Page 59 of Time After Time
Nothing.
We haven’t got anything yet.
The weather was changing fast. What had started as a clear, calm morning was shifting, and I could feel it in the air. The wind was picking up, colder—the water getting rougher beneath us. The clouds were creeping in, dark and heavy, blotting out the sun, and I knew Robert and Michael could sense it too.
They were glancing at the horizon, where the sky was turning into an ominous shade of grey.
“We might want to head back soon,” Robert finally said, his voice edged with concern.
Michael cast another glance at the water, biting his lower lip with a flicker of doubt as he glanced between the water and the sky. “Let’s get this last one and then we’ll go. Storm’s not here yet.”
I nodded, tightening my grip on the rod, determined to catch just one fish before leaving.
I felt a tug, just a little at first, but then it jerked hard. My heart leapt as I leaned forward, the thrill of it pushing everything else to the back of my mind. I stood up, bracing myself, feet wide for balance, as I fought to reel it in. This fish was strong, pulling the line deeper, and I could feel the tension and burn building in my arms as I wrestled with it, almost going forward in a particularly strong tug.
“Got a big one, huh?” Michael asked, grinning.
But the wind was picking up even more now, slamming against the boat harder, and the water wasn’t just rippling any more. The waves were rising, bigger and more forceful, knocking us off balance with each pass. The sky had turned from grey to almost black, and the first drops of rain began to fall, light at first, but something told me it wouldn’t be too long until they would hit us uncontrollably.
“Seb, let it go!” Michael yelled over the wind. He was serious now, no trace of the earlier banter and teasing in his voice. “We’ve gotta get out of here before this storm really hits!”
But I didn’t let go.
The fish was so close. I could feel it.
I had worked too hard to lose it now, not after all the tension building up inside me. My muscles strained with the effort as I tightened my grip and pulled harder. I leaned into the fight, ignoring the way the boat was starting to sway dangerously beneath my feet. I didn’t care. I needed this. I had stood here for hours, not catching anything, and now that I finally had something, I couldn’t just throw away all of my effort.
It was all or nothing.
It was always all or nothing.
The wind howled, stronger now, whipping through my hair and pushing the boat off course. We were tossed around likea toy in a box as the dark, violent water churned and slapped against the hull. The rain was coming down harder, cold and stinging against my skin. My breath caught in my throat as I realised how bad it was getting, how quickly everything was spiralling out of control.
“Seb, seriously, drop it!” This time, Robert was the one shouting, loud, but his voice was barely audible over the roar of the wind.
Then it happened.
The boat lurched—sudden and raging, hit by a wave so big it felt like we had slammed into a wall. The force knocked me sideways, my foot slipping on the slick deck. My hands instinctively tightened around the rod as I tried to steady myself, but it was too late. The boat tipped sharply, throwing me off balance, and I went down hard, the fishing rod still clutched in my right hand.
My left arm reached for the railing, but my body twisted awkwardly, and that’s when I felt it, or better, that’s when I heard it. A sharp, sickening crack.
The sound was wrong, unnatural, like the snapping of a thick branch. Pain shot through my right arm, blinding and immediate, white-hot and unbearable. I hit the deck with a thud, the rod slipping from my hand as my body crumpled under the weight of the pain.
I gasped, my vision blurring as I clutched my arm, but it was useless. My right arm hung limp at an unnatural angle, bent in a way that made my stomach twist. The pain was so intense it stole the breath from my lungs, and I turned my head to the side, almost not quick enough to empty my stomach there.
“Sebastian!” Michael was at my side in an instant, his face pale, hands reaching out to keep me from moving. “Stay still. Don’t move!”
I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.
The pain was overwhelming, every throb sending another wave of nausea and panic crashing through me while the boat was still rocking violently, the storm now in full force. Rain pelted down, the wind howling around us, and the waves still slamming against the hull with terrifying force.
Behind me, Robert was scrambling, his voice tight with panic as he called for help. “We need to get him to shore—NOW!”
The world blurred, everything spinning as I lay there, gasping for air.
My arm. My dominant arm. The arm I need for everything.
What if I couldn’t use it again? What if it didn’t heal right? The thought sliced through me like a knife, cutting deeper than the physical pain. Everything I had worked for, everything I had dreamed of… fuck, it was slipping away, just like the control I thought I had over this.
