Ocean Madness

A vibrant wooden boat lead by Captain Jensen sets sail from the docks of England, glistening under the sun's golden rays, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colorful hues, from its bright red hull to its crisp white sails, the boat gracefully glides through the water, leaving a trail of monstrously huge ripples in its wake.

This was no ordinary boat. This was a Ship of the Line. Ship of the Line vessels were large, three-masted ships with a high number of cannons. This one in particular was armed to the teeth with extra cannons, and a larger then usual crew. It was prepared to go to war against the Spanish Navy.

The boat was heavily armed, carrying over 100 cannons. This ship was designed for engaging in battles with other large warships and formed the core of Englands naval fleet. The Spanish had the upper hand when it came to international trade, having the easier sailing routes, and the English knew it. The monarchy decided this had to end, England would stake its claim and get some of the more favorable trade routes for themselves. That was The Prides mission, according to Captain Jensen. Him and his crew on board The Pride would sail to a Spanish vessel and fire on it, leaving Spain unable to defend a particular trade route, and they’d claim the route in the name of the queen!

The Ship of Line traveled with a frigate for extra protection, as the Spanish Navy had been using more advanced and tricky tactics lately. Frigate’s were versatile warships that combined speed, maneuverability, and firepower. They were two-masted vessels, this Frigate in particular carried between 44 cannons and their crew had been used for various purposes over the years, like escorting merchant convoys, scouting enemy positions, and engaging in naval combat. Now it was assigned to protect the Ship of the Line.

This ship of the line was built to symbolize the might of the English Navy. It was crafted with intricate details and precise craftsmanship. The boat sailed long and proud, a true vessel of power. The boats sturdy wooden hull was painted in a bright deep navy blue and adorned with golden accents and regal crests. The ships name “The Pride” was painted on the back of the vessel.

Some of the younger sailors were visibly nervous, their hands were shaking and one of them was throwing up while another was talking to much and to fast. But the older, more experienced sailors remained calm and ready as the boat prepared to embark on a grand naval expedition.

“God save the Queen,” a crew member shouted and the two ships departed, ready to engage the Spanish Navy.

“Hear hear,” Captain Jensen replied.

The calm, serene environment of the open sea, with a clear blue sky and a scattering of fluffy clouds gives the crew a sense of tranquility, stability and freedom.

The mood is peaceful, for now.

As the Ship of the Line and the accompanying frigate sailed further away from the shores of England, the crew's anxiety began to dissipate. They settled into the familiar routine of life on board, their minds now occupied with thoughts of battles to come.

“There’s no way the Spanish are any match for our great ship. We’ll wipe the deck with their corpses after we sink their boats,” a crewman said.

The anticipation of the impending battle with the Spanish Navy fueled their anxiety again, and the sailors anxiously went about their duties, preparing the cannons, checking the rigging, and ensuring the ship was in perfect condition for combat.

“Attention, crew,” Captain Jensen shouted. “I see a lot of young faces among you. I see a lack of experience reminiscent of my own. One thing I have learned about the cause of my own anxiety is over thinking, which can drive a man crazy. The best way to deal with your anxiety is not to think about it. So everyone, take a breath and stop thinking. That’s an order,” Captain Jensen shouted.

“Yes sir,” the crew said and saluted.

“Stop saluting and breathe, damn it!” Captain Jensen barked. The sailors finally understood and most of them inhaled and exhaled. Then it was back to work, checking and rechecking the ship.

The Pride ventured deeper and deeper into the vast, lonely blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The crew remained vigilant, constantly scanning the horizon for any signs of the enemy. Fate, however, had something unexpected in store for them.

As they sailed, a bell could be heard ringing from the crows nest, and the man inside was shouting “slow, heavy fog approaching.” The frigate was ahead of The Pride and had already disappeared into the dense fog.

