STORY DRAMA'The Sailor'
The sea was black that morning and the sky a dull grey. It was another day during the fall of 1940 as I served my time in the Navy. Although it felt like any other day, it certainly was not. This day was dark and ominous - and an hour after day break I suddenly realised why. Dead bodies floated in the water, face down, limbs loose and dangling like marionettes. They were scattered on the surface of the ocean, with many holes in many places on their bodies. Their skin was grey and thin. I tried not to feel saddened by their deaths, I did not know these men, but I’m human and not soulless. My heart ached. The captain called my name, taking me out of my trance. I glanced over my left shoulder at the captain who was at the helm, holding a thick rope in his hands. He tossed it towards me and it landed at my feet. I stared at him, confused. I glanced back at the bodies in the water and my mouth fell open. With hesitation I reached for the rope and waited for the bodies to float close enough for me to grab. The first one was slippery so I had to grab him by the collar. I held my breath and turned my head to the side to avoid glancing at his face. Wrapping my arms quickly around his waist, I tried to detach my soul, heart and mind from my body in hopes not to feel sickened or distraught. But I began to cry. His clouded eyes – although lifeless – somehow looked very sad. There were so many dead bodies – so many lives taken so soon. I was lost in sonder. Perhaps they knew each other or were great friends, but I realised that this was wishful thinking. I was imagining that their lives were happy before they were taken away, but in truth, their stories were something I would never know.
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