A Torrent of Mistaken Dreams

      The hull of the ship was massive, imposing, a giant on the shores of the Atlantic. It was battered and beaten, weathered and worn from salt and wind, storm and gale, but that only made her want it more. She stepped onto its deck, firm of foot and sure of purpose. She wanted to explore, to branch out. She felt in charge aboard the ship, as if she wielded power, immense and inexhaustible.

     As sails bloomed overhead, pulled taught from icy wind which blew with a violent intensity, excitement  coursed through her veins, its warmth a shield against the bitter cold air. Her heart raced on with the ship as it sped away from the bustling quay. This was all she'd ever wanted, all she'd ever dreamt of or desired with the capacity of her soul. 

     Her homeland grew distant as the shoreline fled from view, the buildings forming tiny, indistinct specks over the reach of water. Darting with a growing unease, her eyes raced across the horizon towards the land she would never see again, but had never, until this moment, really hoped to.

     Cerulean plains became her surroundings, a bleak and all encompassing landscape of water, tossing and crashing against the hull of the ship, screeching in a torrent of angry screams. For the first time she felt so small, tiny in comparison to the true enormity of the universe. For the first time in her life, she was truly, undeniably alone. 

     Suddenly, an ache like no other crushed her to the core, carved it out, and left her with a gaping, inexplicable hollow where once was life and warmth. She clutched her hands about the splintered rails, her knuckles stark white with the effort of holding onto some invisible, fleeting hope, long lost to the winds over the briny water. She felt empty, distant, and utterly lonely. 

     How could she not have seen? How could she have been so mistaken? All of her life she had fantasized leaving the safety of the land and the comforts of home far behind, but now that it was gone to her, completely and without chance of return, all she wanted most in the world was to just have it back.