After the last of the passengers had departed the ship, Julian stepped off the Dauntless and onto the pier. Home again. Her walking pace bested the car traffic leaving the harbor, red taillights of tired travelers, apparitions of exhaust.
Even in unremarkable stories, we are remarkable. Julian Monroe-the fourth of three children-learns the art of navigation on Lake Michigan, perfecting her trade aboard a Navy cruiser. But when she settles down, ferrying passengers between Maine and Nova Scotia, she questions her purpose, her life-navigational skills. The ability to chart a course and then steer is intrinsic-we have it or we do not. But sometimes the richest destinations are those mapped by the wandering or by the lost.