Man Overboard!

A vicious gale had torn our sails apart as we neared home port. The storm had come out of nowhere it seemed, took us all by surprise. We struggled along the deck to secure what we could salvage of the tattered sails before mother nature took care of them for us. Wave after bone-chilling wave crashed over the side of the ship and threatened to drag us into the writhing seas.

"Get below deck!" Came a cry that was only just audible over the roaring wind and surging ocean. One by one we made our way to the opening that led below. A cry stopped me dead however, and I turned to see our helmsman holding onto the railing for his dear life. The look of sheer terror on his face was what made up my mind.

With a determination that burned in my chest I steadily crept to the aid the man before the ocean could claim him. My journey was made difficult as each wave loomed larger than the last. I had just about reached him when a frothing wall of water knocked me down onto the deck and slammed my body against the railing.

The pain was only made worse by the chill that had taken hold of my body, and for a moment I could barely manage to breath. But the eternity of agony was cut short when I turned my attention to where the helmsman had been.

All I could see were a pair of hands gripping the wood now. My heart leapt to my throat, and despite my pain I pulled myself to my feet. After what seemed like hours I reached where he hung and grabbed his hands. The poor man still wore that same expression of terror. His eyes pleaded for me to pull him back over to safety.

With a mighty pull fueled by the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I had him back on the deck and we shared a look of amazement with one another. Before we could say anything, another monstorous wave crashed upon us.

Up and down were impossible to tell as I tumbled like a rag doll through the water. The helmsman was in no better shape than I. At last I felt my body hit something solid and I wrapped my arms around it. The water receded and left the two of us stumbling to regain our footing.

The helmsman made his way to the opening with a speed I would later envy. His form disappeared down into the hatch and left me alone on the deck. I held on to the railing and trudged toward the opening before stopping dead in place.

The wave that caught my attention made the previous ones look like ripples and towered over the ship like some unholy beast. My heart all but stopped as it lifted our ship up and carried it in it's watery jaws. Finally it crested over the deck.

My grip failed and my whole world was spinning around me. I wasn't on the deck anymore, I knew I was going to be swept away. After struggling to get to the surface I popped up and gasped for breath. The ship was still within swimming distance!

I willed my body to swim toward the safety of the ship but it felt as though all my energy had been swept further out to sea than my body had been. I bobbed in the swirling water and watched in despair as the ship slipped further away.

My dismay was soon turned into horror as another wave swept over my head and pushed me down into the dark depths. I thought of home and my Belle. Her face filled my mind and a peace slowly crept over me as I sank deeper. All other feelings and pains slipped away but her face never left. It was the last thought that passed through the mind of a man overboard.

a reply to: BenignChaos

Until this is formatted neatly into paragraphs I doubt many members will read this wall of text. Just a friendly tip.

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

Thanks for the tip. I will fix it.

a reply to: BenignChaos

Nicely done, I liked it.

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

Many thanks. This is the first I've written for public viewing in a while and I may do more if the reviews are positive.

a reply to: BenignChaos

ATS regularly holds writing competitions with different themes. (You's find them listed in the Short Stories forum, the current one is Proper Horror.) Possibly something to think about?

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

I will look into it. Thank you for the information.

a reply to: secretariat

Please do not go off topic. This is a short story and has nothing to do with whatever you are talking about. Thank you.

a reply to: BenignChaos

Well written! I was at the edge of my seat reading this. Yes, do write more!