text: As he battled the waves, the wind roared loud and hard, only his 17 years at sea was keeping the boat afloat. The main sail was ripped from the deck, and he had no power from engine. He made make shifts underwater sails at either side of the boat that he lifted to steer. The white of the sea was blinding, rich with hopelessness. He tied himself to the deck, staring at pure fear. He screams at the top of his voice, “come ahead you won’t take me easy”. Gripping onto the steering wheel, white knuckles and grit teeth. As huge wave crashed into the front of the boat, rising it up so high he is dangling from the wheel. But still he refuses to let go, only his will power, and the love for a challenge was keeping him going. As quick as the boat raised up, it came crashing down the other side like a roller coaster. Slowly his boat was filling up with a watery death, he holds the wheel with his knee, grasping at the water pump, he cranks away. As he looked ahead, he could see a very faint grey outline, he knew it could not be water as it was not moving. He laughed with the roar of a lion; the storm had been taken him to land. Only time would tell if he could make It, he had no clue where he was, but he knew his chance of survival would increase with sold rock under him. This only spurred him on, cranking the pump faster his eyes only showing the very narrowing of gaps and the salt water stuck his face. The silhouette of the land grow in darkness and size as he gets closer. The boat stops with a massive crash, he is throwing from the wheel. he knew he is a rock, he had very limited time, his mind was saying can I swim the rest, how far to shore, will he need supplies from the boat, where was he. He could he the boat ripping her self apart, no time to think, he starts to untie himself. The knots are tight after the sudden pull from the throw. His fingers were sore from cold and water, his knife was out of reach. He rushed back to the wheel as he could hear the air rushing out the boat, quickly he starts to cut. As he turns around the whole front of the boat was just under water. He keeps cutting as fast as he can, the water is up to his ankles at this point. The fear was settling in, like a cloak of death. His heart was pounding and his wide open, his brain was firing neurons making it hard to focus. As he is pulled under, the water seemed clam, as it pulled him under more. He could not feel the cold, he was running on pure adrenalin, as he cut in to the last of the rope. He finally cuts him self free, as he looks up at the dazzling light of the surface, he pulls the cord to his life jacket. The rush to the surface only allowed him to wake up to how bad his situation was. The storm was still in full force, but now with his eyes lower, he could not see anything. Just water beating him from all around him. Only to be struck with the same rock that sunk him from behind on the head. His head was ringing, he was starting to fall asleep, his head was shutting down. Slowly he gave into demise. After an unspecified time, he could hear water crashing into the shores, his head was still in pain. The sharp rocks sliced into is hardened flesh. he did not want to make any sudden moves right away; he had no clue what was broken. He slowly checked himself out, apart from a few cuts and his painful headache, he was fine, lucky escape he felt. As je pulled himself onto the rocks, he could see he was in a cave, the sea was still in full force, with no chance of swimming out, he decided to give himself a bit of time to sort himself out a bit. His head wound, was worrying him, he could feel blood, but had no clue what was going on back there. He rips his sleeve off his shirt and wraps it around his head. He squints his face as the pain increases while he does it. He looked behind him into the darkness of the cave, he did not know where it went, but he had very little options. The current of the water would likely kill him if he went out the way he went in. He took out his flip lighter and sparked it, it took a few try’s but it soon sparked to life. The cave had some depth, his small light source barely pierced into the darkness. His footing was not the best and he crouched into the walls of the cave, with one had over his head and one on the ground. He pushed on until he comes to the wall at the back of the cave, no other light, no wind from anywhere but behind, he knew it was a dead end but there might be an underwater passage. He felt this was a bigger risk that trying to go out the front. He was really stuck in a rock and a hard place. He makes his way back to the front of the cave and sits down looking out into the sea. A miracle is what he needed. No escape, no supplies, and an unknowing injure to his head. “Checkmate” he says, accepting his fate, he smiled looking out the cruel mistress of the sea. He felt no regrets and enjoyed his last view of life.