~ Singing pearl – pacific ~
It was the evening of their scheduled departure. Adrianna had to make up some excuse to the Walker family about why they wouldn’t be able to make dinner that evening.
They even met a nice family; the Walker’s. They had one son, Martin, and his best friend Tom, who’d been orphaned at a young age, with them. Both teenagers were amiable and avidly joined in the conversations. Tom was especially lively, always passionate and animated on any topic. Something about Tom had unsettled him, it was that flash of recognition that he received sometimes when Tom said or did something specific that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
In the cabin Stan was packing his rucksack with a couple of sweaters and shirts. He was dressed in jeans which he’d cut in half at the knees so they now resembled denim shorts and he was wearing a light t-shirt. Adrianna was dressed similarly with shorts and a tank top. They both had on sturdy shoes, for when they reached land.
The cruise was brilliant reflected Stan, stopping at every island for at least two full days, giving the passengers a chance to disembark and explore each bit of paradise. It allowed them to be immersed in the indigenous cultures which existed amongst the various islands. At each stop new passengers came aboard and some left. The bar was open every evening, allowing guests to enjoy an aperitif or cocktail before heading to the restaurant. The restaurant itself was a large open area right at the front of the ship. Huge reinforced glass windows stretched the entire length of both sides of the vessel giving the guests a breath-taking panoramic view of the ocean around them and the direction in which they were sailing. The two were kept so busy the entire time, that without him noticing it, Stan began to genuinely forget about what they were planning. If he was honest, he’d enjoyed every minute of the cruise.
Just as he was checking his gun for the third time that night he lost his balance and fell over as the ship heaved with sudden unexpected motion. From inside the bathroom he could her Adrianna yell out in shock.
‘What the hell was that?’
‘I think we just hit a big wave or something.’ Not a second after the words had left his mouth than the speakers in their room crackled into life of their own accord and the captain’s usual confident voice filtered out sounding worried.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain calm, the…’ He was interrupted as the ship heaved again. ‘That was just a big wave. We seem to have come upon a large storm. It will probably last for the next couple of days. I’m afraid that until the storm has passed no-one is allowed up on the deck, it’s simply too dangerous. Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, my crew is ready to help at any time.’ There was a small crackle of static and then the sound shut out.
‘I’m going up to have a look to see how bad it really is Anna, wait here for me till I get back.’
‘Be care...’ was all he heard as the cabin door clicked shut behind him.
Making his way over to the stairwell that led up on deck closer to the bow, was as difficult as trying to walk while being drunk, the swell was forcing the huge ship to rock from side to side, causing him to stumble left and right every time it rolled. Clambering up the stairs, he hoped they wouldn’t be guarded. He was lucky there was no-one there. Quickly he slipped out of the latched doorway onto the deck, where he was immediately assaulted by strong winds that howled through the night. The crew had put out only one storm sail, so the deck looked bare and empty without the prominent flutter of white sails. The sea itself was a rolling mass of white caps that chased each other across the surface. The occasional wave reared up high to tower above the others like a terrified horse, plunging down into spray and foam. A blinding flash lit up Stan’s surroundings and he felt the wind begin to pick up speed. In the fleeting glimpse of light he could make out sailors hurrying back and forth in a panicked attempt to secure everything. They were all attached to the deck with ropes that looped around their belts. Without warning it began and Stan heard thunder whip across the sky. Another flash of lightning illuminated the heavy clouds and Stan could have sworn he saw a flicker of movement in the sky. He waited for another a flash, there it was again, it looked like an angel, he shook himself passing it off as tricks of the light. It was the wings of a seabird joy riding on lightning ridden thermals. With a sudden ferocity, lightning began blitzing the opaque heavens. He was certain he saw the large bird attempting to attack the storm. Writing it off as complete insanity brought upon by the stress he was experiencing as a consequence of his flawless plan being ripped apart, he returned below decks, avoiding being caught by any of the sailors.
