It was a cool, calm day. My boat, a tiny, tiny boat, was skimming lightly across the water. Smiling to myself, I breathed in the air and lowered myself down the small steps into the cabin which I often spent the day in. As I bent through the doorway, my dog, Osprey, lifted his head in greeting. I patted his head and grabbed a small chair which I took back out again onto the deck, tying it down just in case a sudden wave came over. Taking down the sails, I sat back in my chair and relaxed, closing my eyes happily as we bobbed up and down. This was what I wanted to do with my life. Away from the noise, the cars... One day, I would buy a yacht, and spend my life on it, constantly moving, never setting foot on land except from to explore or to get supplies. However, I would always keep my little Calypso, tugging it along behind my cruiser like a giant carrying a balloon…but that was when I was rich…
I awoke to the sound of Osprey barking. A breeze had sprung up, and the air felt cooler than before. I was thankful that I had tied my chair already, or it could have been knocked overboard by the sizeable waves that were now forming! I rubbed my eyes and stumbled across the swaying deck to raise the sails again - it was time to go home. As I was deftly untying the ropes, however, Osprey gave a whiny growl, and nudged my leg with his head, the whites of his eyes showing slightly, his tail between his legs. I straightened up and looked about to see what had worried him. I could see nothing wrong, except the waves and the wind, but he wasn't usually bothered by such things. Shrugging, I returned to my task, unfurling the sails, and sitting down to work the tiller. Under my command, the boat swung its nose round like the needle of a compass, and we headed home.
We had been sailing for less than 5 minutes when Osprey started to whine again.
"What is it boy?" I asked, as he jumped up and padded around restlessly. "What's wrong?" Osprey only looked at me, and gave a single, sharp bark. Again, my eyes swept the horizon, but I couldn’t see anything.
"Lie down. Shush, Osprey." Obediently, he slumped onto the deck, but he gazed sorrowfully at me, and did not wag his tail. I shook my head at him and returned to navigating. The boat was almost flying now, the wind urgently blowing in her tiny sails. I took out my old, tattered binoculars, and swept the horizon. Relief washed over me as I saw a smudge of land in the distance - for some reason that I couldn't quite explain even to myself, I felt slightly nervous. Osprey mirrored my distress.
Suddenly, he leapt up, and started barking madly, his teeth showed. "Woah!" I said to him, but he only ignored me and continued, looking as savage as a wolf.
Standing up, I looked around - and then I saw it. A huge storm cloud was approaching faster than I had ever seen one move before, and it was heading straight for us! Springing up, I dashed into the tiny cabin and pulled out the oars. They would not make much difference, but we had to move faster than the storm! Rowing, I constantly checked the cloud's path and speed, watching it draw nearer and nearer. Osprey started to whine pathetically, looking up at me from his place on the floor with his eyes, but not attempting to move into the cabin, where it was safer. I scratched his ears - I knew that he wouldn't leave my side.
Soon the large, mountainous, threatening waves were upon us. Large, mountainous, threatening waves. Calypso lurked and spun into the sea's grip as water splashed across the deck, soaking both me and osprey. I considered shutting him down in the cabin to prevent him from being thrown overboard, but realized that if we sank, he would probably drown, trapped in the small room. So instead, I put on a life jacket and kept an eye on Osprey. For a moment I stopped rowing, to rest and to tie myself loosely to the mast. It was to prevent me from being thrown violently overboard by the aggressive waves, but I made sure my knife was easily accessible on my belt so I could cut myself free if I needed it. The boat was barely alive as she got up the top of the waves and let them carry her closer to the coast, which was much closer now. Come on, come on, I thought, as the sails whipped around, and she shuddered from the power of the elements. The dark cloud was almost upon us now, and as the wind became more and more temperamental, I took in the sails. We had been caught by the storm, now we had to try to survive it.
For what seemed like hours, we tried to get out of the storm. Several times the Osprey almost flew into the water, but I managed to catch him at the last second and put him safely back on board the boat. Several times I realized about the idea of shutting him and even myself in the cabin and just hoping for the best, if only to get a break from the wind, rain and salt spray, but the image of us drowning slowly in the small space with the door firmly closed pushed the thought out of my mind. And in this way, I have more control, I thought. Suddenly, Calypso tipped on her side so powerful that my back was almost parallel to the water. I threw myself to the other side of the deck to try to stop the boat from gaining a lot of weight on one side, but as I did, I slipped, and hit my head hard against the mast. As I struggled to stay conscious, I felt Ospreys rough, rasping tongue licking my face in a desperate attempt to keep me awake. But despite his best efforts. I felt like I slowly slipped into the darkness.
Swish. Swish. Swish. The gentle sound of the waves and gossiping of the birds woke me up. Slowly open my eyes, I looked to the left to see Osprey curled up by my head, keeping me safe. Smiling at his loyalty, I closed my eyes again sleepy. Wait. My eyes shot up when I suddenly realized - where was I? I remember hitting my head in the storm, but from there I hadn't remembered anything. I assumed that Calypso had been destroyed, which was a shame, but at least Osprey and I were alive.