Welcome to Stories from Among the Stars.

You're listening to The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Clune, narrated by Daniel Henning.

10. The ferry was waiting at the docks when Miss Chapelwhite stopped her car.

Linus could see Merle moving about on deck. He waved at them, irritably, a scowl on his face.

Quite the impatient fellow, isn't he? Linus mused as the gate lowered from the fairy.

You don't know the half of it, Miss Chappalwhite muttered.

Man acts like he has business elsewhere.

Mr. Parnassus is the only one who pays him for use of that rickety old boat, and he knows it.

We don't even need to use it, but we do to keep the peace.

How would you—you know what, I don't want to know.

Shall we, then?

She sighed.

If we must.

I fear we must, Linus said wisely.

She glanced at him as she put the car in drive and pulled forward slowly.

He thought she was going to say something, but she didn't speak.

He wondered if he was projecting. The ferry listed slightly as the car boarded, and though

Linus felt queasy, it wasn't as it'd been when he'd first arrived a week ago. That gave him pause.

Had it really only been a week? He'd arrived on a Saturday, and,

yes, it'd been exactly a week, but he didn't know why that surprised him. He was homesick still,

but it was a dull ache in the pit of his stomach. That probably wasn't a good sign.

Miss Chapelwhite turned off the car as the gate rose again behind them. The horn blew from somewhere above them, and they were off.

...