Man of the Sea (standard:drama, 1893 words)
Author: Joe Edwardson	Added: Feb 24 2002	Views/Reads: 3394/2471	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A young naive sailor goes through the sudden rise and deadly fall of superstardom.

Far off west and even further south of the beaches of Los Angeles, Shawn
treads water and waits for the fishing boat to come back as if it were 
a simple joke.  Nausea has set in from all directions, mostly from the 
lack of food, though it’s only been a day so far.  His short brown with 
frosted tips Hollywood hairdo, matted to his sunburned scalp, reeks of 
Tresemme style gel mixed with fresh fish guts, which also creates a 
nausea all of its own. 

Shawn hears the call of an oncoming vessel or barge and thrashes for a
moment to find where the sound is coming from, yelling thank you’s, 
until he hears the random screaming of fire sirens, cackles of 
chickens, car alarms, lunch bells, and other nonexistent nonsense.  He 
rips and tears at his shiny new Valentino apparel, closes his eyes, 
takes a deep breath in as he narrows his body, and sinks while thinking 
of his days as a man of the sea. 

“Oh what a fine, bright, glorious, sun shiny day it is once again!” says
Shawn to nobody in particular while tying his long brown hair into a 
ponytail.  The only thing he wears is an old pair of torn Levi jean 
shorts as he cheerfully goes about his daily routine, tying off the 
sails, checking the nets for dinner, double checking the radar and 
compasses, etc.  For the first time in the last week he picks up the 
mirror in his bathroom, takes a look at his face, and says, “Wow, I’m 
in need of a shave once again.”  The days are getting longer and longer 
and Shawn notices the deepening tan acquired on his handsome youthful 
face.  After shaving and taking care of his other Monday morning 
duties, he sits on deck, leans up against the side railing, and writes 
a passage in his journal. 

“It’s been four weeks since the last time I’ve stepped on land.  The
seasickness has completely gone away now and I’m happier than ever. I 
am completely carefree now, my head is clear, and I’m enjoying my life 
more than ever.  I’m only 24 years old and have found my true calling 
as a man of the sea.  There are none of the old worries I used to have, 
such as supposed friends trying to take advantage of me because of my 
last name.  From now on it’s just smooth sailing here on the vast 
Pacific, with no one to answer to but me.  I haven’t seen anyone in 
over a week and am getting a little lonely, but like the seasickness, 
I’m sure it’ll go away in time.  Though I wouldn’t mind meeting up with 
a fellow sailor right about now to trade supplies and talk.” 

An air horn screams through the air and into the ears of Shawn, who
looks to the East to see another sailboat coming his way in the 
distance.  He chuckles a little and says, “How ironic,” as he gets up 
to prepare for visitors.  He drops anchor, throws on one of his few 
clean white t-shirts, does some tidying here and there, and yells hello 
to the two male and female strangers as they near. 

A man dressed in a white polo shirt and radiant black slacks steps
aboard Shawn’s boat, and says “Ah, what’s this I stepped in?” 

“ Uh oh. I believe that’s grease from the side of the door. It’ll wipe
right off,” replies Shawn. 

“These shoes cost me $300. But oh well, it’s not a big deal.  We’re just
happy to have found you!” the man says. 

“We’ve been stuck out here forever!” says the woman, who is equally
nicely dressed in casual attire, as she boards the boat.  “Our radar or 
something is doing some crazy stuff and, yeah, we don’t know where we 
are.  We just went for a short little cruise and now here we are the 
next morning,” the woman continues while giving Shawn an odd 
inquisitive stare. 

“Oh, um, I’m sorry to hear of your difficulties.  I’m sure it’s not a
big problem.  I can take a look at it and see if there’s anything I can 
do,” Shawn offers. 

“That’d be great,” the man says. “Come on over here and take a look.” 
The man leads Shawn into a room on his sailboat to take a look; all the 
while giving him the same inquisitive look the woman previously gave 
him.  Shawn diverts his eyes and looks to the equipment.  After 
tinkering for just a short while, he smiles and looks toward the man. 

“It looks like you have some kind of wiring problem. It’s no big deal,


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