This is a story I wrote based on the Costa Concordia accident. Hope you like it :)
Drowning in paradise
I was getting my bag ready; I looked out of the window and saw, finally, my beautiful Italy. Never truly mine because I was never there, but surely mine by heart. I love the country I’ve never been in before, but finally I’m making my dreams come true. I’m going to Italy with most of the people I love, and I’ll participate in a swimming competition. That’s what I always wanted, since I’m a professional swimmer. Go to the most beautiful country in the world and participate in a swimming competition while I’m there.
I’m in the cruise Costa Concordia with my parents, my small sister and brother (by the way, they are twins) and my boyfriend. This is just perfect, especially because Bruno, my boyfriend, is going to tell my parents he wants to marry me. That will be great; after all we’ve been together for 8 years. This is the last day of the cruise and we are arriving to Italy. I can barely see the coast. I finish packing and go see my family in the restaurant. I get out of the bathroom and with surprise see everyone there.
–We brought our lunch here. There was no place for us in the restaurant- says my mom with a smile.
–It was too crowded- says my father a little repulsed because he never liked crowds.
–All right then- I said enthusiastically –Now my favorite twins, go clean your hands, I’m sure you just came from the pool- both of them giggle and kiss me in the cheeks before going to the bathroom –Hey, how’s your day?- I ask sweetly to Bruno, he pulls me in to his arms and kisses me.
–Now it’s much better- he says after we let go.
–Of course- I say.
–Oh, I forgot this, for our eighth year anniversary- he says before giving me a flower made of shells, taking it with a shy smile I feel my face burning; I’ll never get used to it, it doesn’t matter how many times he does anything that I really like, I always blush, always get shy and feel this weird tickles in my stomach.
–Luiza is as read as a tomato- both my siblings sing in chorus –She will always be a tomato bla, bla, bla, bla, bla- says my little sister Clair. I laugh, this is the best family I will ever have. I thank God I gave him a shellfish with a pearl inside that I bought from a fisher for a fairly low price, this way I don’t feel so guilty that I didn’t gave him something as beautiful as he gave me. Bruno and I barely eat while the others consume everything they can rapidly. They leave us alone so we can have our romantic lunch. We seat in the bed glued to each other. We eat, talk, laugh and kiss a lot; then after we get tired of talking, laughing and kissing we simply embrace each other
–I love you, and I’ll always do, no matter what- Bruno says seriously. I look in to his eyes, this serious tone is weird to come from him.
-I know. I love you too, and I’ll never let you go- I tell him, because it’s the truth. If he leaves me, if I let him go, I don’t know what will happen to me, how deeply harmed I’ll be. I kiss him and we slowly fall asleep. Suddenly I wake up, what I beautiful dream I just had, and it’s hard to know I was dreaming because it was just like reality. I was going to Italy and that is a dream in real life and in my dreams. Mia Italia. What a dream! I do just what I did in the dream: change and see what time it is. It’s late, already lunch time. I wake everyone and tell them to change and go get some lunch for us.
–I can help with the baggage- my mom says.
–No, thanks mom, I want to do this alone.-I say a bit sharply.
–All right then, I’ll leave you alone- She says with a smile and leave with dad, Clair and Arthur.
–Bruno, I’ve got something for you- I say handing him an opened shell fish with a pearl in it.
–Thanks, this is beautiful- he kisses me –I’ve got something for you too- He is going to get it but I stop him.
–Don’t, give it to me later- I say.
–All right- he says a little sad –Maybe your parents will like to see me giving you a nice present-.
–Yeah, I’m sure they will, now can you leave, I’m sorry.- I say.
– All right, all right, I’m bothering you- He says suppressing a laugh and gives me a quick kiss and run out of the room. I take the bags and start packing them up because today is our last day in the cruise; I separate cloths for everyone to change afterwards and go to the bathroom to start packing everything we have in there. Suddenly I hear the room door open loudly, jumping my heart out, I calm myself because I know it’s my family coming back from lunch. I finish and get out of the bathroom and talk to everyone and try not to blush when Bruno gives me the shell flower, but still my siblings call me a tomato. We all eat; then my family leave Bruno and I alone. We seat in the bed and look to my distant Italy and start talking about how amazing it will be, and how we are going to tell them that we’ll get married, after all that’s not what my father wants. My father thinks I’m destined to take care of his company after he dies and (according to him) that can’t be done if I get married, but companies are not my thing, seat behind a desk and tell everyone what to do is not my thing, even though it would be cool to tell everyone what to do. I want to be out in the world swimming, diving, taking care of the sea animals and the sea itself; and of course, live with Bruno and have a family with him. We change topic and talk and laugh until we get tired and fall asleep. This time I have a different dream, a very weird dream. I’m in a pool, it’s actually the sea, but it’s as steady as a pool. I’m there floating, enjoying the water in my back and the sun’s soft fire in my front, it’s delicious. Suddenly the sea starts to incline into one side; I feel I’m going to sink in the water, which normally would have no problem since I feel extremely comfortable in water, but this sinking feeling is different. It feels as if I was going to sink and never be able to come back for some air again. I sink deep down; trying to fight whatever is pulling me down, trying to reach the surface with my hands when something pressures my upper body forcing me to breathe. Feeling the salty water reaping its way into my lungs ready to kill me while the bitter taste of death and salt feel my mouth and swim down my throat, I lose consciousness, but it doesn’t kill, the pain my lungs feel for the need of air and the venom that salt water is, enter them. I wake up feeling my lungs with as much air as they can handle. I breathe in so much air that now my ribs hurt. I look in to my beautiful Italy, so close now that I could swim there without getting tired. Then I see it, my heart sinks deep down my body and I understand what’s about to happen.
