Night Sailing

The sun was now burning more than ever, and they could finally see the finish line. Michael balanced his body to the right, and when he turned around he saw Phil smiling at him. He knew him well enough to know the smile carried not only happiness, but also nerves, and he smiled back at his little brother.

They had prepared for the race for months, and now seeing the finish line they could feel victory approaching. The sailboat danced smoothly, as they passed their opponents, and they knew then nothing was stopping them now. They were on the far right, and as they passed the other sailboats, they thought of the hours of training, and the smell of the sea told them they were almost at the finish line.

Behind them, to their left, they had passed the Zimmerman brothers behind, and also the Robinson’s, who won the race the year before. But their personal race was with the sea, and with themselves, and they didn’t let any personal problems with the Zimmerman’s distract them. They thought when they won the race they would celebrate to have beaten the sea, and not just beating the Zimmerman’s, who were always mean to them.

As they sailed forward, they remembered the hours spent practicing, pulling ropes, controlling their direction and speed in the water, and getting to know each other not only as regular siblings, since they already knew each other that way, but also as siblings in the sea. They learned to communicate without words, and to predict and complement the other’s actions.

“There is no way they’re catching up, we are almost there.” Michael said, without turning to see Phil, who he knew was smiling with less nerves now. “We are almost there, 20 more…” Phil was interrupted by his mother coming upstairs, “It’s time to go to bed, what are you kids doing here in the darkness?” She said opening their bedroom door and turning on the light.

With the light on their sea had disappeared, now they were both just standing on Michael’s bed. To their right there was the picture that was their inspiration, a sailboat race on a sunny day. Michael turned to Phil and said, “Tomorrow we are finishing the race, and we’ll win.” Phil smiled at him, and they went to get ready for bed.