The sea swelled like a gigantic, restless swarm; sea spray flew absolutely everywhere. The wind howled and wailed like a banshee. The small yacht bobbed, swayed and rolled about. All four women on board, desperately tried to continue with their afternoon lunch. All they could do was just watch with a mixture of consternation and confusion.
Karen gasped suddenly. The others craned to look.
One of the deserts had slid off the table, flipped upside down and landed in Karen's lap, splattering cream and chocolate all over her skirt.
Shirley and Adrienne both grinned at this. Audrey kept a close eye on a bottle of blackcurrent juice that appeared to slide towards the edge of the table.
Audrey got up and leaned over the table. She reached out to try and grab the bottle. Unfortunately for her, she failed to notice the coffee cake right in front of her.
Karen stopped frowing and grinned.
Adrienne couldn't contain herself. She giggled as she watched the waist of Audrey's skirt come into contact with the coffee cake. Audrey however, didn't seem to notice.
But Audrey managed to lift the bottle off the table, she also failed to notice that Shirley had raised a glass to her lips. As Shirley went to take a drink, Audrey's elbow hit her hand. Shirley gasped and frowned in horror as her drink spilled all over her top. Adrienne couldn't stop laughing at this.
The boat suddenly lurched to the right. Just above Adrienne's head, four eggs suddenly went flying out of the cupboard towards her. Adrienne frowned as they landed on her left shoulder. Adrienne put her hand to her shoulder as yellow and white egg yolk ran down her top and onto her skirt.
When the sea had become a little bit calmer, all four women began examing themselves.
Adrienne and Karen also got up; Karen leaned over slightly. As she straightened herself up, she looked down and tried to straighten her skirt.
Audrey let out a few curses when she saw the large coffee cake stain on her skirt.
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]