The Eternal Captain
The light faded.
Elara stood on the deck of the Morning Star.
The ship was different now. The wood was warm, the sails were bright, the lanterns burned with golden light. The fog was gone. The darkness was gone. The hunger was gone.
The first captain stood beside her.
“It is done,” the old woman said.
“You’re still here.”
“I am always here. I am the ship. The ship is me.”
“But I am the captain now.”
The first captain nodded.
“You are the captain. The eternal captain. The hope of the lost.”
Elara walked to the railing.
The sea was blue. The sky was bright. The horizon was wide.
“What happens to you?”
The first captain smiled.
“I rest. Finally. After a thousand years, I rest.”
“Will I see you again?”
The first captain reached out and touched her face.
“Every time you dream. Every time you hope. Every time you love. I’ll be there. Watching. Waiting. Hoping.”
She stepped back.
The light consumed her.
She was gone.
Elara stood alone on the deck.
The ship sailed into the horizon.
The sea was blue.
The sky was bright.
The voyage continued.