Post by Bobbie on Oct 6, 2021 10:11:58 GMT -5
Once Simon’s laughing fit was over, he could catch his breath and let out a long sigh. He remained lying on his back for a moment longer, just staring at the night sky as the wave of hysteria was washed away. His body had warmed up a little bit while he was laughing, but his muscles were quick to go back to shivering underneath his wet uniform.
“We sure did…” he mumbled softly, before grabbing onto the edges of the boat and pulling himself up to a seated position with much strain. “One heck of an adventure.” He smiled and nodded, only to be surprised by her next statement – she wanted to be friends? Being friends with a young eighteen-year-old was never really on his bucket list, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed her company. She was certainly a lot more pleasant a companion than his old partner, Miguel, by a long shot, and she was a sweet girl. “Yeah!” his smile grew. It hadn’t really hit Simon until this moment that he really didn’t have many friends. In fact, he couldn’t name anyone in his life that he would consider anything more than a work colleague or a neighbour, a travel partner at best, but certainly not a friend. “We can be friends. I like you too, Annika, I’m glad that we met.” He spoke from the heart and silently prayed that none of that sounded weird, before his smile grew into a grin and a chuckle escaped him. “Maybe not all adventures need to be as crazy as this one though…” he looked toward the exploded remains of the larger ship some distance away, the dock, and the entire mess that they left behind them.
This was a good thing. If nothing else, maybe his presence in her life could keep her out of some trouble in the future.
Then he started to twist and turn in the boat, looking out at the sea around them to get his bearings once more and figure out at least which direction they needed to row in. It was a good thing the city was on the horizon, they could at least see their destination and have a target to move toward without getting lost, but he wasn’t sure about the currents or any sudden and unexpected storms that could surprise them. “We should take turns rowing. Have you ever rowed a boat before?” he asked as he grabbed the two oars and got started with the task, deciding it best to waste no time – and then something very strange happened...
Simon’s entire body tensed, as if he himself was being shocked by his own weapon, but that couldn’t be possible without the sound of any shots fired. As his shoulders slowly rose, he seemed to be struggling for air, taking short quick gasps, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a pained expression that he’s never made before.
“ACHOO!” his body shook violently as his head shot downward. He sniffled and was in a daze for a few seconds before another sneeze followed and then another to mark the magical lucky number – the third time really was the charm, as with the third sneeze, his freezing hands lost their grip on the oars. The two paddles, cracked and damaged as they were, were not nearly as buoyant as they should have been, as the wooden devices took on some water. Only partly submerged, they bobbed in the water and were quickly drifting away. “No! Get back here!” Simon reached out to try and grab one of them – he missed. Then turned and tried the other one in a panic, managing to touch the end of the wooden grip, only to accidentally push it further away and cause a big splash in the water to soak his shirt afresh, and possibly Annika’s clothes too.
Realising that his attempts were only making things worse, he stopped and just sat still looking at his partner in complete and utter resignation.
He was doomed. Doomed to have things go wrong against all odds and all his efforts. But alas, in his optimistic mind, there was enough of a light at the end of the tunnel to bring his signature smile bouncing right back onto his face. “No worries. The currents will carry us. The oars are moving pretty fast in that… general direction…” he waved a hand to capture a very wide area that was loosely in the direction of the city.
The smiling man, master at being positive in the most dreadful situations, then lowered himself onto the deck of the boat again, more gently this time. “Get comfy. This won’t take long, I’m sure … an hour, two at most.” He spoke as his eyes soon closed. “There are some canned goods around here somewhere if you’re hungry.” He offered, squirming just a little to reach behind his back and pulled out a can from under him.
Simon’s intention was not to fall asleep, but the stress of the situation on his mental and physical being simply proved too much as he was in a deep slumber mere seconds after removing the can from underneath his back.
Of course, his prediction, as reassuring as it may have been, was entirely wrong, as the pair would drift across the sea for the entire night. It would be early morning when their boat would reach the city, the wooden exterior colliding with the stone steps in busy shopping street as it had drifted into a canal, pulled in by the gentle currents.
If the gentle thud wasn’t enough to wake them, a child’s voice may have done the trick.
“Mummy, mummy, there’s a dead policeman and a dead girl in that boat!” a young child could be heard screaming at the top of her lungs, pulling at her mother’s hand who was desperately trying to keep her child away from a potentially dangerous situation. “Honey, leave them alone, I'm sure they’re not dead.” She clearly wanted nothing to do with the situation and dared not question the circumstances of the scene.
When Simon opened his eyes, he was met with many gawking faces leaning over their boat, many of which seemed quite worried, others frightened, and some amused. On first instinct, he smiled widely at everyone, his uniform now dry and his body just warm enough to prevent hypothermia. He was pale, but his lips were no longer blue and the shivering finally stopped. “We’re okay! We’re not dead!” he laughed as he quickly sat up, now well-rested. He promptly turned to Annika and placed a freezing hand that could easily be felt through her clothing to nudge her awake, “We made it to a shopping district!”
