7 Mistakes
Prompt: well this was a story i wrote for english class that people wanted me to post so here is my teachers prompt: imagine you find a page torn from a short story that has only two lines, “that’s how i became known as ‘captain.’ the end.”
pairing: it’s up to interpretation. i didn’t define the gender of the narrator, nor if the “ily” was platonic or romantic
tw: major character death, thunderstorms, lmk if there are any other warnings
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We decided to go out on a stormy night. That was my first mistake. He loved the rain, especially in the evening. We did not know it was going to turn into a thunderstorm with choppy water. The evening started out perfectly. He invited me over for dinner, his famous and my favorite fish tacos. When I arrived I noticed the pinks and oranges of the setting sun with gray clouds in the distance. I could not tell if they were really dark or if it was just night settling in. That was my second mistake. As we ate, it started sprinkling and I could see the light in his eyes when he looked at me. I knew where this was going, so I agreed. That was my third mistake.
I helped him clean up and get the boat ready. He just wanted to take the vessel out of the bay to lay on the deck as the rain poured down on our faces. We did this often when we were younger. We would stay out all night, getting him in trouble with his mother, but my parents would never care. He loved his boat and his crew who went fishing with us during the daytime. He told me it was “our” boat and “our” crew, but I always responded that it was him who did all the hard work, even if it was a team effort. I untied the boat from the dock as he situated the blankets on the deck. The rope stuck, like it did not want us, nor the boat, to leave. I should have listened to the warning. That was my fourth mistake.
It started thundering as we left the bay. Thunder was not unusual during a rainstorm, but this time it was loud and all encompassing. It sounded like it came from every direction and shook us to the core. We shared a look, but he decided to stay out on the water claiming it was fine. I should not have listened to him. That was my fifth mistake. The water stayed calm, even after the thunder and the rain picked up. We laid down on the blankets, which quickly soaked through like we were, staring up at the sky. That was when we saw the lightning. He looked over at me, fear in his eyes. I was swift to promise him everything was going to be fine. Promised that we would arrive back safely. That was my sixth mistake.
We hurriedly stood and started sailing back. The waters turned choppy, and looking at him, I saw the same panicked expression. The bay was so close, yet so far away. Buckets of rain poured down, lightning came more frequently, the wind was howling, and our hearts raced. I repeated the mantra of, “Everything is okay. We are going to be fine. We will be safe.” The water was ferocious, almost capsizing the boat multiple times. He was holding onto me when the boat was hit by a large wave causing him to fall over the side. His hold on my wet hand was slipping as another wave rocked the boat. I saw the terror in his blue eyes as I promised I would not let go. His hand slid out of mine as he yelled “I love you” over the howling wind. I did not have a chance to say it back before I saw his head go under. That was my seventh mistake.
I managed to pull the boat into the bay, where the waters were calmer. I sat there crying until sunrise, when the storm calmed. I sailed back to the dock and tied the boat up. One of his - our - no, my, crew members was at the dock. He told me he saw the storm and noticed our - no, my, boat was gone. When the storm cleared, he went to the dock to wait for our return. Then, he asked me where the other half of our pair was. I looked at him with sad eyes and he understood. He gathered the rest of the crew, bringing them back to the dock. I could only gather myself up enough to give them minimal details. Telling me how brave I was, they gave me their sympathy. That’s how I became known as ‘captain.’ The End.
tags: @thefivecalls @meowthefluffy
