Spectacular World

The First Page Turns

Alexander Lauren really hated the cold.

It bit and nipped at every exposed patch of skin despite his attempts to bundle up, and the fierce winds didn't help. The sea was turbulent, threatening to swallow the small fishing boat and drag them to the frigid depths below, and a stinging rain whipped at a horizontal angle, soaking them all to the bone.

His wife had warned him not to go out on the ocean during the winter, but the month had honestly started off rather warm and cozy. His captain had practically demanded they go on a month-long trip, and he, defying his wife's caution, had agreed.

As if the weather itself were out to get him, though, it didn't take long for the blue sky above to turn pitch black, and he found himself in this situation. Every day, it seemed to get worse and worse.

"Remind me again why we have to be out here in this weather," he grumbled.

His friend Marcus just gave him a sad smile. "What can I say, Alex? We drew the short stick. You know how it is."

"I'm telling you that the game was rigged from the start." He scowled. Even back when he lived in the boonies, he often found himself in the water. Fishing was something he and his dad used to do. After moving to the big city and starting his new life, he had no reason to change that pastime, even turning it into a job. "Damn storm," he cursed the heavens. "At least let me find something good if you're going to throw this at me!"

"We could always steal some of the lifeboats and head back to the mainland." Marcus joked.

"As much as I like that idea, I'll have to veto it. I need the money."

His hands were pale and shivering as he worked, pulling up yet another empty cage. Getting work as a deep-sea fisherman was getting harder and harder with each passing day as the oceans were depleted of their bountiful stock, and even here, he was having trouble getting enough to break even. It didn't help that the bigger ships, the ones owned by actual companies, did their jobs on a far bigger scale.

Marcus gave a depressed sigh when he saw the empty cage they pulled up. They were a small crew of six, and of the six of them, over the course of nearly three months, only two of them had even managed to catch anything of note. Their job wasn't just to catch fish but also things like sunken ships and long-forgotten salvage.

"Maybe the others will have better luck than us," Marcus suggested.

"Maybe." Alexander replied with a doubtful note in his voice. The two of them got to work throwing out their nets and cages, checking on the sails, and making sure everything was set as it should be. His phone began to buzz loudly, making him groan.

"Your wife?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Think you can hold the ship down for a bit?"

"I'll do my best."

"Thanks." Hauling the cage back onto the deck, he muttered a curse to himself and made for the cabin. He had to struggle against the wind to shut the door, but he eventually managed to do it. The others, including the captain, were all huddled around a table; a bottle of cheap whiskey opened as the men played some sort of card game. He shushed them when they saw him as he grabbed his phone. "Hello?"

"Are you coming back yet?" He nearly winced as he heard his wife's annoyed voice on the other line. He loved her to death, but he loved getting in a massive haul just as much.

He took a moment to warm up by the heater in the ship and let his clothes dry a bit. "Yeah." He finally said. "I think I'm going to be finishing up here." He gave his boss a dirty look, who had the decency to look at least a little ashamed of himself.