“We sure did…” he mumbled softly, before grabbing onto the edges of the boat and pulling himself up to a seated position with much strain. “One heck of an adventure.” He smiled and nodded, only to be surprised by her next statement – she wanted to be friends? Being friends with a young eighteen-year-old was never really on his bucket list, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed her company. She was certainly a lot more pleasant a companion than his old partner, Miguel, by a long shot, and she was a sweet girl. “Yeah!” his smile grew. It hadn’t really hit Simon until this moment that he really didn’t have many friends. In fact, he couldn’t name anyone in his life that he would consider anything more than a work colleague or a neighbour, a travel partner at best, but certainly not a friend. “We can be friends. I like you too, Annika, I’m glad that we met.” He spoke from the heart and silently prayed that none of that sounded weird, before his smile grew into a grin and a chuckle escaped him. “Maybe not all adventures need to be as crazy as this one though…” he looked toward the exploded remains of the larger ship some distance away, the dock, and the entire mess that they left behind them.
This was a good thing. If nothing else, maybe his presence in her life could keep her out of some trouble in the future.
Then he started to twist and turn in the boat, looking out at the sea around them to get his bearings once more and figure out at least which direction they needed to row in. It was a good thing the city was on the horizon, they could at least see their destination and have a target to move toward without getting lost, but he wasn’t sure about the currents or any sudden and unexpected storms that could surprise them. “We should take turns rowing. Have you ever rowed a boat before?” he asked as he grabbed the two oars and got started with the task, deciding it best to waste no time – and then something very strange happened...
Simon’s entire body tensed, as if he himself was being shocked by his own weapon, but that couldn’t be possible without the sound of any shots fired. As his shoulders slowly rose, he seemed to be struggling for air, taking short quick gasps, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a pained expression that he’s never made before.
“ACHOO!” his body shook violently as his head shot downward. He sniffled and was in a daze for a few seconds before another sneeze followed and then another to mark the magical lucky number – the third time really was the charm, as with the third sneeze, his freezing hands lost their grip on the oars. The two paddles, cracked and damaged as they were, were not nearly as buoyant as they should have been, as the wooden devices took on some water. Only partly submerged, they bobbed in the water and were quickly drifting away. “No! Get back here!” Simon reached out to try and grab one of them – he missed. Then turned and tried the other one in a panic, managing to touch the end of the wooden grip, only to accidentally push it further away and cause a big splash in the water to soak his shirt afresh, and possibly Annika’s clothes too.
Realising that his attempts were only making things worse, he stopped and just sat still looking at his partner in complete and utter resignation.
He was doomed. Doomed to have things go wrong against all odds and all his efforts. But alas, in his optimistic mind, there was enough of a light at the end of the tunnel to bring his signature smile bouncing right back onto his face. “No worries. The currents will carry us. The oars are moving pretty fast in that… general direction…” he waved a hand to capture a very wide area that was loosely in the direction of the city.
The smiling man, master at being positive in the most dreadful situations, then lowered himself onto the deck of the boat again, more gently this time. “Get comfy. This won’t take long, I’m sure … an hour, two at most.” He spoke as his eyes soon closed. “There are some canned goods around here somewhere if you’re hungry.” He offered, squirming just a little to reach behind his back and pulled out a can from under him.
Simon’s intention was not to fall asleep, but the stress of the situation on his mental and physical being simply proved too much as he was in a deep slumber mere seconds after removing the can from underneath his back.
Of course, his prediction, as reassuring as it may have been, was entirely wrong, as the pair would drift across the sea for the entire night. It would be early morning when their boat would reach the city, the wooden exterior colliding with the stone steps in busy shopping street as it had drifted into a canal, pulled in by the gentle currents.
If the gentle thud wasn’t enough to wake them, a child’s voice may have done the trick.
“Mummy, mummy, there’s a dead policeman and a dead girl in that boat!” a young child could be heard screaming at the top of her lungs, pulling at her mother’s hand who was desperately trying to keep her child away from a potentially dangerous situation. “Honey, leave them alone, I'm sure they’re not dead.” She clearly wanted nothing to do with the situation and dared not question the circumstances of the scene.
When Simon opened his eyes, he was met with many gawking faces leaning over their boat, many of which seemed quite worried, others frightened, and some amused. On first instinct, he smiled widely at everyone, his uniform now dry and his body just warm enough to prevent hypothermia. He was pale, but his lips were no longer blue and the shivering finally stopped. “We’re okay! We’re not dead!” he laughed as he quickly sat up, now well-rested. He promptly turned to Annika and placed a freezing hand that could easily be felt through her clothing to nudge her awake, “We made it to a shopping district!”
Simon: #d2ce2f
Child: #fc6eba
Mother: #bafc6e