The Summer Siren

Prologue

The wind picked up and the thunder got louder as the storm grew closer. I didn't want to be caught in the hurricane that was coming ashore tonight, but all the docks were filled, and they didn't have room for my boat. I had gotten into Murray Harbor on Prince Edwards Island hoping that there was a place to harbor my boat for the night. Unfortunately, I had gotten here too late to dock at the newly built docks. I had to sail around the Harbor just a little while longer before I found a run-down dock that only had three boats parked at it. I pulled into the last empty spot and walked to the end of the pier where there was an old shop. Maybe it was a house, it was hard to tell from this distance.

As I get closer to the shop, I notice how the boards, or the pier look older. The ones down by the boats were newer and had been recently replaced. Reaching the house, I noticed that it also looks like it's had some recent renovations on the exterior. I ring the doorbell that's placed on the side. When nobody answers, I knock on the door a couple of times and wait a couple more minutes. Finally, an old man opens the door, "Hello? Who is it?"

"Excuse me, sir. My name is Astrid Hansen. I was wondering if I could pay to park my boat on your dock tonight. I know there's a storm coming, and I want to be as safe as possible," I asked him.

He looked up at me, and then around me at the dock to see my boat parked at the end of it, and then back at me. Looking uninterested, "Sure, I don't care. It's a personal dock so you don't have to pay and the only thing I ask is that you prepare the other three boats for the storm. They haven't been used in quite some time, but they are mine and my sons' boats. I don't want to lose them."

I think back to the boats that I passed on my way to the house. They were small, and it wouldn't take me long to storm proof them. "Yes, sir. I can do that for you."

He thanked me before telling me where I can find an outhouse. He also pointed out his barn and told me that if the storm gets too rough out on the waters, then I can sleep in there. The barn looked like it was on its leg though and I think I would have better luck on my boat.

The old man shuts the door and wishes me luck as I head down to the first boat at the dock. While checking it out I determined that it's most likely the old man's because it looks to be the oldest of the three. I make my way around the boat and gather all the loose items quickly. I put them into an old bucket that I found underneath the steering compartment. When I'm done gathering all the loose items, I put the bucket onto the pier before I start to double all the tied lines. Making sure that everything is secure, I grab the fenders and fender boards to attach to the sides of the boat. These will ensure that the boat and dock aren't damaged when the boat hits against the dock in the storm.

I take the five-gallon bucket to the barn before making my way back down to the second boat. It wasn't quite as old, but it hadn't been taken care of. I get busy, running down my checklist, getting quicker with my movements. It doesn't take me as long to clean this boat up and get it tied down with its fenders to protect it. Before I take the bucket from the second boat up to the barn I go ahead and get the third boat prepared for the storm. I take the bucket up to the barn after filling it to the top with things that were left loose in the boats, then run back down the pier to get to my boat to get it ready for the storm.

Climbing onto my boat, I quickly check the weather radio and find that the hurricane is less than thirty minutes out. I scramble around to double tie my boat and put the fenders on it as I pick up loose items as I go. It started to rain as I was in the middle of running around to do everything. A couple of minutes after I finish what I'm doing the sky drops and it starts pouring.

I closed myself in the main cabin of the boat, thankfully I had already made hurricane preparations before I had even thought about docking. I finish my preparations by disconnecting my batteries to cut electricity from the boat. I wanted to stay awake through the remainder of the storm, but it had been an exhausting day, and I knew my eyes wouldn't stay open with the lack of lights. I use my flashlight to help me see my bed and climb into bed. I knew it wouldn't be long before I was asleep when my head hit that pillow and all I felt were my heavy eyelids. I give in to the tiredness and fall asleep to the sound of rain hitting the roof.