Chapter Ten - The Ferry

Jack was holding his breath again. After asking the lady at the desk to make sure he was getting on the right plane, Jack followed other passengers into the ominous jet and took a seat. Breathe, damn you, it's just a plane. He exhaled, perhaps a little too forcefully. A lady turned to look at him curiously, and with red cheeks, Jack muttered an apology.

"Thank you for riding the Air Express airline today. If you may fasten your seatbelt and secure your belongings, we can begin take-off."

Damn you. Jack fumbled with his small bag that he carried on and clumsily sat it by his feet. Was that secure? He double-checked his seatbelt to make sure it was on. You have a car accident and your next thought is to ride a plane? Genius.

Jack tried to slow down his breathing, but he couldn't help holding on to the arm rests for dear life. As the plane started going, he promised himself to never fly again.

- - -

The plane ride had been very quiet, surprisingly. Jack was grateful for getting off because the entire ride, Sarah's face kept reminding him that he would never see her again.. He decided to keep his mind on a different matter and began to worry about finding his things.

He walked to the area where all of the luggage was brought on a conveyer belt, and he realized that locating his baggage was easier than he thought. He was the only one with pink roses splashed all over a black canvas. He felt his face burning yet again as he picked up Sarah's old suitcase.

As soon as he stepped out of the air-conditoned building, a gust of dry, hot air blew into his face. The bright sun caused him to squint as he looked for where he was to go next. Ferry.. ferry..

"Can I help you, sir?" A middle-aged man with a large beard approached him. He was wearing a freshly-cut police uniform with a matching sharp hat. Jack suddenly became aware of how sloppy he must look with jeans and a t-shirt as he stood next to this professional man.

"Uh, yeah. I need to find the ferry that's supposed to take me to Mineral Town?" He took a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "The lady I asked at the airport said that it was called the-"

"St. Peter, sir," he said matter-of-factly. "It should be just past those buildings, to your right. It'll be leaving in about 10 minutes, so you better hurry."

After thanking the man, Jack carried his heavy belongings to the large docking area. On both sides of him, he could see nothing but coastline, with a small break in the sand where a dock was. The large ferry contained several people in it already, their heads only visible. The air was more humid here, the ocean mist mixing into it.

A white-haired man wearing a sailor's hat called to him. He was standing on the ferry above the rest, on a platform with a ladder leading up to it. "Oy! If you need to go to the island, the ferry for it is right here. We're about to leave, so please climb aboard."

Jack smiled and carried his bags to the ramp leading onto the boat. He lowered them beside the wall of the ferry, and leaned against it, feeling more relaxed than he had been for a while. The ferry started off slowly as Jack closed his eyes to listen to the calm wind and birds flying around them.

He didn't even hear the footsteps approaching him while his eyes were closed. "Hi, I'm Kai," a smooth, deep voice said.

Opening his eyes, he saw a taller man with dark skin. The man flashed a smile, his pearl white teeth contrasting with his dark skin-tone.

"I'm Jack." The two shook hands.

"So, what are you doing on this ferry?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm going to see the farm in Mineral Town. The one that Old Sam used to own."

The man named Kai frowned. "He's not there anymore?"

"Uh, no, why?"

He put his hands in his pockets. "I only visit once a month, this year being different since I'm staying for good. I had no idea he was gone.. it's a shame." He didn't sound too sincere.

"Yeah, my girlfriend knew him." Jack swallowed. He hated the feeling in his stomach whenever he talked about her to other people. "You're going to stay there now?"

"Yeah, I'm marrying a girl there.." His eyes became brighter. He smiled again. "So, we'll see each other around then?"

Jack grinned back. Was he actually going to have a friend at this new place? "Yeah, looks like it."