The town was in utter chaos the night that the Amato’s gave birth. Wind blasted through windows, rain slammed against the rooftops, and flashes of lightning ripped trees from where they had previously been standing for decades. The wooden bridge in the square buckled as it strained against the unforgiving elements, but the Amato’s situation was much worse than the bridge’s.

20 miles away, in the middle of the Azzurro Sea, Alex was fighting a battle against nature itself. Trying to make himself heard above the incoming whitecaps, he bellowed “Hang on!” as a particularly large wave approached. Despite only having a single oar left on board, he expertly rode the waves. His goal was to steer towards shallow water. He quickly realized however that the winds and currents he was facing were simply too strong to fight against. He would just have to do his best to keep the small fishing boat on top of the water. It wouldn’t be easy, but then again, it was already a miracle that they hadn’t sunk yet. He hoped the miracle would continue.

Violent winds lashed across his determined face, as he dared a quick glance at his wife. What he saw was not encouraging. The abrupt change in air pressure had caused her to go into labor two weeks before her expected date. Mera, the love of his life, was now giving birth in the middle of the largest tempest their village had ever seen. She had insisted on joining him when his insignificant crew of two teenage misfits hadn’t shown up that morning. She had told him that even if she couldn’t help him fish, she would at least feel peace knowing that he was safe.

Now, he thought bitterly as he collected the tattered sail, the only peaceful creatures in the whole sea were the fish that he had tossed overboard in a desperate attempt to prevent sinking. They had been given another chance at life. He hoped that his little family would be given one too.

With all the tenderness that an oscillating boat would allow, he covered his wife with the remains of the drenched sail. Its cold, shredded state wasn’t assuring, but it would definitely be a better cover for her than nothing. As he finished wrapping the sopping cloth around her shoulders, she grabbed his arm tightly. She was panting loudly, and her beautiful, wet face displayed the most pained expression that he had ever seen on it. Despite her clear discomfort, there was a quiet braveness in her soft green eyes that made him love her even more. As he caressed her face with his free hand, he realized that he had been wrong. There was one more peaceful creature on the sea besides his now liberated fish. This knowledge calmed his heart, just a bit.

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A sudden flash of electricity hit the boat and a deafening boom shot down from the heavens. Half of the mast toppled into the black water. The remaining half shot up with bright yellow flames. Alex ran to his bucket of bait, simultaneously emptying it as he filled it with water. With a wry grimace, he now realized the fish he tossed overboard would also get a free meal tonight. Pushing the thought aside, he focused on the task at hand. Between a few buckets of frigid water, a pair of determined hands, and an already soaked boat, the fire didn’t last long.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

After two more hours of violent rocking, the sea and the sky finally became still. Alex had managed to light a single lantern and was watching Mera with pride, who was now sleeping on a large pile of rope. She was recovering from the delivery, which Alex thought she had handled remarkably well. Though her bravery wasn’t quite as silent during the birth as it had been earlier, her courage ultimately had been worth it.

On the floor next to her was the only dry item left on the boat, a wicker fishing creel. Somehow, it was kept safe from the monsoon in the compartment beneath the wooden bench. Normally, it held fish or blocks of peat. Tonight, it held a sleeping baby girl. He was grateful that the trio had survived, despite his poor choice in bringing them with him. Lifting the oar, he moved to the bench once more. Just as he sat down, a brilliant blue light illuminated his surroundings. The clouds parted just a bit, revealing a stunning, magnificent star. It could have been the previous darkness, but Alex swore that he hadn’t seen it before.

“Marianna.” A soft voice drifted to his ears as he guided the broken boat back to town. He glanced at his wife. Now sitting up, her neck craned up towards the light, she continued, “Our daughter’s name is Marianna.” She turned to Alex, and they shared a smile. After another moment of eye contact, she rolled over and slept once more.

“Marianna,” he mused for a moment, glancing between the celestial body and the sleeping bundle next to his wife. “Star of the sea.” The name’s meaning was fitting. With each motion of his oar, he liked it even more.