try and swim for it, then good luck to you.’
Will recognised the obstinate look in the sailor’s eyes and decided to try to persuade the other men. He swam slowly back towards the boat, carefully dodging the bobbing debris washed from the deck when the wave had hit. He thought there were maybe a few more than a dozen men visible in the water and silently hoped the rest of the crew hadn’t suffered before they had died.
‘We need to swim for shore,’ Will called as he approached a group of four men. They were all clutching on to buoyant pieces of wood, the colour drained from their faces. At first he got no response and wondered if his suggestion had been carried away by the wind.
‘We can’t stay here.’ He tried again, ‘We’ll die.’
The men all looked at him as though he were mad.
‘Shore’s miles away,’ one sailor said, ‘We’ll never make it.’
‘You’re mad,’ another shouted, ‘We wouldn’t be able to cover even half the distance.’
‘We can’t stay here, I honestly think we can make it. If we don’t start moving, the cold will get to us and we’ll die of exposure before anyone comes to rescue us.’
Will could see his pleas were not getting through to the group of men, but he didn’t want to give up, knowing if he left them behind the sailors would all be dead in a couple of hours.
He swam closer to one of the sailors, a man he’d shared a few conversations with on the voyage, hoping to reason with him individually.
‘Jim,’ Will said, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.
He wasn’t expecting the reaction he got. Jim lashed out, his hand catching Will on the forehead. Luckily it was a glancing blow, but he felt stunned all the same.
‘Leave me alone,’ Jim yelled, pushing Will even further from him. ‘Go off and die if that’s what you want, but don’t insist on bringing us along to drown with you.’
Making sure he was out of arm’s reach from all the men, Will raised his voice and called out, ‘I’m going to try to swim for shore, I’m sure we can make it. If anyone would like to come with me, I promise I will do my best to get us to safety.’
There was no response. He could see everyone had heard him, their faces were turned towards him as he spoke, but no one moved.
He was torn. Deep down Will knew if he stayed there with the rest of the survivors they would all die. Soon the cold would seep in and slowly their bodies would start to shut down. One by one they would slip unconscious, then slide under the water. He knew he had a chance of survival if he swam for the shore. Telling himself he’d given the crew the option of joining him, he reluctantly turned away.
Mentally Will steeled himself, trying to put the other survivors from his mind. He pulled his shirt off over his head and started to swim. The island was just visible in the distance, a black shape just a shade darker than the night sky. It was probably four miles, maybe five at the most, further than he had ever swum, but possible. Just.
He set off at a slow pace, all too aware his energy levels were going to dip as he started to cover the distance. With his eyes focused on a spot on the horizon so he didn’t go off course, he gradually progressed.
He’d grown up with the sea as his playground so he was used to the sting of the salty water and the chill bite of the wind against his face. His brother had always challenged him to swimming races, never this sort of distance, of course, but he could happily swim a mile in the inhospitable English Channel. He’d never swum during a storm before, though.
* * *
After what seemed like hours later he stopped for a break, slowly treading water with just enough effort to keep afloat. For the first time a small sliver of doubt crept into his mind. What if he couldn’t make it? He pushed away the negativity and gave himself a mental slap. That kind of defeatist attitude was what got you killed.
Will ploughed on. Hour after hour, mile after mile. His body went numb and soon after, his mind followed. He swam out of instinct, striving to get to shore, but no other thoughts entered his mind. After a while his legs stopped working, they just refused to kick, and his arms complained under the extra strain.
* * *
As the sun started to rise above the horizon Will glanced once again at the shore. He was so close now, close enough to make out the individual trees on the cliffs that towered above the water. For a second his mind didn’t register what he had just seen, then it hit him. Cliffs. Not a white sandy beach or a natural harbour, cliffs. He felt like shouting and cursing, but just didn’t have the energy. He’d made it all this way only to be defeated by some cliffs, and he would be defeated; he barely had the strength to pull himself on to some sand, let alone climb a jagged rock.
Will wasn’t a quitter. He had never left anything unfinished in his life, but he knew this was the end. He didn’t have the strength to climb the cliffs and he didn’t have the energy to swim the shoreline until he found an easier route to dry land.
He did a few more strokes towards the cliffs just in case there was a handy set of steps carved into the rock face. Nothing. Not even an easy handhold. He didn’t dare get any closer, knowing the sea would dash him against the rock without a moment’s hesitation.
Will closed his eyes and allowed his body to float, knowing sooner or later the pull of the sea would submerge him and take him to his watery grave.
‘That’s no place to sleep.’ The voice was carried to him on the wind and had a kind of ethereal quality to it. He opened his eyes and with a tremendous effort looked around him.
Finally he glanced at the clifftop and in that instant he knew he was dead. A beautiful woman dressed all in white was standing looking down at him. She must be an angel, Will thought, a beautiful, heavenly angel.
Finally accepting his fate, Will closed his eyes one last time and let the sea envelop him.
* * *
He was actually going to sleep. Mia stood frozen for a second, unsure what to do, then instinct took over and she tugged at the laces securing her dress. She threw the billowing white garment over her head and, clad only in her underwear, dived head first into the sea. It only took her a few strokes to reach the bedraggled man and she looped her arms under his to help him keep afloat.
‘Heaven,’ he murmured, his eyes flickering open for a few seconds.
‘No, Barbados,’ Mia said, struggling to keep both their heads above the water. ‘You’re going to have to swim.’
‘No more swimming.’
‘Well, it’s either you swim or I let you sink to the bottom of the sea. Don’t think I’m carrying you to the beach.’
‘Beach?’ He perked up slightly.
‘Yes, beach; sand, palm trees, lapping waves.’
‘What are we waiting for?’
Mia cautiously let go of her new companion and watched to see if he was going to sink. His kicks were weak and his eyes barely open, but he put enough effort in to just about stay afloat.
She
