The Ferry to the Small Island: A gentle crossing to a quieter place

Isla Merriweather

The dock creaks under your feet, the horn sounds once, and the mainland begins to slip away behind you. This is a slow crossing built for rest: the pull of water against the hull, gulls thinning out to silence, the small island rising low and green on the horizon, and the quiet certainty that nothing is required of you but to sit still and let the distance carry you toward sleep.