The Boy on the Titanic

~ If I had to describe the ship in one sentence I would call her the ship of dreams, for that’s what it felt like to me; a dream. ~

Hello, I am Sidney Leslie Goodwin. You might have heard of me, but if you have not I was a child that died on the Titanic in 1912. When I died I was nineteen months old; I was just a baby then. My family and I were travelling to Niagara Falls to start a new life, but something horrible and unexpected had happened. The Titanic had hit an ice burg and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. Now I haunt this deadly ship as it lays here on the ocean floor. My spirit has not moved on since that treacherous night and I have grown to be about twelve, but I have been haunting the ship for over sixty years. My body is rather faded now as I wander the ship that was said to be “unsinkable.” I guess it’s irony isn’t it? That a ship so unsinkable breaks in two and drowns mostly all of its’ passengers. I glide down the hallway to the room my family had stayed in. It was number 2,145. We had a class three ticket so one could probably guess that my family wasn’t very rich. I can remember the incident like it was yesterday, like I was twelve instead of almost two. ~

The ship had exploded into life, and everywhere I looked was colour; I never saw so much life in one area all at once. If I had to describe the ship in one sentence I would call her the ship of dreams, for that is what it felt like to me; a dream. Music played softly in the distance. Violins accompanied by cellos that seemed to never end; it was very heavenly, calming almost. The poor children played tag on the deck and the woman fanned themselves with fancy hand painted fans although the weather showed of gray clouds and a cold breeze that sent a chill to my bones and stayed there. To finish their look the ladies wore beautiful dresses with fur shawls to keep warm. I could tell from their excellent posture that they had a first class ticket. The men who stood beside their lady looked like royalty as the women chatted with one another about the latest gossip. Surely my status couldn’t compete with theirs. I, in my dirty hand-me-downs, and my messy blonde hair compared to their neatly groomed selves and fashionable clothes was like comparing an ape to a stallion.
It was nearing dinner time, and soon the rich people would eat their fancy food and then go to the ballroom and dance the night away, where me and my family would go to the third class dining rooms, have our meal that from what I would guess wouldn’t be half as good as the first class ticket, but just fine enough, and edible at least. Then it would be either back to our rooms for the rest of the night or mingle on the deck in the cold. It was almost unfair that we were labelled because of our status, that we were not equal with the rich people, and that we were not considered classy humans.
Dinner came and went like a dream, I remembered sitting there, seeing the food, eating it and then leaving for a stroll down the many corridors of the Titanic. My family had all gone back to our room, but I just wanted time alone. I couldn’t get the topic of our new life out of my head. The majestic Niagara Falls that my parents gushed about constantly. I kept thinking of all the new friends I would make and how successful mother and father would become. Maybe one day we would be rich too, and get to eat fancy food and go to balls. Maybe one day I would be successful, and wear fancy trousers just like the grown up prosperous men. My thoughts travelled from our new home to our old one that we left behind, and then to my best friend that I had to say goodbye to. Maybe when I became successful I’d go and visit him.
As my mind buzzed with these beautiful images a giant rumble, and a noise like nails on a black board - but ten times worse - came form deep within the boat. It felt like an earthquake, like the boat was going to crack in half. I had to grab a hold of one of the banisters lining the hallway so I didn’t fall down. After about a minute it had stopped and I steadied myself again. I was just wondering what had just happened when I heard an alarm sound. Instantly I froze in place, unwilling to allow my legs to bring me forward.
I saw a third class man running down the hall I was in. His long hair was tied back and his loose buttoned shirt bounced with each step. When he saw me he said with a panicked voice, “Son, git back to your room. The captain has given his orders that no one is allowed to leave their rooms until he figures out what happened. Git a move on now!” he shooed with his hands and then headed back down the hallway at lightning speed. As soon as I could process what he had said I ran back to my room. I hadn’t realized how far I had walked until I found that I was out of breath.
Once I reached the hallway to my room I saw a man dressed in a sailors uniform, so I stayed hidden behind the joining wall.
“The ship has hit an ice burg and we are taking the necessary precautions,” he started casually. “We are slowly boarding the passengers onto life boats… Ma’am… no, I will inform you when you can board… Sir? Okay, if I see your son I will bring him back here, thank you for notifying me. Goodbye now.”
When the man left the hallway I ran up to room 2,145 and placed my hand on the knob twisting it violently, but it wouldn’t budge; the door wouldn’t open. He had locked my family in? I wondered.
