The Voyage

Only if this storm would stop, Abigale thought to herself. The ship rocked as the night rolled.  The waves could be felt, but being under deck, it was too difficult to tell.  I did not want The treacherous journey, but this was the key to freedom. Only her prayers as the sailors seem to be slacking on keeping the route without so many storms.  So many nights sleeping and others just in the filth of everyone around you.   The vomit smell was not even an irritant since everyone was already sick by the first month.  The small space and staying under was dark with the escarpments in pots.  In better weather, the unfortunate sailor would throw them into the ocean.  This day was supposed to be when I would have some fresh air on the deck, but the lightning started.  I came to see a new world and not be bogged down by the lack of freedom of the old.  Yet the trip has moans and groans. The small space down here has been quite a feat.  The cramps and the weather could have been so much better.

Still, the tossing continues as if they cannot sail out of the steer or out of the weather.  The men seem so rough, but they have never been kind.  Even seeing the sky is not long enough.  The endless hours and journey are no guarantee of survival.  So many people are sick, and it just spreads so quickly. The sickness is full of this place.  Across the waves we go, some of this had to be avoidable or straightforward.  There was supposed to be a second ship, but somehow, it retained a leak.  I suspected that was not the case.  Still, going to a new place should not be this difficult.  Only to suffer great injustices and even death never to arrive.  I wish the captain had chosen a better course, and maybe a more seasoned captain would have been better. 

Only if they could get through the storm before and get up there to fix this myself. When the swaying finally stopped.  We were in one piece as the weather calmed, and the sailors could be heard cursing on the deck.  This whole ship runs so wrong, yet we are constantly stuck at the helm.  It seems this trip is taking too long, and the captain might be unable to handle the journey.  Only if I could get to the colony faster and have some space from others on this trip.  For months now, it has been darkness while they get to guide us on an already late journey.  Yet it seems to take forever in all the arrangements.

The days keep going by as travel seems to be delayed more by either a storm or wind.  This whole thing has been a disaster, and we have yet to arrive. Yet, we are still on this small cargo ship in all the chaos.  Only if they had ships built to transport people over long distances.  The days grow long, and the voyage is evergoing.   The captain is taking his good old time getting us to the new land but not trying the best routes on this journey.  Maybe this was a mistake to have come and a promise of new land and a new beginning.  Life was better off the ship with all these sick people in a cramped compartment. The beds fill the area with family units; some are pregnant.  The smell has disappeared, but my nose has gotten used to it.  Spending more time without light and useless games makes me want to end this journey.  I finally got some fresh air as the sun looked so foreign.  All there is water, and yet we still seem to go nowhere.  Some say it has been over months, but I hope we arrive soon. 

With some good news from above, the land was spotted, and the trip had taken too long to start.  This was the best news.  Several travelers had departed looking for suitable land, but I was still stuck on this boat.  I hope it is the last leg of this journey. The time ticks by, but it is not a storm, and we are mostly still alive.  Death was inevitable, even losing a couple, but somehow, I avoided the awful illnesses. I am glad to be on land and start my new life with my husband, who seems sick most of the journey.

The land was not good; the winter season was coming in, and we had to get back on the ship. With more travel, the men could not make the land work.  We left so late that survival would now be even more difficult.  Every plan has failed, and whose fault is it.  We have been living on this ship way too long.  Luckily, this trip was shorter, and the men were sent to the land again.   I cannot wait to live in a land free of my former government.

Finally, after months and an arrival, they find a suitable land.  Still, it was quite a relief. The faces of the sailors were fatigued as we exited the ship.  The ship was worn, and yet I judged them so wrongly.  Their jobs were difficult, and the journey was even more difficult than them.  We exited, and the long journey was over.   Such a new place will bring new opportunities.