Suspending Reality

by Chrissy Peebles

  Barely able to discern the radio chatter from the static, I held my breath as I tried to make out their message.

  “I will notify…Fiji Navy…your location?” said the voice.

  “What?” I shouted. “You’re breaking up!” The boat pitched, and I grabbed the back of the captain’s swivel chair. As it spun around, I fought to keep my balance. I hung on as another wave slammed into our vessel like a giant fist.

  My breath came fast and shallow, misting the rain-streaked windowpane. My stomach twisted at the thought of what might be happening to my parents and Mike out in the storm. I shook my head, but the thoughts wouldn’t quite go away.

  “Stay as calm as you can,” said the deep, comforting voice. “Make sure your EPIRB is operating so a satellite can pick up the radio waves and we can find you. Hold on. Help’s coming.”

  “Jack, you know the orange walkie-talkie thing mounted outside the cabin?” When he nodded, I continued, “Take it out of the brackets and turn the switch on.”

  “I’m on it!” Jack threw the door open and sped out into the blanket of rain as lightning flashed across the sky.

  “You need to give me your latitude and longitude coordinates from your navigation chart or global positioning system,” said the voice on the radio.

  I glanced down at the GPS nestled in the controls and gulped. A tiny crack ran down the wide digital screen. Why now? It was fine earlier. I glanced around; nothing had fallen. I pressed a red button. The small monitor blinked and turned black.

  I screamed into the microphone, “GPS not working!”

  “How old are you?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “Okay, I’m going to get you through this step by step,” said the man. “For starters, look at your compass.”

  The needle on the deck compass spun around counterclockwise. I tapped on it, and the needle jumped back and forth erratically. What’s going on? This isn’t the freaking Bermuda Triangle, right? “It’s not working either. It’s just…going crazy.”

  “Can you give me a specific landmark near you?” the voice asked.

  “I know we’re south of the Fiji islands.”

  “Which island?”

  Jack appeared beside me and pushed his soaked hair out of his eyes. “There’re like 300 of them.”

  I frantically looked around the cabin. I needed to keep my cool and think. My gaze fell on the far end of the wall. I darted over and ran my finger across the waterproof chart. The island was circled in red. In two steps, I reached the desk and grabbed the microphone. “Viti Levu.”

  Silence.

  A burst of static. More silence. I blinked water from my lashes, waiting, hoping. “Hello? Hello? Are you there?” No response. I tried once more, pressing the button in a frenzy as my heart jackhammered against my ribs. No, this can’t be happening. Not now.

  Still nothing.

  I dropped the microphone and whipped around to stare into Jack’s eyes. “It went dead.” He didn’t say a word. He just hugged me, his palm rubbing the hard knots in my shoulders.

  Biting my lip, I tore away from him. I’d never acted like a damsel in distress before, and I wasn’t going to start playing the role now. Did the Silver Bullet hear what island we were near before the radio died? Rescue couldn’t waste valuable time searching around the wrong islands. My mom’s life depended on that call; everyone’s life depended on that precious communication.

  Jack steadied himself against the wall, holding up the orange emergency beacon. “Don’t worry. The transmitter’s on. They’ll pick up our signal and come get us.”

  The boat creaked and groaned, making me flinch. I wiped a circle clean on the fogged window. “Where’s Mike?”

  “I don’t know, but he should’ve been back by now.”

  The lights flickered and went out. Every muscle tensed as I blinked, blinded in the sudden darkness. “Crap! We lost the generator.” I ran a hand along the wall until my fingers wrapped around a metal handle.

  I rummaged through the top drawer and fumbled for a flashlight, when a lightning bolt shot across the sky. A wave crashed over the bow and rolled down the deck with the momentum and force of a mighty tsunami. I ducked as the mass of water smashed through the large cockpit window, slamming into me like a semi-truck. I gasped, coughed, and then gasped again. The cold water reached my waist. Wind howled through the broken window, whipping my hair across my cheeks and eyes. I clutched Jack, burying my face into his chest. His arms encircled me in a strong grip. “I feel like I’m in a scene from Titanic. I don’t want to die like this, Jack,” I said, and found it somewhat fitting that his name was Jack in such a scenario.

