STANDING ON A sizeable chunk of rock was a lovely maiden clad in white, her slightly tanned skin lightening under the sun, her brown hair flowing with the wind, her bright blue eyes reflecting the water of the river.
"Miss Savelli, please pose properly! We have taken so many shots, but none is satisfying!" the photographer shouted from the side of the cliff.
"I'm sorry," Lazuli Savelli apologized. "I know how hard it might be for you, but can't you see that the pressure is strong? I can't balance myself on this rock! Why did we have to come here for a photoshoot, anyway?" Her reasons ended with a question.
"The body of water and the scenery perfectly fit your title as the ‘Gold Medalist Olympic Swimmer,’ Miss Savelli."
So much had changed since that incident nine years ago. That twelve-year-old Lazuli, who cried in the arms of an unknown girl because she can’t swim and save her parents, was long gone. She is now a beautiful, young lady who’s talented in the sport of swimming.
"I competed in a pool, not in a river!" Lazuli answered with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Suddenly, a strong gush of water caused Lazuli to slip off of the chunk of rock. “SHIT—!”
One of her hands managed to hold a grip on the same rock. The photographer had cowardly run away, frightened that he might have just caused the death of his subject without even trying to rescue the poor maiden. By forcing against the water rush, Lazuli lifted another hand and got herself hugging the chunk of rock.
Just as she was about to lift her foot, the rock moved! Lazuli gasped in both shock and fear but still tried to hold on to that chunk of rock that seemed to settle once again.
At last, she got a foot to step on the small rock that peeked from the falling waters. She forced herself up, battling the current. “AAH!” Lazuli had somehow expected it, but she still screamed when the small rock gave up holding her foot.
It didn’t take a second before the chunk of rock moved next. Her eyes widened and her pupils reflected the intensity of distress in her heart as different thoughts rampaged in her mind. Is this how Mommy felt when she tried to survive that tragedy? Am I gonna die here? I don’t want to die here! I’ve not yet expressed enough how much I love them and how thankful I am that I met my besties and my coach! And Daddy… I’ll miss him! And I still have a lot of dreams! I haven’t even had time to date and have a boyfriend!
“HELP! HELP ME!!” she cried out. “AAAHH—glurg!”
The water soon silenced her horrified scream, entering her lungs as the chunk of rock fell down with her helpless body. A steep waterfall connected two rivers, high and low, that even if Lazuli was an amazing swimmer, she wasn’t able to escape the call of death. Moreover, the rock hit her forehead as it fell, causing her consciousness to entirely slip away. She wasn’t sure whether she saw some sort of rainbow-colored explosion that faded into white, or bright white light that faded into pitch-black darkness.
THE SEASICKNESS WAS intense for the young Lazuli Savelli. Her mother took her hand and they walked to the cafeteria of the ship. The twelve-year-old Lazuli asked for a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of lollipops. When they got back to their seat, Lazuli had completely forgotten about her seasickness.
The trip was going smoothly. The weather wasn’t bad. The sea was calm. The Savelli family was happy. Everything was perfect.
Who would have thought that the ship, on a calm sea and fine weather, would suddenly shake? And not just a simple shake brought by a wave, but a shake that was so violent, so cruel that the ship tipped sideways and the water invaded the lowest part?
It wasn’t enough. The water continued to fill the ship, making it sink lower and lower into the sea. The children were wrapped by their parents with life vests as the crew prepared the rafts.
“All passengers below 18 years of age, please come forward! I repeat: all passengers below 18 years of age, please come forward! Thank you!” The announcement rang loudly through the megaphone.
Although her parents refused to let her go, Lazuli’s safety remained to be their topmost priority. They pushed her to line up with the minorities despite tears falling down their eyes.
“Mommy! Daddy!” she cried out.
“You must be safe, Lazuli. We will join you on the docks,” said her father.
Lazuli wiped away her tears and raised her two pinky fingers. “Promise me, please,” she begged. It was a little childish, to raise her pinky fingers for promises after not using the gesture for the past three years, but… there was something inside her that told her to do so, and to beg for the promise to be sealed.
Her mother smiled and sealed a pinky promise, saying, “I promise.” And then her father sealed the other with a nod.
“I will find you and step on your pinky fingers with my two feet if you break the promise, Mommy, Daddy!” Lazuli exclaimed before joining the crowd of minorities.
The ship continued to sway, as if there was no chance to stabilize it again. The minorities were guided by the crew to the rafts. The captain had made contact with some other ships that they may take on his passengers. Thankfully, two ships responded positively and are now moving to their sinking ship’s coordinates.
Looking from afar, the sinking ship might have brought up déjà vu of the tragedy in April 1912. Although it wasn’t as big as the Titanic and there was no iceberg, the feeling it brought to its passengers, the crew, and the captain might have been all the same.
Even without knowledge about the sinking of the Titanic, Lazuli’s body was shaking in fear as she watched the sinking ship in front of her. She sat with ten kids and four teenagers on the raft. Despite the horrible feeling creeping inside her, she couldn’t bear to look away until she found her parents on their raft with other adults.
Finally, Lazuli was able to close her eyes and sigh in relief.
But the catastrophe did not end there.
A sound similar to an explosion was heard, and before Lazuli could register in her mind what was happening, the tall figure of the mainmast brought shadow upon them.
The eighteen-year-old boy in their group paddled fast. The kids cried louder than before. And Lazuli…
Lazuli watched in extreme horror as the mainmast met with the raft that her parents occupied.
Without thinking, she stood up and cried, “Mommy! Daddy!”
“We’re losing balance! Please sit down, please, please!” the boy begged as he continued to paddle.
A seventeen-year-old girl pulled Lazuli gently back to sit. With her gentle voice, she asked with slight hesitation, “W-Were your parents there? On… that raft?”
Lazuli nodded and without saying anything, she hugged the girl tight while crying her heart out. The girl was shocked at first, but then she raised her hand and ran circles along Lazuli’s back in an effort to soothe her. Eventually, her cries died down.
“I don’t… know how… to swim…” Lazuli tried to form a sentence but was interrupted by hiccups. “I don’t— I can’t— I can’t do anything! I… I can’t—”
The girl shushed her as her tears streamed down in an endless fall once again. “Sister, I— swim— I can’t— can’t swim— my parents— I can’t save them!” Lazuli’s words became incoherent as she continued breaking down in the arms of this good stranger.
And then, maybe it was because of her exhaustion from too much crying or just being generally tired, Lazuli’s consciousness drifted into darkness without her permission.
