Novel Thursday: The Other Side of the Horizon 5

In a world of steamships and Progress, no one who sails due south across the Wild Sea ever returns.
No one knows why.
Dale Mortensen intends to solve the mystery. With the help of an old sailor and a reformed playboy searching for his missing sweetheart, he locates a captain and crew ambitious—not to mention crazy—enough to undertake the journey across the Wild Sea.
The
Infinity and her crew sail south, but the truth of what really lies on the other side of the horizon is more amazing—and terrifying—than anything they can imagine.
It’s the adventure of a lifetime—and it may just get Dale and his friends killed.

Find out how this Young Adult steampunk adventure unfolds chapter-by-chapter every Thursday! Click here to start from the beginning. Or if you want to read it at your own pace, buy the ebook for $7.99 from AmazonAppleBarnes & NobleKoboSmashwords or Sony, or get it as a trade paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HORIZON

E. R. PASKEY

FIVE

MONDAY MORNING, DALE AWOKE WELL BEFORE DAWN. He had not slept much; anticipation and excitement combined to make it nearly impossible for him to sleep. He was not accustomed to that; usually he had no trouble nodding off as soon as his head hit his pillow.

But this night had been his last in Falconcrest, in this farmhouse, and he spent most of it cataloging all the little sounds he had come to know over the years—the creaking noises the house made as it shifted in place, the sound of the wind whistling through the eaves, and the soft whuffle of Davy breathing in the bed across the room. He might never hear those sounds again.

But then, he thought, when I was a child, before the tsunami changed everything, I never gave a thing as insignificant as night noises a second thought. They were simply there.

For once, Dale was thankful his uncle was a farmer. Uncle Liev, Aunt Helena, and his cousins were all up early to start the day’s work, which made bidding them goodbye an easier process. Aunt Helena and Gloria both hugged him, while his cousins and Uncle Liev shook his hand.

Dale saved Gail for last; it was hardest for him to bid her goodbye. Kneeling in front of her, Dale rested his hands on her shoulders and studied her face. “Be good,” he told her.

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “You’ll come back and visit, won’t you?”

He nodded solemnly. “Whenever I can.”

Launching herself at him, Gail wrapped her little arms around his neck and held on for all she was worth. “I’ll miss you, Dale.”

He had to clear his throat before he could respond. “I’ll miss you too.” He kissed her forehead and then gently set her down. Rising to his feet, he nodded once more to his family, picked up his rucksack, and strode through the kitchen to the back door. His uncle followed; he was driving Dale to the train station.

Davy had already brought the automobile around for them. Dale and his uncle crossed the back lawn, still wet with dew, and climbed inside. Uncle Liev put the steam engine into gear and away they went. Dale waved to his aunt and cousins gathered on the back porch—waved to Gail—until they rounded a curve in the driveway and fruit trees hid the farmhouse from sight.

He and Uncle Liev passed the short journey in silence. Both men were quiet by nature, and now they were each wrapped up in their own thoughts. They reached town and Uncle Liev drove out to the train depot. Pulling to a stop beside the depot, he parked the automobile, but left the engine running. This was as far as he went; he had to get back to the farm.

Twisting in his seat, he surveyed Dale for a long moment. “Take care, lad. Don’t be doing anything crazy, now.”

“I won’t.” Dale extended his hand to his uncle. “Thank you for looking after me all these years.”

“It was for my sister.” Uncle Liev took his hand, pressing a small leather bag into Dale’s palm as he did so. “A portion of what’s due you,” he said gruffly.

Inclining his head, Dale slid the leather bag inside his shirt. “I’ll send you word when I know where I’ll be staying.” Hefting his rucksack, which contained all of his earthly possessions save for the books he had sold to the bookstore, he climbed out of automobile and shut the door behind him.

“Goodbye, Uncle Liev.”

His uncle raised a hand in farewell as he backed out and drove away, leaving Dale standing alone at the train depot.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Dale gave Falconcrest one last sweeping look before he squared his shoulders and went inside the station to purchase a ticket. He would be leaving on the seven o’clock train, headed south to Brightwood through the mountains. From there, he would take another train to the coast.

The journey that had taken him and Uncle Liev two days by automobile nine years before would take only a day by train.

Dale was standing on the platform when the train finally rolled in, puffing great clouds of black smoke into the early morning air. There were few passengers this morning; he only saw Mr. Pema, the lawyer, off to Brightwood on business. The old gentleman gave Dale a nod as he passed his window seat.

When the train at last began to move, Dale’s heart leaped in his chest. It’s finally happening. I’m going back to Port Ruby.

~oOo~

HIS first train ride passed in an alternating haze of sleep and staring out of the windows at the countryside flying by. The train’s gentle rocking made him sleepy; it recalled long-ago afternoons when he had fallen asleep on his father’s boat. But when he was awake, he was keenly interested in the changes nine years had wrought in the world around him.

For the first time, Dale found himself wondering what changes had taken place in his hometown. The tsunami had damaged many things; it was impossible for Port Ruby to have put everything back to rights the way it used to be. Still, he thought pragmatically, it’s the coast. The Wild Sea is bound to be the same as ever.

The thought was a comfort.

