Page 42 of Hidden Depths
"You earned it."
"So did Rose."
He reached into his shirt pocket.
Carefully.
Almost reverently.
He pulled out a small wooden compass.
The carving was worn smooth with age.
"My father made this before he shipped out during Korea."
He turned it gently in his hands.
"He carried it his whole life."
"Now I carry it."
"It's beautiful."
"It reminds me where I came from."
He smiled.
"And where I'm supposed to go."
Ward had wandered onto the bow without either of us noticing.
He smiled politely.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
Frank held up the little compass.
"My father made it."
Ward admired the craftsmanship.
"You must treasure that."
"I do."
"I'd be terrified of losing it."
Frank chuckled.
"So would Rose."
Almost as if fate had been listening...
A sudden gust of wind swept across the bow.
Frank instinctively reached for the rail.
