30 November 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2937: impound the ship!

The sun had almost set, it was now orange in the sky over Alexandria’s harbor, reflecting on the British gunboat drifting in like an unwelcome bad omen. Fishermen paused, merchants stopped haggling, and even the gulls quieted as the foreign flag was flowing in the wind. Sahir, a dock inspector born of a long line of seamen, stood with his ledger tucked tightly beneath his arm. He had seen ships before, seen soldiers before, seen empire before but today he carried something heavier than paperwork, word of a decree whispered through the city at dawn. The king had finally had enough. When the ship’s captain approached, boots echoing arrogantly on ancient stone, Sahir held his ground. “Dockmaster,” the captain said condescendingly , not bothering to hide the disdain in his accent, “prepare the port for offloading. Her Majesty’s cargo waits for no man.”

Sahir flipped open the ledger, more for effect than necessity. Behind him, the workers Egyptian men with sand-scarred hands and eyes tired of bending watched silently, waiting, waiting for a spark. “I’m afraid,” Sahir said, making sure his voice was loud enough for the crowd, “that your vessel may not enter the port.” The captain blinked. “Excuse me?” Sahir lifted his arm and pointed to the ship, to the flag, to everything it represented. “By order of the King,” he declared, “impound the ship!” A ripple ran through the workers shock, then disbelief, then something long buried, pride. Within seconds, men surged forward. Chains clanked around the posts. Guards from the house marched out, rifles lowered but ready. British sailors stepped back, stunned by the reversal. The captain said. “You dare? This is an imperial vessel!” Sahir closed the ledger with a sharp snap. “This,” he said, pointing to the harbor, “is Egypt. And you will not carry away another grain of our land without answering for it.” The sun dipped further.It was only one vessel.One act.A moment of defiance. But revolutions, like floods, begin with a single crack in the dam, until it burst open.