  Suddenly, out of the darkness, clad in an oversized yellow life jacket, Mike pushed through the door, with two more flotation devices draped over his arm. The waist-high water gushed past him onto the deck, leaving me in ankle-deep sea foam. He shined a flashlight beam toward the ground, his mouth set in a hard line. “I’m sorry. I can’t find your dad anywhere.”

  My breath froze. Oh my gosh! Where is he? I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to know the answer. Burrowing my face in my hands, I hoped against all odds my mom and dad would somehow survive. The back of my throat felt dry, and a rush of heat swept over me in spite of the cold water soaking my clothes. I dropped to my knees, and Jack dropped with me, holding me.

  Mike threw both of them a life preserver. “Put these on…pronto!”

  I struggled into my jacket. The bright yellow stood out in the dim light. “We got a mayday out.”

  Inching nearer, Mike asked, “Help’s coming, then?”

  “Don’t know. Radio went dead,” said Jack. “Couldn’t finish the call. But I turned on the emergency radio beacon.”

  Mike ran a hand through his wet hair. “Maybe we should head below deck until rescue comes. I was just down there, and the water’s not that high. If we stay up here, we’ll be swept overboard.”

  “If this boat sinks, that cabin will be your coffin.” Jack squinted as Mike shifted his flashlight beam toward him.

  He made a valid point, grim as it was. I sucked in a sharp gulp of air. “Meeting a watery grave in Davy Jones’s locker isn’t happening.” I adjusted my vest, pulled the canvas straps, and snapped the buckle around my waist. “We’ve got to get out of here. C’mon! Let’s head for the dingy.”

  “It’s gone,” said Mike, letting out a long breath. “Waves got it.”

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was supposed to be a fun and relaxing boat ride. My stomach sank. I knew the waves were going to rip the boat apart board by board. I needed to come up with a plan, and fast. “Can you shine your light over here?”

  He nodded. “What’re you looking for?”

  I rummaged through more drawers, my voice growing frantic. “Our ticket out of here.” I pulled out a red plastic flare gun. The Fiji Navy was our only hope.

  Is anyone ever going to come help us? I smeared the fogged window and pressed my face against the cold glass. My parents wouldn’t be able to survive much longer, wherever they were. I peered through the sheets of rain into the blackness beyond when a flash caught my eye. Multi-colored lights blinked in sequence, followed by a blue light that swept toward me in swinging arcs. My heart pounded in my ears. I listened, but the roaring wind and pouring rain drowned out any sound from the thundering helicopter. “Look! See that?”

  Jack wiped the window with his arm and peeked out. “I see it!”

  Rescue. Warm blankets. Hot chocolate. Thank goodness. My mom and dad had to be on the helicopter, and I was sure they’d be waiting for me with a big smile. I let out a sigh of relief. A beam of light cut through the rain and filled the room, momentarily blinding me. “Ready to get this rescue party started with some fireworks?” I dashed out the wheelhouse door into the furious storm.

  Mike waved the flashlight beam frantically in the helicopter’s direction. “Over here!” he shouted. Jack and I soon joined in the chorus.

  As rain pelted down, I pointed the
flare gun high into the air. I tightened my fingers around the trigger and pulled. A bright red flare illuminated the sky. I fired again and again, giving us a spectacular Fourth of July show.

  The storm dumped another huge wave onto the deck, knocking my feet out from under me and sending the gun flying from my hands. Grunting from the sudden impact, I plunged into the sea. Water rushed down my throat and up my nose. I fought to keep my head above the surface. “Help!” Squinting into the darkness, I noticed the lights had disappeared. No warm blankets, hot chocolate, or wire basket to ride up in? Where’s the helicopter? Did it turn around and go back? Did it crash?

  I could hear Mike and Jack’s incoherent shouts over the booming thunder. I screamed, my arms flapping to fight against the current. I forced my mouth shut to avoid swallowing any more water.

