The break of dawn slightly more than sixty minutes away, the morning sun sat six degrees below the horizon. Bearded, and curly-haired with oval-shaped follicles, Captain Norman O'Connell noticed tinges of orange, bronze, and yellow illuminated an eerie, cloudy sky. Off to his port side Jupiter and Venus could be observed as the seasoned fisherman ordered his crew to haul in the nets.

Roger Paultry, the First Mate, approached his side. Soon, Captain O'Connell would purchase a second boat and catch even more fish to sell in the markets of the booming population along the coast.

"After several hours the rain has abated and the swells are not as heavy as they were," Captain O'Connell commented.

"I'll keep using fog signals to alert any vessels passing by of our presence," the First Mate stated.

Out of the mist, and limited visibility the falling water particles provided, Captain O'Connell spotted another boat drifted toward the Calypso Breeze's bow. The craft, a sizable pleasure boat, floated momentumless. There were no lights on and no sounds of an operating motor. Nor did the vessel make way.

Crabby from a long night's labor, the First Mate groused, "Looks like the storm set another expensive toy adrift."

Captain O'Connell snatched his megaphone and called, "Rig the fenders!" He hailed the approaching yacht with its sleek white hull and guessed the craft's size to be about fifty feet.

No reply came from the boat. Captain O'Connell was not entirely surprised by the lack of response. The First Mate, a good boat pilot, eased the Calypso Breeze alongside the yacht. Captain O'Connell read its name: Nordic Serenity.

Not a navigator by any means, Captain O'Connell radioed the local Coast Guard station. He could maneuver the Calypso Breeze in and out of any harbor without difficulty. The lights, buildings, and markers of the coast were familiar to the old salt.

The Coast Guard radio operator asked for his location.

Captain O'Connell responded, "Somewhere south of Clemmons Isle and north of Bartz Inlet."

The operator assured him, "We'll locate you. What is the name of the found yacht?"

Captain O'Connell informed him and the operator's tone changed. "Any survivors noted?"

Convinced the yacht slipped free of its moorings and drifted out to sea, the operator's question took Captain O'Connell aback.

"I see no one at the helm or on deck," he responded.

"The Nordic Serenity had four adults onboard when it left the harbor at Millersville," the operator replied, "two men and two women. Ascertain as soon as possible if there are suvivors and if medical assistance is required."

Captain O'Connell instructed the First Mate, "Take the helm of the Calypso Breeze."

He grabbed a lit, red, lantern and lowered onto the Nordic Serenity. Onboard, Captain O'Connell secured the yacht to his boat with tow lines. He noticed the First Mate watched his movements and kept his alert eyes moving as he should have.

A hopeful picture appeared in the captain's mind of the four adults sleeping safely below deck. Captain O'Connell called out again to no avail. During his lengthy sea career, Captain O'Connell had become familiar with several stories of someone falling overboard. In other tales, someone was left onboard not knowing how to man the boat, or operate the radio, and was washed overboard as well.

He called out a third time. Silence responded. Captain O'Connell listened a moment to get the feel of the yacht. All he heard was the creaking sounds of the tow lines pulling and the sea lapping at the hull.

The Nordic Serenity seemed seaworthy. Captain O'Connell would check for engine trouble later. Using the lantern, he surveyed the upper deck, helm station, and bridge. Next, he hurried down the companionway and flashed his light in the salon area. All empty. Everything was secured as it should be on the pristine vessel.

The galley, dinette, head, and berths all unoccupied, Captain O'Connell felt uneasy and told himself not to get spooked over nothing. The fine hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end, but he carefully made tracks to the aft stateroom's double berth. No signs of life emitted, nor were there any occupants.

Climbing to the upper deck, Captain O'Connell told the First Mate, "Notify the Coast Guard there is no one aboard."

A quick response from the Coast Guard operator assured him a helicopter and cutter were on the way. Captain O'Connell moved to a door he had previously missed. He pondered a moment about the future of his fishing company and looked out to sea.

The sound of a helicopter permeated in the distance as Captain O'Connell opened the door. Something large, fierce, black, and monstrous grabbed him and dragged him down to Davy Jones' locker. The Nordic Serenity, and its chilling emptiness, were now the Coast Guard's problem.

The morning sun sat six degrees below the horizon. Tinges of orange, bronze, and yellow illuminated the sky.

A broad smile on his face, Cody looked at his English teacher and beamed, "That, Mrs. Johnson, concludes my creative writing assignment. I get an A+, right?"