cold

Cold...

The ash bow of the dead ship cut through the ghostly waters like a blade to flesh. The underworld's sea's glinted in the eternally cooling embers of the long dead sun. Calm was never opinion but today, today was calm. In the sense of weather, water, sky and light, this fact made the men aboard shiver with curiosity, willing the source of the stillness to be known to them.
They had only liked the worlds of the living and the dead for a few hours and already they could sense that something wasn't right.

~~~

Fiery red, orange and black danced with the wind. The scarred brown trunk stood in bliss. A shy figured girl raised a warm hand to her window. She pressed her index finger twice to the clouded glass, and then dragged an up-turned curve beneath the glistening dots, a smile for the day a head.
Lucy rubbed sleep from her eyes and turned to dress as, behind the smiling mask of the window, the world began to cry.
A sniff, whimper, slam and one very defeated roar.
The only sounds she heard before the funeral began. The mass sea of black rippled and whirled but never voiced a single thought. It felt like a curse to be standing in the middle, even near, the populated group of mourners. She mumbled nothings to no one and then ran back to the reception hall; there were even more people here than in the service room.
She stayed close to the wall avoiding eye contact with every condolence giving person in the area. Her hand slipped over five steal handles before she found that one that was to an open door.
It was a smaller version of the room she was trying to escape. The walls were the same futile sick green colour as the larger. But it was different somehow, like it was used for a completely different reason than the one that Lucy was here for.
She crept to the back wall and collapsed on the darkening floor. With her chin laid on her knees she scanned the room in better detail. There was dirt, thick greasy dirt on every surface, in every corner. Grim darkened the checked floor and dust etched the window panes.
Except it was sickening, it was mesmerising to Lucy. To watch the lighting illuminated the specs of dust as they danced in spirals to the near silent melody of the rain against the window, trying to clean the shambolic room. She was so lost in the display that she didn’t notice the lightening brighten, the rain beat harder, or the door creek open.
‘Sorry, I a... I’m... sorry’, stammered a rough, adolescent male voice from the blur of black and white by the door.
‘What are you doing?’ Lucy questioned, snapping out of her trance.
‘I was trying... sorry.’ The voiced tumbled over its self in the aid to stop speaking.
‘Why do you always apologise when you find me?’
‘Cause you’re just so embarrassing to be around.’ replied the terrified voice trying to sound cool.
‘Shut up! Can you stand where I can see you? Please?’
The blur of black and white came forward into the shape of tall awkward teenager soaking form the storm outside.
‘Better?’
‘Yes, why are you so wet?’ she smirked.
‘I’ve been looking for you. I thought you might be outside, but clearly you’re not as brainless as you look’ he joked, tossing his ruined suit jacket across the room. He walked the last few steps to where Lucy was and sat down beside her. ‘Oh, come on, it was kinda funny.’
‘No, it wasn’t Jay.’ she sulked.
‘Yeah, your right, but it was worth a try. Are you okay, Lu?’
‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?’
‘It’s your dad’s funeral next door and you’re in here, on your own, looking depressed, on your own. Did I mention you’re on your own... in a dark room?’
‘I don’t want to go, okay?’ she spat, ‘I said goodbye in the hospital. I don’t need to do it again just so a few dozen bustards, that are supposedly my family, can think that I’m a good and respectful daughter for the thirty seconds that they give damn about me or my dad.’
‘It’s okay, I get it. Do you want a hug?’ Jay asked, putting his arm around her. To which she let herself fall in to his crest and felt him rap both his arms round her.
‘Why are allows so bloody understanding?’ she laughed, her voice thick with tears.
‘Because Hun, I’m amazing.’
‘Bam! Well I will give you that, but unfortunately your only into guys so, you are only of some use to me.’
‘Well, you know what they say all the good men are either married or gay.’ He grinned.