Captain Witter

"Captain Witter"

Dorcas was glad to be able to escape her grandfather's illness, even if only for a moment, and leave the dark, somewhat stuffy cabin and step out onto the deck of the ship. It was a rather large, comfortable tourist vessel, sailing from Porto, Portugal, towards the unknown shores of Brazil. A multitude of travelers, content with the sunny, cloudless weather, lounged on wooden benches, warming themselves and enjoying the pleasures they had paid for with a considerable sum of money.

Only a petite sixteen-year-old girl seemed uninterested in anything other than the calm, gentle ocean waves, which she gazed at endlessly. However, her figure, leaning against the slightly rusted metal railing, attracted no attention from any of the several dozen languid people, except for a tall, dark-haired boy who watched her with green, feline eyes.

Dorcas didn't even glance in his direction when he approached her and stood beside her, still gazing intently at the quiet, sleeping sea.

"My name is Daniel Wilde," he said, trying desperately to catch her eye—but in vain, all he could see were wavy brown strands of hair.

"My father is the captain of this ship. I thought you might be bored and want me to show you around," he continued in a confident voice.

"You seem to be thinking too much," she replied vacantly and walked briskly toward the cabin.

***

The next day brought nothing new—Mr. Witter's condition hadn't improved one bit, not at all; in fact, it had worsened. The doctor looked with sympathy at the girl's pretty face—once rosy and cheerful, now pale, sad, and focused.

"Take a walk, miss," he said quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping old man. "You haven't been out of your cabin since yesterday."

Dorcas nodded uncertainly and quietly opened the door. The same sun, once dear to her, illuminated her again, but one she could no longer rejoice in. The fact that only short, anxious hours separated her from death tore her heart in two. She didn't have the strength to walk to the railing and look out at the sea—the sea she hated so much.

The sight of Daniel Wilde sent shivers down her spine.

"Wait," the boy said as she quickly stood up, intending to return to the cabin. "Father told me. I'm sorry..."

Dorcas turned and looked him in the eye for the first time.

"Are you sorry because I stand here before you, mentally indistinguishable from even a shadow of a human being, or because you know that one of the billions of people on Earth has cancer and will die aboard your father's ship?" she asked in a firm but weak voice.

"What difference does it make? I just don't like seeing anyone suffer," Daniel snapped.

"Haven't you ever heard that suffering ennobles and is a blessing?" she said bitterly, a touch cynical.

"You sound like a Christian," Danny said resentfully.

"Haven't you ever considered that I'm a Christian?

" "No, you don't believe in God, just as I think religion is nonsense."

"But you're wrong, Daniel! I believe He exists, despite everything...

" "Miss, he's calling you." Dorcas saw the doctor standing in the cabin door.

***

"Grandpa?" she said quietly, and took the old man's hand in her young hands.

"Dorcas..." His voice was so weak she could barely understand him. "I'm dying..."

Dorcas's eyes became glassy and empty, as if she no longer had any soul left, as if she were just a physical object.

"Grandpa, I love you...

" "I want you to bury me sailor style." I want you to give me back to the sea… Besides you, I only have the sea… When you're gone, I want to live in it…

- Grandpa…

- Hug me, child…

The girl laid her head on his weakened chest. After a moment, she stopped feeling her heart beating. There were no tears. Only suffering.

***

A solemn mass was held, led by an unknown priest. After an hour, the body of the deceased was given back to the Atlantic, which still amazed Daniel with its eerie calm. Daniel saw Dorcas dressed in black, leaning over the railing, just as she had two days earlier when he had first seen her. He approached the girl and stood beside her – he didn't know what to say.

"Do you still think He doesn't exist, Daniel?" she asked.

"I don't understand what you mean," he said gently.

"Maybe someday you'll understand… Well, goodbye, Danny! I think we'll finally reach Rio tomorrow, and I don't think we'll see each other again before then." Dorcas ran toward the cabin.

***

"That girl must be incredibly strong mentally," Daniel's father said calmly, holding an unlit cigar in his hand. "Did you know she pawned everything she had for the money for this voyage? She loved Captain Witter, and it's hardly surprising, he's her only family member.

" "What happened to Dorcas's parents?" Danny asked, concerned.

"They died in a shipwreck when she was 12."

Daniel was speechless.

"Yeah, she must be incredibly strong mentally," his father repeated. "In her situation, I think I would have made the decision myself..."

Daniel suddenly felt as if he understood everything. He remembered the position Dorcas had been in the last time—her feet resting precariously on the third railing, her gaze fixed on the speed of the ship and the icy water. Why hadn't she jumped? He didn't know the answer yet, but he knew he had to find out. At all costs...