An Angel Below Deck

I had just finished my shift waitressing in the dining room. With tired feet, I walked down
a corridor to the cabin I shared with three other waitresses. As I approached my door, the
collision happened. My body flew into a nearby wall and landed on the ground with a thud.
There was no time for pain; I ran above deck to see what had happened. Everyone was in
a frenzy - running to and fro with no apparent destination. I just stood there dazed and confused,
watching the chaos unfold around me. Though I stood with no coat as the thirty degree wind
nipped at my skin, I felt nothing. My senses were numb.
Finally, one of my fellow waitresses noticed me standing motionless.
She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook them while yelling, “We’ve hit an iceberg!
There’s been an explosion in the boiler room! They’re loading the lifeboats, and they’re filling
up fast. We need to get on one ​now​.”
I began running with her toward the lifeboats, toward safety, but I had a dark feeling I
couldn’t shake. Suddenly, I remembered someone telling me about a young girl who was staying
in a closet next to the boiler room. ​She doesn’t have anyone. She must be terrified​, I thought.
“Hey, remember the story of that wee gal staying in a closet by the boiler room,” I asked
my friend.
“Yeah,” she said apathetically.
My pace slowed. “I think I should go get her,” I said, almost in a whisper.
My friend stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me with harsh impatience. “If you go
get her,” she said, “you’ll have nothing to come back to. Don’t be daft. If we’re going to survive
this, we need to get on a lifeboat while there still are ones.”
I knew what she said was true, but I knew with even greater certainty that I had to find
that girl. She began this voyage alone, but we would leave it together.
“I need to be with her,” I said while taking my friend’s hands in mine. “May God bless
your way.”
I then turned around and bolted below deck. As I approached the boiler room, I noticed
water beginning to stream through the corridors. I didn’t have much time. I followed signs that
directed me to the boiler room and eventually, they led me to a singular closet near the boiler
room’s entrance.
The heat was immense. When I touched the doorknob, my hand sizzled, so I kicked down
the door. There, I found a girl of about 16, sitting on the floor with her head in her knees,
sobbing uncontrollably. Her hair was dark and matted, her skin covered in soot. The sound of her
crying shattered my heart. Within 5 seconds, I knew I would never love a person more than I
loved her.
I kneeled in front of her, not knowing what to do. After a few more sobs, the girl lifted
her head, and our eyes met. She stared at me with confusion? Elation? I couldn’t tell. I took her
hands in mine and gave her the only smile I could muster. Immediately, the girl collapsed in my
arms, and as we embraced, I stroked her hair. I always loved it when my mum did that.
“My name is Cara, from Dublin,” I said.
The girl introduced herself as Edith, and I suddenly remembered my nana named Edith
(who we called Nana Eddy). Nana Eddy always sang the most lovely lullabies. Soon I found
myself singing one of them. I hadn’t thought the words in many years, but they flowed from my
lips with ease. I sang:
“See the angels,
Standing all around.
Here to lift,
Here to love,
But not to make a sound.
They are those who’ve made their trip
Back to clouds above
Where with every deed,
Their soft ruby lips
Whisper encouraging praises of love.
So when you’re feeling scared,
And there’s darkness all around,
Picture those who’ve conquered the temporary ground.
For for every soul,
An angel is assigned -
To lift, inspire,
And bring happiness sublime.
You are loved,
And you are cherished,
So much so,
That angels themselves
Attend to you,
In the temporary ground below.”
Edith and I sat on the ground, our arms wrapped around each other. The water began to
rise above our waists. I wondered if I would soon see Nana Eddy again. I wondered if Edith had
anyone waiting for her up there.
 Edith rested in my embrace with an empowering calmness. Her cheeks were rosy red
from the tears. ​Sweet, sweet girl,​ I thought. ​You will make a beautiful angel​.
The water covered our heads like a blanket, and we both went to sleep.
I woke up in a place I’d dreamt of all my life. It was more glorious than I could have ever
imagined - except for one thing. Where was Edith? As my eyes adjusted to the overwhelming
brightness, I noticed a path, carved from the clouds, lying before me. ​Maybe we’ll meet at the
end of this​, I thought.
I had been walking for almost a minute when I could hear a faint voice coming from
behind me. It grew louder and louder, so I turned around and found a young, dark-haired girl
running toward me.
“Cara from Dublin! Wait for me,” she yelled!
It was my Edith - my beautiful angel.
I ran toward her with a speed I’d never before possessed. The very sight of her filled me
with such sacred joy.
As we neared each other, we slowed to a walk. Edith outstretched her hands toward me,
and I grabbed them with all the gentleness I could muster. We stood, staring at each other, trying
to comprehend all that had just happened.
Then, we fell to our knees and embraced with the greatest love two people have ever
known.
After a long while, Edith sat back and said, “Do you think you could take me to see Nana
Eddy? I’d like to tell her how much I love her song.”