The legend
lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call
Gitche Gumee
Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and buried her face in his thick jacket.
"I don't want you to go." She mumured.
He squeezed her close. "I'll be back by Friday. Ginny, I'll be fine. I've done this dozens of times."
"I know. But I just can't help having a bad feeling about this."
The lake,
it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November
turn gloomy.
"I'll be fine."
"I wish you didn't have to do this." She sighed.
"I know. But it's just this one shipment more, then we'll get married and I'll quit."
She giggled. "My parents would flip if they knew I was planning to elope."
He grinned down at her. "We'll let them pay when we renew our vows."
Then he kissed her. She reluctantly let him go to board the ship.
With a
load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald
weighed empty
Daniel Cross, Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald greeted Draco as he came aboard. Daniel was fair skined and haired like Draco and Ginny often joked that the two looked enough alike that they could have been twins.
"When are you going to make that poor girl a proper wife?" Daniel demanded by way of greeting.
"Nice to see you too. I will."
"Oh yeah? When?"
"I want to be able to support her myself. I have a job with the Ministry. It's enough but if I want to actually be able to buy a house in the next ten years I need something extra."
"You're such a romantic. Have you bought her a ring?" Daniel asked.
"Sort of. My mother gave me her engagement ring years ago."
"And explain to me again why you aren't just living off the vast sum of money derived from your parents?" Daniel asked him as they walked to the helm.
"All their accounts were frozen. I just have what is in mine."
That good
ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November
came early
The Fitzgerald was a beautiful ship, full five hundred feet long. She made the trip to Ireland easily enough then loaded iron. Draco was sweating easily inside of seven minutes and was very glad when they were done. They set out from Dublin by seven that evening, set to return home by ten the next day.
The ship was the pride of the British
side
Coming back from some mill in Ireland
As the big
freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain
well seasoned.
"Draco!"
Coming out of the galley, Draco stopped and looked back to see Mark Hallows and Toby Williams. The two midshipmen swaggered up to him. "We were gonna play some pool, wanna come? You can play the winner!"
Draco grinned and started to agree when Colton Bardly rounded the corner. "Draco! Captain wants you in the nest."
Draco nodded. He gave an apologetic look to Mark and Toby then followed Colton to the Captain's nest.
Concluding
some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully
loaded for England
"Draco." Daniel said as he entered.
"Where's the fire?" Draco knew Daniel well enough to know that the captain wouldn't bring him up here if it weren't important.
"That."
Draco walked over to look at the read out from the National weather Service.
And later
that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind
they'd been feeling.
Draco studied it. "Not good."
"No. It's not. We're headed straight into the center."
"I'm ready for the good news anytime."
"It's still only a tropical storm."
"Jesus Christ, Daniel! what the hell does it take for them to call it what it is? It's a fucking Huricane! You know it as well as I do!"
Daniel held up a hand defensively. "I know. I know!"
Draco ran a hand through his hair. "What's the chance of us getting through this?"
"If we had left four hours earlier with half the cargo we're carrying, we could have made Penzance easily and hung out in those coves until it passed."
"As it is?"
Daniel didn't have to answer. At that moment the wires vibrated outside on the deck and a large wave crashed over the stern side.
The wind
in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the
railing
Draco looked at his friend as the crew showed up on deck.
"Daniel. Can you promise me... anything?"
Daniel shook his head. "I can't. "
Draco looked back at the crew. It would be a long night.
And every man
knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come
stealing.
Draco awoke groggily the next morning. The night hadn't been as bad as he thougth it would have been, but he still woke up every half hour to the churning waves. He dressed quickly and stole into the gallery for a cup of coffee.
"Lucas, no food ready yet?" He asked the cook.
Lucas Perice shook his head. "Nothin' in this damned kitchen stands still long enough." He growled in a Scottish brogue.
The dawn
came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November
came slashing
Draco sprinted easily up to main deck. The wind whipped across the deck and Draco had to stuggle to get to the nest.
When
afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane
West Wind
"Please tell me the worst is over." Draco asked.
Daniel shook his head. "It's only yet to come."
When supper time
came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to
feed ya
Draco put his back into the effort, pulling hard on the slick ropes. "Heave men!" He snarled above the snapping winds.
At 7PM a
main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.
Suddenly the ship shuddered. Draco flicked his hair from his eyes as the men pulled hard.
"Colton! Take my spot."
The younger man nodded and put his back into the effort.
Draco sprinted through the gale towards the nest.
The
Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew
was in peril
Draco burst into the room in time to hear...
"Mayday, Mayday. This is the Edmund Fitzgerald. Our hatch has broken. We need help. Our postition is..." He rattled off a series of numbers before repeating the Mayday.
He turned to face Draco. "We're not making it out."
Draco felt despair settle over him.
"Draco. Do me a favor."
Draco glanced at him. "Yeah?"
Daniel nodded at a compass on the deck. "Take that."
Draco started for it. "Any reason?"
Daniel didn't answer. Draco picked up the compass... and the world spun crazily.
Daniel, his back still to the place Draco had recently inhabited, smiled. "Sorry mate. But I promised Ginny."
And later
that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the
Edmund Fitzgerald.
