A few minutes later, he's out of the water, but not really. Because the water is not only the one chasing him and dragging him inside it, it's also falling on him from above, soaking the parts that did not submerge in the salty waves.
He looks up and, surprisingly, he does not enjoy the moment. Although he has always dreamed of swimming in rainy weather and he has read a lot about how magical it feels, there is nothing magical about wrestling the sea for his life now, once out of danger, finding no refuge from the freezing drops targeting him. He picks up his wet clothes and wears them in a futile attempt to get some warmth. He looks up at the grey clouds and he says out loud "Winter is coming..." But in his mind, he hears it with his father's voice, just like he has heard it one thousand times too much about this time of every year--after the first rains of September.
"Winter is coming, my son!" was meant as a motivation, by presenting a rewarding challenge or a worthy opponent, an invitation or an order to do the job faster, do it better... as if their lives depend on it. Because winter is coming and when it does come, their lives will depend on the work they do before winter.
Surviving a harsh winter on the farm is never about what you do during winter, rather about what you do before it.
Do they have enough food? Do they have enough clothes and covers? Is the house, the stables, the storage place... all in a good condition? Is everything ready? The father asks non of these questions. He lets them all go untold and says "Winter is coming!"
"Winter is coming!" Ali shouts. Insisting to hear the words in his own voice this time, not his father's. That's when their eyes meet. She standing alone under the awning of a closed store, laughing at him. He on his knees on the beach looking confused, then amused. He waves at her. She waves back then she invites him into her safe spot shouting "Come, John Snow! It's dry here."
To Be Continued
A Kind of Sailing - Part 1 is here if you've missed it, by the way.
Image source: Pixabay