“It’s warm out tonight,” I think to myself. “It’s making me sleepy. But I can’t fall asleep. I’m on Watch on the Bridge overnight. Wake up Billy.” I pinch my cheeks gently and make myself another coffee to keep awake.
Hate keeping Watch. It’s so boring. There’s no one to talk to. Nothing to do. Just time. Too much time.
We do this same itinerary each week. We start from Port Denarau in Fiji, do a cruise around the Yasawa Islands and return to Port Denarau. I like working here. It’s fairly easy work. I even get to swim and snorkel with the guests during the day. Watch overnight is the only thing I don’t like but I have to take my turn.
The first night of the cruise is always at anchor here, just off Castaway Island. It’s called that because in the movie “Cast Away” Tom Hanks was marooned here. All the guests want to come here. We bring out “Wilson” and they get a kick out of playing catch with Wilson on the beach.
During the day, it’s idyllic. Coconut palms, white sand, crystal clear water and fringing coral reef.
At night, it’s all inky blackness. Sometimes I can stargaze but it’s overcast tonight so there’s nothing to see.
Still on Watch on the Bridge. Still feeling sleepy.
I try to pass the time and keep awake by measuring how many strides it takes me to cross from one side of the Bridge to the other. Yep, I’m bored. Very bored.
Watch drags on. I think I nod off momentarily.
I rouse as I hear a nasty, scraping sound that I’ve never heard before.
“What is that?” I wonder to myself. “It sounds like the hull scraping against the coral reef. But it can’t be. Can it?”
The Captain appears from nowhere. The noise has clearly woken him as he has come to the Bridge just in shorts and a t-shirt. “What was that?” he demands.
“Not sure Captain.”
The noise happens again.
Louder this time.
Adrenaline courses through me.
“I think it’s the anchor dragging Captain.”
“Me too Billy. Stay here. I’m going to take a closer look.”
The Captain disappears. I don’t need to pinch my cheeks to keep awake any more.
“Have I caused this by drifting off and not paying attention or was it just a freak thing?”
“Will I get sacked?”
After a few minutes which seems like an age and a few more nasty scraping sounds, the Captain returns to the Bridge. I have worked with him for two years and I have never before seen this expression on his face. A mix of hyper-alert, worried and determined.
“Sound the alarm Billy. We’ve hit the coral reef and damaged the hull. It’s too dark for me to assess the extent of the damage. I don’t know whether we’re going to sink. We need to evacuate the ship.”
“Now.”
about the author
Leonie Jarrett lives in Melbourne, Australia with her Husband of more than three decades,to2 of herfour4 adult children and her 2 Golden Retrievers. Leonie loves to tell stories.
Did you enjoy the story? Would you like to shout us a coffee?. Half of what you pay goes to the author the oher half goes to expense se.g. Maintaining hthe web site and setting up The Best of Café Lit book each year.
No comments:
Post a Comment