All At Sea

by Jenny Sanders

This was beyond him. Tossed and tormented by wind and waves, could he survive this storm?

think clearly, time his turns and swing the mainsail around so he could tack back against the wind, and avoid the strong current he knew had thrown many a ship into a whirlpool of destruction.

Reflecting on his position, Robert lifted his eyes to scan the horizon. His grandmother always advised that. She had regaled her children and grandchildren with pithy sayings and metaphors which, she claimed, helped her navigate life. Avoiding becoming so caught up in immediate circumstances you failed to see the bigger picture was one of her favorite topics.

The clouds still scudded across the sky, but a hint of watery sunshine indicated better things to come. Old advice triggered a flicker of hope in Robert’s jaded heart.

Robert gripped the apparatus more tightly. He took several deep breaths in a bid to ground himself against the elements and stop his thoughts spinning out of control.

The week had been a tornado, throwing everything at him it could. Deadlines, resignations, financial cuts, changes to the plotted course, betrayals and mutiny, sleepless nights; it was a wonder he was even upright this Sunday morning, blinking in the daylight and scanning the water for other vessels.

Away to starboard, a small yacht appeared to be struggling, while from his port side a poorly captained dinghy veered dangerously close to his sleek prow.

A grim expletive sullied the air as Robert grappled to steer his boat to safer waters. He was not unaware of the rocks ahead. He needed to

He stooped to pick the remote-controlled schooner from the water; tucked it, still dripping, under his arm, and headed home with a new resolve .

Jenny Sanders is a writer, speaker, encourager and mentor. She loves writing, reading and walking in nature whenever she can. For the past several years she’s lived between the beautiful cities of Bath, UK and Cape Town, S Africa. Her exciting and humorous new children’s book The Magnificent Moustache and Other Stories is now available published by The Conrad Press.