She knocks on the door, apprehensive but ready As it swings open wide, her heart beat begins to steady "Come in” voices beckon lovingly her feet move forward steadily As the door closes with a bang And her ears rang The voices grew louder She stood tall, prouder Many hands reach out to hold her in place, urgent but kind All thoughts empty quickly from her mind "I'm where I'm meant to be” she sighs.
As the sun radiates through the windows, my eyelids get heavy and I can feel a headache forming at the top of my head. Great, I think, as I force my eyes to stay open, trained on the task in front of me. Click, clack, click, I type away. “Next!” I call and wave the next person in line over, “AM or PM shift request?” I ask. “Uh, well, I’d like PM please.” Those words are enough to shake me from the haze, “what?” I ask. “Yeah, I want the night shift.” He chuckles, “well, the PM shift that is.” I wipe the shock from my face, “ok, that’ll be a $2 raise and qualify you for early retirement, but no medical or dark sleeping accommodations.” He nods and takes the forms from my hands. As he shuffles away, I stare at his back, “doesn’t he know, it may be just as bright at night but our internal clocks don’t care, it needs to sleep sometime…” I mutter to myself. I shake my head, yawn, “next!”
Jessie’s party was to be big. Huge even. The talk of the town. Anybody who’s anybody was invited, and expected to arrive prompt and with extravagant gifts. The main event, besides Jessie herself, was to be a ten layered cake, each layer a different color and flavor. It would be the talk of the night. As guests begin to stream in, Jessie herself was nowhere to be seen.
In the kitchen, behind the ballroom where the party was to be, Jessie is sitting, in tears. The cake on the floor, a rainbow mess splattered over the floor and the kitchen boy who was carrying it. “You! You did this!” Yelled Jessie,tears flowing freely, taking mascara with it. The boy looks up, dumbstruck, jaw hanging open. “Well? Do something! Don’t just stand there I need a cake!” She cries!
As the boy scampers off, a old woman shuffles into the kitchen, “my my, what a lovely mess this” she tuts. “It’s all that boys fault, he dropped it” Jessie sniffles. “Ah, and what should his punishment be?” The old woman croaks. “Punishment? I don’t care about that, I just need him to come back with a cake!” Jessie huffs. The old woman stares her in the eyes and whispers, “oh, a cake? I can make him a cake so very special.” Jessie hesitates but nods, “yes, I need one, and quickly. Everyone is arriving.”
From the hall a woman screams. Jessie jumps up and dashes out, leaving the old woman smiling and cackling in the kitchen. As Jessie rounds the corner she sees a pair of small shoes next to a beautiful three tiered cake. “Oh perfect!” Jessie exclaims. The woman in the hall turns and sputters, “but he.. he was a boy, and - “ Jessie doesn’t listen, instead she picks up the cake and hurries to the party.
Later that evening, once the dancing and games had ended. Jessie’s father calls, “it’s time to cut the cake! Everyone gather round!” The partygoers gather, excited to try this beautiful cake. Jessie takes the knife from her father, saying, “I’m a whole 13 years old now, dad, I want to cut my own piece!” With that, she slices a piece and quickly takes a bit. “Mmm! Red velvet! Delicious!”
The salty sea slams against the ship, shoving me forward. As a teeter on the edge of the bow I feel the rough hands the first mate grab collar of the my blouse and pull me back to safety. "Whoe there" he calls, as I regain my footing, "can't have you taken' a dip now can we?" he quickly ties a rope around my waist, I see its connected to the main mast of the vessel. I nod and quickly turn, once again scanning the choppy horizon. Searching . I know she is out there, waiting to be found.
As the winds subside, I begin to pace across the deck. Hair coming lose from its bun, flapping in the wind. The crews' eyes follow my path, I can see the concern on there faces but I don’t care. I don’t have time to care. All the room in my heart, my mind, is taken up by this need. This need to find her, save her from the sea.
When the sky goes purple, then inky blue, and finally black, I see it. With the moon out bright something is on the water, bobbing in the waves. I cry out and run to the rail, reaching. The crew all jump and begin running about. I don’t care, so long as they get the ship closer. Closer so I may reach out and save her. Tears begin to cloud my vision, burning hot down my cheeks.
As the ship drifts nearer, I lean over the edge, trying to see. Trying to reach the piece of wrecked ship she’s clung to. I scream out, I’m too short, she’s too far. With a glance over my shoulder, no one is close by, I take a deep breath. Deeper than any breath I’ve taken before. And leap.
Cold. So cold. My eyes pop open and quickly shut again, salt water stinging. I kick and reach, hoping to find the surface or her makeshift raft. My eyes burst open again and I take a swallow of air, gasping. So cold. So dark. I spin, kicking and flailing, trying to locate her. There! I swim hard, struggling against the waves and my soggy skirts. Why isn’t she reaching for me? I grab the board and see some rope, securing a limp figure to the wreckage. No. No it’s not true.
As dawn breaks, my ship is nowhere to be seen. The crew never wanted a woman on board to begin with, they didn’t care about my mission. My need. None of it matters now. Her body is limp, straining against the rope holding her tight. I stare into her unseeing eyes. She’s gone. I wasn’t fast enough.
I look into the ocean and see my thin frame, choppy and distorted in the waves. Then a flicker, something in the deep. I smile. With my cold, sunken hands, I begin to untie her body from the raft. The moment she’s free I grab her arms and put them around my neck. Our clothes tangle together and we begin to sink. Deep into the cold, the dark. I keep my eyes open, ignoring the sting. It doesn’t matter now. The one I love, the life we were to have together, is lost. Never to be. I see the creature coming, it’s fast. I sigh, bubbles that are my last breath float quickly to the surface. I hold my love, my life, as darkness envelopes and swallows us whole.
