A Maritime Adventure

It is now the year 2038, and what a year to live in. Blue. Blue. Blue. Everything Blue. Beautiful and magical, yet dangerous as ever, the ocean is now my back garden. And I don’t mean that metaphorically. After the effects of global warming greatly affected us in 2028 people fled far and wide in search of somewhere safer to live in. Nowhere has yet been found. Two years ago I was named captain of this ship. This masterpiece in which I travel the one mighty ocean which now covers the entire earth’s surface. In my two years sailing across this ocean I have seen very little land. I have a small crew but a trusty one. Nowadays that’s hard to come by. I trust my crew and they trust me. Steering at night is a dream. Drifting through the calm, quiet, dark waters. The stars high above me, glinting like cat’s eyes. And yet, it is only a dream. At night you must be alert. Who knows who or what may creep onto your ship. The waters aren’t as calm as they used to be. Many a thing has been spotted in those waters. The stars don’t glisten above me, they, like all above, are now covered by a thick layer of cloud and smoke. But, when passing over a flooded city, I can sometimes see streetlights shimmering deep in the water. But only when the city isn’t too deeply buried by the ocean and the energy supply has not yet run out. Each day and night is a struggle for survival.

“Ship, ship I see a ship!” Yelled Robby in excitement. My heart filled with both Joy and anxiety.
Robby is the newest addition to our mobile family. He’s a young boy, only in his twenties. He stays awake most nights, sitting on deck, looking for any sign of his parents. He believes that they are doing the same.
Morris, my longest lasting ship mate, came bounding up and out of his cabin, dressed in his night robes. He pulled out his pocket telescope and looked through it.
“The boy’s right. Ship ahoy everyone!” Morris ruffled Robby’s hair. “Well spotted lad. Now go fetch the others.”
Without a moment to lose, Robby sprinted down into the cabins to wake the others. Moments later the crew arrived and set to their posts. “Shut off all engines!” I called to the crew.
It was good to have an excuse to boss people around. I was in charge again and it felt great. Taylor, my best friend, came over to me.
“D’you think it’s friendly?” She asked.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” I replied. “Ready the plank!”
My crew were running here and there, following my commands. I would have to divide the crew into two groups. One would come with me to explore the other ship and the rest would stay behind and guard my pride and joy.
“Morris, Taylor and Damien. You three and coming with me. The rest of you are staying behind to guard the ship.”
The crew split up. Most nodded in agreement as they did so.
Once in line with the other ship, we placed a plank across to it from our ship. Cautiously, we made our way over to the vessel. The remaining crew waved us good luck.
The ship seemed to be neglected for some time. It looked to have been under siege not too long ago. Wooden beams and boards thrown all over the place. Shards of glass covered the floor. It was a death trap.
“Hey over here,” called Taylor.
I clambered over to her. She touched a stain on an old wooden beam and rubbed it between her index finger and thumb.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Blood, and it aint that old either.”
Morris hushed Taylor. “Do you hear that?”
We all strained our ears. There was a noise, like a voice, coming from somewhere on the ship.
“It’s coming from the bridge.”
We all made our way over to the bridge. Shoving wooden planks and beams out of our way. The ship seemed to have been torn apart. “Hey, look at this.”
Taylor pointed to some wood. There were chunks taken out of the wood. Chunks with teeth marks on them. Damien looked at me in horror. I could see tiny beads of sweat, specked across his forehead.
“Wait a minute,” Said Taylor. “Is that... singing?”
Coming from the bridge was a mumbling sound, loud but unclear, it definitely had a tune to it.
“It is,” I said.
I was slightly alarmed.
Morris was first to reach the Bridge. He heaved wooden beams and metal grids out of his way, until he could see the door of the bridge.
It had been purposely barricaded. Morris wiped the small, circular window with his dirty sleeve and looked through it.
“Get over here guys,” he gestured.
We all clambered over to him.
“Take a look,” he said, stepping away from the window.
I looked in. Compared to the rest of the ship, the bridge seemed to be intact. Then I saw something. The shape of something large and lifeless was in the corner of the room.
“There’s something in there guys.”
Taylor pushed me out of the way and looked in herself. She gestured for Damien to come over. She stood back and he kicked the door down.
An overpowering stench of alcohol and urine welcomed us as we stepped inside. The dark figure in the corner stirred. We all turned to face it. Cautiously, I pointed my torch towards it. It groaned when the light hit it. I sighed in relief. In the corner sat a wrinkled, old man. He looked filthy. Grit and dust clung to his greying beard. I saw something glint on the man’s jacket from the light of my torch. Taking a closer look I realised that it was a captain’s medallion. Damien had moved closer to the man.
“He’s a captain,” I explained.
Damien nodded.
“Captain, sir, can you hear me?”
The man looked up. His bloodshot, watery eyes were out of focus. Dark rings circled under them. It looked as if he hadn’t slept of bathed in weeks! His words were slurred.
“All hands on deck, son,” he mumbled.
Something fell from the clutches of his hand. It clinked as it rolled across the metal deck. Taylor picked it up. It was a glass bottle. She brought her finger around the rim of the bottle and tasted it.
“Salt water,” she said, and spat on the ground.
“Too much can drive you insane,” Said Damien, studying the man slumped in the corner.
The man began to mumble words under his breath.
“I didn’t mean to. No. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
A thud came from above us. My heart was racing. The man’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“I not know. I know not what I was doing. I set them free is what I did. Nothing should be behind bars,” He began to smile, showing the remainder of his rotten teeth.
There was more thudding.
“What type of ship is this?” I asked.
Morris found a plaque on the wall and dusted it. On it read;
“Certified
Noah’s Ark
Travelling Zoo”
I could now hear the blood pumping in my ears. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely keep up with it.
“They won’t get me here. No they won’t,” Said the captain.
“Come on. Let’s look for supplies,” Said Morris.
“What about him?” Asked Damien, who was still crouched beside the captain.
“What about him?”
“Are we just going to leave him here?”
“What do you expect me to do? He hasn’t got much time anyway.”
I did feel sorry for the man but I understood were Morris was coming from.
Morris and I went down into the store cabin while Taylor and Damien kept watch on deck. Who knows what could be running wild on this ship. Morris found a crate of food and I found two half gallons of water. We were about to make out way up to deck when we heard screaming and gun shots firing. We dropped what we were carrying and braced ourselves for what we were about to face. My heart leapt into my throat. There, in front of me, was the body of an overly sized lion, lying motionless on the deck. I turned to see Taylor hunched over something. It was a body. A disfigured body, covered in blood. It was Damien. Morris had to heave Taylor up from Damien’s lifeless body and haul her over to the plank connecting the two ships.
“Come on!” he yelled.

Once back on the ship, everyone was asking questions. Their worried faces looked up at me, their leader and captain.
We had gone out as four, optimistic and hopeful and had come back as three, empty handed and at a loss.
After a few months, we too could turn out like the old captain. We needed hope. Fast.

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