For a moment a feel panic racing through my body, filling my heart and blocking straight thoughts; I stay still on my bed and try to control the fear. When I stop panicking I wake Bruno.
“Stay calm, it’s going to frighten you, but everything is all right”, I tell him in a slow pace and as clear as I can. He looks confused and says
“What? What are you talking about?” He starts to turn around, “What do-” His voice ends, and he does a weird gasping sound and stays looking for a while, not knowing what to do. He looks at me with his eyes wide open, “Let’s get out of here right now!” He says jumping from the bed. We take our baggage and run to the other room and knock desperately in my family’s door.
“Come on! Hurry up! Let’s get out of here, NOW!” I shout at them. My father opens the door brusquely.
“Let’s go!” He shouts and takes off.
“NO! DON’T RUN!” I scream at him, “we can walk fast but running can get us into trouble,” and Bruno holds my hand. It doesn’t work; we end up running for our lives, wanting to get out before the ship sinks. When we finally get to the exit of the ship I shout viciously “BE CAREFUL! THE SHIP IS REALLY INCLINED YOU CAN FALL AND HURT YOURSELVES!” Since I’m crazy about water related stuff our bags are water proof and they float, I love them.
“We need to jump to the water and get to the coast, all right?” said Bruno. I didn’t notice, but we were still holding hands.
“Yeah, that’s what we gotta do.” I say firmly. He looks me in the eyes and I see what’s he’s thinking. “No, I don’t want to” I cry out.
“I know, I don’t want to leave you either but you, just like me, know this is the safest way to do.” He says firmly. I lower my head and say softly, almost crying
“All right, go ahead.” He takes my face in his hands and kisses me.
“Come one babe, we gonna be all right. After all this is water, this is your territory.” With that he lets my hand go. Oh dear, the worst feeling I’ve ever had. It actually hurts. No I don’t want to let him go, I feel so empty, incomplete. I want him back. Still, he slides down the ship and jumps to the water.
“Ok, send Clair and then Arthur, quickly” I tell mom and dad. They are freeze, for some reason they can’t control themselves. This is so weird.
“Don’t leave us, for your mother’s sake!” My father says seriously and goes help Clair to get down the ship. I take an old towel we have, rip it apart and tie the bags together. When everyone is in water I shout
“Can I throw the bags?”
“Yeah, sure, I catch them” Answers Bruno. I throw them and hear them splashing in the water. When I’m about to go down I hear scratching sound and a cry.
“Help! Please I need help!” It’s barely audible, but I know it’s near me. I leave and hear Bruno’s voice
“NO! COME BACK!” It is a girl with what seemed to be her smaller sister. She was probably trying to climb up, but probably whatever she was supporting her weight on fell and she is hanging on something.
“Please help me, take her please.” The girl said when she saw me.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you, just don’t let go.” I pull the girl up and repeat “Don’t you dare let go, I’m coming back soon.”
“Where are you taking her?” The girl asks desperately.
“My family is outside the ship, I’ll leave her with them and come back for you. She’s going to be safe, you’re going to be safe.” Sure that the girl was convinced I left with the little girl. “I’m sending a little girl down there, take care of her, then I’m going to send the girl that was with her. Coming back soon.” I say and run back to the girl; she’s still there.
“Thank you very much miss.” She says when I get to her.
“No problem, I just need you to go in the same direction I went and slide down the ship carefully, all right? There will be people waiting for you,” I say, “miss” since when am I a “miss”? I pull her up losing control of my balance and when I finally see she can get up alone I fall forward.
I fill coldness raping my flesh, there’s a sudden crash in my head and everything goes black. I wake up and I’m leaning on my back, half my body is floating half leaning on something made out of metal. My head aches, and so does my body every time I breath. I touch the aching part of my head.
“Aah! Sh*t! Argh!” The pain is horrible, but at least it’s not bleeding. I try to get up and pain rips my body from my ribs. I look down,
“Oh, mighty sea, for God’s sake this can’t be happening.” I piece of metal is stuck between my ribs blood is coming out of the wound and so do some bubbles every time inhale. The metal stick surely crossed my longs. I take the metal stick and start pulling it out of my body.
“Argh,” it hurts so much I need to creak my teeth and shut my eyes to control the pain. When I finally get it out I decide the wisest thing to do is find a way out. I half swim half drag myself through the ships ways, but there is no way out I can find. I’m dying, I already accepted it, I’ll die here and they’ll find my body here floating, dead. There will be no words of consolation for my mom or Bruno. I cry out, no Bruno for the rest of my time. Thank God he is not here for me to share my destiny with him. I hope he finds someone else, someone who will love him as I do, and I hope his going to love this someone equally. I love him. I let my memories with him flood my mind and my eyes. The best way of dying; when something calls my attention: a flash of dying reddish light. I open my eyes and painfully look around, there!
“Oh! Beautiful.” I say out loud. I drag myself to the ship’s window so I can savor the red sunset of Italia. Beautiful, splendid; I’ve never seeing such a beautiful view. Then I feel all the strength I had left leaving my body. I can’t support my head over the water, so I sink. I’m leaving myself, I’m finally dying, after many ours of pain. Now there will be no pain, he wouldn’t do that to me, he never would. It’s my time to die, and it will be peaceful because I’m in my territory, I’m in my home, I’m in the most comfortable place: the sea, best place to live, best place die, and so I did and so I do.
