OH, it’s so good!! I LOVE HER WRITING!! Mark asked her to write a short story, and did she ever.
Cruise Uncontrolled
By Tatum Hay
The soft waves crashed into the sides of the S.S. Pillow.
“Your drink, madam,” a skinny man with dorky glasses uttered, setting a silver tray down before turning to leave. His gait was so hasty, it almost seemed like he was running on eggshells.
“Henry, I wanted a martini, not this—” She glanced down, turning her nose up at the drink. “Not this trashy pina colada.”
Henry paused mid-step, then turned around, lifting his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, his eyes wide with innocent confusion. “As you wish, Dovi.” He clicked his tongue, then scrambled off, muttering under his breath.
Dovi ignored him, her fingers adjusting her perfect ponytail as she studied her reflection in the pocket mirror. The cabin’s decor was elegant, but the pina colada was an insult to her impeccable taste.
Mr. Jowl, an aging man with a double chin that seemed to swallow his neck, slowly turned his head toward Dovi, his gold chain glinting in the light. He leaned forward, adjusting the waistband of his pants, which were slightly too tight.
“Honey, you shouldn’t treat Henry that way,” he murmured in a conspiratorial tone.
“Jerston, it’s Henry, not Heny,” Dovi replied, not looking up from her mirror.
“Same thing, my dear,” Jerston quipped, waving a hand dismissively as he adjusted his own thick-rimmed glasses.
Before Dovi could respond, Henry burst back into the room, carrying her martini on a silver tray, looking flustered. His steps were hurried, as if he were racing against some invisible clock.
“Ugh, don’t run with my martini,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing as she finally looked up at him. “Where is my martini?!”
Henry’s face turned pale, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He glanced nervously around the room before blurting out, “The ship! It’s going down!”
A gasp echoed in the small cabin, and Dovi stood up, suddenly no longer caring about the martini. Her perfectly painted lips parted in disbelief. “What do you mean, ‘going down’?” she demanded, her voice high with panic. “This is a luxury cruise! You must be mistaken!”
“It’s true!” Henry exclaimed, his breath quickening. “The hull’s been breached, madam. Water’s flooding the lower decks.”
Jerston’s face paled as well, but he quickly recovered. “Now, now, there’s no need to panic,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “Just a little leak, I’m sure. The crew will fix it in no time.”
“I don’t think it’s just a little leak,” Henry stammered, looking out the window as the waves grew choppier. “The lifeboats… they’re gone.”
Dovi’s eyes widened, her grip tightening on her pocket mirror until her fingers turned white. She darted for the door, but Henry blocked her path.
“You can’t leave! The ship might—”
“Move, Henry,” Dovi hissed. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she shoved past him. “I’m not about to die on this cheap excuse for a cruise!”
As she stormed down the narrow hallways, Jerston waddled behind her, muttering nervously, “I always said this ship had bad vibes. Never liked the name, S.S. Pillow… too soft, too cushy for a boat.”
Dovi ignored him, her mind racing. The ship was sinking. The reality was settling in, her world tilting at an angle she couldn’t adjust. She had to get off, she had to survive.
But as she turned a corner, she froze. A crew member—one she hadn’t seen before—stood at the end of the hallway, eyes wide with fear.
“Get back!” he shouted, before the lights flickered and the entire ship groaned beneath them. The floor shifted, and Dovi felt the unmistakable lurch of a vessel sinking, its fate sealed.
“There’s no way out, is there?” Jerston asked, his voice cracking.
Dovi swallowed hard, her face now pale with reality, as the sound of water rushing through the lower decks became more and more deafening.
“Not unless you want to swim,” Dovi muttered, her voice oddly calm despite the terror clawing at her insides. “And I don’t know about you, Jerston, but I don’t think I packed my swimsuit for this.”
THE END
TATUM HAY, I love your writing!!
