Unto the Haven by Ronald Mackay

9/4/2020

The third submission in this year's Authors Showcase is from Ronald Mackay, a loyal supporter of this blog and an excellent author.

Four of his stories from last year's showcase are included in the 40 Memorable Life Experiences book. If you don't have a copy, you can buy it here: getbook.at/40MLE

Ronald has asked me to say that this story is based on true events but he has taken liberties with names and has imagined details and conversations that were unavailable to him.

Enjoy reading his fabulous contribution Unto the Haven here.

Ronald Mackay

Ronald and Viviana Mackay live happily on the shores of Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada. Spanish is their home language. Ronald has farmed in Scotland, Canada and Argentina, fished commercially on the North Sea, taught at universities in Europe, Asia and in Central and North America and has managed development projects in many parts of the world. Ronald writes drama and fiction and has published two memoirs in English and a one in Spanish.

March 2020 - Rice Lake, Ontario

29 Comments

Christine Cameron

9/4/2020 11:49:56 pm

Great story I didn’t want it to end. Thanks Ron

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 12:29:08 pm

Thanks Christine -- that's a real compliment!

Euan Lindsay-Smith

10/4/2020 02:27:03 am

A delightful and heartwarming story, beautifully told, as usual, by Ron Mackay. What a pleasure to read of humanity, humility, responsibility, gratitude and caring between humans in this sad world of ours today.

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 12:30:24 pm

So happy the story resonated with you, Euan. That's exactly what an author tries to do and it's great to hear it worked for you in this case. Thank you.

Peter Elmhirst

10/4/2020 02:28:22 am

Another terrific example of Ronald Mackay’s style of storytelling. His pieces are always extremely entertaining but additionally offer valuable life lessons to boot.

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 12:31:36 pm

Thank you, Peter. It does an author's heart good to know that his words hit the spot.

Nila Mendoza

10/4/2020 03:27:38 pm

A touching story and so real that it crushes the reader because he feels commiseration for the drama that the central character of the story lived.

One of the things that has always caught my attention in Macakay’s narrations is the use of descriptions that in the form of images give character to each line stated. I also highlight his tireless lesson in conscience, morality and humanity in each one of his productions; of course, this text does not escape such distinctions.

The closing of the story resembles the golden verse of the great poets. If you wanted to establish a corollary, I think those lines would represent it with absolute fidelity.

This is a deep story to be read and reread because it has a lot of life reflection in its content. Congratulations and it was a great delight to read this artwork.

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 04:02:16 pm

Thank you, Nila. You always get to the heart of what you read and write. This piece is, indeed, intended to be moving.

Mike Sharwood S

10/4/2020 03:51:15 pm

Nicely constructed story with the flavour of times past.

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 04:06:52 pm

Thanks, Mike. The advantages of remembered events from time past are that they reassure us with a feeling of self-continuity in lives that often appear to be a series of disjointed events. We move from one place to another very different; from one friend or group of friends to others in which the only commonality is our-self.

Mike Sharwood S

10/4/2020 04:25:35 pm

Yes, indeed Ron and sometimes one wonders if we are not moving between different selves as well even though we know they must, logically, all belong to one another. Or is it just me maybe?

Marlene Gross

10/4/2020 04:29:33 pm

A captivating story - it not only kept me engaged but it kept me wondering how it would unfold. As I read, I felt myself drawn along, always close to a precipice and unsure where I was being led and then as soon as I felt secure again, I was drawn to another precipice. But then, when I reached the very end, I realized how there was really no other possible path or conclusion - the events unfolded exactly as they should have and the conclusion took me exactly where I wanted to be. A rewarding read. Thanks Ron!

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 04:37:21 pm

Your thoughtful and insightful comments are greatly appreciated, Marlene. Thank you!

karen sadler

10/4/2020 06:03:39 pm

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I got lost in the humanity of it. I didn't want it to end. I loved it...

Ronald Mackay

10/4/2020 09:18:09 pm

Thank you, Karen. These words are music to my ears! Best wishes!

Graham Hart

10/4/2020 09:53:49 pm

What a beautifully told story, Ron. It deeply moved me.
Your writing brought fully to life the emotional interactions, between those involved. It is a lovely tale of one seeing the best in another, without prejudice. Remarkably uplifting. A gem. Thanks.

