A Storm at Sea
嵐の海と、見知らぬ女性の優しさ
That night, the small ferry left the harbor and moved into the dark .
Haru stood near the and watched the lights of Morocco grow smaller.
Soon the wind rose, and the sea grew rougher with every passing minute.
The captain made everyone sit down and put on their life jackets.
He would not let anyone stand near the open sides of the boat.
Haru felt the ship beneath his feet as the first big wave hit.
He heard the waves against the like heavy drums.
It was the most night of his life.
He watched the black water rise higher than the little windows.
These were the biggest waves he had ever seen.
The storm grew louder, and the ferry climbed each wave more slowly than the last.
Haru held the cold and felt his heart beat faster than ever.
A Spanish woman named Clara was sitting beside him, calm and quiet.
She let him hold onto her arm when the floor tilted hard.
"Breathe," she said. "This is not the worst storm these waters have seen."
Clara was returning home after many years of working abroad.
She told Haru that her family lived in a small white village in the hills.
There, she said, he could rest and grow stronger before the next road.
Haru heard her voice a little, but her hand stayed .
He made himself breathe slowly and watched her tired, kind face.
Little by little, the waves became smaller and the wind grew softer.
The storm passed before , and the sea became calmer than glass.
Then Haru saw the lights of Spain appear like stars along the coast.
It was the most beautiful thing he had seen on the whole journey.
Clara invited him to her family's village to rest, and he gladly accepted.
As the land came closer, Haru felt his grandfather's long way pulling him west.