Meren kansa

Urbain Coët slips away from the bustling shipyard as the church bell tolls nine times, the night already humming with the clatter of saws and the glow of lanterns. Fresh from a heartfelt farewell with the old master Mathieu, he carries the weight of his father’s hopes and the promise of a vessel that will prove his worth. The air is thick with the salty scent of the harbor, and his wooden‑clad boots echo on the uneven cobbles as he heads toward a hidden inlet.

The quiet is shattered by a sudden blaze that leapt from the workshop, forcing Urbain to wrestle the fire with his own shirt and desperate vigor. He discovers fresh, mysterious marks left by unseen saboteurs, and the lingering smell of charred timber hints at deeper dangers lurking in the shadows. Determined, he guards the unfinished hull, nursing a wounded toe while cataloguing his enemies—Aquénette, Julien Perchais, and the enigmatic Gaudin clan—who seem intent on thwarting his craft.

With the first light of dawn, Urbain spots the massive, unfinished ship rising like a hulking beast from the workshop, its unfinished ribs promising a journey far beyond the harbor. He knows his lover Marie‑Jeanne waits at home, six kilometres away, and the unfinished vessel could be his chance to return to her—and to the sea that calls him onward.