Despite the warnings, despite the storm, they rolled out to sea from Eyemouth on that fateful day of October 1881.
For weeks, they had been unable to sail because of prevailing weather.
They were not greedy. It was their livelihood. They just wanted to earn enough to feed their families. 45 boats left harbour; only 26 returned. 189 men perished. 93 women were widowed. 267 children lost their fathers.
Two days later, out of the sea mist, Ariel Gazelle returned with all her crew. Out of the darkness of tragedy, shone a shaft of light and life.
Ariel Gazelle. Photo courtesy of Eyemouth Museum.
This is my submission for the
Flash Fiction Challenge in the Carrot Ranch Literary Community on 31st January 2019.
The prompt is ‘Sea Mist’ – 99 words exactly.
George C. Bailey Photography 2019
Footnote (4th February)
I am grateful to David Dougal of Eyemouth for subsequently sending this article to me.
Write to Inspire 
wow
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Glad you liked it. I only just bashed this out when a writer friend showed me her entry to this challenge. That inspired me to write one of my own. Although the disaster occurred many years before we were even born, the children of Eyemouth felt the grief. It was engraved on our hearts. Family lines continued, so our classmates shared names with those who were taken by the sea.
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I’m sure it will always be carried by the families through the generations
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Alex Burgon of the Ariel Gazelle was my great grandfather.
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Excellent Lance…
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A sad history, that. Every fishing village has a story or two, but that’s a big one, a huge loss.
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Great story, Lance! I got chills when you revealed the unexpected return of the Ariel Gazelle. Thanks for the history!
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A community disaster that is not often heard about. Please can I link to this post from my blog site The Disaster Dialogues?
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I might just head over to Carrot Ranch and write 99 words, no more, no less. See you there. Blessings J x
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