WEEK 356
The captain's eyes widened as his schooner rounded the harbor seawall and...


...he discovered that Elsinore by the Sea, his home for nearly sixty years, was gone. Not a splinter remained. Among the missing were the two-room cottage that he sometimes shared with Bernice--who would have long ago been his bride had he just asked, the tavern where all of his joy was found--and where his outstanding debt filled its own page of the ledger, and the constabulary--where he was serving weekends of shore time for the next year or so based upon one unlucky night of imbibery. Some cyclone or conflaguration or natural mystery had denied his eyes the sight of old Elsinore.

"Back to the sea, mates," the captain ordered with a near glee, "we've this voyage been spared the welcome of home."

by Joe Berry, Jonesboro, Arkansas

...he spotted the flotilla of pleasure craft headed his way!

"Hard to starboard," he bellowed to his helmsman.

"Hard starboard, aye, Captain," the helmsman shouted back.

They both knew that all the emergency actions they could take would not prevent some of those smaller craft from colliding with their vessel, but they at least had to try to avoid as many as possible. Knowing what was about to happen next, the captain then called out his next order.

"Mr. Givens, make ready the life boats for launching!"

"Aye, Captain, life boats ready for launch," came the quick reply from the first mate.

At least this time, unlike the tragedy that occured at Meecham's Harbor, they might be able to save some of those weekend sailors from a watery grave.

"I'll not suffer another Meecham's disaster, Mr. Givens!"

"Aye, Captain," was Mr. Givens only response.

by Stewart Lindsay, Buffalo, NY