They Told Me it was Unsinkable

By: Ava Twohig

 They Told Me it was Unsinkable
By Ava Twohig

A force threw me back, my heart skips a beat then starts to race. I hear panic among my
co-workers as the word starts to spread like a wildfire among the passengers. I can feel the fear
in the young lads and young ladies, the heavy footsteps from every man and every woman trying
to collect their possessions. I black out. I never thought I’d be in this situation before, sure we
had trained and trained but when fear kicks in your memories fade. You forget how to breathe,
you forget how to speak, you can’t even move a muscle until the shock is over. Then you go into
a panic, throwing items, moving your body to attract some help. You scream and shout but the
outside world can only hear a mouse. You are just a helpless mouse in the situation of
death……..
***
The world was loud and bold when the Titanic was built. People flocked from all over to
witness this ship somehow floating in the clear icy water. Potential passengers were as still as a
street light waiting to sell their souls for the adventure of a lifetime. I stood above them all, the
wind blew colder and the sun shined brighter. I couldn’t make out a line in the madness, in fact I
could barely even see the ticket booths. But I knew that the moment people would board the
ship, it would become a dream. Posters were posted all over the streets. The tickets were
beautifully printed on fine paper. White Star Line typed at the very top. No one really cared if
you were first or third class, to board the ship was a brag. And first thing tomorrow only a
handful of privileged people would be able to board.

***
Noon came around and it was time to set sail. The engines were running and the color
gray ate at the blue sky. The boat started to echo with footsteps as passengers started to board the
ship. The staff had to duck and spin just to make their way to the other side of the ship. I stood
by my wheel waiting to make my grand introduction. I wore my best black wool suit, with gold
detailing all over. My hair was carefully tucked under my captain's hat that I've had for centuries.
A memorable impression was key at this time. Respect would walk behind you loud and proud.
“Welcome.” I Said to a passenger passing by.
I saw them smile but not at me, just at the open walkway in front of them. I didn’t take
offense to that, but sometimes I wonder if they realize that I'm not some object that's here to
deliver all their wants and needs. I'm the captain for god sake! I’m supposed to be all shiny and
clean, but if you don't show off as loud and bold as you can then you become something to step
all over. That's the thing with humans, we are all competing over being the shiny new toy. We
base our worth off of validation from strangers and people higher up. I’m ashamed to say this,
but I do it too. I want the world to remember me. I want a path to clear when I walk through a
crowd. I work and work but only to become some golden statue at the entrance of a doorway.
***
“Hello, beautiful day isn’t it?” I said to a nice couple walking past my doorway.
“Yes indeed captain, if it stays like this you might be able to increase the speed of the
ship.” he said as he looked at his pocket watch.
“That might not be a bad idea. We could make headlines!”
“Headlines indeed Captain.”

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 “I’ll have to take that up with the crew. Have a great rest of your trip.”
I turned my back as fast as I could and started to walk towards Thomas Adrews, the
designer of the ship.
“Andrew, is it possible to speed up the ship?” I said as I fixed the jacket of my suit.
“ I suppose you could speed her up a little bit but….”
That was all I needed to hear. I was going to make headlines. The Titanic would be the
only thing talked about for weeks. I didn’t waste any time. I gave the order loud and clear, it was
time to make history.
***
The sky started to fade into black and the stars started to twinkle, the waves made way for
the ship and the passengers clinked their glasses together. The yellow lights from the ship created
shadows of fellow passengers and the moon created a pathway for the ship. There was laughter
and excitement for there was only a few more days left until the Statue of Liberty would create a
large shaded area over the ship.
***
“Captain!” Yelled from across the room.
“For the love of god Smith, Get over here!”
My heart skipped a beat, not even that it took a leap of faith. I started to feel that feeling
of fear again. I felt it start to creep into my socks and bite, the cold cold venom started to shimmy
its way up. My thoughts turned into darkness and my skin turned white. I’m not even sure what
was being said to me, but I understood the situation. The ship was sinking, I had failed. I had
failed the passengers, I had failed the workers, and I failed myself.
My stomach started to twist and I felt a punch in my chest. I ran towards the front of the
ship and leaned over. My eyes locked open and my breath couldn’t leave my body. The venom
had gotten me. I froze into a pretty statue. Was I allowed to panic? I couldn’t decide. All I could
do was stand there looking at the sharp waves brush up against the ship. I could feel the cold
dark blade slice through my body. I knew that it would shock me until I was numb, then when I
could move again it would drag me back under and eat at me until the water had finally reached
my lungs. I wasn’t scared to drown, I was scared to die. Dying is something that you only know
until it's happened and you can share that feeling with this torn up world. You keep it to yourself.
The darkness moves its hands over your mouth so you can't speak, your arms and legs start to
feel heavy and your heart gets cold. Then everything stops. Your mind becomes a desert. Do you
know what's happening, can you still feel movement, or are you frozen into an ice block?
***
“Captain, what do you want to do? Should we start getting passengers in lifeboats?”
I turned around still pail as a ghost.
“They already know! Can you not hear their whispers and their shouts! They are going
wild. Look around you, death is coming and everyone on this damn ship knows it. The longer we
wait to get these people into the boats the more likely they will turn into wild beasts. Now get
moving!”
I had never yelled like that before, but my throat started to burn and my nose started to
flare. That’s the other thing with fear, it comes in all different waves. Sometimes it's fire and
burns your insides until steam starts to escape your body, other times it builds up tears until you
can’t hold it anymore. Either way you burst and take it out on everyone just like a tsunami does
with a city.
***

