Marina

Part Five

Her eyes scanned the choppy waters as the blustery winds ruffled her new gingham skirt. The dark red fabric billowed around her legs. Against the sandy shore, it looked like a flag or a beacon used to guide the way for nearby ships.

That's exactly why Marina had chosen to wear it.

Caspian had set out to fish early that morning, and he hadn't been back since. Now it was almost noon, and his little boat still hadn't made an appearance on the shore. The gray clouds that were rolling in from the sea didn't ease Marina's mind.

Two other fishermen who had set sail later had already returned. The few others who lived south of the cove hadn't even bothered rowing out. She walked from one end of the beach to the other, hoping that nothing had happened to him.

A long time passed before she spotted his boat's sail cresting over the waves. Marina dashed to the small pier south of their bluff, the place where Caspian usually moored. She waved her hands and hoped he could return as quickly as he could manage.

"You're back! Thank the fates, you're back!" she said as the man finally hopped onto the dock and secured his boat. She didn't even glance at the half-empty net he'd hauled up before tackling him.

"Marina? What are you doing here?" Caspian barely flinched when her arms came around his neck. His voice held a hint of alarm. "A storm's rolling in!"

"That's why I was waiting for you," she explained. Now that Caspian was here, the anxiety coiled in her chest started to dissipate.

Caspian wrapped one arm around her as he reached for the net he'd dropped onto the wooden planks. He then led her back to the beach. "Were you worried that I'd have a hard time getting home?"

"I don't like the water when it storms," Marina said. She clung to him even though she knew that the sea couldn't reach him anymore and rip him away from her. "You might get hurt out there."

The man snorted. One of his brows rose as he smirked. "I'm a good swimmer, you know."

For the first time since meeting him, Marina felt her ire rise. She didn't like the proud, confident look on his face. She'd been living in that watery world until only a few weeks ago, and she knew what struggling with its natural power was really like.

"The sea doesn't care how good of a swimmer you are. If it wants you to sink to the bottom, it'll do everything it can to get you there," Marina said. "You're a fisherman, right? You're supposed to know that."

Beside her, Caspian tensed. His smirk wavered when she pulled herself away from him. "I do know that. That's why I'm very careful when I fish in weather like this."

Marina shook her head.

"You should just stay home."

The man reacted to that suggestion with a sudden stop and a tight jaw. He turned to face her. "You don't get it, Marina. I have to go out."

Marina couldn't believe his hardheaded reply. She'd seen the drowned bodies of fishermen sinking to the bottom of the sea even as a child. And when she was older, she even helped tow them back to the surface and shuffle them onto shore so that other humans could give them a proper burial.

The thought of Caspian's lifeless form slowly drifting down into the deepest, darkest trenches filled her with a horror she couldn't even describe.

"Why go out at all?" she asked, needing him to see reason.

It was clearly the wrong thing to ask, because Caspian imploded. He spun swiftly and marched towards her. "Because I need money! Does that answer your question?!"