T.J. Finley

Phantom Light

Abby stood motionless in the crowded front room, numb. Extended family, some she had never met, huddled and laughed as they swapped stories. Neighbors, like gossipy Mrs. Blake, trolled the room looking for any new dirt they could share with the ladies at the women’s charitable society. Fellow sea-men chided one another in pairs buoying up the perimeter of the room. Abby would not likely see them again. Many of them hadn’t seen Thomas in years. Thomas would say, “Fly by night”… “Here today, gone tomorrow.” Standing awkwardly amongst the crowd were a few stragglers that didn’t belong but came out of obligation. And then there was Kat, the only real friend in the room. The only one who understood and had been there through it all.