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Excerpts from
'Leviathan Shore'
James
(Excerpt #1)
James Cadence sat at his cramped writing desk aboard
Providence, penning a letter to his betrothed, Georgianne. He’d written her name and a few introductory remarks, then held his quill tip stylus above the sheet of paper. James tightened his jaw, willing his fingers to press the tip down and write. But with a curse he tossed the pen on the desk and sat staring at the letter.
His black mood deepened. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d truly slept, or when he’d enjoyed a bath or a glass of chilled wine.
Time to make port and get ashore for a few days,
James thought, even as he caught a glimpse of himself in the small mirror hanging above his desk. Wrinkles permeated his navy blue woolen trousers and matching waistcoat. He’d rolled his white chambray shirt sleeves up to the elbow and left his collar unbuttoned at the neck. James looked away in disgust;
quite the sterling figure, Captain Cadence
.
* * *
(Excerpt #2)
Providence
entered St. Mary’s River. In James’ mind he spread his charts:
depth, current, bearing; the shoals at Hay Point, the tight squeeze past Neebish
Island, the final port turn just before the Soo.
Lake Superior
lay beyond, the arching inland sea that he’d known and loved since childhood.
James took a firmer grip on the spokes, exhilarated by the challenge of running the passage ahead. Captaining this ship meant freedom to him, freedom to choose his own destiny. No worries about women, no obligation to kith or kin, no fear about the future. Just the water below, the sky above, and a ship for him to command.
One day soon, James promised himself, he would embrace his destiny. He’d be the man he always dreamed of, a respected captain with money lining his pockets. He’d have fame, and fortune, and would be envied by all.
A golden future lay within his grasp, and James would suffer nothing to stand in his way.
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