"She's sinking! Wanda, get in the lifeboat before it's too late!"
"I'm not going to leave you, Monroe. Either you come too, or I'm staying." sobbed Wanda, as she looked at the tiny craft filled to the brim with screaming children, and wailing women.
"Are you coming, Ma'am?" a male voice shouted from below.
"Go! I'm going to find a place in the one my husband takes. We're newlyweds, and I don't intend to become a widow. You're already overloaded anyway."Wanda shouted back.
Without a backward glance, the sea-hardened sailor began rowing furiously.
"Oh, Wanda! I think that was the last lifeboat." mourned Monroe.
"Whatever happens, at least we're together. But let's not give up yet." Wanda replied, as she dried her eyes on a dainty white lace handkerchief.
" There's a large plank from the hull floating over there, Honey. Let's swim for it." suggested Monroe, trying to instill hope he didn't feel into his voice.
Before replying, Wanda looked around the quickly disintegrating deck.
"Over there, by the wheel. There's a coil of rope. Put that over your shoulder. And roll that keg over the side." she instructed, suddenly as calm as the eye of the hurricane which had destroyed the luxury liner.
In a daze, Monroe did as he was told.
"Now let's get off of here before it sucks us down with it!" ordered Wanda, sensing that she needed to take charge if they were to survive.
Holding hands, the couple plunged into the wild sea, feet first.
"Which way?" Wanda sputtered, spitting out seawater as she bobbed like a duck in a pond.
"I think it's that way." coughed Monroe, as he took the initiative to begin swimming away from the rapidly sinking ship.
Soon the two were clear of the doomed vessel, and Wanda was straddling the large plank which had broken free of the ship. "Get on." she said, offering her exhausted husband a hand.
"I don't think it's going to hold both of us, Dear." he replied sadly, as he carefully retreated back into the water. "It just isn't wide enough to stay afloat with so much weight on it. At least Wanda's out of the water." he thought.
"Give me the rope, and your wet clothes. Then hold on to the side of the plank. We'll wait until the ship goes under completely, then we can salvage some of the wreckage for a raft. We might even find some food and water." she said, her voice becoming uncertain.
One day later:
"Well we have a decent raft now, and a keg of water." Wanda celebrated, as she double checked the knots in the rope.
"Yes, the raft is big and comfortable, Honey. And the water will probably last over a month, maybe even two if we're careful. But we need food. And I do wish we had a sail, or even some oars." Monroe said unhappily.
"We will have to catch fish to eat. You can carve wooden hooks and lures with your pocketknife, Monroe. And when it rains, we will collect fresh water in our clothes, after we get rid of all the saltwater in them of course. We can then wring it out into the keg, to replace what we use."
Day two:
"It's just no good. The fish aren't touching it!" Exclaimed Monroe, frustrated.
"Maybe it just needs to move around more... Let's see if adding a little of my hair helps. Grandpa always used feathers when he was fly fishing." she replied, taking the lure.
"Wanda, you're a genius!" declared Monroe, as he pulled in a large fish, its scales flashing in the morning sunlight.
Day five:
"It's so hot. And there hasn't been a drop of rain since the storm passed." said Monroe.
"This is the south Pacific. We can't expect to have rain every week." Wanda pointed out reasonably.
"What if we run out of water? We need to figure out a way to get moving. Do you have any ideas?" Monroe asked.
"We are moving, Dear. We are going with the current, and I suspect that eventually a ship will spot us. Until then, we still have almost a full keg of water." she reassured her husband.
Day fifteen:
"Wanda, I want to use one of the thinner pieces of the raft to make oars. I can carve them with my pocketknife. At least then we can go a little faster." said Monroe.
"He's bored. The activity will be good, even though rowing would only waste energy." Wanda thought to herself, as she nodded and untied a small piece of plank about eight feet long, which had once served as part of the ship's deck.
Day thirty:
"Our water is over half gone. We should stop rowing, and let the current do the work. Then we won't have to drink so much." said Wanda.
"She's probably tired. I know I am! But she won't stop unless I do... Maybe she's right, we would still be moving." he thought, debating.
"Alright, Honey. It'll give us more time to fish, and make up stories. " he said kindly.
Day fifty-five:
"How long have we been out here, Monroe?" asked Wanda, licking her parched lips.
"Fifty-five days exactly." he replied, adding another scratch to the largest plank on the raft - the original one which had saved their lives so long ago.
"I think we should try to only drink half of what we've been using. Then it should last until the rainy season - or when we are rescued." she said. The last part had only been mentioned as an afterthought.
"The rainy season... We won't last through another hurricane. Might as well drink what we want while we can." Monroe thought silently.
"What do you think, Dear?" she asked.
"Alright..." he agreed, instead of voicing his opinion.
Day ninety-one:
"I'm not thirsty yet either. Let's save the last of the water for tomorrow." suggested Monroe, before he turned over to fall back into a dreamless sleep.
"If only we had a little water for tomorrow... I can't bear to tell him that we ran out two days ago..." Wanda thought guiltily. She feared if he knew he would give up.
Several hours later:
"Are they alive, Dusty?"
"Aye, Captain. But according to those scratches on the raft, they've been out here a while. Doc should see them right away. I'll fetch him."
"Well, Doc?"
"They'll be fine Captain, once they get some water in them... They're just exhausted and dehydrated. I'll let you know when they come to. It sure is lucky for them that the Lady Luck came along when she did." replied the doctor of the luxury liner, chuckling at his play on words.
Cover image made in Canva using their gallery