It’s dark outside.
The ocean waves crash against
The shoreline.
I stand upon the cliff overlooking
The raging sea.
Where oh where is my love?
His ship should be nearing.
The beacon light from the lighthouse
Shines and circles warning travelers
Of the cliffs below me.
No word from my lover, but I know
He’s supposed to come to me soon.
I see a ship! It sees my lamp.
It turns away from me and heads elsewhere.
Could this be my lover’s ship?
I run with my gown and cloak flapping
In the breeze behind me, down to
The dock to wait for my lover’s ship.
The ship enters the dock and the
Sailors tie down the ship.
It is not my lover’s ship.
I return to my humble house and wait and listen carefully.
Listen for my love to come to me from the Flying Dutchman.
He’s been trapped by the captain of the Flying Dutchman.
He can only step on the land
Every ten years to see his family,
But then again, I’m his only family.
A loud knocking at my door.
I nearly jump out of my skin
And I go and answer it.
Two sailors standing there
With their hats in their hands.
“We have bad news, M’lady,” They say.
“The Flying Dutchman has need of a new
Captain. Your lover is our captain now.”
I fall to the floor in a heap of velvet and silk
And begin to cry.
“Can I see him?” I ask.
They both shake their heads.
“He is busy at the moment, but will
See you before the sun sets on
The ‘morrow.”
This is all I need to hear.
I dismiss the sailors and go to my room,
And pray to God that my love is alright.
At noon, the following day, I am
Startled by a loud knocking at my
Front door.
I rise from my place by the fire
And go to answer the door.
There, standing in the doorway is
My lover.
I grab him and hold him tightly.
He returns my hug and kisses me.
“You’re a beautiful sight to see,” he says.
“So are you,” I answer.
He picks me up and carries me to
The bedroom where we make love
For hours and fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Soon, it is time for him to return to his ship.
I begin to cry and tell him not to go.
“I must go, my love. I am the captain now,” he tells me.
“Can’t you assign someone else to be captain?” I beg.
“No, my love, I can’t,” he says sadly.
I begin to cry.
“Shhh…,” he coos. “I have something dear to me
That I want you to hold for me.”
I sniffle back the tears and look into
His beautiful eyes.
He presents a treasure chest.
“In this treasure chest is my heart. Don’t let anyone touch it.”
I hold the chest and lay my head upon it.
There is a clear sound of his heart beating inside of the
Wooden chest.
He then hands me a key hung on a chain.
I take it and put it around my neck.
“Don’t lose this,” he says. “This is the key to
My heart. You are the only one with a copy
Of it.”
I nod my head and kiss him in return.
“I promise, my love, to keep your heart safe
And to keep this key always around my neck,” I say.
With that, he gets up from the bed,
Gets dressed and heads downstairs.
I wrap myself in my robe and follow him.
We say our goodbyes at the door and
Soon he is off to the Flying Dutchman.
The sun is about to set and I see in the distance
A ship sailing.
When it reaches the edge of the sea,
The sun sparks and the ship is gone.
I am taken back by this magic.
When my lover returns, ten years later,
I have a surprise for him,
A ten year old child. A son, named after him.
My lover is so excited by this that he insists
That his heart is to be returned to his body and
He chooses another captain.
The crew allows this and gives their captain his heart back.
Another captain is chosen and their heart is taken.
My lover is free from the Dutchman and he
Comes home to me and his son.
The Flying Dutchman sails off into
The sunset once again for ten years.
My lover and I get married.
A private wedding.
Together, with our son, we move into
The lighthouse.
Our love is strong and true.
Nothing can take that away.
copyright © Karen Elizabeth Waters 2012
