My Darling
My darling Sarah
I do hope this letter will reach you. I am keeping the miniature painting of you next to my breast, it warms my heart. So I regret that I do not also have one of Harry.
The crew have drawn lots, eight of them will take the huskies and head south in the hope of reaching the Hudson Bay. Be assured that I will fight to survive and return to you.
The captain is a tower of strength but many of the men are ill, we think that something is wrong with our food. So we are sending hunting party’s out, but the Arctic is so vast and seemingly devoid of wildlife. If for some reason I cannot return to you I now send all my love to you and my son. Love you Edward.
Footnotes:
This story was inspired by the disappearance of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus in 1847/8
I found myself writing this story last night, which now seems quite appropriate. As this morning the weather has changed, the sky is a brilliant blue, the temperature is minus six centigrade and there is a sharp hoar frost.
Links to an interesting website about Sir John Franklin’s ill fated expedition
http://www.coolantarctica.com>antarctic_ships
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/antarctic_ships/erebus_terror_Franklin.php
Sorry I cannot get the website links to highlight!
This Post Has 28 Comments
Very sad – a tragic end for an adventurous soul. I wonder if the letter does reach her, or if it’s lost to the ice as he surely will be. Great tale Michael
I wondered about that too. Sir John Franklin’s wife spent the rest of her life striving to find her husband.
Useful detailed website on Sir Franklin’s ill fated expedition http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/antarctic_ships/erebus_terror_Franklin.php
How tragic, to spend the rest of your life searching. Thanks for the link, Michael, very interesting
It is hard to image being in such a heart breaking situation, but sadly it can happen.
Very true on all counts
True on all counts, Michael
Another tragic tale well told.
Thank you Neel, sadly writing letters is not my forte, but i enjoyed the challenge of this prompt.
Wonderful story! I had a feeling this was based on a true story which made it so much more intriguing! Such a sad story in real life!
Thank you Priceless Joy, the Arctic and Antarctic are magical places, sadly as humans we are not designed to live easily in such hostile environments.
You’re right Mike. We really aren’t designed to live in such hostile environments.
PJ, we certainly are not.
Loved how this letter provided a snippet of their love story, but I have a bad feeling about how that story ends 🙁
P.S. You can always insert links. When you’re drafting a post, there’s a button that has a paperclip icon. That’s the insert link option 🙂
Thank you Jade, many did indeed perish in the quest to find the northwest passage.
Excellent take. The real life stories of these expeditions are quite extraordinary. A nice sense of the tragedy and loss involved here.
Thank you Iain, they certainly were.
I enjoyed this response Michael, those arctic environments were so harsh its a wonder so many did survive..
Thank you Michael, even today with modern clothing and technology we struggle to travel in this region. How they managed in the 1840s I cant image.
A sad end to a group of intrepid explorers, What an interesting piece of history and you’ve used it to create a great little story. How awful for Sarah, the recipient of the letter, to think her loved one didn’t live for long after writing to her.
Sadily history holds many painful events. If we ensure that we remember them through story telling we are continuing a long and worthwhile profession.
Great job, Michael.
Thank you Rosemary, your story Hard Work illustrated just as well the difficulties people face today.
A tragic story you did well to tell.
I am always slightly uneasy using real events as part of telling a story. So thank you for your positive feed back. Mike
A sad story beautifully told. Excellent.
My story is called Dear Jane
Thank you Keith, for your positive comments. I loved that word flibbertigibbet,
Well done. I enjoy the historical setting!
Thank you Roger, history offers so much to write about.