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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Survival / Success
- Subject: History / Historical
- Published: 10/31/2014
TRIANA'S SALVATION
Born 1969, M, from Herten, NRW, GermanyThe artwork posted here with the story is a painting of mine in acrylic colors I call "Stormy Sea". It hangs on my dining room wall.
I can see Rodrigo de Triana and the rest of Columbus' crew facing weather like this on one or two occasions during their initial trip that autumn of 1492.
It is a fact that Rodrigo de Triana saw land first that night between the 11th and 12th of October that year of 1492. At around two A.M., as the lookout on the ship Pinta and a part of Columbus' crew, he was the first official European to see the Caribbean and call out the famous words: "Tierra!" ("Land!")
The following short story resembles one of Liszt's improvised pieces on a theme by Rossini (most of these were on the spot improvs). There's truth here and fiction.
So I am inviting you to a quiz. What is fact and what is fiction here? Are you sure what you think is fiction is not fact? After all, none of us were actually there. Well, maybe in a previous life we experienced it. But that, as they say, is another story.
Now, enjoy the ride. You are back on the Pinta. You are a sailor and about to rediscover the universe.
TRIANA'S SALVATION
A Short Story by Charles E.J. Moulton
Rodrigo de Triana watched the foam of the waves crash against the Pinta. His thoughts were elsewhere, at home, with the people he knew, the inquisition and the fact that Columbus had saved him from certain death.
The waves in comparison seemed so tranquil right now. So calm. It was almost as if they were approaching land. But that couldn't be, could it? Land. What a word. He almost couldn't remember what land looked like.
Rodrigo took a deep breath and tasted the salty air. It felt like a sickness by now. Yes, there was a tranquility to everything here at the moment, but too many sailors had fallen ill. Martin Alonso Pinzon, who was the Captain of the Pinta under Columbus, really was a capable man. But Rodrigo already ached. If and when they reached India he would search for fruit. Fresh fruit.
What if they did not make it? What if all those stories about sea monsters were true?
Rodrigo heard the voices of two of the sailors, probably talking of their women at home. And so, Rodrigo found himself looking at the water again trying to find that strange light he had seen yesterday. Had that been an angel? Perhaps even a monster? The surface had glittered, he could recall that.
The glitter of the moonlight on the water looked like a painting. The ship seemed to plough through the tranquil sea like a shark towards a moon so white it looked like the gateways to heaven.
The splash Rodrigo heard made him think a whale or some big fish rose from the deep. His instinctive twitch toward the noise had him think of sea monsters. But the thing that rose from the deep was no fish. It glittered. It looked like a round jewel shooting up from the deep, a diamond, almost. God's diamond.
Rodrigo looked around, desperately trying to find someone else who saw what he saw. No one. Not a soul.
He glanced back at the thing that soared before him.
"Signor Commendatore?"
No answer.
When the angelic presence lifted out of the hovering diamond ball, Rodrigo felt himself shiver. Had he gone to heaven? No. This was life on Earth, all right. But fear came bouncing up from beyond the deep. It felt like a black hole revealing itself to him. Was the creature a killer or an angel?
"Rodrigo," the creature whispered. "You will soon see land. You will discover a new continent."
"Who are you? What do you mean, new? I thought we were sailing towards India."
"Keep it to yourself, Rodrigo, promise me you will tell no one you saw me. Just try to be nice to the natives. There are people who won't be."
"Hello?"
The mysterious ball and the creature within it vanished, only to leave Rodrigo baffled.
Rodrigo kept his experience a secret. After he discovered land that night, he changed history. He also kept his promise. He eventually became a sea captain and treated everyone with respect.
He always believed he saw an angel the night he discovered America. Columbus kept saying he had been the first, but Rodrigo knew the truth and that was enough for him.
In any case, Rodrigo did what he intended to do once he arrived on land. The fruit gave him the same sensation the angel had given him: it brought him salvation.
TRIANA'S SALVATION(Charles E.J. Moulton)
The artwork posted here with the story is a painting of mine in acrylic colors I call "Stormy Sea". It hangs on my dining room wall.
I can see Rodrigo de Triana and the rest of Columbus' crew facing weather like this on one or two occasions during their initial trip that autumn of 1492.
It is a fact that Rodrigo de Triana saw land first that night between the 11th and 12th of October that year of 1492. At around two A.M., as the lookout on the ship Pinta and a part of Columbus' crew, he was the first official European to see the Caribbean and call out the famous words: "Tierra!" ("Land!")
The following short story resembles one of Liszt's improvised pieces on a theme by Rossini (most of these were on the spot improvs). There's truth here and fiction.
So I am inviting you to a quiz. What is fact and what is fiction here? Are you sure what you think is fiction is not fact? After all, none of us were actually there. Well, maybe in a previous life we experienced it. But that, as they say, is another story.
Now, enjoy the ride. You are back on the Pinta. You are a sailor and about to rediscover the universe.
TRIANA'S SALVATION
A Short Story by Charles E.J. Moulton
Rodrigo de Triana watched the foam of the waves crash against the Pinta. His thoughts were elsewhere, at home, with the people he knew, the inquisition and the fact that Columbus had saved him from certain death.
The waves in comparison seemed so tranquil right now. So calm. It was almost as if they were approaching land. But that couldn't be, could it? Land. What a word. He almost couldn't remember what land looked like.
Rodrigo took a deep breath and tasted the salty air. It felt like a sickness by now. Yes, there was a tranquility to everything here at the moment, but too many sailors had fallen ill. Martin Alonso Pinzon, who was the Captain of the Pinta under Columbus, really was a capable man. But Rodrigo already ached. If and when they reached India he would search for fruit. Fresh fruit.
What if they did not make it? What if all those stories about sea monsters were true?
Rodrigo heard the voices of two of the sailors, probably talking of their women at home. And so, Rodrigo found himself looking at the water again trying to find that strange light he had seen yesterday. Had that been an angel? Perhaps even a monster? The surface had glittered, he could recall that.
The glitter of the moonlight on the water looked like a painting. The ship seemed to plough through the tranquil sea like a shark towards a moon so white it looked like the gateways to heaven.
The splash Rodrigo heard made him think a whale or some big fish rose from the deep. His instinctive twitch toward the noise had him think of sea monsters. But the thing that rose from the deep was no fish. It glittered. It looked like a round jewel shooting up from the deep, a diamond, almost. God's diamond.
Rodrigo looked around, desperately trying to find someone else who saw what he saw. No one. Not a soul.
He glanced back at the thing that soared before him.
"Signor Commendatore?"
No answer.
When the angelic presence lifted out of the hovering diamond ball, Rodrigo felt himself shiver. Had he gone to heaven? No. This was life on Earth, all right. But fear came bouncing up from beyond the deep. It felt like a black hole revealing itself to him. Was the creature a killer or an angel?
"Rodrigo," the creature whispered. "You will soon see land. You will discover a new continent."
"Who are you? What do you mean, new? I thought we were sailing towards India."
"Keep it to yourself, Rodrigo, promise me you will tell no one you saw me. Just try to be nice to the natives. There are people who won't be."
"Hello?"
The mysterious ball and the creature within it vanished, only to leave Rodrigo baffled.
Rodrigo kept his experience a secret. After he discovered land that night, he changed history. He also kept his promise. He eventually became a sea captain and treated everyone with respect.
He always believed he saw an angel the night he discovered America. Columbus kept saying he had been the first, but Rodrigo knew the truth and that was enough for him.
In any case, Rodrigo did what he intended to do once he arrived on land. The fruit gave him the same sensation the angel had given him: it brought him salvation.
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