IN WILDER WINDS
Part two
(please read part one, below, first)



Deep into the night, the wind was howling. The sails had been stowed, and men were manning the oars by twos. Peter stood at the bow of the boat and James was manning the tiller. Peter was shouting instructions over the din.
“Keep at it guys, work together! James! C’mon man, steer into the wind! Matthew, for crying out loud, man! Puke over the side! I have to use this boat!”

The moon was hidden, it was dark, and there were no stars. Peter couldn’t make out land except in the brief illumination of lightning. Suddenly, the wind picked up, bringing the first drops of rain which pelted Peter’s face. Without warning, the boat seemed to drop out from underneath them, as though they were sinking into a hole in the sea. At the bottom of the trough the tiny craft began to rise again, as though shot from a catapult. Higher and higher they rose, until at the peak they were able to gain a view of the surrounding waters. A flash of lightning revealed a sight that caused a knot to form in Peter’s stomach. All around them, the water was rolling and surging in mounting peaks toward the horizon.
James and John strained to see Peter through the darkness. Each of the experienced fishermen knew what they were in for.

“Hang on guys, it’s about to get rough.” Said Peter, none too loudly.
“About to?” pleaded Matthew.

In the midst of a storm at sea, time ceased to exist. James had been straining at the tiller for what had seemed to be most of his life. Wind direction and the currents had changed so often in the last hours that every moment he had to correct their course to stay into the swells. Lightning continued to flash in the sky, less to the north, almost over top of them now. A steady rain still washed over them in curtains. With each flash of lightning, James scanned the horizon, trying to orient himself with the land. As his eyes frantically swept the momentary glimpses of scenery, something else caught his eye.

There was something in the distance. Not on land, but on the water, it would rise with the peaks, and then be hidden in descent. It was hard to make out what it was, from so far away, and in the brief, flickering light. It had to be another boat, but somehow James couldn’t seem to reconcile its shape in his mind. He kept his head turned in the same general direction in which he’d seen “it”.

Another bolt of lightning illuminated only rolling waves, nothing else.
“Maybe a trick of the light.” He muttered to himself.
Still, he continued to gaze out into the darkness in the same direction as before. When the sky lit up again, James saw the thing again, only this time to his right and much closer. The movements it made in the dancing light seemed somewhat familiar, yet so out of place that his mind was reeling in trying to comprehend it. His heart began to flutter with anxiety. He felt that storms were bad enough without strange sightings in the dark.

The distance between the sparks of lightning grew longer, and James strained his eyes to peer through the darkness, trying to identify what he’d seen. All at once, another bolt radiated light all around them, and James’ mouth dropped open in a silent scream.
“Uh…Uh!!” was all he could manage, while he kicked his legs involuntarily trying to back away.
Andrew sat directly in front of him, pulling at an oar, and receiving the brunt of James’ kicks. He spun around to see what was happening, fearing that James had somehow managed to fall overboard. He could just make out James’ face, and saw that he was pointing a little to his right. His mouth was moving, but he was saying nothing.

Andrew followed the direction of James finger, and just then another burst of lightning lit the sky.
Andrew screamed like a little girl.
This drew the attention of all the other disciples, including Peter, who looked first at Andrew, then at James, then in the direction in which they both now pointed.
In the next flash of light, they all saw it as clearly as anything. Out on the waves, moving steadily toward them, was the figure of a man. He was moving on the surface of the water, suspended like a boat that floats. He was running to the top of each peak as it came near him, and then sliding down the face in a half crouch.
Now all the disciples were screaming, crying, and there was the distinct smell of urine swirling around the boat.

...to be continued