Aug. 8, 2023
Part 1
Jack is awoken from his deep slumber by the sound of the alarm bell ringing and pandemonium erupting around him. His fellow seamen are out of their hammocks running around in a hurry and are shouting at each other. Someone grabs his hammock and pulls him out. He hits the floor hard.
“Lets go, all men aboard!”
Jack stumbles to his feet still half asleep. He makes his way through the chaos, navigating with his hands in the darkness along the corridor that takes him to the massive wooden stairs leading up to the deck.
As he reaches the deck he breathes in a long deep breath and is calm for a minute. Since he joined the crew this is his favorite thing to do in the early hours of the morning. The sun is just coming up over the perfectly flat ocean and illuminates the puffy white clouds in a rich golden hue. The wind is chilling his body and he inhales a deep breath of the salty ocean air which is in stark contrast to the sweaty hot conditions below deck. Jack knows that this again, will be a perfect day with perfect weather and no real worries ahead. He is about to smile.
Until he turns and is awoken out of his trance. Finally he grasps what is going on, on deck. His fellow crewmen have come to a stand still in formation. In front is the captain. In fact it looks like every person of the entire ship has assembled. Jack hurriedly joins his maintenance crew earning some condescending glances from some of his fellow mates. Some of the men keep looking up and just as Jack follows their gaze he realises what has happened.
Nothing else matters anymore as the adrenaline is pumping through his body.
