Leo waited for the inevitable. He expected a furious crewman to lean over the high railing and scream at him for sitting in the middle of the water. He braced himself to see a startled captain waving frantically from the windows of the control room. But nobody appeared.
The massive ship just continued its slow, quiet glide. As it moved past his boat, Leo could read the white block lettering painted across its back: ALBATROSS. The giant was moving at a sluggish pace, far slower than a normal ship should be moving. There was no white foam churning from its giant propeller at the back. It was simply coasting on its own heavy weight, steering a jagged, wandering path across the flat sea.
Leo grabbed his handheld marine radio, switching it to the emergency channel. “Cargo vessel Albatross, this is the fishing boat near you. You nearly ran me over. Copy?” Only loud static answered. “Albatross, do you copy?” The radio remained dead silent.