The ship slowed down, then the dense fog quickly descended upon the ship. It enveloped the vessel, obscuring their vision, completely blinding them to what was ahead. The mighty Pride and it’s mighty crew were now adrift in a sea of gray. The crew strained their eyes, desperately searching for any end to the fog. They knew they were close to an enemy fleet, and worried they would be seen before they could see an encroaching Spanish vessel. They feared the Spanish vessel they were tasked to capture would sink them first, and all they could see was an impenetrable wall of mist.

As the hours crawled by, the crew's unease grew. Fear traveled through the ranks, gnawing at their resolve. The fog seemed to play tricks on their minds, distorting sounds and reality. The ship creaked and groaned, as if it was haunted by ghosts unseen.

“Keep calm, everyone. It’s just a touch of fog,” Captain Jensen said softly. He hoped his crew didn’t notice how much his own voice was shaking.

They were almost out of the haze, the end of the fog in sight, when a loud and ear splitting sound echoed through the air. The crew froze, their hearts pounding in their chests. It was the sound of a cannon firing.

“Crap, they’ve spotted us,” Captain Jensen shouted, then a cannon ball hit the ship.

Panic spread like wildfire as the ship was jolted by the impact of a cannonball crashing into its hull.

Captain Jensen was used to winning, this was his first experience getting spotted first and he didn’t like the feeling.

Amidst the chaos, the sailors scrambled to respond. But the enemy ship, unseen in the fog, had the upper hand. Cannonballs continued to rain down upon them, tearing through the ship's wooden frame with devastating precision. The vessel began to take on water, listing dangerously to one side before splitting in half, the sound of the wood splitting terrifying the crew.

Realizing the dire situation they were in and not knowing what else to do, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. The crew members grabbed hold of whatever they could find to stay afloat in the tempestuous sea. Some were fortunate enough to find pieces of debris from the shattered ship, some clung desperately to their fellow sailors, and a few had drowned after they’d exhausted their energy by trying to stay afloat.

After the survivors floated away from the fog, they saw land in the distance. They slowly swam towards it, and eventually washed ashore on a remote and lonely island.

Their once grand ship was in ruins, and they had no way off the island.

The crew squeezed some of the water out of their clothes in an attempt to dry quicker. Exhausted from the ordeal, they agreed it best to find a good hiding place in case the Spanish ship was still following, and get some rest. They walked into the dense trees hoping they’d provide enough cover for them not to be seen.

“We’ll figure this out tomorrow. For now, let’s try and rest,” Captain Jensen said.

Tomorrow came and went, and they couldn’t make a rescue plan. A second day had passed, then a third, then five and then ten days had passed. All they had to show for their time spent on the island was a small raft that looked like it would sink if anyone but a small child got on board. Despair gnawed at the souls of the crew, slowly causing them to go mad. The Captain tried to keep everyone calm, but the crew was still slowly going crazy, desperate to get off the lonely island and back to their families. ‘Ocean madness,’ some called it.

Survival became their sole focus. Hunger and thirst haunted their lonely minds, and a once unbreakable bond they shared with their comrades began to crumble as each person got more desperate and depraved.

One by one, they turned against each other, driven to madness by the ever present need to survive. Friendships turned into bitter rivalries, and they’d literally stab each other in the back when one wasn’t looking. This was for food, because there was nothing on the island to eat so many had resorted to cannibalism.

The island became a battleground, the once brave sailors reduced to savages fighting tooth and nail for the chance to survive.

“People, please… we have to stay united,” Captain Jensen shouted.

“My fist is going to unite with your face,” a crew member shouted and punched Captain Jensen so hard it knocked him to the ground.

Everyone started fighting and attacking each other, and anyone trying to stop the fight was immediately knocked out.

One crew member, Jimmy, a conscript, finally ran off and hid. He waited inside a cave and prayed nobody would find him. He came out when he didn’t hear anymore noise, saw one of his crew mates, called to him, and when the crew mate saw Jimmy he was ravenous with bloodshot eyes, flesh and blood from the other crew mate dripping from his mouth, and ran at Jimmy. Jimmy was forced to shoot him. He turned the crew mate over and realized it was the captain. He gasped and cried and shouted.

