Day and Night in a Life Raft Experience
Kevin Ge
Inside the life raft, it was chaotic and I felt seasick many times. The sea was churning and rumbling like a mighty lion; the sky was dismal, gloomy and depressed as if it was going to cry. The raft was being thrashed like it was a leaf in a storm swishing and swirling helplessly. I didn’t know what time of the day it was, and I felt exhausted but still could not sleep because of all of the hubbub that overwhelmed me. I was frightened out of my skin, and I just sat, trembling as I prayed that I would survive this disaster.
Imagine the sky, as dark as night, grumbling, wailing and bellowing; the sea, growing ever more fearsome and the waves towering above the raft then smashing down. I swore to go on or die. Then a big wave smashed my face full on, and I staggered backwards, falling down to the raft’s deck. Before I had got to my feet, another powerful wave sent me rolling like a rag doll. I tried to crawl forward but the raft jumped up and I was thrown across again. So I went on staggering, heaving, wrestling, throbbing, rolling and rocking until I finally got to the front of the raft. It felt like the waves were battling against me. I felt terribly, terribly sick and wanted to throw up badly. I swallowed one of the rations but it tasted dry in my mouth. It was going to be yet another sleepless night for me…
The storm had died away and I felt calmer, almost at peace. There were no more thundering waves, so I opened the flap and sighed in relief that I was still alive. Picture the clear, blue water, and the azure, cloudless sky. Peacefulness filled the air, and I saw small fish, swimming in the water. Then I saw a shark! Although it was a pup (a baby shark), I still panicked and squeezed my eyes shut, praying that the pup wouldn’t bite the raft. After a while the shark gracefully swam away. I sighed and wondered if anyone would rescue me. Picture my raft, just bobbing on the sea and me, sitting near the flap staring out and trembling.