Lilas' Mini Stories

The Gulf Stream (Random)

This was from an assignment to write a story based off of art. Above is the painting I chose.

The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer
————————————————————

I haven't seen any other life boats since the ship sunk. It's been an entire day since the incident and I'm all alone out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no food, no drinking water, and a boat that's breaking apart. I lost count on the many sharks that had swam by, circling their next meal which is going to be me soon. A lot has happened to lead me to this predicament, and I've done a lot too that I regret and maybe this is my punishment for those actions. If so, then I feel it's justified. Many lives were lost because of me.

I remember taking up the job as assistant for some rich man before the ship was even in the picture. The job wasn't too exciting but it did pay well. All I had to do was organize papers, fix his schedules, bring him his coffee, the usual stuff. He was going on a cruise with his family and requested for me to join, I'll still be working and not be able to enjoy the luxuries of the cruise but again, the job paid well. The rich man wasn't too nice to his workers either so I doubt he made me come because he liked me. As the ship went down, him, his wife, and two sons were one of the first people onto the lifeboats, unsurprisingly. When I tried to get on too, he pushed me back and yelled at the ship worker to lower them down. I do hope their boat made it through the storm. He may have been cruel, but his wife was kind and his two sons were innocent.

After I came to from shock, I began running around the ship, pushing past people who were also running in hopes of finding the next lifeboat that was available. Unfortunately, nearly all of them were packed. Some a little too packed. I could've went on one of those but the chances of surviving on a packed boat were next to none. Well, looking at my predicament now, it wouldn't matter. I decided to split off from where all the people were in hopes of finding another boat. Some even followed me, maybe thinking the same thing. I didn't realize others were behind me until after I found a boat free of people and hopped on. At the same time, a large wave hit the ship and almost toppled the whole thing over. And I guess that's when I started panicking. I heard the screams and yells of those who followed me to let them on, I heard the crying child who held onto their mother, but in my head, all I was focused on was getting off the ship as fast as possible. I ignored what was happening around me and just allowed my body to move, allowed my arms to lower the boat down into the water. It all happened so fast that I forgot what happened after my boat touched the water. But I do remember turning around and seeing another wave so huge that it completely took over the ship. The large machine went into the water instantly and the waves it created almost sent my boat flying.

Luckily I didn't go down but after having time to process everything and thinking about what has happened with a clearer mind, maybe I should've went down like that boat. I did leave all those people behind in my panic induced state and I can only pray that at least one managed to survive that catastrophe. And it looks like now I'm getting what I deserve for my actions. There are sharks everywhere, my boat is breaking, the water is still rough, and I have nothing. I'm not going to survive out here for very long. I don't even know where I am or how far any land is or if there are any search parties out. All I have are the clothes off my back and this damaged boat.

I just hope my death is peaceful. Just like how I hope the deaths of those people were.