Soaking wet and bruised, his shoulder aching painfully, he recounted what was going on outside.
‘So what now?’ Her eyes looked like giant saucers to him, brimming with worry.
‘We sit it out. No way we can get the life boat into these waters, let alone survive a second in those waves.’ Damn it, this is terrible, it’s going to put us days behind schedule and God knows how much time we have left before the world dies he thought.
‘Well in that case I’ll call the Walker family and see if they want dinner with us tonight.’ She tried to hide it, but he just caught the relief in her voice as she disappeared out of the room to find their friends.
The storm persisted, its restless fury not letting up for a minute. The crew, haggard remains of the strong sailors they’d been at the start, were working exhausting shifts without much break. Stan had been to talk to the captain, an attempt to find out what was really going on. Instead he’d spoken to the first mate, who, after some persuasion, had provided him with very good information. What no one knew was that the ship had been blown off course, not by marginal distances; instead, it’d been diverted off its original course, by miles. The captain hadn’t wanted to cause any more panic than there already was so decided to withhold that information from everyone else. Stan was headed back to the room to tell Adrianna, the long corridor stretching ahead of him when the lights flickered and went out without warning.
Seconds later a clap of thunder shook the entire ship, jerking it violently. A loud grinding rip shredded its way through the ship and then it was plunged into darkness.
Stan picked himself up, angrily stringing a series of swear words together only to be tossed back onto the floor as the vessel heaved upwards. Eerie green emergency lighting sputtered into life, glinting off the water that had begun to seep onto the carpeted floor and form a shallow layer. His feet sending up small splashes as he sprinted the last little bit of the corridor to their room to make sure that Adrianna was OK. They must have hit a reef and were now slowly sinking, shit; he’d never make that cursed island.
As if a switch had been thrown doors burst open and people were running panicked and terrified to any form of exit. One thought on his mind, finding Adrianna amongst all this chaos was the only thing that mattered. It was by complete accident that Adrianna almost collided head first with him. A wailing sound started up, its shrill message only helping to spread more panic. The narrow corridor was a huge mass of flailing arms attempting to regain balance as waves continued to batter the side of the ship, and water was pouring in quickly. Stan knew that trying to leave now was pointless, so he wrapped his arms around Adrianna and pressed her to the wall of the ship, sheltering her from the mayhem that was the escape. The water was now up to their knees when at last they were able to scramble up the stairs, onto the deck.
The moment he stepped outside Stan felt the full wrath of the storm, the wind ripping into him and Adrianna, the rain stinging their faces. There was so much debris flying through the air that the two could barely make out the lifeboat being lowered down into the water, it was pure luck that Adrianna caught sight of it. She tugged at Stan’s sleeve, pointing wildly until Stan managed to understand what she was saying. Conversation was a pointless effort with the storm’s noise enveloping everything. Gasping with the effort it cost them to reach the lifeboat they were ushered into it by a sailor, who lo
oked terrified and exhausted beyond belief.
Stan was just about to climb in when out of nowhere the sailor next him was swallowed by a huge wave. Pure luck and trained reflexes saved his life. His shoulders felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets, as he gripped the winch that would lower the lifeboat into the water while the wave washed over him, Mother Nature’s power behind it. Once it was over, Stan realised he had no choice but to lower the boat himself. He pulled down the leaver that would do this and watched it disappear over the side down into the water. If he timed this right, then he’d make it out of here alive, it was all to do with the waves and if they played along. The lifeboat made contact with the turbulent water surface, and then Stan disconnected the supports by heaving on the release lever and ducked as the ropes, freed from their burden, whipped around in the wind like serpents trying to defend themselves from an eagle’s hungry dive. One whipped within easy reach of his arms, without thinking about it he latched on, feeling himself flung out over the ocean, he guessed roughly where the lifeboat had last been and let his hands slip through the rope. The burning sensation was too much to take and he was forced to let go. His world twisted round as he fell through the air towards what he hoped was the life boat.
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