“Mother, father, are you in there? Open up I need to get in.” I begged with tears in my blue eyes.
“Sidney, honey is that you?” my mother asked through the locked door.
“Yes mother is it me, what is going on? Why is the door locked, and what is an ice burg?”
“Sidney listen to me,” my mother said, but I could tell she was crying the way her words got stuck in her throat. “We don’t have much time. Get off the Titanic, and board one of the life boats.”
“But-” I began to argue, but mother had cut me off.
“Promise me Sidney. Promise me you will get on one of the lifeboats.”
“I promise.” I cried, and noticed coins slide from underneath the door.
“Take this son,” came my fathers deep voice. “Use it to start your new life. We love you, but now you have to go.” I could almost picture his serious face.
Without consciously thinking I grabbed the coins and shoved them into the pockets of my breeches, said to my family that I loved them too, and then started running down the hall again.
The deck was crowded with first class men and women. The sailor man had obviously lied to my family. They weren’t slowly escorting families off the ship, they were only escorting the first class people. Clutching my fathers old hat to my chest I sent up a silent prayer to God. Mother told me to always pray to God in times of need, and I felt like under the circumstances, this was one of those times. When I finished with the sign of the cross I bent down onto my hands and knees, and crawled through the frantic crowd.
“I should board first, I am a lawyer!” I heard one man scream. I had almost gotten trampled in the crowed that was beginning to turn restless and angry. Once I reached the side of the boat I pulled myself up off the ground and hopped into the half full lifeboat. As I sat down faces of the wealthy stared at me like I was a dirty rat. One of them sneered when I suddenly felt myself being pulled up and out of the lifeboat.
“Sorry son, do you own a first class ticket?” A rich man said to me.
“N-no sir.” I stuttered. remembering what mother had told me about talking to strangers, I said no more,
“Then you have to wait your turn. Run along now.” He said with a grin and dropped me on the deck where I was shoved to the back of the crowd once more. A shrill scream came from the haul of the boat. A young lady was racing back to the crowd with one hand clutching her dress and the other waving in the air.
“She’s tipping!”
When the crowd heard this the frustration turned into pushing and shoving. I watched blindly as a lady climbed aboard the lifeboat only to have her baby yanked out of her hands.
“Sorry, she is taking up too much room.” A man sneered at her, handing the baby to a member in the crowd. The lady climbed out of the lifeboat to retrieve her child as her seat was taken and it was lowered to the water.
The noise I heard next ripped my thoughts away from the woman and her child. It was a defining crack that sounded like splitting wood and the screech of metal scraping on some unknown object. I did what my gut was screaming then. Grab a hold of something! I took hold of the nearest railing and clung on tight. The haul rose up with an angry moan, and a chill flooded through my entire body, or was that the icy wind? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was I couldn’t let go. I promised mother that I would get on a lifeboat and I couldn’t even do that for her. many of the rich people did the same thing as me, but the ones who didn’t, fell between the crack that separated both ends of the ship. Below me water rushed like wild horses and splashed against my face. I could see myself getting closer to the water each second.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been holding onto the rail, but my hands were turning numb and slipping. I didn’t have time to get a better grip because I had hit the water and was being pulled under so fast. I let go of the rail but I couldn’t bring myself to move. Everything was freezing, and whenever I tried to breathe water came in and burned my throat instead of the sweet salty air. I thought about my family. Were dead yet? I wondered. Or would they live? I hoped so, but didn’t get the chance to pray before black spots covered my vision. I closed my eyes as darkness consumed me, and I stopped my struggle. Everything was numb and limp as I sunk beside the Titanic

My hand slides down the banister of what used to be a magnificent ballroom; it would have been filled with dancers and magical music back in 1912. Music that you would only find in a dream. All of the colour that used to be here has been washed away with the ballroom itself. All it resembles now is death; a death that I can’t seem to let go of. I’ve heard of heaven where the angels fly but I’m positive this is not it. If it was I would have wings. I would not be fading each year my birthday comes around, and I would see my family laughing happily in an emerald green field. I don’t see them. I haven’t seen them since I drowned in that night sixty years ago, when the Titanic sank. I was nearly two years old the first time it happened, but each year I grow older and flashback to that time and die again. My soul is trapped here, stuck in a never ending time loop until - I believe - I find my redemption. Room 2,145 is still locked, I cannot get in, cannot save my family. So I will haunt the wreckage of what was once the most beautiful ocean liner in the world, Titanic, the unsinkable ship. I will not leave until my family is rescued.