Genre (s): Historical Fiction/Romance
Written When? 9th Grade
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Prologue
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March 5th, 1760
Ten years earlier
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Just ten years before the Boston Massacre, a hurricane threatened the Atlantic Ocean. Ten years before the start of the Revolutionary War, already, a ship had to suffer. What started as a peaceful, serene ocean was now nothing more than a bloodied battlefield.
Six, large, white sails whipped in the wind. Crewmembers tried to hold them steady. After a trip to the Bahamas, the ship was headed back for Charles Towne in South Carolina, but the second they entered the Bermuda Triangle, the hurricane ambushed them.
Crewmembers maintained tight grips on the ropes as they prepared for the storm.
The rocking of the ship made one sailor seasick, and he vomited over the edge of it.
The wooden deck became slick from a small wave.
Other sailors slipped on the water.
Below deck, a lantern swung from its hook and hit the wall of the ship. As it did so, there was a loud clap of thunder.
Above deck, at the wheel, stood a panicking young woman and her husband.
He tried steering the ship away from the storm.
The woman wore a long, blue dress that touched the floor of the ship and was decorated with flowers. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a bun, and she wore a turquoise hat. While one hand gripped the railing, the other one protected the hat on her head.
Her husband wore the clothes of a sailor. He also had to protect his black hat resting on his scalp. He wore a white shirt with a green coat over it, red pants, blue, long socks, black shoes, and a white scarf that was tied around his neck. He also wore a sword case, and his rapier hid inside it. He closed his eyes as he turned the wheel.
The ship jerked to the left, almost knocking the young woman off her feet. Fortunately, her husband caught her before she could hit the ground.
He could see the terror in her eyes and yelled over the intense wind, “Cynthia, you can’t stay here!” He took his wife’s shoulder in his hand. “You must get below deck and protect the children! We menfolk will handle things up here!” He pushed her towards the stairs. “Now go! Hurry before it gets too dangerous!”
Cynthia was frightened for him. She didn’t want to leave, but then she remembered her two daughters, Erika and Jane. They were probably below deck, cowering under the sheets of the beds. She didn’t want to leave them horrified. At the same time, she didn’t want to leave her husband’s side. She said, “Christopher,” but he shooed her away.
With his free hand, he held it up to his face, and his long, brown hair flapped as wildly as the sails. “You mustn’t stay up here! The children!”
Cynthia was left to just fearfully shake her head.
Christopher nodded, as a few drops of rain fell from the black clouds.
Cynthia watched the raindrops hit each of his fingertips. She lifted her hand, and she and Christopher hooked fingertips. Cynthia begged in a small voice, “Don’t let the storm hurt you.”
“I won’t.” With that, Christopher and Cynthia shared a nice, long kiss.
After the kiss, Cynthia let go of his hand and picked up her dress, heading towards the staircase. She stopped to see him one last time before she departed to the lower deck.
He waved goodbye, and Cynthia mimicked. Her shoes hit the staircase, and she was on her way down.
***
Cynthia got below deck right on time. The rain poured. Cynthia could hear it pelting the upper deck like hail. She feared for Christopher, but she knew he had it all under control. After all, he was a sailor.
Cynthia took the lantern that banged against the wall. With it in her left hand, she trotted down the corridor but was thrown against the wall. Recovering quickly, she yelled for her children as she headed towards a wooden door at the end of the hallway. “Erika! Jane!” There was a great blast of thunder, and she gasped, horrified. Calming herself, she finally made it to the door. Cynthia reached for the knob and inhaled a long taste of air.
The young woman kept balance as another jerk almost threw her to the right. Recovering, she placed her hand on the knob and exhaled. After another inhale and exhale, she opened the door and found herself in a decent-sized room. Another jerk slammed the door shut behind her.
Cynthia gulped nervously. She held the lantern higher, tripping on two dolls that belonged to her children, but she caught herself. She found her two small daughters.
Just as she suspected, they were under the covers of the bed, and they screamed whenever there was a clap of thunder.
Cynthia hurried in their direction. “Jane! Erika!” She threw the covers off, with the hand that wasn’t full.
The two daughters hugged each other. They held their hands to their ears, and tears fountained down their cheeks. There was another blast of thunder, and they yelled, “Mommy!” at the same time.
Cynthia quickly hung the lantern up and regrouped with her daughters. She picked both of them up.
They together sat on the chilly wood of the boat, a blanket wrapped around each family member.
Cynthia said, “Not to worry, my dears.” She hugged her children close to her breasts. “You are safe with me.”
Jane, the eldest child, buried her head in her mother’s shoulder. She was eight years old, and her hair was long and brown. She and her younger sister, Erika, wore the same nightgowns–long, silky, and white.
Erika was six years old, and she looked exactly like her mother. She had short, blonde hair, beautiful, blue eyes, and her mother’s nose.
Both daughters hugged Cynthia, and she told them, “Don’t worry, my sweets. Before long, this storm will pass, and we will witness a star-filled sky lit by billions of stars.”
The two daughters smiled feebly.
Little Erika tilted her head back, so now, she was looking at the ceiling of the ship. “A star that you can make a wish on.”
