Tide and Time

Written for Sadje’s weekly query:
What Do You See?

Frida had rehearsed the speech for years and never once said it aloud.

Edvard had come home for his mother’s funeral. He was leaving on the morning ferry. Everyone in the village knew it, the way everyone in the village knew everything, including what had nearly happened between them the summer they were nineteen, before he chose Oslo and she chose to stay.

Her grandmother used to say tide and time wait for no one. Frida had always thought it was about fishing.

At seven she put on her coat; two minutes later, she took it off. At seven-fifteen she put it on again and walked outside into the cold night air.

He opened the door of the red house before she knocked, as though he’d been standing there waiting for her.

“I’m too old to keep wondering,” she said. “So I’m asking.”

“Asking what?”

“Whether you’d like to miss that ferry.”

Edvard looked at her for a long moment. Then he took the ticket from his pocket, tore it in half, and opened the door wider.

NAR©2026
#WDYS

This is “Time and Tide Waits For No One” by Paul Kelly

What do you see # 365 – 2nd November,2026

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated, and may not be used without permission. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}