina in the bridge’s shadow. Down shore, huge freighters were being loaded. Further up the shore, rotting piers and docks were smothered in thick moss, but the marina was quiet and had a lot of open spaces.

After docking in a guest berth, I secured the boat. Shim chatted up a local who, with a little cash incentive, was willing to sign for our spot at the marina so we didn’t have to show registration or proof of insurance.

Jaxon hauled himself off the boat. Unsteady, he stumbled up the pier. Our guest berth was at the end of the marina, close to a paved walking trail. He stumbled along until he was on solid ground, then, with a groan, collapsed, molding his body to the pavement.

It was pretty late in the evening by the time everything was secure, and the rest of us fell into beds in the cabin. The last thing I remembered was the sound of water lapping against the hull.

When I woke up, the sun was starting to climb into the sky. I was curled up in a ball on a seat cushion; I hadn’t even made it into one of the beds. Familiar now with Breeze’s soft snores and Skylar’s wheezing, I could tell they were knocked out in the forward sleeping cabin. I sat up and looked in. Sure enough, they were piled up like puppies on top of each other. I eased off the bench and grabbed my bag, heading to the bathroom. After a spit shower and a change into fresher clothes, I peeked into the aft cabin. Empty. Puzzled, I headed up on deck.

Nothing above deck. Where were they? I looked on shore, and on the walking trail, there were two lumps covered in sleeping bags. I approached the pile, treading softly down the pier and up the walk, trying not to disturb them. Shim had covered his brother up and was camping out next to him so he wouldn’t be alone. They were covered in dew, and I was surprised they hadn’t gotten rained on. Luckily, the sky looked clear this morning. Sleepy eyes opened at my approach.

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