Creative Writing: Down And Out Essay, Research Paper

Creative Writing: Down and Out

“What you say we go down shore and see what the storm brung in?” says

Richard.

“Ya, bet we get ourselves some fresh lobster out some ole’ trap we find

washed up!” exclaims Chester.

“Martha, get us our coats while we find dem damn boots!” says Richard.

The two men get their boots, grab their jackets and head for the beach.

They two men walk for about an until a shiny object catches the corner of

Chesters eye.

“Hey Rich, I think I see something over there, lets go check it out,”

says Chester.

They men walk to the edge of the grass where they find the gleaming

objects. They notice that there are more than one, but about fifteen. They all

have the same characteristics, they are all in the shape of bottles but they

can’t see in them. There is a name written on the outside but the salt in the

water must have washed most of it off. They throw all the bottles in a garbage

bag and decide to head home. From what they could see no traps had washed up,

and their legs were getting tired. They walk the hour trip back to Richards

house where they take off their garb and empty the bags.

“What you suppose are in these?” asks Chester.

“I don’t know but as soon as we wash them a bit and open em’ up we

should find out” replies Richard.

Chester fills an old fish box with water to wash the bottles. They

clean the bottles them take them out and dry them. Martha hands Richard a

corkscrew and finishes making supper. Richards grabs the first bottle and pops

out the cork. He pulls out what seems to be a letter written by hand .

Considering the conditions of the bottles the letters are still white, except

for the contrasting black ink. He sets this letter to the side and opens up

another bottle. He takes out another letter and sets it to the side. This

process continues until all the bottles are empty and put to the side.

“What do you make of these?” asks Richard.

“I’m not sure what to make of them. I guess we will have to read them

first,” repliesChester.

The two men begin to read the letters. What they learn is astonishing.

As they read more they eyes open wider and wider. Martha eventually joins them

and reads them out loud, starting at the first.

Day 1 Coordinates 43′N 67′W

It is a nice day to start our trip. It is sunny and about 27′ outside. The

weather report sounds good for the next few days. Everyone is happy that our

trip has finally started but sad to leave friends behind. The wind is blowing

well and we hope to sail at least 15km before dark. We haven’t had much time

to test all the equipment on the boat but have no fears that it won’t function

properly.

Day 2 Coordinates 42′N 69′W

We have managed to keep a good speed by following the Labrador current down the

eastern coast. The weather is still excellent with a good breeze today.

Everyone managed to get some sleep on the boat last night. We plan to stop in

Boston to refuel within the next few days. Moral is still high with only a few

complaints about not being able to watch TV. Everything seems to be working

well with the exception of my watch that I dropped overboard. We caught some

fish for breakfast which will help us save on food costs. WE hope the rest of

the trip will be as enjoyable as the first two.

Day 3 Coordinates 39′N 70′W

We stopped in Boston just long enough to refuel and get a few bags of chips to

keep the kids happy. The wind has picked up and the sky is dark. We expect a

slight storm tomorrow but noting to get worked up about. Swells are from 1 to 3

metres but nobody seems to mind. I managed to do some wind surfing while the

women were shopping for food.

Day 4 Coordinates 35′N 67′W

The wind has picked up quite a bit which enabled us to make up for the stop in

Boston. Everyone is still happy and wants to continue. I am kind of iffy on

the weather conditions but have decided not to head for the nearest port. The

weather report is calling for a storm tomorrow but they don’t expect it to be a

bad one; let’s hope they are right.

Day 5 Coordinates 34′N 66′W

The wind was a bit stronger than had planned last night. We are almost in the

Gulf Stream but still a good 2′ off. The radio does not seem to be working

right so we plan to head to the next port we had planned. We have enough

supplies to last us at least six days so we can take out time and ride out the

storm. The kids are a bit worried but we can handle it. We are only a bit off

course, but making great time due to the strong winds.

Day 8 Coordinates 39′N 69′W

The storm hit hard and put us of course. The GPS does not work so The

coordinates are done by using a map and compass so they may be a little off.

The kids are scared but I feel everything will be back under control soon. We

are heading for a port anywhere on the eastern coast of North America. The

winds are still strong and we can’t use the masts as one has ripped. We are

using the motors and half about a half a tank left. There is still sufficient

food left for 3 days so it looks like we can make it to shore. We don’t know

what to expect because the radios have failed us are we can’t fix them. I

haven’t had time to write as I have been bust with the boat and others on the

boat. Let’s hope for the best.

Day 9 Coordinates 37′N 72′W

The weather has started to improve but we are nowhere near shore. The

coordinates are an estimation based on wind speed and direction we were heading.

Everyone is getting scared and we are rationing food. I have managed to catch

some fish so we can save other food. The water maker is working good so fresh

water is not a problem. If things don’t get better soon I fear that we

may……..

Day 15 Coordinates N\A

I hoped for the best and got the worst. The winds were extremely strong and the

swells were anywhere from 10 to 20 metres. Everyone is scared and angry at each

other. Morale has dropped drastically and I am beginning to lose hope. We have

a little food left and with this weather it is hard to fish. I barely have time

to write any entries but feel that it is a necessity to record what is happening.

We may be in the Bermuda triangle but have no idea of knowing for sure. The

water is warm, the weather is warm, but for some reason the storm is no better,

if not worse.

Day 20 Coordinates N\A

I feel that we are somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. The storm has ended, and

we have found an island. There is lots of food and clean water. I keep writing

and have since thrown copies of several entries in the water, hoping that

someone finds them and rescues us. No one was hurt and no one is hungry. The

weather is nice and everyone is somewhat happy that we are on land. We shall

continue to live on the island until someone arrives. As far as we know there

are no dangerous animals on the island. It is about the same size as Halifax,

Nova Scotia. We find new things all the time and everyone is kept happy. Many

wrecks are on the shores of this island so we feel lucky that no one was hurt.

There are lots of bottles and paper, wood, guns, etc. that we have confiscated

from the other ships. I shall continue to write until I have run out of paper.

Mr. Johnson

“Well, we should give these to the police, don’t you think?” says

Richard.

“Boys, look at the paper, did you read it?” chuckles Martha.

“What, what does it say?” asks Chester.

“I’ll read it. Prisoners of Bermuda Triangle Saved After 2 Months Of

Being Stranded on Island.”

“Well what you know, this is neat, I think we should

Down and Out