“It’s all over,” Jimmy finally said, now looking around. He realized only one person was now remaining, himself. He started laughing, then crying.

Jimmy, traumatized by the horrors he had witnessed, knew he needed to escape the island and return to his home in England. He was going to tell his story. He must make it home. Jimmy salvaged what he could from the wreckage of his sunken ship and set to work constructing a makeshift raft, one better then the first one his crew had hurriedly built before they all turned on each other. He still couldn’t believe he was the last survivor. The thought of all his friends dead had nauseated him.

A few days had passed, and Jimmy had toiled tirelessly, using every ounce of his strength and energy to fashion a seaworthy vessel.

He was finally finished, and was excited to sail home.

“Praise be the lord,” he shouted while looking up at the sky, his hands touching in prayer.

The journey back to England was treacherous, much harder then Jimmy had expected it to be, and he faced many challenges along the way. He held on to his raft for dear life as a storm relentlessly pounded him with water. The lightning and thunder would crackle down and scare Jimmy every time it did. He navigated horrendously giant currents, and endured hunger and exhaustion. But his desire to live and tell his tale kept him going. He would keep the good name of his crew alive and well, and possibly leave out the cannibalism part of the story. His crew used to be good people before The Ocean Madness set in.

After months set adrift at sea and exposure causing Jimmy’s health to decline, his raft approached the shores of England. He was lucky, he had enough sense to follow the stars and was able to set his raft in the right direction to get home.

Someone on the shore saw Jimmy arrive on his raft, looking dirty and his clothing tattered.

“What happened to you?” The man asked while helping drag the raft to shore.

“It’s a long story,” Jimmy said, sighed, then asked if he could get a ride home.

He agreed to take Jimmy home as long as Jimmy was willing to share his long story, then helped Jimmy get into a merchant cart.

“Thank you, kind sir, for the ride. What might I ask is your name?” Jimmy said.

“Thatcher, yours?” Thatcher asked.

“Nice to meet you, Thatcher. I’m Jimmy,” Jimmy said, then slowly recounted his story on the way home.

Jimmy was met with disbelief and awe from Thatcher as he recounted his harrowing tale, everything from the treacherous fog, the sinking of their ship, and the descent into madness on the island that eventually led to cannibalism.

“I can’t believe Ocean Madness is a real thing. How did you survive getting eaten?” Thatcher asked.

“I found a cave and I hid until I didn’t hear anything. When I came out, I saw one of my crew mates leaning over another dead crew mate. I called to him, and he turned around with flesh dangling out of his mouth, his bloodshot eyes looking ravenous like a wild dog. I was in shock, but managed to point my rifle at him when he started growling, the other crew mates flesh and blood dripping from his face. He then charged me, his arms lurching forward, and I fired. He fell face first to the ground. I slowly approached him, still in shock, and kicked him over. I could now see his face, and it was then I recognized him. ‘My god. I’m so sorry, Captain Jensen. What happened to you?’ I shouted. And it was then I knew I had to hurry and escape the island, before Ocean Madness overtook me as well,” Jimmy explained.

“What an incredible story. My cousin happens to work for the paper. Can I have him interview you?” Thatcher asked.

Jimmy nodded. They arrived at Jimmys house. Jimmy said his goodbyes to Thatcher and told him to come by and visit.

Jimmy drew himself a bath, cleaned himself off and then went to bed.

Thatchers cousin from the paper came by the next day for an interview and Jimmy repeated the same tale he told Thatcher.

The following weeks it was the only story people could talk about, and people would stop Jimmy in the street and ask to hear the story in person. He was now considered a hero and even got a medal honoring his service in the military.

While Jimmy was glad he survived, there wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t think about all his friends and fellow crew that died on the ship. Jimmy eventually wrote a book, an autobiography, which quickly became a best seller and made Jimmy incredibly wealthy. He donated most of his proceeds to the family’s of his former crew who had lost loved their ones.