Ghost

A Warm Place - Nine Inch Nails

The frigid spray stung her cheeks as the ice-cold wind bit through her thick baggy sweater and tugged at her black hair with all the force of a desperate shout. She had been on this wretched boat a good four hours now and the nausea was only just beginning to dampen. The sea churned a sickly grey-blue beneath the cut of the metal of The Minnow's barnacled bow, and the sun struggled through the thick cloud cover to provide a meager light.  God how long had it been since she'd been on a boat, or even in the water? was her return going to be as though she was learning to walk all over again?

A well-established voice rumbled above the boat's motor.

 "You best be gett'n your things now lass. We're dock'n soon." 

The Minnows "captain" Angus's hulking mass appeared above-no, beside her, emerging from the cabin like a bear from hibernation. Taking in a breath deep enough to fill a hot air balloon he clapped a hand the size of a trashcan lid on her tentative shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. She'd practically grown up in the tavern he owned. He was dimly lit pool tables and howling laughter, teaching her how to hold a gun, how to aim and fire. She had thought that he wouldn't be as big to her now that she had grown a little. How badly she had been wrong. He looked even more massive than ever. 

She'd arranged her transportation over the wire with Granda beforehand and then worn a sign across her torso to the Mainland docks. It read "Murdina" in subdued graphite. Angus had recognized her immediately, no matter how different she seemed. It was something about the clenched expression on her frozen face, the way she slouched like she was trying to hide. 

When she had returned to the deck, she reassumed her position, this time with a bag of crisps. Angus was in the bridge at the wheel, humming a tune. They were now close enough that the houses were specks of dust on a windshield. She occupied herself by wondering what went on in this little speck of dust and if that little speck of dust had Sunday luncheon with this little speck of dust. She heard a tremor in the waves unlike the boats facilitated churn and, brow knit, turned to find it. He had come to meet her, even after all this time.

Bobbing with the waves like a fishing cork, Ghost stared up at her. She stared down, wondering if he was just as angry as the rest of the island at her leaving. His black eyes floated with the water like berries in snow. There was an intelligence there she'd noticed long ago, when he'd snapped a fish from her rod and chased her from the cove back up to her house. She threw up a chip into the water but he ignored it. She threw another, this time hitting him in the forehead, and protested as he thrust his powerful flippers out of the water, smacking it against the waves and splashing her in the process. She yelled at him, hair damp now and he barred his teeth at her. They squabbled, no question of communication between them, till the houses became peanut sized and then the thundering footsteps of Angus gave the seal a fright and he disappeared from the boat's side. An odd pang hit her as she watched him flit and flurry beneath the waves like a snowflake, pale as a ghost under the ocean. 

As they neared the docks, Roslyn squinted through the fog, suitcase, guitar case, and bookbag all slung over her capable back. Murdina was nestled deep in the rocky hills along the coast of the Scottish island Blackpool Innis. The town consisted of a handful of neighborhoods and local government buildings, a couple of schools ranging from nursery- to secondary school, and a smattering of local fishing shops. There were two taverns, a cafe, (which Roslyn had frequented before she left) a convenience store and a gas station. As The Minnow chugged closer, the fog relinquished more and more of the little town, till they were at the docks and she could make out the mold and moss making its way up the wooden buildings and cracked streets. 

"Need any 'elp lass?" Angus proffered his arm after stepping from the boat to the deck. He'd been tall before but now he was practically a whole other person out of reach. She pursed her lips in thought and held out the bookbag and guitar case.