The lonely boat

She lay in the warm Aegean water, the hot Grecian sun beamed down on her. The swell gently rocked her. She was happy. From time to time the old man would come and row her out to sea. He would sit on the little bench seat and read, gently rocking. Occasionality he would bring his fishing tackle and catch a fish. When they got back to shore he would excitedly scurry up the stony beach, and take the catch home to his family.

One day she realised that the old man had not been to see her for a while. The sun rose high in the sky, the time past, the sun not so high, not so hot. Several cycles of high and not so high. Her paint peeled in the sunshine, the rain collected in her hull, at night, this was cold.

Suddenly she felt movement, she was pulled up onto a stony beach. Pushed and onto something hard. She could feel movement, like she had never felt before. Then more pushing, pulling, noise, humans shouting. Then Silence!

Gone was the gentle lapping of the waves, the rhythm of the swell, just stillness and heat, almost unbearable heat. The old man, never came again.

The boat!

A long time past. She felt something tickle her gunwales, it had warm gentle feet. It walked around her exploring, sniffing her joints and the faded smell of fish. She remembered the old man.

As the sun rose day after day, she could feel her paint peeling, her planks shrinking in the heat, she felt sad. The cat jumped up again. It sniffed around more, it curled up on the little bench that the old man used to sit on. The boat felt sad about the old man. The cat visited more often, she like the cat. It did not talk to her like the old man, it just curled up and slept under the old sail.

the cat

Tickling, she was being tickled by the cat, what was the cat doing? It felt funny against her hull.

The cat built a small nest under the old sail, she slept there most days and nights when not out hunting. The boat felt less lonely.

Fidgeting and crying, what was happening? She could hear the tiniest crying. She could feel the little feet of the kittens. The cat brought mice for her babies to eat, and they grew.

The boat purred.