Ronald Mackay

11/4/2020 11:47:35 am

I'm glad the story moved you, Graham. That's exactly the reaction from the reader that I had in mind. Best wishes!

John Alan

11/4/2020 11:28:35 am

From the brilliantly descriptive opening sentence through the quotation from Psalm 107 which tops and tails this story, there is something almost biblical about it, like a parable. More prosaically it a definitive example of the old saying “What goes around, comes around”. Mackay’s economy with words makes the reading experience direct and vivid without losing any of the emotional and dramatic tension. The officer’s internal struggle with maintaining something of his superior rank while his humanity and huge debt to a humble seaman, against the background of seismic changes in their relative situations, is almost painful to read. In the short story he seems to have found his metier.

Ronald Mackay

11/4/2020 11:51:42 am

John, I'm so glad that you appreciated the 'topping and tailing' of the story with the quotes from The Common Book of Prayer.Glad too that you captured Captain Bentley's internal struggle and the appreciation he carried with him for the seaman who rescued him after the corvette was torpedoed. Thank you very much for your insightful comments.

Alister Cumming

12/4/2020 04:14:47 pm

An excellent, incisive story, presented in a compact style with telling local details. I admired the mixing, pacing, and impact of past and present events. The story is “inspirational” in multiple ways. Each character is inspired by the others, and the overall story is uplifting as well.

A query for you, Ron: Should we take the meaning of “haven” to be a safe place or to be “heaven” in the religious sense? I wondered about this while reading on Easter Sunday the commentary here about the Common Book of Prayer and thinking about the touches of Scots in some of the speech.

Ronald Mackay

12/4/2020 05:13:13 pm

Thanks for enjoying the story and finding the inspiration in it, Alister.

I guess that it's up to the reader to discover the associative meanings of "haven" as used in the story. At the moment I wrote the story and used the quote from the Common Book of Prayer, i didn't have 'heaven' in mind. But, yes, the 'heavenly' connotation in the context of the whole story does make sense.

Thanks for drawing my attention to it.

Syd Blackwell

12/4/2020 04:21:53 pm

Tear streaks still on my cheeks. Brilliant, Ronald.

Ronald Mackay

12/4/2020 05:05:25 pm

Thanks Syd. I'm happy to know that it brought a tear to your eye.

Palmer Acheson

13/4/2020 04:30:13 am

Ron, as always, you tell a good tale. I loved the weaving of the wartime and post-war experiences of the landowner. Somehow, I just KNEW that the reason Hugh was asked to talk to Will and his wife was to ask his permission to name their son after him. The story is a reminder that giving someone a second chance can lead to wonderful results in the lives of both the giver and the recipient.

Ronald Mackay

13/4/2020 12:47:06 pm

Thank you for reading, understanding and enjoying my story, Palmer -- and for sharing your observations. Good for you, to foresee why Will and his wife wanted to speak to Captain Bentley! The skilled reader, as always!

Jim Power

16/4/2020 11:05:51 am

Thank you Ron for another marvelously told story. In the very testing and difficult times we are currently living in globally, it does one good to read or hear a story that is genuinely moving and uplifting. I look forward to reading many more of your stories in the future!

Ronald Mackay

16/4/2020 02:30:37 pm

Happy to know that you found the story uplifting, Jim. "Uplifting" is a tricky notion for a writer to handle since, at least in one form, it depends on finding cheer in the face of hardship and both of these concepts tend to escape capture in words. I'm heartened that this attempt appears to have been successful. More to come, I hope! Best wishes!

Geoff S-Smith

16/4/2020 02:46:41 pm

I like the story, it is moving and evocative as it borrows from passages from your own life. It also resonates with ours as we have lived on and off similar estates over many decades in locations from West Lothian, Aberdeenshire to East Anglia and the Chilterns. I think you have visited us in all these locations!

Ronald Mackay

16/4/2020 04:15:49 pm

So glad that the story resonates with you and Beth, Geoff and that you recognise pieces that I have taken from lives that we have shared. Your comments are much appreciated.

Unto the Haven by Ronald Mackay

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