Elden Vanderlore

Meet Elden Birk Vanderlore, the ferryman of Blackwater Cove. A man of few words, Elden spends his days piloting his small, weathered cutter across the choppy waters, ferrying passengers and cargo between the isolated islands of the archipelago. When the ferry work is slow, he casts his nets into the depths, supplementing his income with the day’s catch. Elden’s appearance is striking in its own right. His wetsuit peeks out from under a deep blue overall, topped by a faded red flannel shirt that seems as old as the boat he captains. A woolen hat, worn tight over his dark brown, close-cropped hair, adds to the picture of a man weathered by the sea. His ducktail beard and greyish eyes give him a rugged, almost haunting look. Despite his modest stature, there’s something unsettling about him, an eerie aura that lingers long after he’s left your company. He moves silently, his eyes scanning the horizon or the mist-laden shorelines with a gaze that seems to see more than the rest of us. Those who speak of Elden say he knows these waters better than any living soul—maybe even better than the dead.