Faro del Castillo del Morro

By @jailaniansera

pexels/johannes pleino

Just before travel by ship to Miami, the last building Mary see while just leaving Havana is a lighthouse. It is a gloomy gray tall castle, Faro del Castillo del Morro, that is it the Cuban way to call that lighthouse. As far as Mary remembered, she had ever see the similar tower near coast of California a while ago. However, she forgot where the place specifically as if a long time ago.

The ship they were traveling to a pretty wide sea. A huge wave and strong storm hit the ship until rock around. Everyone in the ship has been felt shocked, afraid, and terrible. Some of them scream and cry, but most of the passengers pray to God. In the panic situation, a worst and biggest wave come to the ship like a colossal war fortress.  It is just need one swinging to make the ship collapse and inverted as dusts swept away when afternoon teatime. Everyone has fallen and drowned but Mary and an older man. she has no idea who the older man he is.  It is just the older man seems pale, feeble, and have no desire to stick himself life out. Therefore, Mary feels sad for the older man more than herself.

After some time has passed, Mary and The older man know each other. So that Mary knows his name is Fernandez, a Lisbon traveller but can't speak Portuguese. He said that he native Spanish. Fernandez has red skin due to sunburn and with pure black pupil in his eye. Otherwise, his hairs very dark like he never was touched sunlight even a little. Both of them hold a lumber out and struggle to survive on the sea through three days in the strait of Florida. they don't eat nor drink something. Along the day, they either don't talking anything each other so that Mary likely to feel that Fernandez was died or something.

"Whaddya doing?" Asked Mary when saw Fernandez drown himself into the deep water.

“There is nothing mainland here!" he reply.

"I known that."

"No land, no life!"

"There someone will find and save us." Mary said while being optimistic. "I hope!"

But Fernandez don't notice her. He moves away from the wood instead. Along the day, sea very calm and the sky bright with soft sunlight over the seas.

Mary still trying to help Fernandez. "Come here, you going to die!" Mary moved towards Fernandez.

"I prefer to die instead of suffering for more time longer." Cry the older man with despair. It is not very longer the Fernandez drown out into the sea and Mary never see him anymore even for his track or something.

On the seventh day, there a ship comes closer. Mary merely hears about sail little sound because she can't feel anything and all. She either can't feel herself and body or anything beside her. She was sunburning about seven daylights and seven nights without touching rain even a very little. Her skin turns reddish and feels like salt fish is dried on arid straw.

“Thanks, God! I still alive!" thought Mary on the ocean with dry and wizened lips. She tried to smile anyway.

On the sail, very catchy sail, a handsome young man with a white outfit come to her. on his back, Mary can see a pair of wings. The young man brought Mary's soul on from her poor body and left the body on the floating wood. Afterwards, her soul went away and soar to the blue skies with gray clouds between them. It's very far when Mary recognizes Castillo del Morro waiting for her on cirrus, a tiny cloud on the sky.

"So that way, i did not see it on California indeed." Mary thought and close to the tower smiling.

***

Original story CASTILLO DEL MORRO