Joao's Dream

Joao’s Dream

Here, at Joao’s doorstep, flowed the river, slow, majestic, yet strong in its last reaches, the companion of his sixty-two years, the provider of life, and the flower of his existence in more ways than one. All things passed eventually in the current, and Joao made a living by their rescue, salvage and restoration, dragging them to shore to assess their likely worth.

And now he was being offered the greatest prize of all, a boat, empty and slipped of its moorings, circling slowly as it drifted. Joao wasted no time in discarding his shirt and plunging into the river.

As he neared the craft, he could read its name, painted in flowery letters on the stern. Mariah.

That was bad news for Joao. He knew the owner, Hugo Menendez, lived in the village only two kilometers upstream. It would not be long before Hugo reached Joao’s house as he searched the lower reaches of the river. No chance to clean it up, give it a new paint job, and sell such a valuable commodity, in that case. And he had nowhere to hide his find until Hugo had given up on his efforts.

Joao reached for the bulwark and hauled himself inside. He saw immediately that the small sail was packed neatly, ready to be unfurled at short notice.

An idea crossed his mind, an old dream he had long thought dead. It would mean leaving everything that he knew and taking a chance on whatever lay beyond his limited horizons. He had heard stories, of course. But all he had ever wished for was to see New York, a magical place where one’s troubles melted away with the morning mist.

It was his last chance. He moved forward to set the sail.


Word count: 294
For Daily Flash Fiction Challenge, 06.09.23
Prompt: Write a story that includes the words: boat, flower, hide.