The Final Voyage of the Nautilus

Out of the storm ripped nights of many early ocean voyages, sailors learned religion first hand. Many a barnacle encrusted mariner was brought to his knees imploring the Powers That Be to stop the raging waves and wind. Out of these maelstroms many legends were born. One such tale surrounds a strange south seas creature named the Chambered Nautilus. This cousin of the octopus and squid builds himself a shell to protect his soft body. When he outgrows the shell, he builds a bigger one (on top of the old one) and then seals off the smaller area; the sealed chambers adding to the shell’s buoyancy. Shipwrecked sailors have been found clutching dead nautilus shells floating across the waves.
This coiling out in an ever expanding pattern turns the shell into a spiralled horn shape. The epics tell us that when mariners were storm tossed and in peril they could call on the name of Triton (son of Poseidon, protector of the seas) who would rise from the waves blowing a nautilus shaped horn, thus stilling the seas.
Well, Einar Amundsen loved boats, was an expert sailor, and shipwright as well. He was innovative and often developed experimental craft which performed surprisingly well at times. Often borrowing his ideas from nature; studying how creatures were structured in response to their environment. One creature which fascinated him was the Nautilus. He didn’t know exactly why, its shape would never work as a boat design (well maybe a submarine), but after hearing the old folktales about the mythic creature he was so intrigued he named his own boat after it.
One day Einar decided to sail the Nautilus down the coast to his friend’s cottage on Mermaid Bay. He often visited Ralph and his daughters; he’d made the trip scores of times. As he rounded Cape Perpetua on the way to Mermaid Bay, though, he suddenly had second thoughts. The clouds were miles off shore, but an unusual scent was on the wind and it somehow bode ill. Two miles past the Hecata Lighthouse, a freak cloud bank appeared from nowhere and in a heartbeat the winds became cyclonic, as though all the world was a spinning top. Finally the sky could hold her bilge no more and opened in a gush, frantically trying to pump herself dry right on Einar’s head.
To his chagrin, his prized designs weren’t working; the dolphin inspired outriggers kept jumping out of the water. The Flying Squirrel design sails were working fairly well except for the bushy tail kept sweeping things off the deck. And the Pelican bill bilge pump was squeaking and squawking like new born babies as it spewed more water into the boat than out. He was swamping. All his cleverness and construction skill was no match for the deep. He had fooled with Mother Nature and lost. All was lost, he fell down and cried out…
Above the roaring tide he thought he heard something. As he lifted his eyes over the gunnels he saw it. Slowly, very slowly, a giant nautilus shell was raising up from the waves and the low rumble became a trumpet blast pushing its way through the storm to Einar’s ears. Triton’s Horn was sounding! The last blast was followed by the snapping of the mast and Einar was knocked out and overboard.
He came to on a beach, clutching a dead Nautilus shell. As his eyes cleared he looked up to see the Hecata Lighthouse, and turning his gaze towards the sea, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There bobbing gently on the inlet was a beautiful ship. But this schooner was unlike any Einar had seen; it was a giant square-rigged Nautilus shell.
He swam out and boarded the empty ship. He was amazed at her construction; all those chambers being used for Stowage Lockers, Holds, Crew & Guest Quarters and even a Grand Salon with a fireplace. In the Captain’s Cabin he found a letter addressed to him. It was from Posidon, informing Einar that this was now his ship. He was congratulated on his attempts to use organic design, and told he would learn many secrets by studying this Nautilus. His old Nautilus had sailed her final voyage, carrying Einar Amundsen from his failed dreams to the bright dayspring of dreams fulfilled.
As he hoisted the sail, and headed home, he heard a faint, but familiar sound, the low throated rumble of Triton’s Horn.