The Storm Within

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Recommended: Importance of personal and cultural identity

The waves gently rocked the boat from side to side, lapping at the smooth fiberglass hull. Shrill cries of seagulls far above floated along the slight breeze, penetrating Jim’s peaceful dreams. He slowly opened his eyes, taking in the sunlight streaming through the porthole and the neat, orderly cabin around him. Smiling, he took a deep breath, and got out of his cot, heading up through the small staircase. As he climbed the steps, he took time to gaze at the various pictures of friends and family lining the walls. Even though he knew that those he loved were thousands of miles away, seeing their faces comforted him and made him feel less lonely. Stepping onto the foredeck Jim was confronted with miles and miles of blue ocean any which way he turned. He felt miniscule, unimportant, and insignificant in the face of all the vastness that surrounded him. For the first time since he started his solo voyage across the Atlantic, Jim realized that he was completely and utterly alone.
As Jim stood contemplating his lonesome situation, he was distracted by a sudden thump on the starboard side of his boat. Rushing to peer over the side, Jim became paralyzed with fear. His mind screamed for him to run, to do anything but stand there gripping the side of the boat with white knuckles, but his body refused to comply. Ever since he was little, Jim had been afraid of sharks, and yet not ten feet away one was swimming near the boat. It was a behemoth, gracefully gliding through the water with each stroke of its muscular tail. Its very presence seemed to suck the life out of everything around; the seagulls had disappeared, as well as the sea creatures that had previously populated the area around the boat. Jim shuddered as the shark passed, givin...

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... he was jerked to a halt. His lungs screamed for air as he fumbled with cumbersome life preserver, and his vision began to blur. The shark he had seen earlier appeared from nowhere, and began circling him. It seemed to taunt Jim with its freedom and ability to breathe underwater. It mocked him, seemingly laughing at his feeble attempts to free himself. The shark swam nearby as Jim could no longer control his urge to breathe and inhaled a lungful of water. He knew he was drowning, but a sudden sense of peace overcame him. He knew that he had tried his best, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction. Although short, his life had been good, and Jim knew that he had truly lived. His vision grew dark, but it no longer bothered him. Jim stopped struggling and let himself be engulfed by the darkness. The shark turned and leisurely swam away, as the storm still raged above.

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