Short Stories

Wanderlust

Frederik felt it tug at him again, but this time was different. That unidentifiable something that urged him to come closer to it, wherever that may be, pulled at him, but it was unlike all the times before. His finger tapped impatiently against the cover of the book in his hands, signaling that it was time to pack up and leave. Perhaps this time, he would not settle down again. Perhaps this time, he would get on a ship and sail into the great beyond.

All his life, he could never stay in one place for too long, less boredom overtake him and cloud his mind. Something out there, something in the middle of nowhere, seemed to call to him- every moment of every day. Whenever he moved to a new town, it would be one that was always a step closer to whatever was pulling him to that middle of nowhere. But this time was different. This time, he did not want to settle down at all.

He was already in his mid-thirties, so Frederik had grown accustomed to his want to keep moving, to only settle for short periods of time. Some would label him a nomad, but he did not see it that way. The pull was finally different, and he agreed with himself that it was about time he traveled the world in search for the source of the other magnet. Frederik did not necessarily want the feeling to go away, but he wanted to know who or what was calling to him. He wanted to know why his wanderlust had never wavered within him.

 – – – – – 

The ship grew closer to a strange land, one that was shrouded in mist. But as the mountains and hills of it grew closer, Frederik realized that he was not the only one in awe. None of the crewmembers, including the captain, recognized it. In fact, it did not exist on any sort of map created by man, and they were certain that the whole world had been explored. They anchored the ship not too far off the coast, and Frederik climbed into one of the smaller boats to get to the beach itself. The crew allowed him to take the first step, recognizing that he was the one who had paid them to come here, even if it was not this place in particular- at least for the most part.

As Frederik placed his foot down on the beach, his boot sinking into the sand, he was no longer where he thought he was. Instead, he stood gazing out towards the horizon, a brilliant sight laid out before him. Although a layer of fog covered the land, obstructing Frederik's view of the ground, that did not matter to him, as there were plenty of other things for him to see. All that Frederik could think about was that the tug within him was stronger than ever, and that he must be close to whomever has been calling to him his entire life.

The wanderer's wanderlust could never be tamed.