Day 7, morning

My watch buzzed, waking me up after twenty minutes. I stretched and watched the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon to starboard.

North.

I wondered why I was going north. I rubbed my eyes and winced. “Ouch. What the hell?”

“Helene beat the shit out of you,” Izzy spoke from the bench behind me.

I spun in shock and gaped at my sister. She was holding a small notebook of mine I used to write notes to myself.

“Helene beat the shit out of you...and you let her?”

“Izzy? What are you doing here?” My mind spun out. When was I? Were we on a weekend trip? She’d said Helene’s name. I desperately begged my memory to find its footing as to why I was headed north on my ship with Izzy and how she could know Helene’s name. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Goose egg. I gaped at her.

Izzy started reciting, “You just left Bermuda 1649. Don’t think about Andrews. Izzy is on board. Lady Catherine, Bessie, and a baby are aboard. These are not intruders. Izzy has seen your scars. You are going to Greenland. Helene beat the shit out of you. Get your shit together. Izzy wants all kinds of answers. Learn the baby’s name. Bessie is asleep in the hammock. No technology. Stop freaking everyone out.” She put the notebook down. “Anne, what the hell is this?”

I groaned. I remembered it all now. Fucking hell.

“Just some notes I left for myself. Occasionally it takes me a little while to remember where I am.” I rubbed my eyes again and winced. “I don’t usually have an audience for this.”

“I don't want to be insensitive, but you wake up, and you seem not okay. I'm managing the humans - you're supposed to be managing the...boating.”

“I am boating. Look at me boat. We are all boating just fine.” I was going to vomit.

"Right. That's why you keep having episodes and terrifying poor Bessie. Because of all your fineness."

“Not episodes. Just -- shit, Izzy. I’m working on it. Go back to bed or something.”

"I would love to go back to bed if I thought there was even the slightest chance that my rest wouldn't be interrupted by screaming or crying. Usually both, like a horrifying alarm clock duet."

“Hand me the notebook. I tied it to the wheel so that I wouldn’t miss it next time. It’s a fine method. You can sleep. I’ll do better next time. It’s just a little problem is all. You don’t have to worry about me.”

"When was the last time you really slept? Have you even been eating? Because we haven’t been cooking our asses off down there for you to throw my hard work overboard-"

“I’m not throwing it overboard! I’m eating, I promise. I just woke up. It’s fine.” I waved off her concern.

"By woke up, do you mean from one of those navigator catnaps? Because that's not real sleep."

“I know I’m pushing us hard. It’s late in the season, I want us off the water as quickly as possible.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone! I'm not a nautical expert but I can follow a heading and I know what to look out for. You could go get some real sleep, eat a hot meal - maybe even take a shower if you wanted to get crazy."

“I’m fine. Just go back to sleep. Is there food though? That sounds good.” I stood up to go get a snack but Izzy pushed me back down. She didn’t have to push hard, I was tired. My head spun.

She handed over a steaming bowl of delicious soup and a fresh tumbler of coffee. I don’t think I’d ever received a better gift. I practically licked the bowl.The coffee tasted off at first but I stopped caring after a few sips. It really wasn’t so bad having Izzy on board, the food was much better. I sat back in my chair feeling warm and cozy.

The wind was steady and warm, gusting from the south. I breathed it in and watched the sails ripple as I sipped. They rippled just like the waves. I rubbed my belly, feeling full for the first time in days and sighed in contentment.

I blinked and found it difficult to open my eyes again. There was nothing better than being on my ship in beautiful weather on the sparkling sea. This was home. I blinked again and forgot for a second how to open my eyes. It was easy to breathe out here. The compass read north. Wonder why I was heading north. Ah well, time for that mystery later.

“Anne? Are you okay?” A voice asked from behind me.

“Izzy? What are you doing here? Cabo isn’t north. Does Mom know you’re here?" I ran my hands through my hair and lifted my face to the sun.

“Anne? Do you know where you are?” Izzy asked. I looked at her and watched the wind play with her curls and smiled. She was pretty.

“Not really, no.” I turned back to the sun and rubbed my eyes. “Ouch. That smarts. Yowza.”

“Helene beat the shit out of you,” Izzy said.

“Oh yeah. She did.” I chuckled

“Do you know who is on the ship with us?”

“I don’t take passengers. Don’t worry, Izzy. I’ll be home soon. Tell Mom I don’t mind her so much.” I hung up the phone. This wine was superb.

“Do you know what year it is?” Someone behind me asked.

“So long as it isn’t 16-fucking-50.” The sun was so warm. I shrugged off my long sleeves and put my hair up in a pony tail and stretched. Hang on a second…something wriggled in my brain. “Did you say Helene?”

A deluge of memories pounded against some impermeable barrier which kept me from caring too much or feeling too much; just a calm even keel. It was delectable. Wrong but delectable. “What’s...what’s going on?” I tried to stand and stumbled. Izzy caught me and held me up.

"You need to sleep, Anne. I gave you a little something to help.”

“You drugged me? You are sooooo just like your husband.” I tried to move but my feet weren’t listening to me.

“Uh-huh. Let’s get you to bed.” The Izzy holding me up was coated in sunshine and I batted at the golden rays. I wanted to know what they felt like. Someone tugged at me and I leaned heavily against whoever it was. The decking on my ship tilted and rose up to meet me. I’d have to tell Edgar to fix that next time I brought my ship into his repair yard. The decking was replaced with my bed and I gleefully fell into it, snuggling the blanket.

“What’s the heading? Anne?” the voice asked.

“North. If you hit Santa you’ve gone too far.” I loved bed. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.