27 August 2012
Another story I wrote in English. Enjoy...
My stomach did a somersault as I plummeted towards the shimmering blue pool below. How could I be so stupid…? I knew she was going to do something like this. I’m going to die and there’s nothing I can do about it. I rubbed my burning skin in an attempt to relieve the pain of the stinging salt. “JOHNY!!” “JOHNY!!” A screaming voice forced its way into my salt encrusted ears. Tumbling around in the air, I tried to brace myself. I waited. Nothing happened. For several seconds I squeezed my eyes close together and held my legs as close to my body as possible, waiting for the cold water to hit my chest, suffocating me, closing round my face, filling my lungs….
SPLASH!
*****
Johnny leant against the cold metal railings of HMS Liberty’s top deck, reminiscing of the day’s events and smiling as the cooling breeze swept over him. A painful image of the night before forced its way into his head. He grimaced and turned away. “Hello deary. Are you okay?” Johnny took no notice of the old woman and continued to stare out to sea. It roared below him like an angry lion and the image wriggled back. Julie was angry… what would she think of him now, he thought. Johnny turned away from the shimmering expanse of water and walked across the deck, staring at the old woman. She was small and had had a scruffy black Scottie yapping at her heels. He stopped, wrestling with the image in his head. The woman looked concerned, so he kept walking.
‘When will dear old Gavin come back…? I pondered. The top deck is certainly nice but it’s awfully chilly for my old bones. We really shouldn’t have taken Rhino on this cruise, he keeps yapping. A man walked on to the deck. Who’s that? It couldn’t be my Gavin, I thought, he’s much too young. “Hello deary. Are you okay?” I said quietly, waiting for the gentleman to reply. He didn’t. Youth, these days. Just terrible. He seemed rather distressed so I started to say something but decided it would be best to keep quiet. As he walked across the deck, I found myself staring at him persistently. I bent over, stroking Rhino to keep my gaze off of him.
*****
I sat down on the top deck and sighed. This honeymoon wasn’t turning out well. First the cabin, then the food… When will anything go right? Sniffing, I wiped some champagne sauce off of my once pristine dress. I mean, why did he have to throw the plate? What was he thinking? All because I spoke to that Johnny person. In fact, here he was now. I shuffled away but he came closer. “Um… hi?” he whispered. I stayed silent and turned away. “Hello?” Again, I kept quiet. “Um… I well… I came to ask you something…” “What?” I said harshly. “Would you like to… go to the-e um, end of cruise dance with me?” He said, finally plucking up the courage to speak. “That was my husband back there! The one you shouted at!” I screamed, losing my already short temper. He quivered and sank back. I continued to bellow at him. “I hate you. You’ve ruined my honeymoon, and…” I imagined that I had dug a hole and with each insult I threw another pile of dirt on his scrawny ginger head. Leaving Johnny shaking like a leaf in a storm, I ran away to my cabin, sobbing.
******
Julie slammed the door of the cabin and stormed down the corridor. She and her husband had had another argument about Johnny. Her husband was convinced that he was trying to steal her away and unfortunately Julie had found herself in the firing line. Walking up the lavishly decorated stairs, she felt the wind sweeping her silky red hair around and stopped to tie it up. There, she looked up and inhaled sharply. Johnny was standing there with an old lady. She pretended not to notice and paced slowly across the deck, fiddling with her silver handbag that went with her now champagne covered dress, which was lying in her cabin. The old woman stood there staring at her. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Julie walked to the east side of the deck, towards Johnny. She was going to get revenge… Sweet, sweet revenge…
“Gavin is taking an awfully long time… I wonder if he’s okay? I exclaimed to myself. I had been standing there, waiting, for so long. A young gentleman was on the east side of the deck, looking very confused. I heard footsteps and turned around. A slim, red haired woman was stood on the steps, tying up her hair. She glanced at the man behind me, looked startled and continued to walk up the stairs. I stared at her, seeing that she had a very shiny ring on her finger. Maybe that man was her husband, and she was coming to see him. Yes. That was it. They were married and were on their honeymoon. But then again, I never recalled seeing a ring on his finger. Puzzled, I watched her pace across the deck.
