The Sound of Blue

Chapter Two- Beginnings and Endings

            Eric opened his eyes to find himself in the pale yellow room again. He groaned as a splitting headache tore through him, pounding like his own racing heartbeat. Eric sat up and laid his arm against his forehead. Bright sunlight fell through the open window and illuminated the space around him. He frowned at the familiar surroundings. The same pink curtains, the same pastel bedspread. He had done it again.

Eric slid out of bed and wandered over to the mirror, still clutching at his head. His reflection made him stare. Dark circles hung beneath his droopy eyelids and his disheveled hair curled limply around the base of his ears. He looked like a wreck, the aftershock of a night's heavy drinking.

Eric knew he needed to change, but was ignorant. Thoughts of her and the way he found her that night still hung in his mind, fresh. The pain still clung to his shattered heart as if no time had passed at all.

"It will be okay." He whispered to himself. "It has to be."

He told himself that, though he wasn't really sure. Maybe, he thought, it would be after today. Maybe then things would be okay. It was today, after all, that he left for his first voyage in two years. And it wouldn't only be a distraction from the pain, but it also might help relieve him from his grief. Revenge-though it couldn't quite be called that- was the one thing that kept him going.

Eric moved away from the mirror and wandered his way downstairs. He could already hear the clank of glasses and smell meat and potatoes cooking. As always. Gus was already downstairs, manning the counter. Eric waved at him, an unspoken apology and thanks. Gus waved back and shrugged, turning away.

As soon as he opened the door, Eric was greeted with a fresh breath of cool air. The storm had not yet fully passed, though the violent winds and heavy rain had seemed to cease. Instead, fog and distant mist had settled over the land, dusting the green hills with dew.

He set off in his small blue car for the shore, and his home. Rolling, green hills zipped past his window, asphalt spewing up behind his tires in plumes. Sheep grazed in the distance, white dots among a sea of green. Red-shingled houses lined the road. Eric kept going, further and further until the rolling hills turned into the rocky shoreline.

He arrived at the place he called home, a light blue house near the docks. Seagulls drifted overhead and boats passed in the murky blue water. Eric stumbled inside, still bothered by his headache, and set his keys down on the counter. It was a small house, both cozy and simple. It had very few pieces of furniture with which to decorate it, and did need a little cleaning. Eric never expected many visitors, for a good reason though.

Eric sighed and walked to his room, grabbing the few things he had set aside for today. A small, yellow suitcase sat waiting on his bed along with a photograph and some papers. He tucked both underneath his arm and took one last look around.

He almost didn't want to leave. Was it fear? He hadn't sailed in the longest time and the thought of leaving the cozy home he had created scared him. But now, more than ever, he needed to keep going. In his mind, there shouldn't be a thing called fear. Eric quickly shaved and gathered his things to go.

*******

Eric stood on the dock, feet planted to the ground, and watched the water. Waves cascaded towards shore, crashing down upon one another. Foam lapped near shore, capping crests of water. Spray misted the air with the bitter taste of salt.

"I'm back again." He muttered to himself, pressing his palm against the wood of his ship.

Eric frowned as he gazed into the green, murky depths that stretched out before him. Had things changed? Was it still as dangerous as it used to be? Did the same dangerous creatures lurk underneath the blanket of the waters, waiting to lure him to his death?

It was a game. A battle. Him against the whole ocean. Just a man, floating in an expanse of blue that seemed to swallow most of the world, aboard a rickety wooden vessel. Who would win the game this time?

He tried to convince himself that this was all for the purpose of getting back into the world. This contest. Though Eric was entering for a different reason. The contest was to find, capture, and kill the largest amount of those vermin. To try to rid the sea of its most dangerous predators. The reward? Money. A lot of money. Enough to get him back on his feet. Though there was another reason he was risking his life. He was doing it for her.

Eric turned away and gazed back towards the land. The tavern. His home. The hill. The town. He then checked his watch. It was time to go.

Eric took the same, familiar steps onto the deck of his ship and frowned. He began to undo the rope anchoring his boat at shore and watched as it fell away. The wind picked up speed, ruffling through his hair. A familiar feeling coursed through his veins, a new energy forming in his chest. A smile stretched across his face. And though he was here for the worst of reasons, Eric was home.