The Bermuda rift
Shudders
Greta sighed. A cruse from New York to the Progresso, on the Yucatecen
peninsula of Mexico was not her idea of a dream holiday. Normally, she
loved boats, but after a day on this floating bathtub of a ship, she was already
bored stiff. Her mother and father on the other hand, were thrilled. They spent all day at the cheep restaurants and food bars, in the pool or at the casino. But,
for all their enthusiasm, Greta found it more interesting to sit on an
abandoned deck and read. She could not see what they enjoyed
in the paste-board-glamour boat, looking out on an unchanging view of
the ocean. She would much rather go skiing in France, or surfing in
Hawaii. But no, her mother had wanted an easy, all inclusive holiday,
so a cruse it had been.
It was the third day of the cruise, and they were nearing the
Florida peninsula. They were in treacherous waters, because any wrong
move, and they would be in Cuban territory. Greta was in her cabin,
number 13, staring out of a porthole, when she felt the whole ship
shudder. She jumped to her feet, and quickly grabbed a bed post to
regain her balance. She wrenched open the door, sped up the spindly
stairs, and on to the main deck. As she reached the deck, the boat gave
another shudder, and a deck chair came flying past her. She saw her
mother by the pool, clinging to her father. Greta stumbled towards
them, scrambling through the chaos.
“Mam, dad, are you o.k.?” she yelled at them. Around them, staff,
holiday makers and sailors were running about in panic. Greta guessed
that the ship didn’t suffer from shudders very often.
“Yes Greta, were fine!” Answered here father “But get back...” but
before her father could finish, a message blared through the loud
speaker.
“This is a message from your captain. Pleas do not panick. We are
currently searching to find the cause of the disturbance. In the
meantime, we would ask you to return to your cabins. Thank you.”
Greta made her way back to her cabin, escorted by her parents.
Her mother was fluttering about waving her arms and waffling on in a
high pitched voice about how” this was supposed to be a relaxing get a
way, and that this was doing nothing for her wrinkles..” She said
goodbye to her parents in room number 12. Yes, she would be fine, no,
she didn’t need some hot tea, no, she was not feeling ill, yes, she was
bored, no, she didn't think they cared...
She entered the cabin, and sat down on her bead. She looked
around her. Her suitcase had been flung to the other side of the room
during the turbulence, and her clothes were scattered across the room,
but otherwise everything was fine.
She shivered, conscious that the room had suddenly gotten quite a
bit colder. She could hear a faint buzzing in her ear, and the room
seemed to glow. Suddenly, she was not alone. The figure of a girl
appeared in front of her, slightly contorted and fuzzy, as if she was
appearing on the screen of a television with a bad signal. She was
dressed in strange, old fashioned clothing. Greta felt herself turning
pale. She shivered involuntary, and a cold sweat appeared on her
forehead.
“O... my.....god....o....my...god...”she whispered to herself.
Ghosts were the one thing she could not deal with. Spiders, clowns, the
dark, snakes.... she could deal with them. But not ghosts... Suddenly,
the figure spoke. Her voice echoed eerily through the cabin.
“Help us... help us pleas...”
“Who… Who are you? Asked Greta, her voice quivering.
“My name is Sophia, Sophia Matilda Briggs. My father is Captain
Briggs, of the Mary Celeste. Who are you?”
“I'm, I'm... Greta” she answered.
“You must help us, please! We are stuck in limbo, all of us, the
ones lost at sea. You must help us, please! You’re the thirteenth year,
on the thirteenth time, in the thirteenth place. You must find the key
to the waves, and please, hurry!” With that, she disappeared, fading into
nothingness.
peninsula of Mexico was not her idea of a dream holiday. Normally, she
loved boats, but after a day on this floating bathtub of a ship, she was already
bored stiff. Her mother and father on the other hand, were thrilled. They spent all day at the cheep restaurants and food bars, in the pool or at the casino. But,
for all their enthusiasm, Greta found it more interesting to sit on an
abandoned deck and read. She could not see what they enjoyed
in the paste-board-glamour boat, looking out on an unchanging view of
the ocean. She would much rather go skiing in France, or surfing in
Hawaii. But no, her mother had wanted an easy, all inclusive holiday,
so a cruse it had been.
It was the third day of the cruise, and they were nearing the
Florida peninsula. They were in treacherous waters, because any wrong
move, and they would be in Cuban territory. Greta was in her cabin,
number 13, staring out of a porthole, when she felt the whole ship
shudder. She jumped to her feet, and quickly grabbed a bed post to
regain her balance. She wrenched open the door, sped up the spindly
stairs, and on to the main deck. As she reached the deck, the boat gave
another shudder, and a deck chair came flying past her. She saw her
mother by the pool, clinging to her father. Greta stumbled towards
them, scrambling through the chaos.
“Mam, dad, are you o.k.?” she yelled at them. Around them, staff,
holiday makers and sailors were running about in panic. Greta guessed
that the ship didn’t suffer from shudders very often.
“Yes Greta, were fine!” Answered here father “But get back...” but
before her father could finish, a message blared through the loud
speaker.
“This is a message from your captain. Pleas do not panick. We are
currently searching to find the cause of the disturbance. In the
meantime, we would ask you to return to your cabins. Thank you.”
Greta made her way back to her cabin, escorted by her parents.
Her mother was fluttering about waving her arms and waffling on in a
high pitched voice about how” this was supposed to be a relaxing get a
way, and that this was doing nothing for her wrinkles..” She said
goodbye to her parents in room number 12. Yes, she would be fine, no,
she didn’t need some hot tea, no, she was not feeling ill, yes, she was
bored, no, she didn't think they cared...
She entered the cabin, and sat down on her bead. She looked
around her. Her suitcase had been flung to the other side of the room
during the turbulence, and her clothes were scattered across the room,
but otherwise everything was fine.
She shivered, conscious that the room had suddenly gotten quite a
bit colder. She could hear a faint buzzing in her ear, and the room
seemed to glow. Suddenly, she was not alone. The figure of a girl
appeared in front of her, slightly contorted and fuzzy, as if she was
appearing on the screen of a television with a bad signal. She was
dressed in strange, old fashioned clothing. Greta felt herself turning
pale. She shivered involuntary, and a cold sweat appeared on her
forehead.
“O... my.....god....o....my...god...”she whispered to herself.
Ghosts were the one thing she could not deal with. Spiders, clowns, the
dark, snakes.... she could deal with them. But not ghosts... Suddenly,
the figure spoke. Her voice echoed eerily through the cabin.
“Help us... help us pleas...”
“Who… Who are you? Asked Greta, her voice quivering.
“My name is Sophia, Sophia Matilda Briggs. My father is Captain
Briggs, of the Mary Celeste. Who are you?”
“I'm, I'm... Greta” she answered.
“You must help us, please! We are stuck in limbo, all of us, the
ones lost at sea. You must help us, please! You’re the thirteenth year,
on the thirteenth time, in the thirteenth place. You must find the key
to the waves, and please, hurry!” With that, she disappeared, fading into
nothingness.