The lilt of the wind seems to tip everyone ever so slightly off their feet. I walk along the bridge, huddling in the scraps of cloth that are left on my back. They’re precious, I don’t want to lose them. We’re on a bridge, peering down at clear ocean water down below. On the right the bridge peters down into stairs- the entrance to the sandy beach. A boat, with an active propeller, chugs forward in the water, going towards the open sea.
We are all busy at first- the malaria outbreak was disastrous. Through the crowd is the firing of information. Malaria had spread to almost every single species of mosquito, and people were dying left and right. As we learn where food, water, and shelter was, we are distracted from things that are right in front of our face.
A scream shocks us back to our senses. A young child with olive skin and thick hair is clutching onto the back of the boat. She grips it hard and faces down, but we all realize that she is going to be cut into pieces by the propeller as soon as she gets tired.
Thymine looks at me, nudges me in the stomach. Why doesn’t she just let go?
It’s probably because it’s her boat. She doesn’t want to lose it. I’m wondering why she’s holding on to it like that in the first place.
Some rush off into the sand in hopes of helping her. Thymine is one of them. I just stand here, watching the scene.
The boat rocks dangerously due to the girl’s struggles. I would say she’s about fifteen. She doesn’t look stupid, but it must have taken a lot of idiocy to get into that position.
Suddenly a man appears. He has scruffy hair, obviously not washed in days. He clambers onto the boat from the front and reaches out to help the girl. The people who jumped in earlier to help her swim back to the shore, satisfied that she had help.
I have my suspicions, though. Thymine is back on the bridge by now, since they didn’t make it too far into the water, and is shaking out her long locks. I hand her my cloak and shirt, much to her surprise. She’s about to say something, but it’s too late to change my mind. My feet dig hard into the bridge, and I run as fast as I can. Diving into the cool water, the eyes sting from the salt. The boat is puttering away, so I have to slowly close the gap.
I knew that something bad was going to happen as soon as the man set foot in the boat. He has the smirk on his face and the girl almost lets a scream out in horror. She can’t let go, otherwise her feet will be in shreds, and the man was going to make the situation worse.
He gently lifts her hands off the boat, and careens her to the side in a gently sliding motion. I hover in the water for a small moment, relieved that she’s safe. She screams once more, shaking in horror. We’re all confused until the man laughs and cranks the boat into full speed, off into the great blue sea.
I swim after him, even though the girl says its a lost cause. I know it’s not. Right ahead is a net of seaweed. As soon as I resurface, the boat is tangled and I can almost touch the edge. The slimy plants wreathe my legs, but I soon pull up onto the boat as silently as I can. The man curses as he leans over, trying to work the seaweed out of the propeller. I grab the back of his shirt and toss him over my shoulder, into the salty water.
The man is furious, but has become tangled in the seaweed. Quickly I reverse the propeller and go back towards the shore. The girl waves her arms in the air to make her easier to spot, and soon as I get close enough I grab her hand. It’s smooth and warm, despite it having soaked in the chilly water for some time. She finds a seat in the boat, dripping with the ocean water. Her hair has soaked into a single lock, shining in the light.
She laughs, despite the situation. A tinkling, warm, sweet sound.
The best reward for anything I had ever done.
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