I stood on the forecastle gazing intently up at the young woman in the crowsnest, and sadly marvelled at how much she reminded me of my daughter, even more so now than ever before as she lent against the mast, placing her head upon the wood. This was something Kellie used to do to while away the lonesome hours on watch at the top of the mast. She once explained to me when I enquired about the rapture that seemed to grip her when she put her ear against the wood, that she could hear all the sounds of the ship reverberating up through the mast. The echoes of mens footsteps in differing parts of the ship. The grind of the many various pulley's when they strained against the ropes as the breeze pulled them tight and then released the preasure again. the waters either lapping at the side of a motionless ship, or the buffeting against the bow of the ship as it powerfully moved through the water. The vibrating of the rudder as it struggled to stay true against the backwash from the stern. The mournful groan of the mast as it bore the brunt of thousands of kilos of crossbeams, ropes, sails and wind pressure, and of course the multitude of other undefinable rattles, sqeaks and clangs in the background that culminated into what kellie called, 'the ships symphony'.
I wondered for a fleeting moment if this girl was doing something similar now.

I was so distracted by my thoughts, i didnt hear Manny approach me from behind, so when he spoke I was startled out of my ruminant revelry, but tried not to show it.
"Capt'n, we are lossing the wind, Sir! Should we not maybe consider altering our course to gain any fresh breeze that might be near while we can still move?"
"yes, I was just thinking that myself" I embellished without taking my eyes off Belle.
I was secretly perturbed with myself for becoming distracted and failing to conduct my job as Captain of the vessel as was expected of me, but just as I was about to call up to the girl in the crowsnest and ask if she could spot the darkened patches of ocean that indicated a breeze on the water, she lifted her head away from the mast and looked up at the mainsail.
I followed her gaze in time to see the last of the wind we had die away and leave the sail limp and lifeless.
Just as limp and lifeless i turned to manny and patted him on the shoulder. "Too late, my friend. Too late!"