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The Diligence


Storm over the Black Sea - Ivan Aivazovsky
Captain David Townsend watched as another wave swelled up before the HMS Diligence. The storm this afternoon was dangerous, though not altogether impossible to navigate. The captain's entire life had been spent training to sail through storms like this. A gale had forced him to cut the main sail. He would have to turn the Diligence toward the waves, but they would endure. Difficult, but not impossible, he thought.

The Diligence surfed a 40-foot wave. The captain laughed. Hell, he thought, this is fun. His ship caught speed. Her crew was capable, and Captain Townsend spared no effort in keeping the ship in mint condition. He was afraid, but no one else knew. Great captains before him had navigated storms just like this. Another wave crashed on the main deck, this one more jostling than those before.

"Captain," a crew member yelled, "we've lost the foremast!" The captain, positioned at the stern, looked ahead and saw the damage. The ship was now without propulsion. No way to steer except by rudder. Difficult, but not impossible, the captain repeated. He'd learned the habit of saying that phrase as a child whenever he felt afraid.

Off in the horizon, black clouds were pierced by a profound, crepuscular light searing through the clouds. Rain showered all around, night fell, but Captain Townsend felt hope in those distant rays. For a brief moment, the wind and the waves paused, and the water became smooth.  The crew stopped to look at the heavenly beams.
A few hundred feet off, Captain Townsend spotted a dark curtain of turmoil whispering across the water as another blast of wind approached. The Diligence gently spun around as a wave swelled, dragging the ship deep within its navel. The captain watched as a wall of water rose above. More winds battered against the ship. They were stuck against the wave as it began to crest. The water that showered down felt colder than the rain.

Difficult, but not impossible, thought Captain David Townsend as the wave broke, as the sea swallowed the HMS Diligence and all her crew.

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