12. Sailing

I sit with the elves Elfstan had met so as I can feel connected to my family when we set sail before sunset, and it anchors me as we travel between worlds. The ship’s large enough that it hardly feels like it’s moving, and the salt air is cool upon my face. 

We follow the sun over the waves, but She outpaces us eventually. Night sets in, and the stars are brighter here somehow. Soon the elves are singing. I hear the name Elbereth and know they’re praising her. 

The elf next to me points upward. I follow her arm to where Eärendil sails overhead, keeping pace with our ship. I shiver, both from chill and knowing we’ll soon be sailing the same skies as the Mariner himself!

Excitement spreads through the boat, and soon I’m singing Bilbo’s Mariner song. I can hardly believe I remember the words. The elves listen quietly, some smiling widely as they remember their little silver-haired bard.

After a time, a small group forms at the bow, looking at something in the water. Curious, I get up to see what the fuss is. Below us, a pod of porpoises are leaping from the water, leading the ship with glee and fanfare. 

“We’re nearly there,” a lady says.

The porpoises keep us company for several leagues, never tiring or veering off course, yet gradually growing smaller in size. Before I know it, they’re mere specks in the ocean below us and we’re sailing through the sky as the world drops away. There’d been no lurch or tilt, no warning at all, and I have to blink several times to be sure of what I’m seeing.

We’re on the straight road, and far ahead, there’s a small light in the distance: a curtain of silver glass.

GF 8/25/12

To be continued...