  Looking up, I could only see the top halves of Mike and Jack’s bodies ducking and rising out of view. They flung something over the side of the boat. Using all my strength, I propelled myself over to a rope. Panting, I swung out my arms. Got it! I gave it a hard tug, knowing it was securely fastened to an iron cleat.

  A giant explosion of white water rushed over the vessel, followed by a loud crack and then a dull thud. The rigging and sails crashed to the deck, along with the eighty-foot mast.

  Jack yelled above the roar of the wind. “Mike!”

  Clinging to the rope, I screamed out both of their names. I wondered if Mike or Jack had been hit by a piece of heavy equipment, and every muscle in my body tensed at the thought. Are they hurt? I blinked but couldn’t see a thing in the darkness. Several bolts of lightning danced across the sky, and I finally saw the eerie outline of Jack near the rail, but my lips trembled when I couldn’t see Mike. Did he fall in too? I pictured Mike bleeding—or even worse, knocked out cold. Oh, gosh! Please no.

  I glanced around in frantic disbelief but saw nothing but rising mountains of water. Gasping for breath, I tried not to choke on the salty foam being thrust into my mouth by the wild, tumbling waves. I focused my attention back on Jack until he disappeared from view. Water rushed over my face. My eyes burned, and my vision blurred.

  “Casey?” I heard a voice call out through the storm and threw my head back. “Jack!”

  A dark figure leaned over the rail. “I’m going to pull you up.”

  The rope in my hands went taut as it lifted me out of the water. I hung in the air, gripped the rope tighter, and spun around in circles. I swear I was spinning faster than an ice-skater performing a two-foot spin for an Olympic gold medal.

  The boat lurched, and I jerked hard as something crashed into me from above. It was Jack, who’d toppled from the deck. I tried to reach for him, but the impact knocked the breath right out of me. I gasped against the pain, losing my grip and falling back into the sea.

  The force of the wave pushed me down, spinning me around in total darkness like a washing machine rinse cycle. I held my breath, my lungs burning for sweet release and fresh oxygen. If I don’t get air soon...

  The pressure in my ears was unbearable. When the spinning stopped, my lungs were on fire, and I flailed my arms, trying to orient myself. Am I upside down or right side up? I forced myself to stop struggling, letting my body float. Okay. Now I know the way. Powerful kicks propelled me upward. Just before my lungs collapsed, I burst through the surface like a dolphin at a water theme park show.

  Apart from the flash of lightning, I saw nothing but pitch black. My hands moved around me, frantic to grasp onto something—anything—but there was only water. “Jack!” I yelled, but he didn’t answer. A deafening roar like a passing train filled my ears, and I clutched my life jacket for dear life.

  Flash after flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and something huge ripped through the water toward me. The boat? I used every ounce of strength to swim away, but a large, swirling body of water sucked me in.

  I coughed, exhausted, my body trembling with the effort to keep myself afloat. There was no way I was going to let the undertow drag me down. Around and around I spun, faster and faster. I tried to break free of the fast-spinning, churning water, but vast jaws of swirling foam swallowed me up. I felt the tremendous force of the water washing over me, pulling me in, deeper and deeper. Spiraling down to the center core of the mighty whirlpool, I was tossed, turned, and rolled beneath the surface of the water. This was definitely not on my list of “Top 10 Things to Do in Fiji.”

  I’m too young to die. I held my breath and prayed for a miracle.

  ***

  Dizziness washed over me as I struggled to free myself from the spiraling water. Lungs burning, I opened my mouth to scream, but salt water rushed in. An explosion of bubbles surrounded me, brushing across my skin. A tremendous force pushed me upward, faster and faster. Bursting through the surface, I was catapulted high in a spout of water and spray. I landed with a splash and sucked in desperate gulps of air—wonderful, glorious, awesome air.

  Spluttering and coughing, I pushed the tangled hair out of my face. The air hung heavy with the smell of damp earth. When I caught my breath, I kicked my legs around in the water and wondered how deep it was. As I clung to my tattered life jacket, I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. Anxiously, I looked across the enormous underground chamber for a ledge, or for some way out. Nothing but glimmering stalagmites rose out of the sapphire water and loomed high above me, as though the room around me had been completely flooded.

