(no subject)
so i had a creative writing assignment. 4-6 page short story. fiction.
this is 4 3/4 pages long. check it out. it's very depressing and even
got a "What makes you think of these things!?!" out of them. awesome :)
And then I awoke from the subtle rumble. I looked over to my two children who continued to lie in their beds across the room from me. I noticed Mia, 12 years old, who was half under the covers and lying in her soft white gown. Felix, 7 years old, laid in the bed right next to hers and he didn't have the covers on him at all. But he seemed perfectly comfortable. Then I stood up and decided to see if anyone was out in the corridor. I quietly stepped out and there were several people talking quietly in the halls. I remember hearing rumors of what it might be. Someone said we arrived early. Another person said we were meeting with another ship. I wasn't too concerned since everything still appeared calm. So I walked to the stairs to see if I could find any more information, and as I was walking up, people were speaking of ice being kicked around on the deck of the ship. I was surprised to hear this so I went up further to see what was going on. I finally heard someone say that we'd hit an iceberg. Everyone seemed alright, seeing how this ship is supposed to be unsinkable. Everyone was bragging that the iceberg was useless. I guess I would be lying if I said I was confident everything would be okay. But I've always been a bit of a worrier. So I did what I always try to do. I shrugged it off and went back to the room to get some sleep. I slowly and quietly enter the room as subtle voices are heard discussing the events. I notice that Mia is shifting in her bed, only to wake up shortly after. She looks to me, immediately noticing that I was awake. Of course she began to question it.
"Dad... Why are you awake?" she asked. I smiled and sat on the side of her bed softly and placed my hand on her head. I gently ran my fingers through her soft smooth hair. I smiled and told her that nothing was wrong and that people were just milling about in the hall. She seemed confused and I just pat her head softly, telling her to go back to sleep. Of course she didn't want to listen to me as she tried to continue talking. Eventually she finally fell asleep, which was a relief. The muffled voices, however, were becoming louder in the halls. While still subtle, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. I wondered if the ship was in danger. I went to go to the door of our room and then I heard Felix wake up. He asked me softly where I was going. I smiled and went to him and pat his head softly. I told him that I was only going outside the room to talk to some people in the hall. I kept him oblivious to everything to keep him from worrying because, like me, he is a big worrier. I stroked his short brown hair and told him to go back to sleep. He immediately acknowledged and dug under his sheets to stay warm.
I went to walk to the door, but I suddenly found myself to be off-balance. It was strange to have to struggle to keep my balance. I opened the door quietly and stepped outside only to see everyone else struggling from the same problem. I wondered if we were just getting seasick but one burly man insisted that he had a very strong stomach and that he had never gotten sick from anything like this. I kind of found it amusing as he said this while holding tightly to a passageway in the hall. I figured I would investigate. So I decided to walk down the hall. I saw many people awake. There were children that were wide awake with their parents. I began to worry if something was wrong and that I'm putting my children in danger. A couple of the stairwells that I walk by were locked. I thought it must be just a late-night thing. So I continue walking and I found another open staircase which I began to climb, only to see some people, anxious to get to the deck. I wasn't sure why until I heard one of the people say the ship was really sinking. I went back down to get to my children so that we would get to the deck as well. As I headed down the staircase, I was blocked because someone locked the gate in the stairwell. I remember that I began to panic a little bit. I started to wonder if my children were awake. Were they running through the halls trying to find me? Or were they just sleeping soundly in their beds still? The thought ate at me and I had to find out. I started running through the hallway, trying to find an unlocked staircase. I found one unlocked gate that was all the way at the bow of the ship. I quickly ran down, and I noticed there was some water beginning to trickle through. At that same moment, I suddenly noticed how much of an angle the ship was in. It was as if looking up the hall was like looking up a long hill. I knew that I had to get them out. My children had to be safe.
I ran as hard as I could up the ship. The incline winded me quickly. I was pushing myself with my hands and feet just so I could continue without breaking. I looked behind me and saw the water was already pretty high at the staircase I had just left. I remember thinking we could swim through it. And then it just got worse as a large splash of water came down and filled the water up to it's ceiling at that end. All I did was sit down at that moment. The water was rising towards me pretty quickly. Some water was even trickling past me from behind me. That was when I knew it. I knew we wouldn't make it. I stood up and I took a deep breath. I shrugged it off as best I could. And then I entered my room to find my children a little worried as to why everything was at an angle. I smiled to them and told them that everything would be fine. But of course it wasn't enough. So I did the only thing I could think of. I prepared them for the water so that they wouldn't panic too much once the water came.
