We reached the dock a few hours later than expected, but decided to board the boat anyhow. We figured we could make up time by shortening our route and didn’t want to miss out on our scheduled speed boat adventure. My extended family of 23 people met up for an exotic summer vacation in Thailand. We had enjoyed sightseeing in Phuket, visiting the markets, riding elephants, and shopping. I suppose too much shopping. We had enjoyed our day so much that we didn’t pay attention to the time. The boat ride was scheduled to begin at noon so we could return to shore before nightfall, which was 6:30pm. Looking at my watch anxiously, I noticed it was almost three.
As soon as the boat left the shore, the fun began. We enjoyed each other's company -singing, laughing, eating, and didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the time the trip was taking or direction the boat was going.
The sky began to get dark and the winds grew stronger. The waves grew large as tidal waves, and the boat was buffeted by the wind making it change directions. The captain got everyone’s attention and, in a loud, clear voice, announced: “This is an emergency, I repeat, boat 012 is in an emergency. All those on board, put on your life vests immediately. By a show of hands, I would like to know who can swim?” The captain feigned confidence well, except the tiny quiver I detected in his voice.
The boat was shaking and the captain tumbled over; he fell to the ground because he could not steady himself. I stood there, frozen, not knowing whether I should be raising my hand. The captain was slowly trying to get up, muttering something I couldn’t hear because the winds were so strong. Sure, I could swim, but what about my mum and dad? My grandma? Sister? Aunts? Uncles? I could only imagine why the captain would need to know which of us could swim. I don’t think I was a strong enough swimmer to survive in the tumultuous ocean. Was this my end? I stole a quick glance in my mother’s direction and caught her wiping away tears while her lips were moving. Was she praying? I knew that I could not let her know that I had seen her crying. I looked back down on the ground and waited for the captain’s next instruction as he crawled to his seat.
As the minutes passed, the sky got darker and scarier. The waves kept crashing against our boat, reminding us of the danger we were in. Our only hope was to find somewhere nearby to dock the boat until morning. I imagined meeting a strange tribe who might or might not be welcoming to my family. I was terrified. We were all terrified. So many possible horrible endings: our boat could flip-over due to the high seas, which would throw us all into the water with little hope; our boat could end up on some deserted island and we may never be saved; perhaps, the engine could fail, leaving us to die of starvation and exposure in the middle of the sea. None of these options were reassuring. As if on cue, we all started praying, hoping for a miracle, even though we knew our chances were slim.
It seemed like a while later when the captain finally steadied himself and got his feet back on the ground. He had given up trying to get off the floor for a while, as the boat was getting rockier and less stable. He made his second announcement:
“Dry land ahead, keep your life vests on,” said the captain.
We hoped we could dock the boat and have time to figure out sleeping arrangements on the strange land, but our luck seemed to have run out - the sky turned pitch-black as we docked. We could not see anything and had no idea where we were. We sat down on the shore, relieved that we weren’t in the water, but had no idea how we’d get back.
The captain got up to make his third, perhaps the most frightful announcement:
“I know you can’t see me, so please stay still and carefully listen. Thankfully, we are no longer in the water, but I am not much help from here, I have no idea where we are and don’t have a chance of figuring this out until the sun comes up. Tonight will not be comfortable, but I am hoping we can survive. Let’s just hope and pray for the best.”
Some of my relatives started yelling at the captain.
“How dare you take us out to the sea when you knew it was too late to make it back?”
“Don’t you have a damn watch?” “Didn’t you check the weather, stupid captain?”
The screaming drowned out the rest of what the captain was saying. While I wanted to shout out as loud as anyone, my voice got stuck in my throat and no sound came out. My eyeballs were moving around in every direction trying to see where my parents and sister were, but it was too dark to even see my own fingers. A large lump formed in my throat, which was blocking my voice from being heard. I could still hear the crashing waves against the shore, and thought this night would never end.
Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for a long time. When it got dark, I started getting really nervous. Thank god, you guys made it back safely.”
The familiar voice was our bus driver. Somehow we had ended where we had started. disoriented captain hugged our bus driver. We all hugged our driver. We were safe in Phuket. None of us had any idea how we made it back from the shore we started off from. None of us really cared. We were so thankful to be alive and safe that we started dancing on the dark shore. We praised god for safely bringing us back to shore, it was truly a miracle. Being at sea, during a storm, made me feel very vulnerable and not in control of my fate. The boat ride made me realise how weak I am, and how dependent I am. My faith in God and his miracles were ignited on this trip. Until today, I look back at this trip and think how I am never alone, even when things get tough or scarry. God was with us the entire boat ride and he is still with me today.