At the second to last stop, Dale left the train for a few minutes to stretch his legs. Late afternoon sunshine slanted across a corner of the platform and the wind on his cheeks was balmy. Dale moved out of a cloud of smoke and nearly stopped short. On the wind, filling the air, was something he had not breathed since Uncle Liev took him to the farm: a whiff of sea brine.

A pang of homesickness attacked Dale in that moment, so strong his knees nearly buckled beneath him. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he filled his lungs. We’re close to the sea, he thought in delight. They had not yet reached it, but they were close.

His train schedule would tell him exactly how close, but he could not bring himself to leave this delightful discovery and move back to the train to retrieve it. At least not until the train whistle blew and it occurred to him that he might not want to leave his belongings unattended for long. The train had picked up more passengers as the day wore on.

When Dale at last slid back into his seat and unfolded his train schedule, he learned they were only fifteen miles from his Port Ruby. The paper shook in his trembling hands; he stared with unseeing eyes out the window as the train began to move out of the station. I’m almost home.

The final stretch of his journey seemed to Dale to take three times as long as the rest of it put together. With every yard of ground the train covered, he saw increasing evidence of their proximity to the sea. Everything from sandy patches of ground to trees and plants native to the shore.

His heart was thumping so fast now he was amazed it had not beat itself right out of his chest. He tried to consider his next move once he arrived in Port Ruby—where he would stay for the night, what he would do for supper, whether he should save the food Aunt Helena had packed him or buy something—but his mind refused to focus on anything but the fact that he was about to set foot in his hometown again.

Time seemed to slow further as the train pulled into the station. Dale rose to his feet and clutched his rucksack with strong fingers, waiting impatiently for the all-clear to disembark. As soon as the last whistle sounded, he hurried down the aisle.

Even mixed with soot and smoke, the smell of sea air was unmistakable. A smile broke out on Dale’s face. Oh, I’ve missed that. Slinging his rucksack over his shoulder, he set off out of the train station, whistling merrily.

The whistle died in short order, however, as he took in the sheer magnitude of the changes that had happened to Port Ruby in his absence. Not only were the lower sections of the town completely unrecognizable—due to the fact that the tsunami had more or less wiped them out—but the rest of the city had grown and expanded. His hometown had always been a thriving port town, but now even more so.

Weaving his way around people and automobiles alike, Dale worked his way down from the station to the lower end of town near the docks in the harbor. A night or two at a pub would be cheaper here, until he could find himself work on some ship or another. He had presence of mind enough to keep his gold close to his skin, where it would be safe from all but the most skilled of pickpockets.

Dale half-grinned to himself. Not that I look like I should be carrying around a bag of gold. Stranger things had happened though, he knew. For all I know, probably look like a fresh-faced farm boy in the big city for the first time.

The streets were still quite busy with dock-hands and other folk returning to their homes or rooms for the night. Dale was only one of dozens of young men carrying all their worldly possessions on their backs. He would have happily roamed Port Ruby, reacquainting himself with everything, but dusk was fast approaching and the ocean drew him like a moth to a flame. Street lighters began to make their way along the streets, lighting the gas globes that had not been there before, and he felt a glow of pride in his city.

A steady breeze blew through the streets, ruffling his hair beneath his faded brown cap. Even the many-varied scents of the city—some less pleasant than others—could not mar the joy he felt to be smelling sea brine again. He had dreamed of the sea, smelled it in places he should not have been able to smell it, and now it was within his grasp once more.

He had not wanted to leave Port Ruby in the first place; the sea was in his blood.

I don’t think Uncle Liev understood that until the end, he thought, making his way toward the shore with the smell of a fresh sea breeze to guide him. Considering the man has orchards and cows and dark earth in his blood, you’d think he would have realized it years ago.

Ah, well. There was no sense dwelling on it now. Ultimately, they had both gotten what they wanted. Dale wished his family all the best, but he was glad he had escaped that life.

I’d rather swab a deck than muck out stalls any day of the week.

Through the dying light, Dale caught sight of wooden signs informing him that the public beach was four blocks ahead. His heart quickened. Thanks to the buildings separating him from the shore, he had yet to catch a glimpse of the Wild Sea, but it would not be long now. He walked faster. I need to see the ocean. I need to hear the sound of waves crashing up against the shore.

Within moments, he was descending a rickety wooden staircase, his eyes fixed on the dark mass sweeping out across his field of vision to his left and right. Wild, unrestrained joy bubbled up inside him; his chest swelled until he thought he would burst from happiness. The Wild Sea!

Dale jumped the last five steps, landing in the sand with a muffled thud, and took off toward the waterline at a run. He paused only long enough to drop his rucksack on the dry sand a few feet above the waves licking the shore and to hastily shuck his boots and socks. He did not even bother rolling up his pants legs; he just waded into the water.

The water felt deliciously cool against his skin—exactly as he remembered it. He happily wiggled his toes in the sand, his feet sinking into it as wave after wave swirled around his knees. He bent to let his hands trail through the salty water and then straightened, pumping both fists in the air as he laughed.

I’m home!

Next Chapter

Find out how this Young Adult steampunk adventure unfolds chapter-by-chapter every Thursday! Or if you want to keep reading right now, buy the ebook for $7.99 from AmazonAppleBarnes & NobleKoboSmashwords or Sony, or get it as a trade paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository. 

Copyright © 2013 E. R. Paskey

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