Ocean

• Thomas Gilltrap, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2014

2/5/12, 8:37pm
The boat drifted along the calm waves, building up and tumbling over only to repeat this cycle once again. I lay quietly staring up at the stars. The moon, bright and full, seemed to sooth me, making me feel lighter than a feather yet stronger than a thousand men. There was still no sight of land or food. All the canned tuna was still inside the boat but I refused to eat it. I am not the biggest fan of seafood therefore finding food in this situation would be difficult but I would try my hardest. The moon looked tired signalling me to go to sleep.

3/5/12, 7:04am
I awake, with the waves crashing slightly harder than last night. I hear a loud honking noise in the distance. I turn, only to see a large ship about 800 metres away. I take out the siren stored inside the bobbing raft. I put it up to my mouth and yell. “HEY! IM OVER HEAR! HEY! PLEASE RESCUE ME!” The big monster of a ship turns away heading north. I do not give up though. “PLEASE, ANYONE, I NEED HELP! PLEASE!” It does not seem to hear me. I am beginning to lose hope. I should of never agreed to the family holiday that giant cruise was horrible. The food was sloppy, the beds were dusty, the rooms were tiny. Still I should have never left.

4/5/12, 11:26am
My spear is only millimetres above the water, a school of fish only millimetres below. I wait silently, peering into the crystal clear sea. “1, 2, 3 go!” The blade cracks through the water penetrating one of the fish beneath it. I snatch it out of the water into the boat. It wriggles around for a good five minutes before slowing down and then stoping. I grab a lighter and some wood which have been drying in the sun since yesterday. They are no longer damp, therefore once again flammable. I start to burn the wood and a little flame appears. I grab some aluminium foil and carefully slide it under the wood to stop the boat from catching on fire. I hover the fish over the fire with my spear so that it cooks. I dig in. It’s not the most delicious meal in the world but it satisfies. Once I’ve finished I try again. By the end of the day I’m full and lay down, once again staring at the stars. My confidence is regained.