My world is sinking. My home is this ship. And I’m all alone. My stories sit on these shelfs.

I grew up on this fishing boat. Just me and my dad. My entire childhood are these books. They were my world when I couldn’t get to the one on land. And now we are sinking.

This is no time to be woeful. The water seeping in through the wood is no help and the fact that the only light is flickering like theres no tomorrow isn’t great either. Maybe it’s right though.

I try with one final tug to pull my leg free from under the couch. Thankfully it slips out with a painful scrape against my skin. I stumble up and cling to the door. It’s jammed. My father tryed fixing it when I was young with no luck.

I step back and grasp the handle, then I pull back with my entire body. I repeat this step multiple times and just as it’s about to budge I remember. The water seeping in.

The door comes free.

A wall of water slams into me and I’m pushed back. I land on my bookcase as the boat makes a terrible groaning sound and sinks a tad bit faster. I stand and try to push against the waves, but my legs just tire.

I start to really panic. Oh god. What if i actually die out here.

More and more cold water attacks me. With all my force I jump to the window. The light is really flickering now and I resort to the moon being my source.

I grab the heaviest book I can find and hold it in two hands. As I reel it back I read the title. “The Lord of The Rings”. Nice.

I slam it into the window but it doesn’t budge. As my arms throw as much water aside in search of a heavier book, the ship is thrown back.

It’s vertical.

I fall again to my bookshelf. And it’s where I stay.

I dive under water and grab all the books that fit in my arms.

When I resurface I realize I’m crying. My stories sit sadly in my arms dripping wet. Everything is ruined. I want to collapse to my knees but the water is too high.

With the flickering light I look up and out the door. The water continues to fall in. I try to jump up. My arms barely graze the top of the door. But a wave pushes me down.

I scream. I cry. I flail my arms. But I know it’s useless. No one is out in the middle of the ocean. Just me and my stories.

We are all that’s left.

I hold my first ever book in my left hand and my diary in my right. I hug them close as my feet lift off the ground and the water rises. In one final attempt I try to pull myself out the door but the water rushing in is too strong. My heart shatters. I am going to die out here.

I open the book that holds my first words and read it silently to myself.

I tried

I swear I tried dad.

I swear I tried stories.

I swear I tried to get us out of here.

With the final flickering of the lights, I took a deep breath, knowing I had done everything I could do to save us.