Chapter 21

The sky turns dark, the ocean around them disappearing into the night. The father, (who calls himself the captain of the yacht) decides to push through the night, wanting to get to their destination before morning.

The son, (who the father calls his ‘first mate’) thinks it’s a bad idea and wants to wait till morning to continue sailing. “We can’t even see anything! How are we supposed to know where we’re going?”

“That’s what the GPS is for! It’ll make sure we get there. I got this, don’t worry. I’ll wake you in the morning.”

Reluctantly, the son goes below deck, getting some needed rest. The father chugs another cup of coffee, feeling completely wired. The yacht he captains isn’t huge. It has a single room below deck with two beds, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Above deck is an enclosed room with the steering controls and seats to lounge in. The father and son have been sailing through the empty ocean for days, making their way to their summer house in the islands.

Four hours of cruising through the dark have passed since his son fell asleep. He drinks another cup of coffee but is no longer feeling its effect. His eyes start to close. It’s only for a second, but that’s all it takes for him to miss a piece of debris floating in their path. He opens his eyes, the large, broken metal container closing in. Panicking, he jerks the wheel as hard as he can, trying to avoid it. He doesn’t make it in time, the yacht crashing into the metal box. It flips the boat upside down. The father gets thrown through the glass windshield as they make contact with the debris. He tumbles overboard, splashing into the black sea.

Water rushes throughout the yacht and the cabin below as it starts to sink. The father swims to the surface, finally able to catch his breath. He then sees his upside down yacht, his son still inside. As fast as he can, he swims over to the sinking vessel. Just barely above the surface, he’s able to grab the outside of the yacht, using it to help him swim. He takes a deep breath, then pushes himself down, making his way inside. He swims toward the cabin, looking for his son. The seawater burns his eyes as he tries to search through the darkness.

He reaches a bed, feeling around. There’s no one in it. He spins, reaching for the other bed. Once more, it’s empty. He swims up to the roof of the cabin, trying to find a pocket of air to catch his breath.

He searches and searches, but there aren’t any around. The way the yacht sank pushed so much water into the cabin that it didn’t leave any room for the air to hide. His lungs start aching. I can’t leave him. He must be here, somewhere! 

Unyielding, he keeps swimming, searching. Thinking his son got knocked unconscious during the crash, he knows he wouldn’t have much time left before he drowns. THE BATHROOM! He pushes himself over to the small bathroom door, slides it open, and sees his son’s body floating over the sink. He grabs him tightly, yanking him out. With all the strength he has left, he kicks his legs, swimming to the cabin’s exit. As he gets to the stairway leading to the surface, he smacks into something. This wasn’t here before. He reaches his free arm out, trying to move the object.

A chair from above deck has sunken into the stairway, lodging itself between them and the surface. Unable to push his way through, he feels a opening above the chair. He’s too big to fit through, but his son isn’t. He takes his son’s body, and carefully but forcefully pushes him through the gap. He fits through, slowly rising out of the yacht, floating up to the surface.

A feeling of calm washes over him now that he knows his son will be okay. Floating in the darkness, his air runs out. He breathes the seawater into his chest, burning his lungs. One last gasp escapes his mouth as his body fights to stay alive. But it’s too late. He just floats there, alone in the darkness.

His son’s body reaches the surface. Even though his back can feel the air, floating slightly above the water, his head doesn’t move, still submerged under the sea. As the yacht collided with the debris, his head smashed into the sink, killing him instantly.

The ocean grows silent but for the sound of the waves. Both the captain and his first mate’s bodies lay still, waiting to be taken by the sea.