Friday 10 July 2009 - Nate is eaten-almost
I've been very bad and made a girl revolt. Jessie, who has always been so nice and never cared what I put her through, revolted. Raakel, who was supposed to not even be in the book but just kind of showed up, has followed her.
Though I don't intend the Marshall books to be romances I did have their weddings planned, and who they would marry. Nate was supposed to marry a girl named Ruth, a nurse. However, Raakel decided she wanted to be in more of the book, got kidnapped, then decided she wanted to marry Nate. He liked the idea, and is trying to turn romantic on me. I think I am the only none romantic writer who has romantic characters.
Anyways, I am halfway through with Hazard on the High Seas. In fact I just finished writing a scene, yesterday, were Nate was nearly eaten by a shark. Look below for it :-D I'm too sick to say more. You can just read the story to make up for my lack of words.
Jessie was so intent on looking at the ship that she did not notice the water was getting darker. She did not notice until Nate grabbed her arm and pointed up. The others were already swimming up, but he had returned for his distracted sister.
Jessie's eyes widened when she saw the change and she nodded her head to show she understood Nate. There was a storm coming and they had to get back to shore! She turned to follow him, leaving the old ship behind. However, she did not make it far when her tank caught on a piece of metal that was jutting out. Taken off guard, Jessie wrenched around, and did more harm then good.
One of the straps that held the tank to her shoulders, snapped. The heavy tank fell sideways and pulled her down. Jessie fought to rise, and in the process the other strap broke. The tank slid of Jessie's back, yanking her mask with it. Jessie clapped her mouth shut and swam upward.
Nate had not been idle during the whole thing. Seeing she was caught he had turned back to help her, but by then the tank had already fallen from her back. Bubbles filled the water, and Nate swam back to his sister. He grabbed her arm, tore his own mask from his face, and placed it over hers. Jessie breathed deeply.
Nate jabbed his finger back down at the tank, and then slowly swam down. He and Jessie took turns using his mask as they went. The tank had fallen in the door of a partly opened hatch. It was now caught fast. Nate made hand motions to Jessie to tell her he was going to pull it out. Jessie took a deep breath, then handed the mask back to Nate.
Nate tried to work quickly. He grabbed the tank and tried to pull it free, but it was much harder then he thought it would be. The tank was stuck, and he could not get good leverage to pull. Annoyed he let go and removed the mask so Jessie could breath again. While she was using it he thought. By the time she handed it back to him he had a plan.
Placing his feet on either side of the hatch, he bent over, grabbed the tank, and pulled up. Nothing happened at first, and he felt as if he was accomplishing nothing more then straining his muscles. He was about to let it go, and come back for it later with Jeremy, when it suddenly yielded its grip. The tank came up, the hatch snapped open, then fell closed at the same time that Nate's foot slid into the opening.
Jessie grabbed her brother's arm and tried to yank him out of the way as the heavy metal fell down. However, she was not fast enough, and the metal door caught Nate's leg, pinning him fast. Nate bit his lip and closed his eyes in pain.
Jessie struggled into her tank, put her mask on, and took a deep breath, she then swam over to the hatch. She tried to push it up, but it was far to heavy. She knew she could never get it to move without help. Jessie jabbed her finger up and looked at Nate. She could see he was in pain, but he nodded his head. As he did so Jessie noticed that his leg was bleeding.
One thought flashed through Jessie's mind, sharks! She looked around quickly, failing to notice Nate was doing the same thing. They had seen sharks on their last few visits down, but the majestic animals had stayed at a distance, more afraid of the intruders then they were of them. However, now that there was blood in the water, they could come in a frenzy.
Nate was pointing up again. The look in his eyes said enough. “Get help, Jessie!”
Get help? And leave him here, to be eaten alive? She could not leave him, not now! She had to get him out! After all, she had gotten him into this mess.
“God, help me!” she prayed. “I hae tae get him oot, help me tae dae it! Give me the strength!”
Once more Jessie grabbed the hatch, and once more she tried to move it back up. The minutes seemed like hours. Nate did all he could to help, but he could do very little because of his position. Jessie was just about to admit defeat, and hurriedly get help, when a dark shape swimming through the water changed her mind. She knew a shark when she saw one.
