The Sea of Night

This is a rough work I created which I still have not edited. I thought it might be interesting to readers and give a perspective on what my unfinished work is like.

The clipper ship Shadow sailed over the sea, which remained tranquil for five days. At the start of the sixth day of the voyage clouds had gathered on the horizon darkening the sky. Peter looked out over the seascape at the grayness and the growing choppiness of the waves. He thought of his family and friends he had left behind to make this voyage. He knew his mother and father were worrying about him but he had made his choice. The wind picked up and tossed his dark brown hair, he continued to gaze out to sea. He could hear the crew scrambling on the deck to prepare for the storm they knew was heading towards them. He knew getting to his destination was going to be dangerous when he set out. He turned to look aft at the Captain who was yelling orders to the crew over the rising strength of the wind. Peter noticed there was a glint in his eyes, a mixture of excitement and possibly fear. One never knew if a voyage through a storm on the sea would be his last. Peter thought if I am to perish on this voyage then so be it. I have seen to all that I can control let fate decide the rest for me. Peter turned back to the sea and watched the darkness grow along with the wind and the waves. It has to be about noon now even though we can't see the sun he thought. Rain began to fall down from the black night of clouds soaking him making him one with the wetness of the sea. Waves washed over the deck knocking members of the crew from their feet and washing the around the deck. Through the thick sheets of water Peter caught a brief glimpse of the Captain gazing out into the dark blankness. He had the look of complete calm as if the storm was something that he was observing from the outside. The waves became larger as the day continued. At times Peter was knocked off his feet and once he was almost thrown overboard. He would have been except for a crewman who was quick enough to grab him by the back of his shirt and strong enough to hall him back over the rail. He was able to catch more glimpses of the Captain and every time the Captain appeared as still and serene as he had before. As evening approached the storm grew worse the sheets of rain becoming dark walls too thick to see beyond and the wind a howling demon, which removed all other sound. The crew when he encountered them in his attempts to keep hold of any perch he could find on deck appeared tired and beaten as if they were undead being without life but not yet faded from the world. The storm persisted into the night, Peter began to loose his strength and he was giving in to the tiredness he felt. He felt as if the ship were giving in to its tiredness as well. He felt as if it were sagging beneath him to find rest and sleep. Then the Shadow bent and the world turned over. He fell into cold like an infinite number of icy needles on his skin. He was alive. He broke the surface struggling and was pushed back under. He fought against the dark wetness, which surrounded him again and again. He reached the divider between it and the sky many times but each time he was pushed back down into the cold. He felt it sink into his limbs as he felt himself sink into the darkness. He looked around for something he did not know but found only the blank abyss. He stared into the darkness letting the cold consume him for an eternity. He saw colors. They appeared like mist in the black of the sea and they floated in the darkness around him. He could not tell if they were close to him or far but he sensed that they were distant. He felt sound in and around him, which he thought was a mixture of people's voices and music. It was beautiful sound. It brought to him memories of his life and his love he had left to cross the Sea of Night. A spark ignited a fire in his mind and the cold left him. The mist enveloped him and he knew the darkness.