The Sacrifice

Rati said she liked this one...so I guess I'm posting it for her...! Kind of depressing, this one. I need to learn how to write funny. Let me know what you guys think!

THE SACRIFICE
- Meghna

"Happy Birthday to my favourite nephew" read the envelope right at the bottom of the pile of presents I had received on my 15th birthday. I had only one thing left to open - a small white envelope from my uncle. Glancing at him, I picked up the envelope. He looked apprehensive, as if he wasn't sure what to expect. Inside the envelope I found a note:

To my nephew on his birthday,
For the last 15 years of your life you have given me immense joy. You were the closest I have ever been to having a son. You have been more to me than you can even imagine. The idea of your turning 15 reminds me that you will not be a child forever and that I must enjoy you while I can. I wish you a happy life ahead of you with nothing but success and happiness.
I am going on a month long trip on my boat to Cape Corn this Saturday. I know that you have always been interested to learn more about my life at sea, but have never been considered old enough to accompany me on a journey. As a celebration of your completing 15 years of your life, I ask you to join me to Cape Corn as your first journey at sea. Will you come with me?

The sea had always fascinated me. Just the thought of something so large and so full of life was so exhilarating. There was so much to learn about the ocean. Most people didn't even realise how much there was that we didn't know about the world beneath the surface. But I knew. And I wanted to learn more. My uncle was a sailor, and my inspiration. The only thing that kept me from spending every waking hour with my uncle on his ship was my family. My mom and dad, with good reason I suppose, thought I was too young to travel across the seas…until now. It was supposed to take us two weeks to reach Africa and two weeks to come back, after spending a week there. The days before departure were tortuous for me! But after what felt like eternity we were finally on our way.

Being out at sea was the most amazing feeling I had ever felt. I felt like I never wanted to go back. While I experienced new things, I was learning so much! Every morning, I would wake up at dawn in the top bunk of a bed in a small room I shared with my uncle. I would help with everyday chores, cook breakfast, read, watch TV…everything I did back home. But doing those same old things on the ship felt so different. The slight rocking of the ship in the water, the light breeze, the sound of the birds flying overhead…it was all simply wonderful. I felt like we were the only ones in the world! Nothing could possibly go wrong.

But it did.

It was about four 'o' clock in the morning when I was awoken by an ear-splitting noise of something coming crashing down. The seas had been rough the past few days, but we were not at all prepared for what was to come. I was told hurriedly by my uncle to stay where I was, before he ran out of the room. Those few seconds felt like they would never end. I sat in a corner of the room shivering as the ship roughly swayed from side to side, and prayed to God that everything was all right. But when my uncle ran in, his face pale, I knew that it wasn't. "Pack only what you need" he said to me. I had never heard him speak this way. Though I didn't want to, I noticed the urgency in his tone. I hurriedly picked up my bag with the precious note I had received from my uncle on my 15 th birthday, and followed my uncle, holding on to anything I could reach trying to keep myself from being thrown overboard into the rough waters. My uncle grabbed my arm and pulled me into a small boat that he had pushed overboard. I noticed him also carrying a small bag. The last thing I remember was hearing… "Abandon ship!"

How long we were out at sea, I will never know. But after that frightening night, the next thing I remember was waking up in a small wooden boat surrounded by sea. A few people had managed to get out of the ship in time and now were in the small boat with us. I prayed that others had been as lucky as we.

The storm had thrown us completely off course. My uncle had managed to grab food for the two of us. Though we were all on the same ship, the phrase "every man for himself" seemed to now be a matter of survival. There was no land in sight. None of us had any means of communication or navigation. It didn't seem to have occurred to anyone to pick up a compass or any sort of map. We were completely lost, and for the first time, my uncle couldn't say anything to make it right.

We were at sea for days. Food was growing short. There was no other means of food while shark-infested waters surrounded us. To make it all worse, land was still nowhere in sight. My uncle and I kept to ourselves in a corner of the little boat, and tried to comfort each other by assuring ourselves that we would all turn out fine. But in our heart of hearts, we both knew that our situation did not look good. Two days passed and our hope was running out. We had food left only to sustain one more person. There was no chance of my uncle and I both surviving this. But nothing could have prepared me for what my uncle did. He looked me straight in the eye with so much regret in his eyes that it shocked me. "Son," he said to me, "You have your whole life ahead of you. And even if it doesn't help much, I want you to have at least one more chance at surviving what I feel like was my fault. Please don't try and stop me from what I know I should do. I just want you to know that I love you. Always remember that. Whenever you are in trouble, think of me. And I will be there for you" At first I didn't understand what he was saying. But to my utmost shock he took out a pocketknife and cut his palm. For a second, we both watched as his wound bleed. I felt tears rush to my eyes and a lump form in my throat. I couldn't think of anything to say. All I did was lay a hand on his arm. He just looked at me, gave me a sad smile and said, "Be good." By now, the other three people on the boat were watching, speechless. My uncle smiled at me once more, before leaning backwards and intentionally falling into the ocean. The blood on his palm attracted the hunters of the sea faster than I had ever imagined. And in a minute…he was gone.

There are no words for the way I felt right then. My uncle had given up his life to give me a chance to carry on. I knew he had done this only to save me. And if I didn't survive, his death would have been in vain. My uncle was now but a memory. As tears fell down from my eyes, I took out my precious letter and ran my fingers over his small cursive handwriting. I wished that he had stayed just a while longer. At the time, I had nothing to say, and now, I felt like the only one I wanted to talk to was him. I wanted to bring him back. Even if it was for a while. The man on the other end of the boat interrupted my thoughts. Fifteen minutes after my uncle's sacrifice…

"Land Ahoy!"