Far from the Sea

The Reunion

A crowd had gathered in anticipation of the ship's arrival. Fog had settled around Boscastle's harbor. A smaller port, it housed mostly fishing boats and smaller ships meant to transport passengers to larger harbors. Liesel stood with the crowd and waited. Their excited chatter roused a nervous anticipation in her gut. Eventually, masts peeked through the mists and the rest of the small sloop followed, drifting lazily toward the jetty. The flutter in her stomach amplified and threatened to make her sick. It had been four long months since she had last seen Kai.  Since he'd kissed her goodbye beneath the old ash tree behind the church and jogged away from her, becoming a speck beside the ship's hold.

He'd gone away before, but time could change a man. Doubt seized her heart. Would he still love her as he had professed to before?

And if he didn't... She shoved the thought from her mind.

The Mary Elizabeth anchored. Its deck came to life as the men aboard began ministrations to keep her in place. Once secured, the gangplank lowered. The Muse was a sizable merchant ship, too large to navigate the smaller channels of the Cornish coast. Its last port of call was Falmouth. Any cargo it carried would have been unloaded there. The small and nimble Mary Elizabeth ferried only the twenty or so Boscastle residents who were part of The Muse's crew. One by one, they descended to the jetty and back toward the village. Liesel watched each intently until their faces became discernible. None were Kai. Awful thoughts entered her mind. Perhaps he'd fallen ill and not survived the journey. Perhaps he'd decided to stay in the colonies. She'd had dreams about storms with great and terrible winds. She'd seen his ship capsize. He'd fallen overboard. Lost...

One of the last to depart was long limbed and lean. A mass of blonde hair topped his head. He slung a bag over his shoulder and sauntered down the jetty.

Kai.

She rushed toward him and threw her arms around his neck, knocking the bag from his hands. He pulled her into his strong embrace. The stench radiating from him was terrible - like brine and sweat, and old wood, but she didn't care. Too long had she clung to a memory for comfort. Now that the real thing was within her grasp, she couldn't bear to let go. Tears pricked at her eyes. She hid her face in the rough fabric of his shirt. His laugh rumbled beside her ear. "Alright, birdie."

She pulled away from him, meeting her watery gaze to his. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"I...I was afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

She pressed her lips together and smiled, unwilling to put words to fears that now seemed silly.

"Ah, well then..." he answered for her. "Nothing to be afraid of. Here I am now, safe and sound. I wrote you while we were at port. Did you get my letters?"

"Letters?" Liesel's brow furrowed. There had been no letters. At least, none that she knew about.

Kai gave a thoughtful "hmph" and lifted his eyes over her head. They narrowed briefly, his expression darkening as he said, "Must have gotten lost." His shook his head to ward off ill thoughts, brightening to his former joy. He bent to retrieve his sack and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on, I can tell ya' what was in them now that we're face to face again." He threw his free arm over her shoulders, and they walked the path that wound through the village.

Liesel fired away questions, careful to keep her inquiries to those that had easy answers. Any matters of the heart would be sorted in time. For the moment, she wanted only happiness. When they reached the fence that marked the edge of her family's property, Kai stalled. She turned to him with questions in her eyes. "Aren't you coming?"