Lost at Sea
Chapter 34

Jasper stared at his next ship with a sort of trepidation. Part of him was loathe to get on another ship since the last two had gone down, but another part was hoping for exactly that. The ache in his chest had not gone away, but had only amplified knowing that she was alive somewhere but just out of reach.

He glanced back into the crowd. Not a single man had listened to him about the creatures of the deep. As superstitious as they had been, no one seemed to want to hear about an actual encounter.

“You just drank too much seawater,” they’d insist. Jasper was beginning to question his story, as well. It seemed the longer he spent away from Eleanor and her world, the fuzzier it seemed around the edges.

Jasper shouldered his ditty bag and pushed through the crowd of people saying goodbye to loved ones. It never changed. He used to have Johnny Boy with him, but that man was just as gone as the ship he’d last been seen on. He clenched his teeth against the emotions swelling in his chest.

“Jasper!” He heard behind him. He knew that voice. He spun around and searched the crowd, but saw no evidence of her fiery hair. “Jasper!”

“Eleanor,” he whispered, surging back into the crowd. There were too many people to see clearly, even though he was taller than most of them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wouldn’t find her with his heart beating erratically.

Nothing. She was no where. He had to be imagining things, of course. There was no way that Eleanor could be on land. He let his eyes trail over the water once in desperation, but there was no sign of her there, either. He turned toward the ship again, but slender arms slipped around his middle.

He swallowed. The fingers that were splayed against his chest were so familiar; very obviously his Eleanor’s.

“Oh, my God,” he mumbled, sinking to the ground. She swung around to the front of him and took his face in her hands. There she was, even more beautiful than her remember. Her cheeks were no longer hollow, her eyes no longer glowed, any trace of the years under the sea had been wiped clean from her tanned skin. Her eyes were filled with tears as she smiled at him with so much affection he thought he was going to fall apart.

“I remember,” she laughed. “I remember everything!”

“Everything?” He asked, gathering her into his arms. She nestled in close and he inhaled the smell of the ocean in her hair.

“He brought me back,” she was mumbling into his neck. “He brought me back.”

“And I’m never letting you go ever again,” he growled, kissing all over her face. She giggled girlishly and stood.

“Take me home?” She requested, taking his hand.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say those words,” he sobbed, wrapping her in another tight hug.

“I hope you’ll forgive me, but I lost track of the days.”

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