Fated

Sparks, a harum-scarum junior officer, tells the tale of a freighter on a voyage to the Far East. Some of the officers are uneasy because the ship sailed on a Friday - an unlucky day to commence a voyage. This was Good Friday, the anniversary of the Crucifixion. The Chinese crew sense a 'bad ancestor' aboard. Scouse, the chief steward, an amateur numerologist, sees occult signs in the ship's name and in numbers associated with the voyage. For him, the dramatic events that beset the trip are omens of doom. He forecasts a tragedy - but can't figure what it will be. Then tragedy strikes - shrouded in mystery. Years go by. The wayward Sparks is full of regrets about his failings. Then a rumour, springing from the past, has shocking implications. Sparks feels compelled to return to the scene of the tragedy to unravel the deepened mystery. There, he stumbles on an amazing fact that puts things in a bizarre perspective.