The Aurora, a Danish research vessel, had been sailing for over\nfive years when it hove-to West of Swansea Free Port. Kaj Lydafspiller stood on\nthe bridge looking at the structure in the distance through his binoculars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only a few times since fortune had favoured him with a right\nplace, right time confluence after the \u201cBig Splosh\u201d had he found habitation.\nMostly they were primitive, hostile or both, until now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
His route from Chatham Island had taken numerous\ncircumnavigations, but there was little left: an encampment atop the Himalayas\npoking out of the never ending sea, villages in the upper reaches of the Andes,\nand a ranch in the Rockies where he had been fired on. There were plenty of\ncorpses, but few signs of life, mostly radio signals from scattered groups across\nthe globe bouncing off the remaining satellites in the Lagrange points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He found no sign of his father, with whom he had been\nSkyping when the Earth merged slowly with a small, roaming water-world. His\nlast words were, \u201cI\u2019ll get to the (static)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This far North the sun was weak and his batteries charged\nslowly, but he had enough to sail to port, so he ordered his repurposed\nexploration bots to start the motors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he drew closer, he could see the bustle of activity on\nthe deck of what looked like a series of oilrigs festooned with huts. A pier\njutted out from one side and at the end was a young woman waving at him, a big\ngrin breaking across her face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lydia christened him \u201cBackwards Jak\u201d when she stumbled over Kaj\nLydafspiller once too often. In the weeks since his arrival they became\ninseparable; this raised hackles amongst the youths who were keen to get to\nknow Lydia better, but Kaj accepted it with good grace and within a year the\nenvy and his old name were forgotten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was still no sign of his father, but he kept searching\nthe airwaves in the radio-shack. He never gave up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was on New Year\u2019s Eve two years later that Lydia came sprinting\nout of the shack shouting, \u201cIt\u2019s your father\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaj\u2019s father had taken the restored Nautilus rescued from\nits grave in the bay of K\u00f8ge. In search of his son he headed south and was now\nberthed next to Mount Cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lydia could see the look on Kaj\u2019s face and she knew even\nthough his search was over, his quest was unfinished. They argued: it was too\ndangerous, there might be pirates and who knew what else in this wild new world.\nShe would have to stay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next day Kaj kissed Lydia a sad goodbye and prepared to sail.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe make resolutions on New Year\u2019s Day,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat\u2019s\nyours?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will come back,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will wait,\u201d she replied rubbing her slightly swollen\nbelly. Backwards Jak stepped onto the deck of the Aurora, an unknowing father in\nsearch of his father out in the unknown. \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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