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⠀⠀𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐖, his hand resting on the familiar glass in a moment of brief 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 from his schooling. Although the little schoolhouse was nowhere near the ocean, Ted could see the line where the sky met the sea in his mind’s eye, and his very 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 ached with longing at the familiar sight.
⠀⠀ ”Take me to sea with you, Joe!” The last time that his half-brother had visited, these were the first words to fall from Ted’s lips. With wide, pleading eyes, Ted had gazed up at him, 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 that Joseph would heed his request. Joseph Hancock had moved to Liverpool and worked his way up to being a captain; Ted yearned for nothing more than to 𝔣𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 in the man’s footsteps.
⠀⠀ Instead of support, Ted’s plea earned himself naught but a 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 chuckle in response. This response was commonplace amongst those with whom he discussed his deepest desire — even his schoolmates, God bless their souls, would stare at him incredulously and collapse into gales of l͟a͟u͟g̲h͟t͟e͟r͟ at the mere 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 of poor Ted Smith as a sea captain.
⠀⠀Ted Smith needed 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀 in order to survive and thrive, just as much as the human body needed 𝐎𝐗𝐘𝐆𝐄𝐍. He was born with s͟e͟a͟w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟ flowing through his veins, not blood; he breathed with the aid of 𝔤𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔰, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 lungs.
⠀⠀𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥?
⠀⠀ He would show them.
⠀⠀ One day, he would prove them all wrong.
⠀⠀Accepting command of the 𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝑻𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑪 enabled him to disprove the conceptions of his friends and family with ease — that is, if his friends and family were even 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 to witness his greatest achievement. Ted had parted ways with the remnants of his youth long ago; it was in the afterlife that these remnants now resided, guiding him from 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅.
⠀⠀ The summons of the sea called out to him long ago, and who would Ted be to refuse her? There was no human being on this Earth that he would 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 love more than the sea and her magnificent horizon. His soul was the sea’s to claim from the very moment that he stepped foot on his half brother’s ship all those lifetimes ago. Perhaps his family and friends had known this, yet could not tell him for fear of awakening an ancient 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 .
⠀⠀ Even now, as the sea took his life and dragged him down to her indomitable depths, he could feel them watching. He was never truly alone.