Titanic ~ Short Story

...

I remember everything. I remember the day it all happened. The day I was lost to the sea. The day almost everybody I knew & loved had died. I can still remember the loud hollering of men; the loud shrilling screams of women in search of their children whom were lost amongst the crowd. The cries & wails of infants. It was a treacherous day. I remember every detail, but I'll try my best to cut my story short.

When I was seventeen, my family & I went along with my mother's friend whom I'd considered as my aunt. She had lovely long & ginger hair with brown eyes & beautiful ivory skin. People always said I look like a mix between my mother & my 'aunt' because of my ginger hair. My ginger hair made me look like my aunt while my eyes were blue, like my mothers. I've had my fair share of people calling me a witch but jokingly. One time we were learning about witches in the seventeenth century & how gingers were considered to be quite on quote witches so for a while I was called a witch. Though it's completely irrelevant to my story, I just had to tell you that.

Anyways.

My mother knocked on my door, "Come in!" I said cheerfully as I continued to pack my second suitcase. My mother walked in in her velvet red dress, her long brunette hair in a swirled cinnamon-looking bun. "Are you almost ready? We must be gone before six." She said with a smile.

I nodded, "Yes, mom. I'm almost done."

"Alright well don't be long. We'll be waiting for you outside."

Once I was finished packing my two suitcases, I steadily rushed out of my room & outside into the front lawn. "I'm here!" I raised my voice a bit. My aunt clapped her hands with her cherry red lips curled into a luscious smile, "Alright, let us be on our merry way!" We began our descent to the docks where the boat was waiting. We were behind a ton of people in line but I honestly didn't mind. It gave me enough time to correct my makeup.

I took out a tiny metallic circle from my chest out form my bra & opened it to reveal a tiny mirror with my eye shadow. I began to fix up my makeup when I felt a hand on my back, ushering my to move forward. "Jenkins!!!" A man called out my family's last name then my aunt & her family, "Wallaby's!!!" I put the makeup away back into my bra & picked up my suitcases & steadily walked up the steps of the platform connecting the docks to the boat.

A few hours after I got on board & unpacked my stuff into my cargo, I quickly made it to the dining room where many people were conversing. I made myself around to the bar as nobody knew my age except for my family & aunts family of course. The bartender was polishing a silver & stunning clear wine glass with markings & symbols around the top.

He turned around to look at me & eyed me for a second before asking me, "Wait a minute..." he studied me. I was afraid he was going to think I was too young to drink. He'd be right but I don't want him to not offer me some wine. His eyes fixated on me for a few moments before continuing, "what type of lovely single woman would be over here at the bar for?" He smiled to me.

His comment made me laugh ever so slightly. "Oh don't flatter yourself." I smiled.

"What would you like, ma'am?" He asked.

"Summer Cocktail, if you don't mind?" He nodded & began to fix me up a cocktail.
Only a day later, at about 11:32 p.m., I remember because I distinctly looked at the clock before plopping myself onto the bed, I could feel a shiver going down my spine. The fear of something had came over me. I felt uncomfortable, worrisome, heck, I was horrified. I woke up drenched in sweat.

"Bad dream?" I look over to my left to see my mother sitting on the red velvet arm chair closest to the door of my room. I nodded, a few tears running down my cheeks. "Well don't worry. You've got nothing to worry about." My mother smiled in attempt to reassure me.

"Mom...." I mumbled, shivering in fear,

"Yes, my lovely darling?"

"My dream... it was about the boat..."

"Oh?" My mother had looked confused. "We hit something - an iceberg maybe - & we all died; we all - we all drowned. You & I got stuck inside this room. Only hours from now." My mothers eyes widened, the look of stress & deep concern on her face made me wonder: why did I tell her?

My mother got up & sat next to me, cuddling me as she played with my curly ginger locks. I laid my head on her shoulder as I cried, but a little less than before. "Everything is fine, we're going to be okay, alright? I promise. This is the safest boat ever invented. I promise we'll be perfectly safe here." Even though she was trying, she wasn't at all reassuring nor helpful. I became more & more scared. Sitting on a boat that may as well sink within hours of time. My life would surely end if my dream was foreshadowing my future.

At 11:40, I felt the front part of the boat stop suddenly. It was silent for a few seconds before sounds of men hollering in the halls filled the chasm. I tried getting up but my mother hushed to me, "You're alright." I pushed her off of my & raced out, men, women, & children were running aimlessly up & down the halls.

"Billy!! Where are you Billy??!?!?" I heard a mother call out to I assume was her son.

"Mommy!!!!!" Children screamed through the crowd. I pushed through people to the stairs that lead to the decks.

I noticed that people were ushering themselves into the escape boats. I looked everywhere but amongst the crowd I couldn't see anybody I knew nor loved. My little brother came running through the crowd toward the boats & jumped into one before I could grab his attention. "Hurry!!!" People shouted, "It's sinking!!!!!!"

My eyes widened, my mouth agape. So my dream was real??? How? Why?! I didn't know what to do. I heard a little explosion not to far form my right & before I could react, a large gust of flames came belowing my way. Then I felt the floor give way under my feet. Next thing I knew; I was underwater. I opened my eyes & tried holding my breath. I saw that the entire dining room was filled with water & I was pretty much swimming in the dining room. The dining room was only below the decks.

I wanted to scream but realized if I did, then I'd drown. I swam back up for air & once I had resurfaced, most of the boat was underwater. I gulped as much air as possible before diving back under the surface. I was looking for something - but what?

I felt the cold temperatures bracing all around my body, causing cramps in all sorts of places, no not now, I thought. I tried to swim but then my arms gave way as I felt a large surge of pain course through my arms & legs. I tried swimming but I couldn't. The water was too cold. I remember that the last thing I saw was the blurry image of escape boats rowing overhead along the waters surface. Before everything became fuzzy.

I stopped holding my breath.

I let the water take me as its prisoner.

There was where I drew my last breath, the oxygen in my lungs slowly being replaced with the cold icy water piercing my nerves.

Everything went black. It was gone.

I was gone.

Everything. Was. Gone.