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☾ 𝑆𝐼𝑋
For the last few nights, Anna had yearned for a dream, or even an image to fill her head as she slept. But nothing would come no matter how hard she pleaded. All she wanted, was to sleep. And more than that. She wanted to know how much of her life was an illusion of her own making.
Could it be called a crisis at sixteen? She had certainly lived enough for her to warrant the life experience of someone middle aged. But Ana was reconsidering everything? All of her life she had wanted nothing more than to be home, with a family, with people who loved her. But how much of the family did she know about? Had she been foolish to want such a thing. Yet at the same time, surely she was being foolish to contemplate such a thing over a single tarot card and one bad experience.
Out of everything though, Ana was just pleased to be a few hours away from seeing dry, unmoving land- something stable. They would arrive at mid day, according to Robert, on what exact day, she hadn't know. She had lost track of those weeks ago. Time didn't move the same while at sea. It was always the bad days that moved slower and the calm days, when their bellies were full and eyes rested, that time was swift.
With blurry eyes, Anna stood beside Robert as they looked out across the deck. She wasn't tall enough to see over clearly, so her feet rested against the metal bars of the ladder. At the far edge of her vision, she could faintly see the waves, serene and lighter than the depths they had sailed through over the past weeks, and not angry enough to sleep over the top and lick the deck.
"How long until we see it?" She asked.
"Perhaps half an hour?" Robert answered, but Anna had a feeling it would be longer, given that they could barely see across the boat.
"Get down."
Footsteps emerged from in front, a shadow quickly following across the wood flooring. Anna ducked down, urging Robert to follow as someone appeared from the corridor leading to the dining hall. It was Mr Elsner.
"We'll wait a little longer down here," Robert said, leading them down again.
Anna had grown to hate the silence. There was too much room for her to think, and after the past four weeks, it had become far too dangerous for her mentality. She looked to Robert. He always looked so content, so unbothered.
"Where will you go, when we arrive?" She asked, making him turn to look at her.
"To a workplace for builders, along the coast. That's why most of us are kept down here. Contracted to cheap labour."
They hadn't talked about it before. It seemed that most people would rather forget about the future until it became the present. It was hard to think about, she would admit, but only now did she understand the necessity.