That old woman is getting on my nerves. Keeps muttering to herself. Stuff like, “Gavin, my dear old Gavin” and “Rhino! Stop it!” Personally, I think she’s gone mad, talking to herself about “Gavin” the mysterious man and an invisible horned animal. Thinking of mysterious things, Julie seems to have vanished too. How could I be so stupid? She was married. Married. And I asked her to a dance! I bet she’s plotting to murder me now; she was really angry last night. When will anything go right for me? I’ve searched for a soul mate for 14 years and every thing always backfires at me. I thought of Elizabeth, my cat, all alone at home, and I felt a stinging sensation at the back of my head. Then I realised. It wasn’t tears building. Someone had hit me. I whirled around to face my attacker and gasped. Julie. Her red hair had come undone and was swirling around her face, making her look like an angry demon. I could see tears welling in her eyes but her face remained as cold as stone. She hit me again with her beaded bag and I winced with the pain. I tried to speak but no words came out, I just stuttered. She screamed in my face and gave me one final shove. I felt the ground slipping away under my feet and tried to hold on but it was no use. My arms slipped. My hands slipped. My fingers slipped. I was falling.
The red-haired woman paced towards the man on the east side of the deck. I knew something was wrong, her eyes had a mysterious twinkle in and she walked with a spring in her step. She was determined to do something but I didn’t know what. She strode across the wooden deck and I gasped. They weren’t married. They weren’t even engaged. She was going to hurt him, I was sure of it. I tried to reach him, to warn him, but it was too late. She struck out with her sequined bag and he doubled up in pain. Where Is Gavin? I thought desperately. He could stop this and make every thing okay. I heard another scream as she flailed out again. Hobbling over I shouted, but only a feeble whisper came out. I knew it was too late to save him before it had even begun. She pushed him one last time and his feet gave way. He toppled over the railings and disappeared out of sight. I ran over, screaming into the cold sea wind as the woman sank down on to the floor, sobbing. I opened my mouth to say something but my voice could not be heard over the sobs of the woman. Deciding to help the man I shouted for help, calling for the life guards, screaming for Gavin. They didn’t come. I heard a splash and knew it was over. He was gone, alone, lost in the storm. The woman lay there, crying hysterically and felt like doing the same. He was gone. I repeated the words to myself again and again; they tasted sour and bitter in my mouth, like rotten lemons. The wind seemed to sweep round me, like a warm blanket. I sighed and sat down; sleeping seemed like a good idea just about now.
I realised what I had done after it was too late… I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to make him pay for what he had done. He was slipping and I tried to grab his hands but he let go. The last thing I said to him was that I hated him. How could I have done that? I hoped it was all just a dream, pinching myself, kicking the wall, anything to make the nightmare go away. It didn’t. I slid down against the railings. The railings that didn’t save Johnny. I moved away from them disgusted, how could they be there, standing proud, when a man had just died? The old woman hobbled over, completely ignoring me, leaning over the railings, calling for help. I heard a splash and knew it was all over for Johnny. Sobbing hysterically, I used my remaining strength to lift myself up to look at Johnny’s bedraggled figure floating below. I hoped, beyond all hopes that he was still alive, swimming against the current, but then I remembered. He couldn’t swim. I burst into another fit of screaming, shouting into the wind, cursing the sea that would bring Johnny to his death. I pictured him sinking slowly to the bottom, being prodded at by curious fish. At this moment, I was all for jumping off the railings, joining Johnny in his watery grave. I started to climb up on the railings but the woman stopped me. Sinking down on to the floor, I clutched my bag, the bag that had killed Johnny and cried myself to sleep.
Falling • Opuss № I