2.
“The sun came up, and we sailed in a northerly direction. The day was all mist and fog, but there was wind in our sails. And in the evening the sun set in the west to our left. We were saved from the grinding ice.”
“But alas, I had done that terrible thing. For now there was no more Albatross circling, no bird perching on the deck. And the crew frowned and cursed that I had shot the bird that saved us.”
“Yet on the morning of the next day, the sun came up. And the mists cleared. And the sky was blue. And now the crew gathered around me, praising that I had slain the bird that had plagued us with fog and mist. For now a fair breeze blew, and our ship furrowed smoothly thru silent seas.”
“But even then the wind died. And the sun shined down upon the deck. We were becalmed. And there was water, water everywhere yet not a drop to drink.”
“At night slimy shapes churned the waters. Spun in circles. Scraped at the hull. Threw up spouts of blue and green. And some among the crew were sure that a kraken of the deep had followed us from the grinding ice. They could not speak for their unslaked thirst and parched mouths, but they glowered at me and hung the Albatross, that terrible Albatross, around my neck.”