Outskirts Press, INC.

Life is a finite series of events; some events are more significant than others

As a young man on his first professional tour, American merchant mariner Tony Kirkland experiences Den Helder, a coastal village in Holland, for the first time. The lasting impression and impact on his life is profound.


Tony believes the ocean to be the finest mystery on earth and he is drawn to the sea almost in the form of an obsession. As more of an introvert, an observer of life, he attends college in Galveston as a marine biology major; he wants to be the next Jacques Cousteau.


Tony had the perfect life; the adventure of sailing the seas and the finest wife/lover/friend a man could ever want. Everything in his life was calculated and each day unfolded as planned; until one day, the unforeseen occurs and he is devastated.


His conflict begins in the summer of 1981 while on a research ship in the North Sea. Far away from family and friends, he sails into the port of Den Helder when, after a terrible storm at sea, an angel holds him afloat.


Anika Dekker, a recent business graduate from the University of Amsterdam, was working as a barmaid in her hometown of Den Helder waiting for the right career opportunity. Her daily contact with overbearing and infatuated sailors offered amusement, but she easily kept them at bay - until, in a moment of solicitude, she suddenly realizes she has fallen in love with a sailor - the very type she avoided. Her heartache turns to misery as he is already taken.


Following separate paths, sixteen years pass, as does their youthful exuberance, with Anika in Holland and Tony in America. In the summer of 1997 they are reunited in Den Helder; but with the promise of any future together fading, Tony and Anika must overcome the years of disillusionment to rediscover their vision of youth.


Den Helder is a story of passion and of how we cope with life after tragedy has struck. It also is an adventure that gives the reader a chance to experience life at sea.

Den Helder was my first professional port of call and it changed my life. This story was inspired by that three month tour.

Over a week had passed since the storm at sea but it was still fresh in Tony's mind; he was still rattled. in his left hand, he rubbed a silver pocket cross between his thumb and forefinger. He held onto the handle of his mug of beer with his right hand as he repeated the drinking motions frequently. The movements of both hands were without thought; his mind was still out in the dark and stormy North Sea.

Anika stood in front of Tony from behind the bar - maybe three feet from him, but he didn't recognize her presence as he sat with a blank stare.

"Tony!" said Anika as she leaned on the bar toward him to get at face level.

Tony broke from his trance. "Hey, Ani, how are you?"

"How am I? The better question would be: how are you?"

A smile did not form on his face and Anika became concerned. "Tony, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he offered as he continued to involuntarily rub the cross in his left hand.

Anika put her right hand on his left hand. "What is this?" she asked.

He released the cross to Anika. "It's a James Avery pocket cross."

She admired the detail. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I've had it since high school. James Avery is a jeweler from Kerville, a town in Texas near my parents' home in San Antonio.

"Seems to be a bit worn," said Anika in a warm, comforting tone.

"I have a habit of rubbing it when I'm nervous or upset."

She gave him the cross back and looked into his eyes. "What happened to you?"

He looked down in a blank stare. "I was in one hell of a storm last week."

Anika reached and held his hand. "I knew of the storm; I didn't know if you were caught in it or not. I thought of you."

"Ani, I'm 23 years old...and I thought I was dead!"

"I know...I know," she said softly and then held his face in her hands. On impulse, she leaned over and kissed his lips.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime to Tony. When she pulled away he was totally calmed and the pocket cross lay still in the palm of his hand.

He looked at her in disbelief. "You really are an angel."

"I believe all people are placed on earth for a reason. At this time in my life I know why I'm here. I'm here to look after sailors like yourself...to give you hope...to keep you confident."

"And do you kiss all of these sailors?" asked Tony as he started to again feel like himself.

"No," she said with a laugh and a smile. "My kisses are reserved for special people and special moments. This was one of those moments, and you are one of those people."