Stranded

Chapter 1

I still remember the day everything began. The sky was blue, and the ocean was bluer. I was only 8 years old. My parents had reserved us tickets on a cruise, for a family vacation. It was supposed to be the vacation of our lives. Just me, my mom, my dad, and the wide-open ocean. Of course, as every child learns eventually, no god thing comes without a price. And sometimes, that price may be more severe than you could ever imagine...

"This is going to be the vacation of a lifetime," my dad, said, with a smile, as we stood near the railing, and watched the New York City harbor get smaller and smaller. My mom held me in her arms and hugged me close. "I'm so happy we can spend some quality time together," she said. 

"Me, too, Mommy," I said. "This will be fun."

"Just be careful not to fall off the ship," Dad teased.

I gulped, and Mom glared at him. "For Heaven's sake, Richard," she scolded. "No need to give the child nightmares."

"Only joking," he promised. "With you for a mother, he'll be completely safe."

I looked over my mom's shoulder to see another mommy fussing over a boy that looked to be my age. He smiled big when he caught my eye.

"Mommy," I said excitedly. "Can I go play?" 

My mom followed my eyes, and met the eyes of the other boy's mother, who gave her an encouraging nod.

"Okay," mom said. "But stay close, and be careful."

"I will," I promised.

I ran up to the other boy. "Hi," I said. "I'm Cody."

"I'm Josh," he said. "I have some games in my room, if you want to play," he said. 

My eyes gleamed at the prospect of having already made a friend. "Okay," I said, and Josh ran off down a narrow hall, with me on his heels.

Josh's family's room was about twice the size of mine. We ran to his bedroom, and he pulled out a game called Operation. We played for quite a while, trying not to make the guy's nose red. We jumped, startled, laughing every time the loud buzz was heard.

We played several games all day, including Go Fish, Sorry, Operation, and many others. We completely lost track of time, and suddenly there was a knock on the door, and our parents came in. I ran into my mom's arms.

"You boys having fun?" my mom asked.

"Yeah," I said. "We played lots of games."

"I see that," my dad said. "Looks like you boys made a bit of a mess, too."

I blushed a little, sheepish. "Maybe a little," I said.

Josh's mom smiled. "That's okay. They can clean it up after dinner. Why don't you guys join us? I hear they made spaghetti."

I grinned. "I love spaghetti!"

"Me too," Josh smiled. "With lots of sauce and meatballs."

"We'd love to join you," my mom said. 

"Excellent," Josh's mom replied, leading everyone to the outdoors dining area.

At the dining deck, we all sat down, and soon waiters were setting plates of spaghetti and meatballs, and glasses of soda in front of me and Josh. Our parents also got spaghetti and meatballs, but their glasses had something different in it.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing at my mom's glass.

"That's wine, Sweetie," she explained.

"Can I have some?" I asked.

Mom just smiled and shook her head. "Maybe when you're older. Wine is a grown-up drink."

I pouted a little, but sipped my soda, smiling at the sweet taste of the Dr. Pepper.

About halfway through the main course, mom looked up at the darkening sky. "Huh," she said. "We might end up getting some rain tonight."

"As long as it doesn't ruin our dinner," Dad said, with a chuckle.

As soon as the main course was done, the waiters reappeared to take our plates and replace them with my favorite dessert in the whole world - Strawberry Cheesecake!

I was almost done with my slice, when I felt a wet drop hit my arm. I looked up, confused, and gasped, as rain started pelting down. 

"Oh, no," Mom said. "We'd better get inside."

"Let's head to our suite," Josh's dad suggested. "More than enough room there."

But now it was coming down in sheets. Thunder cracked and lightning flashed. People were screaming. Suddenly, there was a loud shriek, and I gasped as a woman fell overboard.

"Oh, sweet Jesus!" my mom cried. 

My dad ran to the side and grabbed a big round ring on a rope and threw it overboard. "Here," he called down. "Grab onto this."

I was crying, now, completely terrified. Josh was brave, though, and gave me a big hug. "It'll be ok, Cody," he promised. "We're gonna be ok."

Suddenly, my dad looked back with a triumphant smile. "I got her," he said. My mom breathed a sigh of relief, and rushed to Dad to help him lower a wooden rope ladder down the ship. 

There was suddenly a loud crack, as lightning struck the ship, only a few yards from me and Cody. Fire erupted. I saw a chair hurtle toward me and Cody, before I felt the pain in my head. I heard my mom and dad scream my name, but only barely, because the darkness was closing in, and the screams were dying. Was I dying? I didn't have more time to process this thought before the darkness won, and everything was silent.