The Spirit of the Sea

Here is a some more English work from Annie Parmeter, written when she was 12 at Moorestown College, St Peter.  In this spooky tale, she conjures up a ghost ship. It's a fine piece of  imaginative writing.

The Spirit of the Sea
by Annie Parmeter

One full moon night, the Harbour Master of a Florida yacht marina was making his rounds, and noticed an extra yacht in the harbour called "Spirit of the Sea". He made some enquiries and returned with some yacht owners, but Spirit of the Sea was not there, so he sent a message to all the yachts in the vicinity. Only two gave chase.

Their chase was of no avail because each time they got near it, it seemed further away. There was no wind in its sails, no noise of the engines, and no one on board. It just seemed to glide the surface of the sea at a very great speed, but it left no wake behind it.

The yachts, Pinky and Lohisa, decided that they must try to catch it up and ram it. Pinky was the fastest and finally caught it up and rammed it; she went right through it and came out the other side undamaged, for the Spirit of the Sea had disappeared. The yachts turned tail and hurried home.

The next full moon, it appeared again in the marina, and after an hour or so, it vanished.

The Harbour Master checked the records, and found that on the night of a full moon when Spirit of the Sea and her captain were out, a violent storm had arisen and lightning had struck the captain and killed him. The body had been washed ashore in the marina. The Harbour Master looked at the date, 1959, thirteen years ago. The date was now 1972. Exactly thirteen years to the month. Where had Spirit of the Sea gone? She had vanished without trace.

Old seadogs say that the Spirit of the Sea will return every thirteen years, and come up from her home every full moon to search for the body of her captain, to bury his body in the deep with her.