The beast had spotted them, she knew as much by the fact that he was swimming toward them-very quickly. Nate grabbed Jessie's arm and tried to shove her to the side. However, Jessie pulled free, and acting without thought, looked for something she could use to fight the beast off. Nate watched her in dismay.
“Father, don't let her get killed!” Nate prayed as Jessie picked up a long rusted metal pole. By that time three more sharks had appeared. They came in from all four sides.
Jessie ignored the other three, and turned to face the first one. By that time he was almost upon Nate, who was seeing his life flash before his eyes. Jessie swam to his side and stuck out the metal pole. She did not move as the shark moved in, and when he was closer she swung the pole around. The shark charged it full force.
Jessie was knocked backwards, lost her grip on the pole, and hit the deck. As she starting floating up she saw the shark writhing wildly about. Blood clouded the water. Jessie stared in horror for a moment, then swam back to Nate. The other two sharks, seeing more blood then from Nate's leg wound, went after the bleeding shark. Jessie did not watch as they began to eat him.
How she got the hatch opened, Jessie never knew. She could only ever say, “'Twas through God!” Once Nate was out the two swam upward, reaching the top in time to face a new danger.
The moment their heads broke the surface they were slapped in the face by a howling wind. About ten feet from them they could see the boat. It was being tossed about the waves as if it was nothing more then a piece of drift wood. At any moment Nate was certain it would be smashed to pieces.
Jessie pulled her mask off, and got a mouth full of water. Spitting and coughing she yelled, “We hae tae help them!”
“If we get near that boat,” Nate yelled as he grabbed her arm, “we will be crushed!”
“Ye mean we hae tae stay in the water?” Jessie yelled back. “What abbot the sharks?”
Nate had not forgotten the sharks. “We have to trust God!”
Jessie opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say never came. “Wave!” she yelled instead; she pointed over Nate's shoulder.
Nate turned just in time to see a huge wave rise up over his head, and come crashing down on them. He had Jessie were pushed underwater, and had to fight to come up again. They both gasped as they breathed in the cool air. Rain hit them hard in the face.
“Should we gae back under?” Jessie yelled. At the moment she thought fighting off the sharks would be better then fighting the storm. He looked at the boat again.
“Maybe we should try for it,” he said doubtfully. Jessie did not answer as another wave came crashing down on the them again. This time they were pushed farther down, and saw that two more sharks had joined the three.
Jessie fought her way up first. Just as her head came out of the water jagged lightening lit the sky. Jessie rubbed her eyes. “I think getting on the boat would be a guid idea!” she yelled to Nate.
He was starting to agree. He was not to keen on the idea of getting shoved under again. “Come on!”
They began to swim toward the heaving, rocking boat. The waves tossed them about, throwing them this way and that. Nate felt exhausted before he had gone five feet-which really felt like twenty feet. Jessie was doing no better. Often he had to grab her arm so they would not be separated.
Finally Nate stopped. “Put your mask on!” he yelled to Jessie.
Jessie obeyed. Once they had them back on, they both dove under the water, and nearly found themselves face to face with a shark. The shark did not seem concerned about the storm, only fulfilling his hunger for more food. Nate's leg was still bleeding, the wound re-opening every time he moved it.
Jessie turned to the side and swam out of the shark's path; Nate swam in the other direction. The waves were nearly as wild under the water as atop. This did not help matters any.
The shark turned quickly and came at them from behind. Nate pulled Jessie out of the way, and kicked at the beast as he swam past. It did little good. The shark turned his head and bit at Nate's flipper; he removed it, then dropped it. Jessie would have laughed, under different circumstances.
Nate was already pulling her away. Jessie could not believe they were trying to outrun a shark in a storm. The shark was in front of them again, only this time, when they swam to the side, he did the same. They found themselves face to face, and it might have ended there had not Nate yanked Jessie down. They swam ahead; Jessie did not look back.
Nate was the one who keep his eyes open. He was the one who saw the shark coming, and this time swam up. He did not stop swimming up until he had broken the surface, and was hit in the head by the side of a boat. Nate dropped back into the water, and would have fallen into the sharks open mouth had not Jessie pulled him up.
“Help!” she yelled as she tore the mask from her face. “Doon here!”
The waves and thunder drowned out her voice, and the shark reminded her to keep moving. Nate and she swam around the boat, trying to avoid the hungry animal and getting bashed in the head. All the while they kept yelling for help. No one heard them until they were on the other side of the boat.
