It’s 1821, and the majestic tall ship Edith Jane is on a routine voyage across the Atlantic when strange occurrences begin to unsettle the men.  The ship is becalmed under the moon.  The decks creak.  And a ghostly figure appears.  A white lady - ethereal and beautiful - who begins to dance.

 

Her movements are mesmerising, and the crew, entranced, can’t look away. They believe her to be the spirit of the ship’s namesake, Edith Jane, who perished tragically at sea years before.  They find themselves compelled to sing an old sea shanty, a melody they do not consciously remember but know instinctively.

 

The ship's atmosphere grows increasingly surreal.  One by one, the sailors begin to disappear into the mist, leaving a single crew member to lament the loss of his companions before he too, fades away.

 

With the entire crew now vanished, the Edith Jane resumes her eerie voyage, seemingly guided by an unseen force.  But without a crew to sail her, the ship succumbs to the sea and sinks into the depths, taking her ghostly secret with her.

 

Years later, sailors swear they can still hear the haunting lament of the crew echoing across the waves on moonlit nights.

 

Of course, this is a complete and utter fabrication.  But I hope you enjoy the piece.

 

August 2024