Yet I Live On: A Sad Story

Lightning flashed. Waves smashed against the deck, making the ship tip sideways and rock up and down. It was a horrible storm. The ship’s steerer had a hard time steering the ship against the harsh wind. The sails were taken down, and the ship’s mast was swaying violently.

I clutched Neriah to my chest. I was afraid to see her innocent blue eyes full of fear, and I didn’t want to loose her in this fierce storm.

“Neriah, I promise you that I’ll never let go. Everything’s going to be fine.” I told her.

I was partly reassuring myself that it’ll all be over in the morning, and partly keeping my faith in holding onto Neriah like it was my life.

A wave crashed over the deck, sending people screaming and running for something to hold onto.

I grabbed onto a railing with one hand and Neriah with the other. The cold water rushed over us, and I tightened my grip on Neriah even more. She was soaked and shivering from the cold, and I was too, but I kept holding on. She was the only family I had left.

My mother had died when I was born. I had never known her in my lifetime. I always had wanted to learn more about her, but I never really could. My dad felt very touchy about the subject, and cried when himself or I mentioned her name.

My dad had sent me on this boat cruise to go to an orphanage England. He couldn’t afford to take care of me anymore because he had lung cancer and couldn’t work or earn any money in the hospital. I got word that he had died three days ago, when the ship’s crew received an email from the hospital.

The waves smashed against the side of the boat. It tilted to one side, than the other.

I felt Neriah’s sopping wet clothes and her blown-up yellow life vest. I was glad that we both had a life vest. My orange one happened to still be buckled. I was thankful that Neriah and I were still alive.

The waves didn’t seem to give any mercy. They kept crashing into the boat, making it tip dangerously to one side, then the other.

I felt like puking, maybe even dying, but I knew that I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t leave Neriah helpless on the boat without anyone to care for her. They all had enough to worry about already: Saving themselves.

I didn’t want to hurt Neriah, and I didn’t want to loose her. I had already lost my father and my mother. I hurt deep down inside me. Why had my parents have to die? Why did I have to be in this storm? And why, why, oh why, did bad luck seem to follow me everywhere?