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That day, the sea was so calm.
◇ ◇ ◇
I had to be careful of the ship’s early morning rounds, because the sun had not yet risen and my visibility was dark. Today's group was with the first mate. He was the second most senior officer after Captain Reed, so I had to be even more careful. Well, no matter who he was, it wasn’t okay to be careless. The water was so calm. The wind in through the window was a little chilly. This is a sign that we were closer to home.
“It's getting colder, isn't it?”
“Yes, it is, Sir Linford. How many days we’ll return to Falmouth?“
“A few days, I think. In my opinion, we should be able to cross the calm sea. So, the long voyage is almost over. “
My boss (this ship's fourth mate) said so, and shrugged lightly. When I became his steward, he had been said he was capable for his age, and serious and stubborn. But after spending time with him for the past few years, I've came to realize that he was also quite friendly. So, I decided to make a few unwanted remarks.
“I'm glad it's over safely, but I'm also a little sad.”
“You've spent so much time with this ship’s sailors. You should cherish this relationship with them. …… But we don’t finish our job yet. Don’t be off your guard.”
My boss reproved me, but his expression was soft. I reassured myself that I hadn't made inappropriate remark. I nodded and say I would keep it in mind.
When we stepped out onto the deck, thick darkness and stars in the sky greeted us. We arrived on time, but there was no sign of the first mate. It was a rare occurrence. He was even more serious than my boss, and was known to be always punctual. Sailors who arranged to meet him always said that wondered how many minutes before the time he was supposed to be there.
“Sir Linford, Abel!”
I turned toward the stern. First mate’s steward was hand holding a lamp and waving at us there. He was usually a cheerful man, but his voice seemed a little stiff. Probably, my boss wondered if something was wrong. He overtook me and headed for the steward. As I hurriedly followed him, I looked up and saw another lamp light just beyond the steward. It seemed that the first mate was staring outside. The atmosphere was unsettling. I wondered if there had been a deserter. My boss and the steward looked at each other in passing and communicated in some way, and the three of us headed for the first mate.
“What happened, sir?”
"Linford, look at that.”
First mate cleared a space, and pointed to a few feet away. I stood on my toes and tried to look for what he was pointing at from the side of my boss's back. …… But I couldn't see anything. I wanted to look from a different angle, but I didn't want to disturb him, so I decided to wait in silence. At first, my boss didn't seem to understand what was going on, but at some point, he seemed to notice something and began to stare into the sky as if he were leaning forward. The words that finally came out of his mouth were hoarse from surprise.
“Is that a ship?”
My boss turned toward first mate.
“Probably. I don't know why they don't turn on the lights. The course is too strange for a pirate ship, too solid for a drifting one.”
“It’s an accident or an incident?”
“Possibly. We should take a look at that once the sun comes up.”
“Sir Deveau, shall I report that to the captain?”
“Yes, please.”
“Yes, sir. Abel, you'll be assisting them.”
“Yes, certainly.”
The steward bowed and headed for the captain's room. As I looked out across the ocean again, I noticed that there was a strange break in the line of stars. We were still some distance away, so perhaps she would be lost on us if we didn't look carefully.
“I couldn't notice it right away. I'm embarrassed.”
“No, it was a seaman who first reported the ship to me. I would have missed it too if I hadn't thought there was something there.”
First mate said depending on what happens, the seaman will be commended. I couldn't decide whether first mate was joking or just thinking.
“Most recently, there has been an accident on the Obra Dinn. …… I'm not sure if I'd call it an accident at this point, but …… we can never be too careful.”
"The Obra Dinn……”
“Sorry. I remember your mate was on the ship.”
“Please don't apologize, sir. I've put my mind at rest. He was a responsible man, so I'm sure he would have contacted me if he was okay.”
“…… I see.”
The Obra Dinn was a ship that disappeared suddenly in 1803. No one heard from it at all. She was a big ship with a good track record, and the crews had a good reputation for being competent. At the time, the incident was the most suspicious incident since the establishment of the British East India Company, so it caused quite a stir. Now, it was treated as a sort of taboo among the sailors of our company. My boss’s mate worked in the ship. The captain of the ship was our captain’s friend. Among stewards on the ship, there were two that I had met as well. Now I wish I had talked to them a little more.
The eastern sky was growing light. Gradually, the silhouette of the ship became more and more apparent. When I realized what it was, my boss, myself, first mate, the returning steward, and probably our captain who had received the report, all shuddered.
There it was, the Obra Dinn.
She didn't look like it was sent out any distress signals. Captain ordered the ship to get as close to "it" as possible. We circled around it, calling out to it from time to time.
The mast was rudely and cruelly broken, but it had been repaired. There was no sign of people, but the course was relatively clear. In this direction, she must be heading for Falmouth, just like us. Some sails were folded up and weathered, looking like they hadn't been opened in years. A careful look at the side of the ship revealed areas that looked like they had been damaged by fire. Some of the sail girders were unnaturally missing. I wondered what kind of storm would have caused that part of them to come loose. The only saving grace was that the lifeboats were all gone. If there had been an accident, they could have all gotten out in them, .......
I shuddered. I knew intuitively that this was just a pipe dream. Of course, I wish they were alive, but I couldn’t be hopeful. The ship was already dead, I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but think so.
“Captain, we can't. We can't go any further.”
“Can't you use the boat?”
“No, sir. We already use boats. According to the sailors, the waves will push us back as soon as we get close enough. They can't get in, they can't even attach the boat.”
“Hmm……“
The captain wrinkled his brow in distress at the bosun's report.
“This is my hunch, but let's not go any further, Captain. It's unusual for something like this to happen in calm seas. We should go back to Falmouth and contact the company. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“What do you think, Deveau?”
“I agree with him. It's only a few days from here to Falmouth. Instead of doing a hasty investigation, let's hurry back and call for backup. ...... I know it sounds heartless, but it's after four years of sailing.”
“............That’s right.”
The captain exhaled heavily and hung his head. He then looked up as if to inspire himself, gave the order to withdraw, and hurried the ship to Falmouth.
A tailwind was blowing. The sails, hugging the wind to their fullest, made a soft, distinctive sound. The Obra Dinn seemed to be sailing north at a steady speed and it didn't take long for our ship to overtake them.
“...... Abel.”
I was in my boss's room getting ready to change his clothes when he called out to me. I looked up and he pointed out the window. There is something shining on the surface of the sea where the morning sun is twinkling.
“What is it, I wonder ……? A mirror, sir?”
“I don't know why, but I have a hunch it's not a good one. But maybe we should remember.”
After that, my boss took his gaze away from the window and back to his office work with his cheekbones. ...... No, no, he's not moving his pen, he's closing his eyes and thinking about something. I felt like I shouldn't be here, so I left the room on the pretext of to go get his late breakfast.
It was five days later that the British East India Company received the news of the return of the Obra Dinn.
Fin.