Titanic Fictional story

As the frigid water engulfed her, Amelia had only one thought: “Like father, like daughter.”

It was the City of Belfast, 1912. Amelia had just got home from school, everyday she walked home with her friend Conner, and her sister Sophie. They had been friends for years, and lived very close to each other, his house was just downstairs. They opened the door of their building, which was an apartment-like building near the docks. Amelia didn't like the docks much, or ships for that matter. After what had happened to her father, she just couldn't deal with them anymore. Conner bid them goodbye with a smile as they got to his floor, and he went inside.

It was just her and Sophie now, and they climbed the rest of the stairs to their house in silence. They unlocked the door, and walked into their house, which she admitted, was more than most dock-workers could afford, but their dad was, well, had been working more hours than needed, and their mother ran a small bakery. Before, well, before this. It was Amelia's fourteenth birthday, and her mom came around the corner smelling of sea salt and bearing good news. Sophie smiled upon seeing her and started happily recounting her day. She had just turned seven and was super talkative. She was sweet, but her constant babbling really ticked Amelia off sometimes.

“How was your day?” Amelia’s mother asked her.

“Good, Mom.”

“Guess what Amelia?”

“What Mom?”

“You know the Titanic? The ship your dad was building?”

“Yes.” Of course Amelia knew that ship. She hated that ship for taking her dad away, and she never wanted to hear of it again like she had that cold winter’s evening two years ago.

It had been a good day. At school, she answered all the questions correctly, and even got a good grade on her test, and she walked home in the dreary, winter cold with Conner, just them, and she was perfectly content. She got inside, and to her and Sophie’s room, and sat down and waited for her dad to come home. Oh, she loved him so much. Her mom was really kind and took great care of them, but her dad, with that kind twinkle in his eye, the way he used to spin her up and down and throw her in the air, and read her night time stories, was just extra special to her.

She checked the clock. It was past 6, which was weird because her dad usually came home around 4, usually but she payed no heed. He usually worked longer hours in winter, so they could afford more in case anything happened.

She went downstairs, and her mother was cooking dinner, stew, so she sat down at the table.

“Hey honey! How was your day?”

“Great mom!” She rattled on about what had happened that day at school while her mom finished cooking, and Sophie asked questions about school. (She wasn’t quite old enough yet)

Just as her mom was setting down the pot, their land line rang, and her mom rushed to go answer it. She picked it up, and after a few seconds, her hands started to shake.

“What’s wrong, mom?” Amelia questioned

“I have no idea, but people form your dad’s work are here honey. Will you come down to the door with me Amelia?”

“Sure mom!”

They walked down the stairs and to the door where they saw to somber looking men standing silently. Her mom opened the door.

“Where’s George?” She asked

“Ma’am, there’s been a horrible accident regarding your husband.”

“No. Where is he? Is he in the hospital? Is he okay?”

“Your husband has died.”

Amelia couldn’t remember the rest of the day, just feeling numb. They had elevators to get up to the higher parts of the ship, but her dad, an old fashioned man, didn’t use them. Instead he climbed all the way up the scaffold, risking his life instead of using them. Most men did the same, But it was dangerous, even more than the elevator. He hadn’t listened when Amelia told him to use the elevator, and it had cost him his life. She didn’t feel like talking about that ship, even if it wasn’t the ship’s fault, if he hadn’t worked on it, he would be here now.

Her mom continued, “I’ve been saving up for this for a while, and… I got us tickets. We are struggling her in Belfast, and I thought it would give us good memories of the ship instead of bad ones! We’re boarding in a week! Start packing.”

Amelia was devastated. She knew it wasn’t her mom’s fault, but she would have to uproot everything, leave behind everyone, even Conner, her best friend to go to America. On a boat that had killed her father. She wasn’t exactly thrilled.

After dinner, her mom came up to her.

“Look, I know it’s hard, but-

“It’s fine mom, really! I’m so excited!” She mustered all her happiness into that sentence.

“O-o-oh? really? That’s great honey!”

“Can’t wait! I’ll start packing right now!”

She in fact, could wait, perhaps 113 years, but alas. Her mom had chosen, and payed. No turning back now.

The next weeks passed in a blur. Saying goodbye to friends she might never see again, packing and dreading seeing that ship again. Then, embarkation day came. They walked to the docks on a humid April morning. The ship was huge, towering over the harbour. Sophie was skipping happily and humming a tune. Amelia couldn’t feel anything but hatred for that ship. She hated its walls, its doors, everything about it. In her mind, the ship was the worst thing in the universe. It had broken up their family. They walked along the new corridors, down to the third class area. It was at almost the very bottom of the ship, and kind of boring compared to the corridors they had just walked through. But they made it to their cabin. Their home until they got to America. The ship set off to sail.

“Mama, can Amelia and me Go see the promenade deck?” Sophie questioned

“Sure honey! Amelia, go with your sister.”

Amelia wanted to object, but that was clearly an order. So, she walked through the endless halls trying to find the deck for third class passengers. She took this opportunity to see how her sister felt about the ship.

“Sophie, do you not like the ship?”

“Why would I not like it?”

Curses. Amelia remembered that Sophie had been too young when their dad died to remember, to remember him, so she found no problem with the ship. She loved it, actually. She was skipping and humming, and doing all those cute seven year old things that Amelia now found incessantly annoying. She wanted to scream at her, to beg her to see the horrible truth of this horrible ship, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt her like that. She was just a little kid. Happy to be travelling at all. 

