The Prisoner

21

He survived life, survived hunger and loss, sickness and imprisonment. But more

importantly, his hope had survived, even when he thought he had lost it.

The day stretched on, with Kai attending to either the helm or other tasks until his duties

were fulfilled and he could retire for the night. Staring up at the night sky, he was once again

reminded of Heaven and of hope.

Hope. A funny thing, really. You can ’ t ever truly lose it. Kai grinned, stretching his arms

wide. The stars winked to life above his head. There was nothing like the night sky over the open

water. It was endless and bright. Each little speck lighting up the darkness, no matter how far

away they were or how small, they made a difference and cast their light without a care.

That ’ s hope.

Hope isn ’ t just a dream, it ’ s a promise to fate, to yourself, that things will change and no

matter how dark, there will always be a light. No matter what, there is light, no matter how

small.

With the crew beginning to settle in for the night, Kai headed below deck to his bunk. He

laid in bed, staring at the wooden ceiling above him. His eyes twinkled in the darkness before

sleep overtook him, the gentle sway of the ship lulling Kai into his dreams. There, he stood at the

helm on a clear day. A soft breeze blew across the deck. He sailed endlessly, with nowhere in

particular to go, only straight on until he wanted to reach land and dock once more.

And Kai was awakened the next day by the shouting above deck. The seas were getting

rough. The signs of a storm painted in the sky. Today was going to be challenging. He didn ’ t

mind. There was nothing like witnessing the lightning strike between clouds. A little ray of light

that

held

immense

power.

A

little

cosmic

power,

just

like

hope.