It was their 28th day at sea. The last of the humans who hadn’t been infected decided it was the only way to save their species. No place on land had escaped the pestilence of the virus. Each person had been tested before being allowed to board. Supplies were enough to last two months, and with seafood they could net and hook, there was no risk of starving. Barrels of water were plentiful as long as it was rationed.
The beleaguered survivors prayed that two months at sea would be enough time for the sick on land to die and the ones who got through it to have developed immunity. If not, then humankind was doomed. Each night as the sun disappeared from the horizon, their eyes were drawn to the moon, who they imagined looked down on them with benevolence. Tonight’s new moon meant she was not there; she was drawn away. They felt so alone.
The clock struck midnight and an infant’s cough was heard on Belladonna. Maria had hidden the infant in her cloak when she boarded. Her sister begged Maria to take Min before coughing her lungs out in pieces. Maria had pulled Baby Min from her dead sister’s arms, not having the heart to leave the newborn behind to starve.
The Captain of the Belladonna was a woman of honor and a woman of courage. Her first decision was to put Maria and Min in one of the lifeboats with her ration of food and water. Her second decision was to pull away from the other ships. In a month’s time or before, they would know their fates.
Sadje is the host of What do you see?
You’ve incorporated reality into fiction so well. A great story.
Thanks for being a part of the challenge.
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I’m intrigued now. Did the baby have the virus? Wouldn’t it be great if our virus was eliminated in two months 😥
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Marvelous!
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I loved your story Li. Did you know that the Moon is shrinking as its interior cools, getting more than about 150 feet (50 meters) skinnier over the last several hundred million years. Just as a grape wrinkles as it shrinks down to a raisin, the Moon gets wrinkles as it shrinks.
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What??? Oh dear, doesn’t seem like it’s a good thing for our relationship with its gravity and the sun’s. Are we in danger?
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Sounds like another Ark… the story has a ring of familiarity to it.
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Sometimes compassion and responsibility become confused. (K)
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Heartwrenching
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Terrifyingly good, Li!
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Thank you, Chris 🙂
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Reminds me of the Crosby, Stills, & Nash song “Wooden Ships,” although the people in that song were escaping nuclear war instead of a virus.
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I’m embarrassed to say I never listened to the words of Wooden Ships. Makes the song that much better. Thank you for the comparison, Liam.
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This really reflects our situation
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I wish it didn’t 😦
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😔
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Great story JadeLi. Sets the scene and builds on the drama…..and leaves you wondering at the end. The captain of the Belladonna is my kind of hero.
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Glad you enjoyed the story, Len. I hope they all make it.
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