As soon as the boat left the shore, the fun began. We enjoyed each other's company -singing, laughing, eating, and didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the time the trip was taking or direction the boat was going.
The sky began to get dark and the winds grew stronger. The waves grew large as tidal waves, and the boat was buffeted by the wind making it change directions. The captain got everyone’s attention and, in a loud, clear voice, announced: “This is an emergency, I repeat, boat 012 is in an emergency. All those on board, put on your life vests immediately. By a show of hands, I would like to know who can swim?” The captain feigned confidence well, except the tiny quiver I detected in his voice.
The boat was shaking and the captain tumbled over; he fell to the ground because he could not steady himself. I stood there, frozen, not knowing whether I should be raising my hand. The captain was slowly trying to get up, muttering something I couldn’t hear because the winds were so strong. Sure, I could swim, but what about my mum and dad? My grandma? Sister? Aunts? Uncles? I could only imagine why the captain would need to know which of us could swim. I don’t think I was a strong enough swimmer to survive in the tumultuous ocean. Was this my end? I stole a quick glance in my mother’s direction and caught her wiping away tears while her lips were moving. Was she praying? I knew that I could not let her know that I had seen her crying. I looked back down on the ground and waited for the captain’s next instruction as he crawled to his seat.
As the minutes passed, the sky got darker and scarier. The waves kept crashing against our boat, reminding us of the danger we were in. Our only hope was to find somewhere nearby to dock the boat until morning. I imagined meeting a strange tribe who might or might not be welcoming to my family. I was terrified. We were all terrified. So many possible horrible endings: our boat could flip-over due to the high seas, which would throw us all into the water with little hope; our boat could end up on some deserted island and we may never be saved; perhaps, the engine could fail, leaving us to die of starvation and exposure in the middle of the sea. None of these options were reassuring. As if on cue, we all started praying, hoping for a miracle, even though we knew our chances were slim.
It seemed like a while later when the captain finally steadied himself and got his feet back on the ground. He had given up trying to get off the floor for a while, as the boat was getting rockier and less stable. He made his second announcement:
“Dry land ahead, keep your life vests on,” said the captain.
We hoped we could dock the boat and have time to figure out sleeping arrangements on the strange land, but our luck seemed to have run out - the sky turned pitch-black as we docked. We could not see anything and had no idea where we were. We sat down on the shore, relieved that we weren’t in the water, but had no idea how we’d get back.
The captain got up to make his third, perhaps the most frightful announcement:
“I know you can’t see me, so please stay still and carefully listen. Thankfully, we are no longer in the water, but I am not much help from here, I have no idea where we are and don’t have a chance of figuring this out until the sun comes up. Tonight will not be comfortable, but I am hoping we can survive. Let’s just hope and pray for the best.”
Some of my relatives started yelling at the captain.
“How dare you take us out to the sea when you knew it was too late to make it back?”
“Don’t you have a damn watch?” “Didn’t you check the weather, stupid captain?”
The screaming drowned out the rest of what the captain was saying. While I wanted to shout out as loud as anyone, my voice got stuck in my throat and no sound came out. My eyeballs were moving around in every direction trying to see where my parents and sister were, but it was too dark to even see my own fingers. A large lump formed in my throat, which was blocking my voice from being heard. I could still hear the crashing waves against the shore, and thought this night would never end.
Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for a long time. When it got dark, I started getting really nervous. Thank god, you guys made it back safely.”
The familiar voice was our bus driver. Somehow we had ended where we had started. disoriented captain hugged our bus driver. We all hugged our driver. We were safe in Phuket. None of us had any idea how we made it back from the shore we started off from. None of us really cared. We were so thankful to be alive and safe that we started dancing on the dark shore. We praised god for safely bringing us back to shore, it was truly a miracle. Being at sea, during a storm, made me feel very vulnerable and not in control of my fate. The boat ride made me realise how weak I am, and how dependent I am. My faith in God and his miracles were ignited on this trip. Until today, I look back at this trip and think how I am never alone, even when things get tough or scarry. God was with us the entire boat ride and he is still with me today.
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Wow, that was intense. Excellent storywriting.
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