"Mia. Felix. In a few minutes, there's going to be some water that enters this room. And it's going to fill up to the top. And when it does, it will hurt for just a moment. The water will be cold. It might even sting. And you won't be able to breathe. But it will all only be for a moment. Because after that, you won't feel a thing and you'll be happy again." Of course they were still worried. I was worried too. But in order to keep them from getting too scared, I always held a smile. I would pet them gently and just smile until they relaxed. Mia started to believe me and she asked me if it really wouldn't hurt. I told her, "It will only hurt for less than 30 seconds. Then everything will be fine." She nodded slowly, a little worried.
The water began leaking into the room from under the door. Mia and Felix grabbed me tightly, becoming a bit worried. I embraced them both tightly and softly said "Shhhh.... it'll be okay. I promise." Of course they wouldn't settle down much. I found that understandable. Felix began crying. Mia was clearly trying not to cry as her face was wrinkled and she was holding her breath with each inhale. The water started touching my feet as I sat on the bed. It was insanely cold. It almost felt like needles were rammed into my feet. I didn't make a face though. If I stayed calm, I know my children would be less alarmed. The water reached them. Mia held onto me tightly. Felix seemed to want to try and get away. He escaped my grasp just long enough to open the door. It was probably best that he did because instantly, water flooded the room all the way to the ceiling. I couldn't find Felix as I searched the water to find him. Mia was digging her nails into my back from the cold water. She was trying very hard to hold her breath. I began subtly tickling her to get her to exhale and inhale the water so it would be over faster for her. She did and almost instantly her body fell limp. Felix bumped into me and I immediately embraced him. He began clawing my back as well and kicking me to try and swim somewhere. There was nowhere to go. I squeezed him tightly and it forced the air out of his lungs. Very quickly, his body became limp and he lay in my arms, nearly lifeless. I could feel both of their hearts beating as their bodies tried to keep them alive. After each beat I felt, I would await the next, dreading the moment they would stop. I kept my eyes open, staring at the light in the room that was barely illuminating the room. Mia's hair would float in front of me. Suddenly the light died. The room became pitch black. My children's heartbeats had been fading. Then suddenly, their hearts stopped almost at the exact same time. I closed my eyes, wondering if this was the best I could do. Before I could finish the thought, I exhaled the air and inhaled the water. I fell unconscious. Less than a minute later, my heart stopped.
The flash is over. It seemed longer than a flash. Now where do I go from here? Where do I go?
And then I awoke from the subtle rumble. I looked over to my two children who continued to lie in their beds across the room from me. I noticed Mia, 12 years old, who was half under the covers and lying in her soft white gown. Felix, 7 years old, laid in the bed right next to hers and he didn't have the covers on him at all. But he seemed perfectly comfortable. Then I stood up and decided to see if anyone was out in the corridor. I quietly stepped out and there were several people talking quietly in the halls. I remember hearing rumors of what it might be. Someone said we arrived early. Another person said we were meeting with another ship. I wasn't too concerned since everything still appeared calm. So I walked to the stairs to see if I could find any more information, and as I was walking up, people were speaking of ice being kicked around on the deck of the ship. I was surprised to hear this so I went up further to see what was going on. I finally heard someone say that we'd hit an iceberg. Everyone seemed alright, seeing how this ship is supposed to be unsinkable. Everyone was bragging that the iceberg was useless. I guess I would be lying if I said I was confident everything would be okay. But I've always been a bit of a worrier. So I did what I always try to do. I shrugged it off and went back to the room to get some sleep. I slowly and quietly enter the room as subtle voices are heard discussing the events. I notice that Mia is shifting in her bed, only to wake up shortly after. She looks to me, immediately noticing that I was awake. Of course she began to question it.
"Dad... Why are you awake?" she asked. I smiled and sat on the side of her bed softly and placed my hand on her head. I gently ran my fingers through her soft smooth hair. I smiled and told her that nothing was wrong and that people were just milling about in the hall. She seemed confused and I just pat her head softly, telling her to go back to sleep. Of course she didn't want to listen to me as she tried to continue talking. Eventually she finally fell asleep, which was a relief. The muffled voices, however, were becoming louder in the halls. While still subtle, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. I wondered if the ship was in danger. I went to go to the door of our room and then I heard Felix wake up. He asked me softly where I was going. I smiled and went to him and pat his head softly. I told him that I was only going outside the room to talk to some people in the hall. I kept him oblivious to everything to keep him from worrying because, like me, he is a big worrier. I stroked his short brown hair and told him to go back to sleep. He immediately acknowledged and dug under his sheets to stay warm.
