They walked out onto the deck. All the buildings and smoke had vanished, and the ship was in a vast expanse of sea, fresh and clear yet faint in the morning light.

They had departed from the city lying in the mud. A very thin silhouette stretched on the horizon, barely strong enough to support the weight of a distant city, which still lay upon it. They were free from paths, free from people, and a shared sense of liberation filled them all.

The ship moved steadily through small waves that splashed her and then fizzled like sparkling water, leaving a little trail of bubbles and foam on each side. The dull October sky above was lightly veiled as if by smoke from a fire, and the air was refreshingly salty and brisk. Indeed, it was too chilly to stay still.

Mrs. Brown took her husband`s arm, and as they walked away, it was clear from the way her tilted cheek turned up to his that she had something private to share.