2
 I turned back to reality and looked around. Another crowd was built, only this time they
were bouncing off of each other like a circus show. Children were being pulled from their parents
with tears running down their rosy cheeks. Adults shoving and pushing a path to what? Safety,
the only thing special about those lifeboats is that they were yet another thing you could brag
about. There was no guarantee that you would make it to land. We were in the middle of a giant
puddle surrounded by nothing but the stars in the sky. The moon shone down on the water and
made it sparkle, but that shine was mystical and could tip you over in one push. There was no
escape from the deep blue sea, and everyone knew it.
A shove delayed my breath. I stumbled around the room as I tried to center myself again,
but another body fell against mine. The boat was chaotic and loud, my ears started to ring once
again as my mind trapped my thoughts. All I could do was wander around the top deck waiting
for someone to pick me up and drag me back to this nightmare.
The wind started to blow and the waves started to tear apart the ship's base. Only a few
lifeboats had aborted the ship. I found comfort watching them drift away, as the kids slowly laid
their heads on a stranger's lap. No telling where they would end up, but they were out of the
circus. The butterflies in their stomachs slowly started to fall and their hands left the side of their
heads. The only thing they could see was a semi floating object drifting away. I wanted them to
look up and see what had been surrounding them their whole life, the small twinkling lights and
a huge glowing ball. In that moment I realized I wanted that peace to continue, I wanted the
world to become silent. So I watched.
I watched the crowd start to attach itself to the edges of the ship, I watched hands go up
and bodies fall overboard into the mysterious body of water. I listened to the men yell and the
women scream, I listened to the children cry and the staff shout. I was numb again. I could still
move my arms and legs but my mind couldn’t process what was in those screams and shouts.
Were they actual words or were they just background noises? These are actual people living a
separate life from mine, yet I could reach into their mind and know exactly what they were
thinking. They were all thinking about what damage they could create to save themself. What
harm they could add to be able to climb up this tower of people. They would give an arm and leg
just to survive. But wouldn’t we all? That greed and selfishness will eventually take over, you are
the only thing in this world. You are more important than anyone on this ship.
***
“Smith are you coming? This might be your only chance, the boats are filling up. Who
knows when there will be another open spot?”
“Go on without me! That boat's not going to save us, look at it. It's only sending us back
into what caused this mess!”
“But Captain?”
“Go! Make the attempt and leave this circus.”
I wasn’t even sure what I was saying. My mind was scattered and my head ached. I felt
the water start to soak into my socks creating that uncomfortable feeling, my toes started to curl
and my hands started to clench into a fist. The steering wheel started to turn as the ship rocked
back and forth. The pictures on the wall instantly fell off and made a splash. The water had risen
up to my knees, and my gray trousers had become pitch black. The screams became louder and
the panic level rose with the water level. Walls started to crack apart, what was once luxurious
prints that covered the grand walls were now tearing to shreds in the water. The wooden beams
that supported the ceilings became sticks in a matter of seconds. The diamond chandeliers
shattered and the mirrors became glass shards that traveled with the sea. The water rose to my

3
hips, all I could do was look around and compare what was once a magnificent ship to a broken
down wreck that should have been at the bottom of the ocean floor.
***
So there I layed waiting for the water to invade my lungs. I watched the water build up
against the windows until they shattered, and the large wave moved my body with it. I had
become another object added to the sea’s collection. Everything turned black as my body floated
up into the stars' view. And there I layed, a captain that went down with his ship. The Titanic
made headlines and I was named as the most selfish captain the sea had ever seen.