Page 258 of Hidden Depths
48
Storm
Grandpa used to say.
"Never let fear teach you who you are. Let courage make that decision."
— James Sinclair
No one spoke.
The old brass compass rested in my hands.
I traced Grandpa's initials with my thumb.
Storm.
Calle.
Willow.
Ivy.
Hazel.
He had carried every one of us with him.
Every voyage.
Every sunrise.
Every storm.
Thomas smiled.
"James said a captain should always know what matters most."
I closed the compass carefully.
"I don't think he was talking about north."
Thomas chuckled.
"No."
"He was talking about home."
Ward stepped onto the dock.
The evening sun was beginning to settle lower over the Gulf.
Everything looked peaceful again.
Too peaceful.
His instincts hadn't relaxed.
Neither had mine.
