Salter's End
Day 4: The Fishermen
DAY 4: The Fishermen
Monday 27th July
They went out at four in the morning, the light only just turning the sky a dark shade of blue. Blue hour, that’s what they call it.
Daniel, who was in the cottage next to Cara’s, heard them through the open window. The low voices, footsteps on gravel, and the turn of the boat engine turning over. He had always been a light sleeper, so the sound woke him easily.
He got up and looked out of the window. Four dark figures walked down the harbour. It was the same yesterday, and the day before, and would be every day thereafter. The rhythm that felt as old as the village itself.
One man turned; his gaze travelled along the row of cottages, but Daniel couldn’t read his expression at a distance in the half-light. Eventually the man turned and followed the others.
Daniel stood and watched them, the same as he had the previous days. He noticed that they never went further than the headland. The stretch of water beyond it remained undisturbed, empty and flat, as it had every morning. In contrast, the men worked the near water with a certain type of focused attention.
He went back to bed and lay awake until the sun’s weak rays hit the walls of the room.
Catching up from yesterday, Day 5 will be posted later today.
Emma-Louise
©Emma-Louise Smith. 2026. All Rights Reserved.