An Ocean Cruise

Binx’s ears were flattened and the tip of her tail whipped with rapid attentiveness as she watched the pale man escort his lady into the waiting boat. Kylean was given an envelope and the skiff slipped silently into the water and, within moments, both Kylean and the boat were gone. Klaws’ paw reached for Binx and found only her tail. Grabbing it, he whisked her into his cardboard castle quickly hushing any protest.

Once out of sight of the city, Ethan relaxed comfortably on the skiff gazing at his wife who was leaning over the side trailing her fingers through the clean ocean water. He sometimes wondered about her thoughts as she moved to the other side to again dip her fingers into the water. He was tempted to peek within her mind in times such as this: Her random repetition of simple actions. What held her attention so? To him, both sides were the same, and so he watched with amusement as she moved from side to side as though she were making multiple new discoveries.

The waning gibbous moon caused the night to seem quite bright. Brit looked over her shoulder catching his gaze. The gentle breeze ruffled her hair a bit and her mossy green eyes glowed from the moonlight. She looked much as she did the night on the rooftop, where she first invited him to view within her mind. At first, he thought she was teasing, but he quickly realized that she had no idea what she was offering. The invitation was too enticing to refuse and, once inside, he noted that there were no barriers or filters on the chaos of her thoughts regarding the constant flow of information. And though he wondered how she functioned within the rapid stream of consciousness, he marveled at her lack of guile and stark honesty. To him, she was like no other he had encountered and, unlike his encounters with any other, he was compelled to kiss her.

Since that night, she never closed her mind to him, however he felt her thoughts were private and hers. Brit continued to watch him and Ethan wondered whether she sometimes could see within his thoughts which caused him to shift uncomfortably. Would she think him horrid if she saw the thoughts in his head? The sounds of her heartbeat and the air moving in her lungs beckoned him. Would she turn away if she understood the beast within all that were like him? He could easily find out. The temptation grew - to peek just for a moment - just to see her thoughts. Her body shifted and she slipped next to him impulsively pressing her blood-warmed lips against his. He froze for a moment before slipping his arm around her and returned a deeper kiss before simply holding her close. He closed his eyes to regroup and opened them to see the glow from the mainland city, which gave him a new focus.

“A cruise?” said an incredulous Ethan to the gentleman who greeted them on a dock. “Cruises were quite nice once upon a time,” continued Ethan who rummaged through the information given to him, “but I fear that time is long past.”

The nosferatu dressed in the dark cloak replied, “Once upon a time, you were quite fond of cruises as I recall. It was not until…1947?” Noticing Ethan’s glare, the cloaked man continued, “As if anyone knew the ship would run aground, Ethan. Come now, and tell me that you do not miss the grace and elegance of an ocean cruise.” With a gesture toward Brit, the nosferatu added, “And it will be an opportunity to share a gentler time with your lovely wife.”

All valid points, Ethan conceded. Besides, he wanted a world that was suitable and controllable until the city grew calmer. Tapping the envelope in his palm, Ethan shrugged remembering the Queen Elizabeth’s mishap, which was not a huge problem at the time. The problem was the talk of off-loading passengers during the daytime. The envelope shifted hands as Ethan continued to consider. It would be hard for harm to come to either of them while on a ship. Nodding, he said, “Many thanks. Brit shall enjoy it, I believe.”

The nosferatu clasped his hands together and opened them again. “I am pleased that you have determined the selection of your get-away to be satisfactory. You did not give us much time.” Ethan shrugged before forcing a smile and handing over payment. Though unspoken, Ethan felt the amount was more than sufficient for the inconvenience of limited planning.

Brit and Ethan arrived to the ship at 2 AM, which Ethan felt was time enough to settle into the room and take a romantic walk along the topside deck to acclimate prior to sunrise. The perky director happily informed both that their room had been upgraded to a balcony suite. “I require an inside room,” Ethan told her. “I’m quite allergic to sunlight.” The director’s smile fell as she informed him that no inside rooms were remained. The compromise was to swap the sleeping space with the living room so that sun could not aggravate Ethan’s condition. The director’s smile reappeared as a solution was found, and she happily informed them that both had time to make the limbo contest at the poolside bar.