  “Wow, it’s so beautiful,” I whispered, awestruck by the millions of crystals shimmering like diamonds along the walls. Carlsbad Caverns needed to take a seat, because it’d just been upstaged by whatever the name of this place was.

  “Casey! Over here!”

  My heart leapt in response to the familiar voice. “Jack! Thank God you’re alive.” Spotting two yellow life jackets in the distance, I sighed with relief. “Mike!” My two best friends bobbed in the water, and I couldn’t have been happier to see them.

  I exhaled and wiped the tears away, overwhelmed with relief. Smiling, I forced my burning muscles to push me through the water.

  “I can’t believe that whirlpool sucked you up too,” said Mike, meeting me halfway and throwing his arms around me. “Against all odds, we survived, man. Any idea how we could even end up down here? ’Cause me and Jack are completely clueless.”

  Melting into his embrace, I said, “I dunno.”

  Mike’s grip tightened around me. “You’re one tough chick,” he whispered in my ear.

  Struggling to keep the tears from falling, I met his gaze and smiled. “You better believe it.”

  His voice wavered and he stroked the hair from my face. “I was so worried about you, girl.”

  “Casey.” Jack’s face lit up when his eyes connected with mine, exactly the same way as when he’d sunk that last-second basket to win the national championship. I eased from Mike’s arms and gave Jack a fierce hug. He held me close and cupped my cheek. “When I lost you—”

  The cavern became silent except for the rhythmic sound of dripping water. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Squeezing my eyes shut, I locked my arms around Jack and burrowed into the curve of his shoulder. We’d survived against all odds. When I opened my eyes, I felt the first sobs tear through my chest. “Do you think my mom and dad are okay?”

  Jack held me at arms’ length. “They were rescued. I saw them being pulled up into the air.”

  I swiveled my head in Mike’s direction. “Are you sure? You saw it? Both of you? They’re…they’re really safe?”

  Mike nodded. “Yep. I saw it too.”

  I let out a deep breath, but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. I wiped at them, suddenly laughing through even more tears. It was the best news…ever. “They’re probably dry, warm, and worried sick about us.” I fingered the silver locket around my neck; it held my favorite family portrait.

  Mike squeezed my hand. “You know it.”

  I shot him a smile.

  “So where’s the dim light comi
ng from? The moon?” Mike spun in a circle through the water, gazing up at the high vaulted cave.

  “I have no idea, but it’s definitely coming from somewhere.” My hand wandered across the ragged limestone. “There has to be a gap or opening in these walls.” At least I hoped so, grasping at any glimmer of hope. I swam around, searching for a way out, when my life jacket scraped against the jagged edge of a stalagmite. I knew then that I’d have to be more careful, as one of those things could probably tear right through my skin.

  “Whoa!” Mike’s voiced echoed in the cave. “Check out the icicles.”

  I stared up at the massive stalactites jutting from the ceiling. My jaw dropped at their stunning beauty.

  Jack pushed off the wall, staring at the sight too. “Wow! They gotta be thousands of years old.”

  “Oh yeah?” Mike nudged me and playfully rolled his eyes. “How do you know that, Jack?”

  “Well, because, they only grow an inch every thousand years.”

  Mike smirked. “Is there anything you don’t know? Since you’re such an Einstein, why’s everything glowing down here? Is the place radioactive or something?”

  Twinkling pinpoints of lights dotted the roof like turquoise-green stars in the night sky. It was beautiful, but I knew appearances could be deceiving. My eyebrows shot up in recognition. “Wait! I’ve seen this before…on a trip to Waitomo Cave.”

  Mike lay back and floated, his arms and legs stretched out. “I can’t believe we’re actually stargazing.”

  “Stargazing? You seem to forget we’re in a giant cave,” I said.

  “I know. So how’s this possible? Although I don’t mind spending a romantic moment with a pretty girl.” He winked at me.

  Stuck in a cave and he still manages to flirt, I jested. “If you had one clue about what those “stars” really were, you’d know the romance had just been sucked dry.”