The sun came out to turn our car into an oven and spoil the small bottle of milk that we had brought for our tea. We rolled down the windows to let the cool air and camper-van fumes in, sweating while we eagerly waited for the long line of traffic to edge forward as each vehicle verified with passport control that passengers were who they said they were and ‘illegal immigrants’ weren’t crammed in as tight as commuters on the tube at rush hour, sweltering as their shirt collars and neck ties strangle them, and their collective body heat and deprivation of ventilation inebriates them.
One look at our one litre, two-door car and a brief glance at our passports was enough to satisfy the uniformed lady with the hard stare; one Caucasian female and one Caucasian male, driving a car so small that a litre bottle of sour milk is considered ‘luggage’. We probably seem like the least threatening of this bunch of ferry-goers, who are mostly pairs of pensioners, eager to whittle away a couple of weeks on foreign soil, in a slightly warmer climate, in the comfort of their air-conditioned vans and a safe distance away from their adult children, who incessantly demand babysitting duties.
We move and we stop and we start and we sweat and we wait for our turn to drive our four-wheeled snack into the gaping mouth of the ferry-beast, within whom we will spend the next sixteen hours; either stretched out across a couple of bar-stools, desperately trying to evade insomnia as the rumble of the giant engines vibrate the pits of our stomachs and the gentle swaying of the sea dizzies us into a state of silent, numb and apparently eternal boredom, while the darkness of the post-closing-time hours ticks past us; or stretched out upon the deck, letting the sun turn our skin a gentle shade of blister, staring into the ocean with the hope of spotting dolphins or sharks or sea monsters, eventually seeing nothing but a seagull, nipping at the surface of the water and signifying our journey’s end.
And then . . . ???
😉
Excellent imagery. I feel like I’m going on holiday . . .
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The Ferry 2.
Return of the pensioner-eating sea-monster. 😉
Thanks!
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Now that’s a best-selling title!
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Well written story with such amazing details that most weary travelers would miss seeing. I will try to follow you more closely, as you too seem to like my blog klopp-family.com.
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Thanks Peter!
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Very well-written 🙂
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Merci!
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De rien 🙂
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LOL, I remember doing that. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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😉 No problem.
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The heat is killer. I can’t stand to feel sweaty. Great post in general–I really get a feel for the setting.
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Thanks! 😉
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I don’t get to travel, so even the imagery of your writing seemed exciting to me. Oh! I’m the “slight color of blister” but it wasn’t from traveling or laying around! lol
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Thanks Jen! And thanks for the RB. Much appreciated.
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I enjoy your writing. keep up the good work!
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Will do!
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Reblogged this on Cholontics Writerly Musings and commented:
I thought you might like a bit of travel on the blog, so here you go!
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From the very first word I was catapulted into that tight car with the terrible heat, along with a hint of sadness over the lost milk. I have to say, this is my favorite line, ” letting the sun turn our skin a gentle shade of blister,” Wonderful read.
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Many thanks for your very kind words! Greatly appreciated.
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The imagery is very good. If you don’t mind me saying, the run on sentences tend to distract me from what you are trying to say. My favorite character in this is the ‘uniformed lady with the hard stare’. I feel like I can relate to her haha.
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Thanks for reading! All feedback is appreciated. 😉
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Reblogged this on Today, You Will Write and commented:
Have you ever been on a ferry? Rea d Del Nolan’s piece…
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Thanks so much!
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No problem, it’s delightful and accurate! Keep up the great work!
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Love: four-wheeled snack. I also now feel slightly sea sick; your description of the ferry engine sounds brought back memories.
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Thanks Trista!
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Your post gave me no desire to get in line for a ferry ever again. Vivid. Thank you for your story.
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Thanks for reading! 😉
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Wow. This is very well written. I will try to plan a trip soon. Lol.
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You should! It’s unforgettable…
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Damned good job mate! Loved that first paragraph, the way the crowded sentences enhance the imagery. Second paragraph, a bit much at the end there. The last clause was left kind of hanging on by its fingernails. Didn’t care for ‘apparently’ to modify the eternal boredom and thought the last words unnecessary. A full-stop after ‘water’ would have been freaking brilliant. Loved the whole thing though. Vaguely reminiscent of Hitchhiker’s Guide.
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Cheers for reading and thanks for the feedback. I’ll take it all on board. Anything vaguely compared to Hitchhiker’s Guide can’t be bad! 😉
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I love your description. It is very easy to visualize in great detail.
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Thanks! 😉
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