Fiction: The petrel

The St. Helena was a luxury cruiser, beautifully built to delight with its sleek lines and geometrically seductive to those who passed their eyes in disbelief at the vessel.

Captain Henry was responsible for piloting such a beautiful vessel. His rough hands, forged during many years of voyages, caressed the helm and possessed it with strength, his face with strong features combined with the great body of a colossal titan, instilling respect in the crew and some fear in the passengers.

Captain Henry spoke in his deep voice over the St. Helena's loudspeaker system. "Welcome dear passengers, to the most wonderful cruise ship on the entire planet: the Santa Elena. Enjoy your journey and good sea," he said with nurturing effervescence.

The Santa Elena was getting ready to leave for the beautiful Greek islands. The journey was a long one, but Captain Henry, an old sea dog, knew how to bring the cruise to a successful conclusion. "Last call for boarding," blared the cruise ship's loudspeakers.

After a few hours, the Santa Elena began its long voyage. The rainy day foreshadowed that the trip would be complicated, but the good humor of the crew, dressed in bright white, gave the passengers confidence. Captain Henry welcomed each of the 600 passengers, making them feel at home.

The port's scarves swayed in unison, bidding farewell to the passengers, some with smiles that went to the edge of the corners of their mouths and others with tears flowing uncontrollably from their melancholic sockets. The Santa Elena touched the sea in a synchrony of romanticism, caressing the surroundings of the ship with its liquid particles. The captain took his place on the bridge to pilot the cruiser.

The days went by, everything on the cruise was fun and overflowing joy, the bodies moved to the sound of tropical music, the delicious food adorned the tables neatly made to receive the guests, the beautifully decorated cabins gave the feeling of wellbeing and comfort. The captain would stroll around the cruise ship to make sure everything was going well. He made a lot of friends along the way despite his rugged appearance.

Nothing could spoil the wonderful days aboard the Santa Elena, except.... "Captain, Captain, there's a petrel inside the cabin," a crew officer would say with rumbling fear.

"Calm down, it's just a helpless bird." Spoke Captain Henry with great aplomb.

"But, Captain, you know what it means, we must get rid of the petrel or it will bring bad luck." The officer's bulging eyes showed the terrible concern.

"Officer, I know what this bird means, but I have never believed in such absurd stories." Captain Henry was making a serious gesture that showed his displeasure.

The crew fell silent and went on with their work. The captain picked up the bird and carried it to his cabin. Night was falling and the stars were showing in the firmament. The crew and passengers marveled at the astral play.

Captain Henry watched the wonders of Mother Earth from his cabin. Suddenly, thick darkness was covering the oceanic mantle. "Captain, storm warning!" said the officer, while from his voice came out the choppy words.

"Steady, lad, I'm on my way." The Captain was running out with his petrel in hand. He reached the bridge and with his binoculars he could see the great storm coming. Captain Henry began giving orders to the officers to try to evade the storm. The carved cedar rudder turned endlessly from side to side.

Everything the captain did was fruitless and at one point the fog embraced the cruise ship with its cold breeze. The passengers were shouting non-stop in a chorus of pleas and prayers. Captain Henry tried to calm the situation, but everything seemed useless, he sent his officers to prevent the passengers from committing riots and violent acts.

The Santa Elena was sailing blind and in danger of crashing into an obstacle. Beads of sweat ran down the creases of the captain's forehead and his eyes glazed over in the mist, puzzling him. He had never seen anything like this in all his seafaring life.

His strong hands bore the fate of tales of lives. He could not give up. The passengers were still out of control, destroying everything in their path. The bridge was the only safe place, but not for long.

Minutes passed and Captain Henry was still piloting blindly, while the revolution continued outside the bridge, hearing the shouts of men approaching the bridge. The captain was praying for a way out of the predicament.

"Captain, we must set the petrel free, it is a bird of ill omen," the officer said in a pleading tone.

Captain Henry turned to the officer and looking incredulous said, "If you think that will be our salvation, do it!"

As Captain Henry continued to pilot the passengers banged on the door and tried to break it down. The officer grabbed the bird and looked for the nearest window to free the bird. At that instant the people entered the cabin and the captain began to struggle. The officer opened the window and released the petrel.

After a moment an incandescent light was visible on the horizon and the thick fog was disappearing. The people watched this and immediately calmed down. The crew regained control of the situation and Captain Henry steered the cruiser towards the lighthouse which showed with its miraculous light the way to salvation.

Captain Henry was leading the cruiser to safe harbor and when they all went below, he looked up with his officer at the beautiful starry night sky, and then they heard a song, it was the bird flying overhead.

"You were right about the bird," Captain Henry was saying to him as he hugged him with his big arm around his neck.

The end