Written by Permanent
Rose
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
The night is dark. And cold.
Never have I been so cold in my life. Ice crystals have formed in my hair. My
body is so cold that I can no longer feel it, and I’m trembling all over.
I lie on my back, facing upward
toward the heavens. So many stars. I never knew there were so many. It is
silent now, I notice. Why? Why are they no longer screaming? Have they all
given up? Why?
The stars shine down on me, the
only light for miles and miles. They dot the velvet sky like millions of
diamonds. So beautiful.
Where to, Miss?
To the stars.
I smile. That is where I want to
be, dancing among the stars, into your arms.
I close my eyes. I am so very
tired. And so cold. I feel my body slipping, my spirit leaving. It will be warm
there, I know. No more shivering in the darkness, no more waiting for a
hopeless future. It will be so easy to go. No more pain, no more tears. So
easy…
And then there is light. So
bright. Why? The stars are not this brilliant.
I open my eyes, and all the pain,
all the burdens, come back. My eyes follow the light until I am able to see its
source. A boat.
At first I am confused. Why a
boat? So cold, so cold. Boat.
Jack.
Jack.
"Jack." My voice is
barely more than a hoarse whisper. I can hardly even hear myself.
"Jack." I try again, my voice slightly stronger. "Jack, there’s
a boat. Jack."
You’re not responding, not
moving.
"Jack, wake up. There’s a boat,
Jack." You do not awaken.
And then it hits me. You’re not
going to wake up. You’re gone. Gone to the stars. Gone to where there is no
longer pain. Gone. Never coming back.
I want to go, too. I don’t want
to go back. I want to be with you. It is so cold that I am not even able to
cry. Jack. No. Come back. I love you. I want to go, too. Come back. Jack, I
love you.
I almost let go, almost rise to
the stars. But no. Almost, but no.
Promise me you'll survive.
That you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise
me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise.
I promise.
Never let go.
"I’ll never let go. I
promise, Jack," I whisper, taking your limp hand in my own. I press it
gently to my lips.
I love you. I won’t let go. For
you, Jack, I will go on. For you.
I watch your body slowly slip
into the depths of the ocean. Shimmering, sinking, and then you are gone.
The boat is passing. Leaving. No.
"Come back." My weak
voice is lost in the sea. "Come back."
I know I will not be able to make
my voice heard. There has to be another way. For you.
It is leaving. Soon it will be
gone. No. I have to keep going.
And then I remember. The man with
the whistle. It seems like ages ago, centuries behind me. I plunge into the icy
water. Cold. So cold. Colder than the air. Knives. Need out. Pain. Why?
I gather my bearings and begin to
swim toward the man with the whistle. For you. Must push. For you.
It feels like I have swum the
distance of the entire ocean before I reach the man. I am so cold. I cannot
think. Body hurts. So cold. The whistle.
My hand is shaking so badly that
I can barely hold onto the whistle. I fear I am going to drop it, but I manage
to bring it to my frozen lips.
And then I blow it. It is faint
at first, but then the shrill whistle carries through the night. I continue to
blow. I do not stop. For you.
And then I am being lifted from
the water. Strong arms around me, a warm blanket around my shoulders. Feels so
good. So tired.
I lay back on the floor of the
lifeboat. I made it, Jack. I survived the Titanic. I only wish you were here
with me. But I made it for you. For you, Jack.
And now the only thing left to do
is wait. Wait...wait to die...wait to live...wait for an absolution that will
never come.
I close my eyes, not thinking of
what will happen, not thinking of the future. Because I don’t want to live that
way. I want live each day as it passes. I am ready to let life take me where it
does. I am ready. I am ready to live for today, not tomorrow, not in the past.
But now. For you, Jack. I will live for you.
For you.
The End.