Terror from the deep.

"Is anybody out there?" Henry Wilson croaked. His throat was so dry he could barely get the words out. His whole body ached, except for his hands. His hands were so sun burnt he was afraid to move them. They didn't hurt at all, they had gone numb days ago. He wasn't sure how long he'd been holding on to this piece of jetsam. Days? Weeks? No, surely not weeks. It couldn't have been that long, could it?

He tried to focus his memory back to the shipwreck. It had been such a pleasant vacation. The sun, the waves, everything...perfect, until they were attacked. Even now he wasn't sure what had attacked them. He remembered tentacles, they must have been 10 feet around at its thickest point. That terror from the deep snapped the ship into pieces like a man would snap a twig. One moment he had been laughing with friends, enjoying himself and the next he was in the water, trying to get away from the sinking ship as fast as he could. He hadn't seen anyone else in all the time he'd been on the ocean, floating.

So thirsty. Maybe if I drank just a little of the water it wouldn't hurt me. That was the worst part of being out here in the middle of the ocean alone, continuous thirst. At first he had been afraid, terrified really, but fatigue had blunted the edges till he no longer thought about it much. Now it was just clawing thirst. He hallucinated at odd moments. Once he could have sworn he saw a rubber duckie swim past him.

Wait. What is that? Oh my God! It's coming back! Henry Wilson looked around frantically for a weapon of some kind but found nothing but water. The ocean around him began to vibrate as the creature rose up underneath him. Large, rubber tentacles felt their way along his body, almost as if they wanted to give him a hug. He struggled, but it was futile. He was so tired, maybe it was better this way.

"Henry. Henry!" From far above him hands reached down and took hold of his arm. He was saved! Help had come at his most desperate hour!

"Henry? Come on sweetie, bath time is over. Get ready for bed." His mother handed him a towel and left the bathroom. Henry climbed out of the tub and began to dry off. The adventure was over.

Day 3 - Prompt: Terror from the Deep
Written for "Freestyle Writing Challenge!"  [ASR]