Promise

Chapter 1

The sound of thunder was always quite frightening to me. Most people might find it as something comforting, especially on a spring afternoon in a mansion in the countryside, peeking out a polished glass window, holding a cup of hot tea. But for a sailor, it meant rough seas, and much to fear.

I was eighteen years old, living with my father, who had been caring for me since I was born. He never told me how my mother died, so I guess at a young age I set it in my mind that at some point in my life, I would somehow like to find out for myself how my mother died.

Living with my father. I say that as though there was one specific house I had lived in all my life with him. Realistically, he had been a busy sailor since I was at least seven years old. It was nothing new or frightening to me. Except for when there were storms like this.

The small ship he'd built rocked violently, swaying me left and right causing the midnight sea-sickness to take control of me. Every flash of lightning was followed by a bang as loud as a cannon, rocking my father's boat.

Trying hard to climb out of my small bed and stand on both feet, I fell over from the violent swaying of the ship.

"Lance!" I called out to my father. Yes, I called him by his first name. Living with him and all his fellow sailors who yelled his first name all the time, I, from a young age found it suitable and got in the habit of simply calling him Lance instead of father, or pa. Something most "proper" girls would call their father. But oh, I was not proper. I had attitude, determination, and dignity. And sometimes that got in the way of being "Daddy's little princess."

Which was not what he expected me to be. He raised me to be strong, independent and certainly tough. And soon it was less of trying to please him, and eventually part of who I was. I was proud of it.

I tried standing again, when I felt a little more ready and steady to stand up and at least walk across the room as I nearly fell the sec time, catching myself by grabbing onto the bedroom door.

"Lance!" I called out once more, this time more sturn.

I could hear many voices and footsteps up on deck, as I'm sure my father and his men were busy at work trying to control the ship. I'm sure he could not even hear my voice.

With another terrifying flash of light, and almost deafening bang of thunder, the waves intensified, causing me to not just fall, but fly across the very room, landing unpleasantly on a slanted wooden floor. I had had experiences like this before, but usually my father and his sailors quickly got everything under control. But from the commotion I could hear on deck, and crashes as though things in the ship were also crashing, maybe even the sailors themselves, I assumed things were not going well. I had to try and get up again. I had to help.

As though I were crawling up a slanted wall, I climbed across the slightly vertical floor, as the ship still violently rocked, causing me to roll from corner to corner of the room, praying and hoping one wrong sway wouldn't send me flying, knocking me out, or injuring me.

"Come on," I kept mumbling to myself out loud. "Get up!"

On nearly the tenth attempt, I once again was rushed across the room, this time in less of a roll, and almost as though I were flying, sending me crashing into the wall. The ship now was no longer occasionally making these sharp, steep tips, and there was no no self-control or motivation. It was inevitable. I couldn't stand, I couldn't control my own destination or movements, I was flying from corner to corner of the room, screaming not only from pain and fear, but hoping someone from on deck.

Then, as I bounced from one side to the other, surprisingly, the thought crossed my mind, He can't come save you.

With how violent this ship was being rocked, I couldn't even move my legs the way I wanted. And I expected him to be able to run down and save the day? Then what? I had to withstand this by myself.

Realizing I needed to stop trying to stand, I started reaching out for anything I could grab. But as things flew to and fro across the room, it was destined for something large to fly across the room, breaking the window. And that's just what happened.

Not even being upright, and being tossed around, I was in shock when I found myself being engulfed in a wave of fast rushing, icy water that swallowed me, swooshing me back and forth, as I hyperventilated, breathing in the water that stung my lungs as I tried to grasp what was happening to me. As my head finally reached above the waves, and I could get some air, I whaled, realizing how far I was from the ship. I had to be at least fifteen yards away, and the sound of nonstop thunder, rain, and waves, filled my ears. I could see my father's men struggling to keep things under control, as some even flew overboard, being eaten up by the waves of the storm, just as I had. I could not recognize one man from the other, as they were so distant, and the only light there was was the short flashes of lightning. I could not see where my father was, or if he even was on the ship still. My heart sunk at the thought he might be dead, along with half his men.

"Lance!" I hopelessly screamed out again, sobbing. It was useless. Either he was dead, I would be dead, or we'd all die in the end. This was the life of a sailor. Or in this case, how the life of a sailor ended.