I went to walk to the door, but I suddenly found myself to be off-balance. It was strange to have to struggle to keep my balance. I opened the door quietly and stepped outside only to see everyone else struggling from the same problem. I wondered if we were just getting seasick but one burly man insisted that he had a very strong stomach and that he had never gotten sick from anything like this. I kind of found it amusing as he said this while holding tightly to a passageway in the hall. I figured I would investigate. So I decided to walk down the hall. I saw many people awake. There were children that were wide awake with their parents. I began to worry if something was wrong and that I'm putting my children in danger. A couple of the stairwells that I walk by were locked. I thought it must be just a late-night thing. So I continue walking and I found another open staircase which I began to climb, only to see some people, anxious to get to the deck. I wasn't sure why until I heard one of the people say the ship was really sinking. I went back down to get to my children so that we would get to the deck as well. As I headed down the staircase, I was blocked because someone locked the gate in the stairwell. I remember that I began to panic a little bit. I started to wonder if my children were awake. Were they running through the halls trying to find me? Or were they just sleeping soundly in their beds still? The thought ate at me and I had to find out. I started running through the hallway, trying to find an unlocked staircase. I found one unlocked gate that was all the way at the bow of the ship. I quickly ran down, and I noticed there was some water beginning to trickle through. At that same moment, I suddenly noticed how much of an angle the ship was in. It was as if looking up the hall was like looking up a long hill. I knew that I had to get them out. My children had to be safe.
I ran as hard as I could up the ship. The incline winded me quickly. I was pushing myself with my hands and feet just so I could continue without breaking. I looked behind me and saw the water was already pretty high at the staircase I had just left. I remember thinking we could swim through it. And then it just got worse as a large splash of water came down and filled the water up to it's ceiling at that end. All I did was sit down at that moment. The water was rising towards me pretty quickly. Some water was even trickling past me from behind me. That was when I knew it. I knew we wouldn't make it. I stood up and I took a deep breath. I shrugged it off as best I could. And then I entered my room to find my children a little worried as to why everything was at an angle. I smiled to them and told them that everything would be fine. But of course it wasn't enough. So I did the only thing I could think of. I prepared them for the water so that they wouldn't panic too much once the water came.
"Mia. Felix. In a few minutes, there's going to be some water that enters this room. And it's going to fill up to the top. And when it does, it will hurt for just a moment. The water will be cold. It might even sting. And you won't be able to breathe. But it will all only be for a moment. Because after that, you won't feel a thing and you'll be happy again." Of course they were still worried. I was worried too. But in order to keep them from getting too scared, I always held a smile. I would pet them gently and just smile until they relaxed. Mia started to believe me and she asked me if it really wouldn't hurt. I told her, "It will only hurt for less than 30 seconds. Then everything will be fine." She nodded slowly, a little worried.
The water began leaking into the room from under the door. Mia and Felix grabbed me tightly, becoming a bit worried. I embraced them both tightly and softly said "Shhhh.... it'll be okay. I promise." Of course they wouldn't settle down much. I found that understandable. Felix began crying. Mia was clearly trying not to cry as her face was wrinkled and she was holding her breath with each inhale. The water started touching my feet as I sat on the bed. It was insanely cold. It almost felt like needles were rammed into my feet. I didn't make a face though. If I stayed calm, I know my children would be less alarmed. The water reached them. Mia held onto me tightly. Felix seemed to want to try and get away. He escaped my grasp just long enough to open the door. It was probably best that he did because instantly, water flooded the room all the way to the ceiling. I couldn't find Felix as I searched the water to find him. Mia was digging her nails into my back from the cold water. She was trying very hard to hold her breath. I began subtly tickling her to get her to exhale and inhale the water so it would be over faster for her. She did and almost instantly her body fell limp. Felix bumped into me and I immediately embraced him. He began clawing my back as well and kicking me to try and swim somewhere. There was nowhere to go. I squeezed him tightly and it forced the air out of his lungs. Very quickly, his body became limp and he lay in my arms, nearly lifeless. I could feel both of their hearts beating as their bodies tried to keep them alive. After each beat I felt, I would await the next, dreading the moment they would stop. I kept my eyes open, staring at the light in the room that was barely illuminating the room. Mia's hair would float in front of me. Suddenly the light died. The room became pitch black. My children's heartbeats had been fading. Then suddenly, their hearts stopped almost at the exact same time. I closed my eyes, wondering if this was the best I could do. Before I could finish the thought, I exhaled the air and inhaled the water. I fell unconscious. Less than a minute later, my heart stopped.
The flash is over. It seemed longer than a flash. Now where do I go from here? Where do I go?