Her sweet voice tickled her mother’s soul, and she chuckled. “Yes, Erika.”
Erika loved stars. She didn’t know what it was, but something about them made all her worries wash away. Whenever the night was clear, she would lie out on the deck of the ship and point out the constellations that caught her eye. Of course, that wasn’t really necessary at a time like this.
Cynthia pulled Erika close to her and asked, “Who knows? Maybe there’s a pirate ship out there, and a–”
Jane interrupted her. “And a chest full of gold!”
“Exactly,” Cynthia said. “Each piece of gold represents a memory. A memory of fun, adventure, and loyalty.”
Erika smiled up at her mother.
She added, “And what’s a memory without a little playtime?” She glanced at Erika, who jumped up from her mother’s arms.
“You are exactly right, Mother!” she said. She ran to her doll on the ground. Picking her up, she held her out to her mom. “Edna and I aren’t afraid of a little thunder.” Right after she said that, there was a loud thunderclap, and she screamed. Diving in for her mother, she hid under her dress.
“Oh, Erika, you never cease to amaze me,” Cynthia said.
Erika peeked out from her dress. Edna was next to her. Slightly embarrassed, she struggled to her feet and said, “It wasn’t the thunder. It was the rain.”
Cynthia and Jane laughed.
Jane picked up her own doll and held her in front of her. “Beware, Erika. Don’t do anything that will frighten Miss Rachel here.” She and her sister played with their dolls, as the storm commenced.
The whole time, Cynthia watched with a small smile.
However, the storm appeared to be getting worse, not better. It wasn’t long until Erika and Jane were back under their mother’s dress, shaking like frightened dogs. Outside, it became darker and darker. It wasn’t because it was getting late, though. In fact, it was fairly early. In all their years of sailing, Erika’s family had never experienced a storm much like this one.
To help her daughters calm down, Cynthia hummed a melody. She kissed each daughter’s head when she took a minute to catch her breath:
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“In the open waves of the ocean of peace,
a little ship sails on the horizon.
As it sails, it finds the altarpiece.
Where it prays for the rise of its prize,
and where it prays for the rise of its magic star.
A star filled full of magic,
that puts the ship to sleep.”
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“Mother,” Jane asked, “where did you learn that melody?”
Cynthia ruffled her hair. “My mother taught it to me many, many years back. When I was a girl your age, too.”
“Really?” Jane asked, propping up her head.
The children were just about to doze off when there was a great clap of thunder that scared the goosebumps out of them.
The ship rocked. It rocked. And rocked some more until finally, there was another enormous jerk that threw Erika into the wall. She fell onto her arm, and her doll flew from her hand and slid towards the door. Erika saw her and dodged a chair that slid into the wall, splintering. She barely had enough time to dodge. She shouted, “Edna!” and hurried towards her doll, dodging other sliding furniture.
Her mother yelled, “Erika, come back!” She pulled Jane out of the way of the sliding bed.
The bed, though, came towards Erika. She stepped back, terrified. She couldn’t stay there. She had to get out of there before she got crushed! Picking up Edna, she reached back and felt for the cabin’s doorknob.
“Erika!” begged her mom and sister.
The bed was almost at Erika now, but she found the knob and turned it, falling out to the hallway.
The bed crashed into the doorway. It looked like it was fighting to get out.
Erika hugged Edna to her chest and yelled.
Cynthia and Jane tried to join her in the hallway, but it was kind of difficult when they had a huge bed blocking the doorway.
Erika looked around for the exit. Her eyes caught the staircase. She looked down at her doll and said, “Don’t cry now, Edna, we’ll find a way out. And I think we found it.” She kissed her doll’s head and scurried towards the staircase, but another jerk threw her into the wall again. However, she managed to make it to the staircase. She gripped the railing as she climbed the wet stairs, but she slipped and slid back to the bottom.
Erika struggled to her feet and clutched the railing with both hands, her eyes on the door where her mother and sister were trapped. She attempted to climb the stairs again and was extra careful that time. Before long, her foot touched the wood of the upper deck, and she found herself standing under a mast. She quickly got out of its way and ran down the wet deck, passing sailors who held the sails up.
***
Cynthia and Jane managed to get out of the room. They hurried in the direction of the staircase.
***
Christopher, who still steered, saw his daughter and yelled, “Erika! What are you doing, lass? Get back to the lower deck!”
Erika couldn’t hear him over the strong wind.
“Erika!” Christopher added. He let the steering wheel go and ran towards her.
Behind him, the wheel spun like a carriage wheel pulled by dressage horses.
Cynthia helped Jane out of the lower deck. “Christopher!” she yelled at her husband.
Christopher heard her and asked, “Cynthia and Jane?” He met up with them. “What on earth are you doing up here?”
Jane pushed him off to the side and said, “Not now. We’re trying to save my sister.” She searched for Erika and found her towards the bow of the boat, pointing in that direction. “There she is! Erika, hold on!”
Erika again didn’t hear. She grabbed the side of the boat, to keep balance, and peeked down into the rough ocean. She shrieked and retreated, yelling for help. “Help! Mommy! Daddy!”
