This was going to be the best, most exciting vacation ever! My friend Emily had come with me. We had flown from North Dakota to Florida and then sailed from there to the Bahamas! After the exhausting, but great 3 days at sea, we checked in at a fabulous hotel, Oceanside. I had just awaken, lying on a queen size bed with seashell print sheets and gorgeous lacy pillows, thinking about how our trip had gone thus far. The beachfront window had been left open during the night, and now the misty, fresh sea breeze danced through the room, giving a magical touch to the scene. The tender winds swayed the long, exquisite curtains, giving them a floating effect.
I looked at the clock. "Oh, no!" I exclaimed," I'm going to be late! It's already 8 o'clock!" I sprang from the bed and quickly prepared for the day and clumsily stuffing my clothes back into my suitcase in my haste to meet my family on time. I met them in the lobby and we caught the bus to the port. Emily and I would be going on a 4-day boat tour through the Bermuda Triangle, while my parents would tour the islands. We expected the boat tour would be exceptionally good, but what actually happened far surpassed our wildest dreams.
A surprise awaited us as we arrived at the dock where we would be departing! We had been led to believe that we would have the boat all to ourselves. We were surprised to learn that in addition to the captain and his mates, three boys, Michael, Damian, and Connor, were also scheduled to be going on the boat tour. I, with the help of Emily, convinced our parents and the ships' captain that it wouldn't be fair to deny the boys the boat tour that we had both been scheduled for. The captain apologized for the misunderstanding and informed us that there would not be enough space for the arrangements to remain the same. Quick thinking Emily volunteered that her and I share a room, so that all of us could go. My parents weren't confident that it was a good idea for us to share the boat with three boys, but they finally let us go after 'the talk'. As the boat pulled away from the port, Emily and I waved goodbye as my parents shouted the final, 'Be Careful 's and 'Make sure to do's. We quickly made friends with our shipmates. This wasn't much of a surprise, considering what gentlemen Michael, Damian, and Connor were. They escorted us to a large room on the lowest deck. Emily and I were delighted to be sharing a room. It was painted a pale pink with hand sketched butterflies sprawled over the walls. Emily and I dreamt that the room was once that of a young princess in exile because of her loyalty to her best friend, a peasant. The sleeping arrangements were nothing fancy, hammocks strung from corner to corner, and the only floor décor was a large, bright, braided throw rug. It gave the room a simple yet brilliant air. We immediately fell in love with it.
After we were all settled in, we explored a little. Emily and I had only poked around a little while when we met Samantha, the captain's daughter. We got along great, and she had the cutest outfits!
"I am so thankful you are actually girls, and my age too! I mean, usually the people who come on our boat are old and retired or newlyweds," Samantha sighed, "Besides," her voice sounded excited, "I bought some new clothes at my last stop on the island of Guadalupáe Sánt la Fagío. They include some matching wraps, all different colors, and just enough for us!"
Later, as we emerged on deck, we modeled the gorgeous outfits. I wore a bold blue one, Samantha a brilliant orange one, and Emily wore a bright pink one. She was simply dazzling. Styling long, brown, shimmering hair that lay sprawled out on her back, she seemed exceptionally elegant. Her hair caught the essence of the setting sun as it slipped behind a vast curtain of water. We leaned against the boat rail and gazed out on the darkening ocean. This is great, I thought to myself. We couldn't have been more content. But the water seemed to hold a dark secret. One that made you feel uneasy inside, like something terrible was going to happen. The lights of the boat began to flicker on and soft music began to play. Startled, I glanced around, rather surprised that I hadn't realized I was alone. Then I saw that at the far end of the deck was a little party. Emily was dancing with Damian and Samantha with Connor. I hadn't heard anyone behind me, but I was surprised when Michael spoke.
"Hi," he said casually.
"Oh, hi Mike! I didn't hear you coming!" I spoke eloquently. We talked for a little while and then Mike switched the gear of the conversation.
"Would it be okay if I asked you to dance?" Mike asked me.
"I thought you'd never ask," I replied. He took my hand and led me over to where the others were dancing. We danced and had a good time for hours! I was having so much fun! Then it started to rain. Not just a light rain, more like a down-pour! Emily, Samantha, Damian, Connor, Michael, and I ran into the cabin and quickly slammed the door. The clock read half past midnight, and we agreed that we should all go to our rooms and try to sleep a little bit. Samantha grabbed another hammock from the storage room and told her father she would be in the 'butterfly room'.
"I had the greatest time," Emily said dreamily, "I can't thank you enough for talking your parents into letting me come along." She gently stroked her hair with a brush, gazing off into her own world.
"Earth to Emily, I repeat, earth to Emily!" I giggled, waving my hand in front of her eyes, "Come back! We're losing you! Nooo." I shook her shoulders, and fell over laughing. She threw her pillow at me and sat down in her hammock. "Besides, it wouldn't have been fair of me to keep Damian and Michael all to myself, now would it?" Emily looked confused so I added, "Connor would've already had Samantha," I tossed my head playfully. Emily and I gabbed and joked until three in the morning. Samantha wasn't very talkative, and she was rather seasick. The storm had been tossing the boat about like tiny bath toy for hours, and I was beginning to feel nauseous myself.
"I usually don't sleep in a hammock! Storms usually don't bother me! This is the last time I sleep in a..A..AAACHOOOO!" Samantha crawled over to me and emphasized each word, "They .. sway . with . the . boat!" She rolled over on her back, kicked her legs and pointed up to the sky, "Oooo.. I see happy bunnies!" She smiled and couldn't stop laughing.
"Don't scare me like that! I thought you were asleep!" screeched Emily.
"Can't anyone get some peace and quiet around here?" I pretended to be irritated and covered my head with a pillow.
We heard a blood curdling scream and we all glanced at each other nervously. No one spoke. The tension in the room was enough to drive the strongest person mad. We grasped each others hands as we ran out on deck to find help, but were thrown from the boat. Clinging to each other and shrieking, we plunged into the black, icy water.