The Thirteenth Day
Esquire|April - May 2022
It's March 2020, and the Beryl Empress is setting sail from a harbor in Japan, carrying hundreds of passengers on a luxury cruise including a man from Wuhan. What follows is a vacation none of them will soon forget. A new Short Story for our times from an American Master.
By T.C. Boyle. Photographs by Ben Alsop
The Thirteenth Day

The ship was monumental, like Atlantis risen from the depths, its own island, its own nation, a miracle of every kind of human labor and ingenuity. Even the sea was impressed. The waters calmed to make way for it and when it slashed across the horizon, the pelagic creatures appeared in their slippery legions to disport themselves in its wake. Dolphins rocketed alongside. Sea lions barked. Whales bobbed up like corks to salute its monumentality, then dove deep to escape the crushing impact of its bow. In port-and it was in port now, indefinitely-its vast hull attracted the attentions of mollusks and crustaceans and its decks the loose-boweled gulls whose excreta would have buried them knee-deep but for the unceasing attention of the ship's crew. Can you say Yokohama? I can. Yokohama. There, see?

This story is from the April - May 2022 edition of Esquire.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April - May 2022 edition of Esquire.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ESQUIREView All
hasan minhaj had a very strange year
Esquire US

hasan minhaj had a very strange year

The comedian felt the wrath of the Internet AND lost a career-defining job opportunity. NOW he's back with an interview series, A NEW NETFLIX SPECIAL, and a fresh perspective on his COMEDY.

time-read
4 mins  |
October/November 2024
the perfect girl friend
Esquire US

the perfect girl friend

Flirty, sexy, seductive, supportive. Your AI companion can be whatever you want her to be. And now a growing number of men are turning to bots to ease their loneliness or satisfy their kinks. The choices are endless. The emotions are real.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
thinker
Esquire US

thinker

Andrew Garfield has big ideas about life and death-even a theory about the nature of time. Over an afternoon at one of his favorite New York City haunts, the actor let us into his world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
priceless
Esquire US

priceless

At Hermès, Axel de Beaufort will make whatever you imagine. Its value can be measured not in dollars but in the hours spent crafting it and the beauty it adds to the world.

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2024
shoes with staying power
Esquire US

shoes with staying power

The Shannon lace-up from Church's is a study in enduring style

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.
Esquire US

THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.

Black men's life expectancy is short, thanks to history. At 49, am I on the downslope?

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2024
HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK
Esquire US

HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK

They've been flinching ever since Reagan, but the party has finally figured out who they are.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
WRITTEN ON THE BODY
Esquire US

WRITTEN ON THE BODY

As we age, we're fighting a losing battle against memory. Maybe that's why, in my 40s, I've tattooed myself with everything I can't bear to forget.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.
Esquire US

I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.

Menswear designer Aaron Levine, who helped revitalize brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Club Monaco, explains why he reaches for his Carhartt again and again and again

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
Check Yourself
Esquire US

Check Yourself

Todd Snyder and Woolrich have teamed up to create a new breed of wearable luxury fashion. The iconic buffalo plaid remains a staple.

time-read
2 mins  |
October/November 2024