An Inch Of Infinity

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

We have lost a boat, and about 18 people have perished from drowning. We are now scared of the water, and the dangers that lurk within. We are starting to see the occasional saltwater crocodiles, not to mention all of our fishing attracts sharks, or at least the guts we throw overboard. We've also seen little islands with crocs munching on fish, sharks and other crocodiles. People don't have to worry about eating fish for to much longer, because far too often we get crocodiles and sharks on our lines, or what was our lines used to be that is. It is a real pain to fix, if it can be fixed at all, that is. Although most of the time we catch fish, one in every hundred or so was something big enough to snap the lines beyond repair. I vote that we stop using live bait. The sharks are nearly impossible to catch. We have been trying to catch crocodiles, but let's just say that doesn't work...

One day I was helping Lulu Carrie the seeds to the lab when Emma spoke up.

"Is there really another land? I'm eight years old now, give it to my strait. Is there really a land better than our home before? All we've had are problems and sunburns. " she demands. I blink in surprise. That's when I realize I don't know.

"I don't know when we will get there, or if it will be safe. But it will have to be better than what we had going on before." I tell her, and look away. She is dirty and sunburnt. She smells like salt and aloe Vera, which she was smart enough to stock up on for our journey. I didn't really answer her question.

"There will be a storm tonight, how about you tie down your plants and sleep with me and Lulu, we've got music..."I taunted her. She accepted and went down to buckle down her things. She didn't even correct me, because its not me and Lulu, but Lulu and I. She's usually the one on top of these things.

The first thing I do is get out the books we rented from the library back in block 3, I bet they're overdue. Lulu groans when I hand her a classic and rips out the pages to make origami hats. I am not pleased. What did it ever do to her?

Then I turn on the playlist marked CATCHY AND COOL and a song called "Cake and lemonade" pops up. I listened to it maybe 6 times before I finally let the playlist continue with a song from last year called "All Hail The Royals", I don't even let it play. I scramble to hit the delete button.

I listened to music, and after a while realized Emma was almost half an hour late. I told Lulu I would go look for Emma and left.

When I got on the deck the wind was so intense it nearly swept me of the deck. I blindly got to the trapdoor and pulled myself inside despite the rain. I walked into Emma's room and realized why she was late.

She was trying to tie every plant to the hooks on the wall, and she had at least twenty plants with only a dozen ropes. I helped her and soon we were ready. She grabbed huge boots. She explained that they helped smaller people not get blown off the deck. I held her hand, and pulled her up the ladder.

As soon as I opened the trap door the wind and rain surrounded us, like flames surrounding a dried piece of paper. 70 mile winds whipped at our hair and we had to hold each others hands as we crossed the deck. We couldn't see each other in the wind and the water trickling between our hands plus the wind made them so cold so fast we couldn't even feel each other.

We barely made it to my cabin but we did, and that's what matters. We listened to music, my favorite was called Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. It was like they made this song for us, all the way back in 2012. The three of us goofed around,we talked, and then we asleep.

In the morning the wind was still strong, and the swells still 30 feet high, but we can see ten feet ahead outside, so it's an improvement, right?