By Rutger Middelburg
I have always loved the sea. Loved everything about it; from the peacefully reflective mirror, making the light of the setting sun dance; to the immense destructive power, unleashed by a passing storm.
As a child, I would play in the surf all day while my father went out in his little boat to catch fish for the market and, if we were lucky, for a luxurious dinner.
Later, I would spend my evenings on the beach with my lover, watching the sun set into the water and dreaming of a better life in the rich lands beyond the horizon.
We’ve saved for years until we could finally afford the passage.
The smugglers promised us the Canaries in two days.
It has been eight and still no land in sight.
I had such hope for a better life.
The African sun is trying to bake us.
The waves, increasingly erratic, are starting to board the boat.
The sea is where all hope goes to die.
Rutger Middelburg is a writer, editor, and epidemiologist. He lives in the Netherlands with his wife and two children. His short fiction has been published in several journals, both on paper and online. He has also published numerous scientific articles on a diverse range of subjects, and currently has several novel-length works completed and in progress.
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