“I heard something!” they heard Jeremy yelling, before they dove back under to escape the shark.
“Lower a rope!” when they came up again they could hear Sam yelling.
“What side?” Lorenz's voice boomed out.
“Port!” Maddie yelled.
Then a dark shape leaned over the side, and a rope was tossed out. “Grab on!” Lorenz yelled.
Nate found the other in of the rope, grabbed it, and wrapped his arm around Jessie. “Pull!” he yelled as loudly as he could. The rope went taunt and they began to move forward. Jessie turned her head in time to see a fin stick out above the water.
“He's back!” she yelled to Nate.
Nate turned his head just as the fin went under. He yanked his feet closer to his chest just as he felt something brush against his leg. “Pull!” he yelled urgently.
The shark passed under Jessie and him. He could see the dark shape as it turned and came back. He looked at his sister, then yelled, “Hold tight to the rope!”
She did so. “What are ye daeing?” she yelled.
Nate did not answer, only said, “I love you, Jessie!” then let go.
The change in the weight made it even easer for Lorenz to pull, and Jessie was yanked forward quickly. Before she knew it, Nate was lost to sight. And the next thing she knew she was being pulled up onto the boat. She was knocked against the side a few times, but made it up safely.
“Nate!” Jessie yelled the moment she landed on the deck.
“Where is he?” Jeremy was already at her side.
Jessie ran to the edge of the boat and would have jumped in had not Jeremy grabbed her. “He's still thaur!” she yelled, pointing at the water. “Thaur is a shark after him!”
Jeremy did not wait for more. He grabbed a knife in one hand, the end of the rope in the other, and dove over the side. With powerful strokes he fought the waves, swimming back to were he assumed Nate had been last. Once he was there he dove under, and saw his friend battling a shark five feet to his left. Changing directions he swam to his aid.
There was a lot of blood in the already dark water, a fact which made Jeremy concerned. He also noticed that Nate was swimming slowly. He swam to his friend's side, and reached it in time to be hit by the shark. He was knocked to the side and the breath was knocked out of his lungs. He had to swim to the surface for another breath. Before going he grabbed Nate's arm and pulled him up.
The two broke the surface and Jeremy thrust the rope into Nate's hand. Nate grabbed it and Jeremy turned back in time to see the fin. He dove under, saw the shark, and swam forward and to the side. The shark did not seem to see him, but headed for Nate. As he passed Jeremy thrust the knife into his side.
The shark spun around in pain, and while he was distracted Jeremy swam away. Soon Nate and he were being hauled aboard the boat. They both dropped to the deck, breathless. They did not stay like that for long, however. In spite of his wounds, Nate staggered to his feet, and helped keep the boat afloat.
As the storm lashed around them, as the lightening flashed through the dark sky, and the thunder shook the boat, they all knew they were in for a long night.
***
The call of a seagull awoke them. It was shrill, and pierced the silence between then any alarm clock would have done. Nate opened his eyes, was blinded by the sunlight, and quickly closed them. He had no idea when he had fallen asleep-all he knew for sure was that it was some time after the storm had ended.
Nate wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but he knew he had to get up now that he was awake. He sat up, and groaned in pain. His leg was throbbing, his side hurt, and he felt as if he had been jabbed with a thousand needles. He cringed when he thought of how many times the shark had come close to getting him.
“Thank You for saving us,” Nate prayed.
“Doc, is that you?”
Nate turned his head and saw Jeremy was slowly sitting up. “Who else would it be?” he asked.
Jeremy moaned. “That was one wild night!”
“We have a lot to be thankful for,” Nate agreed as he stiffly stood up.
Jeremy followed his example, moaning like an old man. “Thankful that we aren't drift wood, and that your aren't shark bait?”
Nate ran his hands through his hair. “Something like that,” he said with a smile.
“I lost someones knife,” Jeremy murmured, “it is in a shark somewhere.”
Nate's smile widened. “For which I am grateful. Thank you for coming back Jeremy.”
“Who else would get you out of trouble, Doc?”
Nate rolled his eyes, and while he was rejoicing in escaping one storm, he did not know he was headed right into another.
Tales
Friday 10 July 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by dreamwalker
Be blessed,
Zel Balliett
Wednesday 15 July 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by PurpleElectricity
PurpleE
