24
Flames on the Water
Snow whips into his face.
Lights pierce the dark, flickering and swaying as if floating on water. Next to Peter, an impossibly tall flagpole reaches into the sky, the incessant clanking and clattering from a metal chain hitting the pole like a song of mourning. People walk past him, all in the same direction, clutching bags and boxy-looking leather cases.
Squinting to shield his eyes from the snow, he tries to get his bearings. He notices long jetties reaching into the ocean and a canal that narrows at the upper end. The shape of the harbor seems familiar, but he recognizes none of the buildings. As his eyes adjust to the dark and the unfamiliar scene, he begins to make out small vessels and fishing boats that appear to be ferrying people to ships farther out in
