Shipwreck off Nantucket by William Bradford
Shipwreck off Nantucket by William Bradford
I awoke to the splash of water on my face. The smell of salt and fish clouded the air. Startled, I arose to my feet. Looking around, I saw nothing but the ocean. A frightening realization occurred in me, this isn’t the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The last thing I remembered was that I was standing in front of the painting Shipwreck off Nantucket by William Bradford.
As I pondered where I was and how did I get there, my thoughts were interrupted by the clamorous voices of men.
“I need to mop the stern,” said one man.
“Scrub the whole deck,” said another.
Stern? Deck? Finally taking in my surroundings and closely looking at the area around me, my heart froze. I was aboard a ship!
“You over there, take hold of the line and hoist the sail!” yelled the captain from the bridge.
“Me?” I questioned.
“No you landlubber, I was talking to that man over there,” replied the captain sarcastically.
Aware that there was no one remotely near me, and considering the fact that I didn’t want him to figure out that I didn’t belong on the ship, I obeyed his orders. As I looked above me, I noticed that the color of the sky began to change. No longer was it clear blue; it was full of ominous, dark clouds. The troubled look on the captain’s face told it all…a storm was brewing and there was no way out.
The wind howled like a beast crying out in pain. Within minutes, we were caught in the middle of the storm. The rain fell down hard, obscuring our vision. Were we going to make it?
The helmsman fought the wheel as the force of the gale tried to rip it off his hands.
“Sir, the wind is too strong!” cried the helmsman
“Keep fighting men! We can do it!” exclaimed the captain.
It was the classic battle: man against nature. Sadly, nature triumphed in the fight. The heavy surf battered the ship, ripping apart the once sturdy timbers that held the ship together. Frigid seawater rushed into the hold, filling up the ship. The ship had begun to tip over, causing a frenzy.
“Abandon ship!”
The crew rushed to lower down the safety boats. The ocean had engulfed the boat. The waves had repeatedly hit me, forcing me under the water. I felt myself being pulled down further and further into the darkness. Gasping for air, I realized this was the end. As my lungs collapsed, I fell into an unconscious state. The next thing I knew, I awoke in front of the painting.
