Sarah Afloat

The bow of the boat hit the wave with a roar of brute force. Nature and machine struggled against one another in a battle of travel. Sarah held on tight to the railing with one had and took a long, slow drag on her cigarette with the other. The fresh sea air whipped her dark brown hair around her face and a shiver its way forced through her body in protest to the cold. The day had been an enjoyable one; she had managed to keep herself busy and avoid thinking thoughts of her past life for this journey was the beginning of a new life. She felt the ship struggle against the oncoming waves and she had struggled through the relentless trials and difficulties of her own life. But soon both the ship and Sarah would be in a new port of call, away from the rough seas and at peace on sheltered land.

This was her first long sea voyage and so naturally her nerves were on edge. Most of the crew and passengers slept as the ship powerfully ploughed through the rough sea. But not Sarah. Sarah could not sleep when her bed rocked with that slow rolling motion of the ocean and she did not like to be left alone and awake with her thoughts. The smoke helped to calm her taught nerves and so too did the fresh air.

So far the voyage had gone well, except for the nights. The nights were long and sleep was scarce and so she spent much time alone on the deck, trying not to think too much but thinking anyway. As the bow hit a wave she felt the whole ship strain under the force of the water and was reminded of the crew member that she had passed on her way to the deck who had advised her not to go out as the storm was rough, but she took no notice of his warning.

As Sarah was lost in her own mind an assailant crept up behind her, all sound drowned out by the booming noise of waves crashing upon the ship's hull. Sarah knew not what happened except that at one moment she was leaning over the railing, smoking her cigarette, and the next she had been hoisted over the railing, falling head first into the vicious ocean below. She had felt the person grab her arse and hoist her up and over the railing but shock prevented her from reacting in any useful manner.

The impact of the water broke the beginnings of her scream and then it shocked her body into silence. Her struggle towards the surface was rewarded with a breath of air that the fall had stolen from her lungs. She floated for a few seconds in ignorance of her situation, but when the realization of her predicament dawned on her she screamed for all she was worth. She had fallen overboard, no, she had been pushed overboard. But why?! Her mind questioned. No, the time for 'why's' is later, now is the time for 'how's'. How would she get help, how would she get out of the water? Already the body of the boat had passed her and was drawing away. Time was scarce. She had little time left to draw attention to herself. Screaming again and again did nothing to help her; all it did was drain her energy.

She had seen no sign of her assailant onboard and now that she had been hurled overboard she did not see him watching her either. Why? Her mind questioned again. Who and why?! The coldness of the water was rapidly numbing her body. She had to get help and she had to do it now. But how? The roar of the waves overpowered her screams for help.

Soon the boat began to move out of sight, the waves and the darkness of night obscured her view. The freezing water had soaked through her clothes; it was cold and lowered her body temperature at an alarming rate. What was she to do? Her screams had raised no help and the boat was moving swiftly away. Sarah floated for a while, thinking fast but not coming up with any solutions. Again she began to scream, but to no avail.

Now the ship appeared half its size and Sarah no longer floated in its wake. The waves around her obscured any signs that the ship had just passed and she was beginning to tire. Tears that felt like acid stung her eyes and mixed with the salty sea water. Someone had thrown her overboard and now she had been left behind in the vast ocean. The sleeping crew and passengers had obviously not heard her cries for help. She knew she could not swim after the boat for it was travelling at too quick a pace and she was no great swimmer. In the cold night air Sarah resigned herself to her fate and tried as best she could to keep afloat amongst the dark waves. This would be a long night if she survived it and an even longer day if she had to fight through that period of time as well.

Sarah felt the darkness pulling her down, she felt the unbearable weight of her own existence dragging her into the depths of the ocean. Sarah did not fight the feeling but instead she relished it and let go of all that was her. She let it go and let nature take its own course. Sarah resigned herself to her unknowable fate.