Pirate's Curse | Harry Hook

|9

     "Harry I can't breathe under-" I babbled quickly, trying to convince him at the very last moment to not let me fall. But before I could finish, his hands released their grip from my wrists, and I free fell off of the plank. I watched as my arms flailed above my head. It was as if the sky were falling, however I was.

   I remembered screaming until my back slapped against the harsh water. It was as if I were being sucked towards the bottom of the ocean and there was no fighting it. I watched as harsh, murky waves crashed above my head. I could see shadows and silhouettes of the ship, and unidentifiable people. Rays of light were cast upon my body as I slowly descended to my fate. As the light faded, so did my chances of surviving. My hair completely surrounded my face like kelp. I was completely blinded.

   Muffled screaming was hardly audible over the violent waves overhead, and the thudding sound of my heart beating. The thick ropes around my wrists and ankles limited my mobility. No matter how hard I tried to swim upwards, I felt as if I was sinking even faster.

   The more I struggled, the more tired I got. I was in deep water, and because of my situation, I was unable to utilize my natural swimming abilities

   As I fell, I caught a glimpse of Harry's horrified face. He was pale, with the exception of blood red eyes. His skin glistened with nervous sweat. His body was tense with guilt and regret. I swore I saw him reach out to catch me, but he missed.

     The fear of drowning dizzied me. My heart was pulsing at uncontrollable speeds while I thrashed around like a hooker fish. Come to think of it, I was exactly like a fish on a hook.

   My eyes slowly closed, and everything faded into a soundless, motionless bliss. I felt my mouth and nose fill up with water. As the oxygen from my body escaped, I began to forget where I was, or what I was doing. My thrashing stopped; my arms and legs floated in front of my body as I floated towards the bottom of the ocean....

______

   "Somebody do something! Erina stopped moving a-and I can't see her!" Evie cried, as everyone gave looks of sheer terror to one another. Nobody wanted to jump into the shark infested waters.

   All of the pirates cheered and celebrated Harry's decision to let Erina fall. The crew embraced and kissed one another, and Uma was hoisted high above everyone — not Harry.

   Harry didn't cheer nor celebrate. He couldn't even pretend to be happy about what he's done. He remained on the plank, looking over the edge. He debated whether to jump in or not. Erina's last words repeated nonstop in his head.

     She can't breathe underwater, he thought.

   When Evie had announced that Erina stopped moving, that was when Harry made his descision. He wouldn't let his guilt and regret eat him alive — he couldn't be responsible for killing a princess, nor the only person who truly cares about him.

Gil, another loyal member of Uma's crew, had approached Harry on the plank. He begged Harry to turn back, but there was no stopping him. This was his chance to make things right once and for all.

     Harry took his hook off and shoved it against Gil's chest. "Hold this." He then removed his
pirate hat, and placed it upon Gil's head. With one final breath, Harry looked down at the VKs, then to Uma, then dove off the plank. He began his search for Erina, hoping that it wasn't too late.

   
_______________