Another sailor made it to the wheel. He grabbed it with both hands and turned it as hard as he could.
Erika pulled soggy hair out of her face. She saw her family running in her direction.
They stopped about a hundred feet from each other.
Erika sighed with relief. “Mommy, Daddy, Jane.” She held Edna under her arm and crept towards her family.
They reached for her.
As they were approaching each other, Cynthia said, “Erika, promise you won’t do that again.”
Erika said, “I promise.” She was almost at them.
They yelled encouragements at her.
Jane hugged her daddy, watching traumatized.
Just before Erika could reach out and grab her mother’s hand, the figurehead of the ship sliced the ocean and went under. A giant wave crashed into it.
Christopher grabbed Cynthia and Jane and pulled them out of the way of sliding barrels.
Cynthia reached for Erika and shouted for her to come.
Letting go of the boat’s side, Erika dropped Edna and hurried in her direction, but another wave smashed into her. She screamed as she broke through the side of the boat.
“No!” Cynthia screeched.
Erika grabbed hold of the edge and looked down. Edna slid towards her. Erika reached for her, but she quickly grabbed hold of the edge again. Edna slid right by her and fell. She fell off the edge and down towards the ocean.
“Edna, no!” Erika said. She loved Edna like she was her own sister. Immediately, she started to cry.
Cynthia hurried to where she fell, with Christopher close behind her, and she again held her hand out to her daughter. “Erika, grab my hand!”
Erika tried to, but she was too scared. She held on for dear life and shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can!” Cynthia yelled. “Just let go with one hand!”
Still scared, Erika obeyed. She let go with one hand and stretched her arm out to her mother.
Unfortunately, the figurehead once again sliced the ocean, and a third wave came toward the little girl. She was an inch away from her mother’s fingers when it crashed into her, but she held on. Her fingertips slipped, though.
“No! Don’t let go, Erika! Don’t let go!” Cynthia begged.
One final wave crashed into Erika. That was the one that separated her from her family.
The force of the wave ripped her fingertips right off the ship’s edge, and she fell towards the ocean.
She heard her entire family yelling, “ERIKA!” at the tops of their lungs.
“Mommy! Daddy! Jane! No!” she called back.
The mast closest to where she fell splintered and plummeted over the edge.
Tears appeared in Cynthia’s eyes. “No! Erika!” Weeping, she brought her hand to her lips. “No.”
Erika landed in the ocean with a heavy splash. Almost immediately, the current snatched her. The mast also splashed into the ocean. The current pulled it towards the little girl. She spun all over the place and screamed underwater. She managed to come to the surface and inhaled breaths of air, but another wave pulled her down. It threw her towards the stern of the ship. She came to the surface again and saw Edna, “Edna!” but her hand missed her. The current jerked her under for a third time.
The mast spun just as crazily as her. It reached the little girl.
She tried to avoid it, but it was too late. The mast smacked her right on the head, and instantly, Erika’s world went black. She disappeared underwater, but she did not return to the surface.
All that was left was Edna floating freely in the ocean. She searched for her friend, but she never returned. Six-year-old Erika was dead.
***
Eventually, the storm eased. The waves became smaller. Very faintly, the sun poked out from behind the clouds.
The ocean calmed down, but there was no sign of little Erika. There was only wood and another sail that fell into the ocean during the hurricane. Not even Edna was visible. It was just trash dumped into the ocean, and it poisoned the marine animals.
Erika’s family members had a funeral. They stood in a wooden rowboat and paddled out to the ocean. They were in the middle of nowhere, but then again, it was the Bermuda Triangle. There was no sign of civilization.
Cynthia held Erika’s trunk, which had all her dresses and clothes in it. She noticed Jane and Christopher weeping. She tried to smile, but she couldn’t do it without crying.
Jane and Christopher hooked hands.
Cynthia kneeled to the ocean, warm air massaging her scalp. Very carefully, she put the chest in the warm water and placed a bouquet of roses on it.
Jane and Christopher also put some roses on the trunk.
The family watched it float away and hugged each other.
Cynthia buried her head in Christopher’s chest. “Oh, Erika. We weren’t strong enough to save you.”
Jane, who held her own doll, glanced down at her. She examined the ocean and then her doll. “Rachel.” She placed her forehead on the doll’s forehead. “Please. Take good care of Erika. Tell her that we love her with all our hearts.”
Her parents observed her.
Hesitantly, Jane stepped forward to the edge of the boat. She fell to her knees and ran her fingers through the water. She kissed her doll and hugged her tightly. Tears fountained down her cheeks.
Jane put the doll in the water and told her, “Please.” Letting her go, the current instantly pulled Rachel away, in the direction of the trunk.
Jane stood up and clenched her fists. She felt anger inside of her and yelled at the ocean, “It’s not fair, you know? It’s just not fair.” She closed her eyes and spat while she grieved. “Now thanks to Davy Jones, Erika is gone forever!” She started to sob.
Christopher held his arm out to her.
Jane fell into his chest.
For the rest of the afternoon, the family cried.
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