The Ninth Wave

To some, the ocean is a dangerous place, full of peril, darkness, and an enveloping drowning of surroundings. But for Captain Espoir and his crew, the ocean offered things that nothing else on earth can offer. It offered an area of endless possibilities. A place where the water could be almost like the paintbrush to the canvas of these individuals lives. Many have found endless riches and fames because of their travels on the sometimes treacherous waters of the ocean. It offered many possibilities, but the possibilities only favored those that took the biggest risks. Everyone knew about the conquerors of the world, who found new lands for their people to go and settle in. Some of the other Captains were able to find lands that would provide solace and offer so much resources. Espoir and his crew were traversing through the waters for one simple reason: they wanted to show that they could do what others before them couldn't. Travel around the world in a record amount of time.

But their journey wasn't as simple as it could be. They departed from the shores of France a month ago, travelling through storm after storm. The crew were mostly adept to the continuous amount of waves, but they had no idea what was about to arrive their way. Nearing the coast of Puerto Rico, the crew was hit by an incredibly strong storm. This wasn't just any storm, rather, it was what many feared and called in the community the "Perfect Storm." Ironic as the name was, the Perfect Storm is actually not as perfect as one would want. There would be rains that would cause barely any visibility in front of the ship. The waters would be so treacherous and dangerous that myths have been told saying that people could hear the water almost growl in the pitch blue/black darkness. And then, the worst part of it all: waves of huge proportions would rise and fall. It was the stuff of nightmares.

This time around, the crew wasn't able to fight off this incredibly huge storm. As the rain poured and the thunder bellowed around them, Espoir couldn't help but see the despair that was on the faces and eyes of his crew. The people that usually were stoic and stronger than any other person he knew, now showed signs of extreme fear and worry. It looked like they wore the mask of someone that couldn't crack any sense of optimism. The waves were coming and going, but as soon as they crashed into the ship, Espoir knew, that it was only a matter of time till the ship would capsize. He felt responsible, and felt like that he let his crew down. As another wave hit the ship, it rocked the ship so hard that some of the crew were thrown off the ship. The scary part about all of this was that Espoir couldn't even hear some of their screams, as all the noise was being masked by the incredible force and nature of the storm. People were dropping into the water like flies, and there was nothing Espoir could do about it. The crackling lightning and wind made it sound like a vortex of sorrow around him. There was just no sense of hope. The crew members were battered around the ship, being whipped side to side. Crew members were screaming in fear and pain, with some vomitting from the extreme motion they were experiencing. Espoir shouted for his crew to remain as calm as possible, knowing that was a futile move in this circumstance.

He counted 8 waves so far, as he knew the next one would be the last, but the worst. To his surprise though, the rain began to dissipate, and the darkness of the storm began to slowly go away. The glow of the morning sun began to shine through the clouds, almost like the crew was entering heaven. Whatever was left of the ship floated on the water, as Espoir and the few remaining crew members clutched onto the ship, as they looked out to the distance in hopes of seeing some sort of solace. "Over there!" screamed a crew member. They all looked, as Espoir saw in the far distance what seemed to be the coast of some land. The only thing now was the crew members had to believe their ship was going to wash towards the shore. That was literally the only way for them to get there. Espoir knew that it depended on the trajectory of the water, and how it was going to flow. Till then, they had to sit still, and pray. As the crew held still, Espoir heard the noise he knew he didn't want to hear: the next wave. For a seasoned sailor like himself, he knew the sounds of somethings, and this was one of those things he didn't want to hear. He saw the wave building up from a distance, coming from where the storm was still being active. It didn't look like it was going to let up, as it kept building up in height the more closer it got.

"ALL RIGHT MEN, THIS IS IT!" screamed a desperate Espoir. "HOLD ON!" The other crew members turned their attention to where Espoir was staring at, as they saw the wave reaching towards them. But this time around, there were no screams, nor were there any sounds whatsoever. There was an eerie silence amongst the crew. All of them just stared at the wave, as it gained speed and headed towards them. Espoir closed his eyes as he felt the ship shift up, with the sound of the wave now closer than it was before. He winced as the force of the wave hit them, like a wall of water. He refused to open his eyes, in fear of seeing his death. For him, the sea was what he lived on, and now, was the place where he knew he would perish within. He died trying what he wanted to accomplish, and all he and his crew could do now was accept their fates.