Amelia had to admit though, their small walk around the ship had made her like it a little bit more, even if it had gone from utter loathing, to deep hatred. She hoped that would change to something better the longer they were on it, but she doubted it. This ship had taken away something she could never have back. Her father.They came back to their cabin, just a small room with three beds, but, as she had heard, more spacious than other third class rooms on other ships. The Titanic was the newest, of course and the best. 

“Girls! I was worried sick! You’ve been gone for an hour!” Their mother greeted them.

“Well, we couldn’t have left the ship.” Amelia retorted, with a little bit more venom than she wished. Look, Amelia, I know you don’t want to be on the ship, but-“

Amelia realized her mask was crumbling.

“No, nothing! Just tired! Sorry. I’m SO happy!”

Her mom didn’t seem convinced, but she let the matter rest. Amelia looked out the window, a small porthole, just to let light in, and saw endless ocean. They were fully at sea now, so they better enjoy it.

Later that night, they got dinner. It was in a small, communal dining room, but they had good food. Some of the other kids looked like they hadn’t eaten in ages. They got back to their cabin, and did their usual night-time routine. Brush teeth, pajamas, bed. It was around 11, and Amelia could hear her sister and mother sleeping and snoring quietly. She thought of all the events that had led her to being on this wretched ship. Her dad’s death, her mother’s financial struggles that she tried to hide, and the new life in America, the so-called land of the free. She really hoped that was true, and she could live happily, and leave the past behind. She imagined making friends, going to school, growing old, meeting someone, and, the more she thought about it, she realized that she didn’t mind the thought of America so much anymore.It was a land of possibilities. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, her mother woke her up by softly shaking her awake. 

“Get dressed honey. Big day!”

The calm wake up was somewhat disturbed by her sister yelling “Yeah yeah yeah yeah! Waaaaaake uuuuuuuuuppp!!!!!” In her usual seven year old fashion.

She got up and got dressed in a pretty green dress her father had gifted her. It was getting small, but her mom hand hemmed it right before they left, so she could hold on to the memories. He would want to see the ship he helped build. 

They found the open deck, and walked along it while chatting happily. It was a sunny day, so that helped her mood. Amelia realized, with every waking hour, she was starting to like this ship. She quickly pushed that thought away. No. This ship was bad. But it was getting harder to convince even herself.

 The hours went by. Lunch, play games with Sophie, supper. Bed. It had been a great day. Late at night, Sophie whispered “Do you like the ship now? I really love it.”

“I don’t know. I’m still kind of on the fence. It’s pretty and all, but I still don't really like it.”

“Okay! I love you! I hope you can learn to like it! Enjoy it! It’s fun. Night!”

And then she started snoring. Typical Sophie. Falling asleep and leaving Amelia with so much to think about. Was she enjoying the journey? Yes, but she still had a little prejudice. She decided that she felt only a slight dislike to the ship. That was all she could give it right now. She wanted to figure out more of her own feelings, but sleep engulfed her like the tide.

The next morning was a sunny one. Light blasted through their window. At the dining room for breakfast, they had sausages. Amelia met another fourteen year old named Aira. She was from Southampton, near London. The two chatted all day about the differences in their culture, accents, and overall the difference between England and Ireland. Amelia found it quite eye-opening. Another girl of the same age, just from another place. A place that controlled Ireland.. With all the tensions between the two, all the troubles, it was nice to see the two getting along.

Lunch was sandwiches, then reading in the cabin. After that was a nice walk with Aira and Sophie, then dinner of beef. Amelia was almost starting to like this ship. She couldn’t hold it accountable, could she? Well, not fully, but still a little bit. That night, she decided she had settled for indifference. She did not like, nor hate it. Simply felt nothing.

Her mother seemed to be doing well enough on the ship. Making friends, meeting other Irish women. Having a grand-old time. 

It may seem to you, dear reader, that they are merely doing the same thing all day. And that was true, in sort, but they are doing much more in the cracks that fell through the story, as it is supposed to be short. And frankly, I don’t want this to turn into a novel. So just deal with it for now. Please.

After another breakfast of sausages and eggs, Amelia and Sophie went about on the decks. They chatted about new tv shows, and how their lives would be in America. Amelia had learned from her mother, just yesterday, that they had an aunt in New York. They found Aira and played a game of tag in the outdoor area, running around the decks, and all was great. Lunch came and went with a blur of talking, and jokes, and laughter, then back to exploring and walking along the ship. By dinner time, Amelia had decided that she liked this ship. Even through all of the bad things that were linked to it, she would reset it in her mind. Today was fun, she thought. This ship was fun. 

The family went back to their cabin, but Amelia had a hard time going back to sleep. All of today’s events, and her revelation about the ship, were good, yet she tossed and turned. They were facing strange rocky seas, so much that you could feel it ever so slightly. It was around 11 when Amelia got out of her bed, and went to look out the window. She saw nothing, but quickly, the cabin started to fill up slowly with water.

She screamed. She had to wake up her mother and sister. Sophie, oh, Sophie. She must survive. Her screaming woke them up, and when they saw the water, they screamed. They ran into the hallway, which was a mass of people in their nightclothes running amok. Amelia turned a corner, and got separated from her family, but didn’t notice until it was too late. She couldn’t do anything now except hope they were alive. She ran, confused, up to  the second class level, but she didn’t know it well. She tried to follow the people, but she couldn't be sure it was the right way. Somehow, she found the first class level, though it could have been hours. The crowd had turned into mainly men rushing, meaning that hopefully, most of the women and children, meaning her mother and sister had made it out alive and were on lifeboats.

Had it been hours? Or minutes? It seemed like she had been running for a while, so she went with the former. Just as she made it onto the top deck, the ship started tilting at an unnatural angle. It listed 45 degrees, and she had to hold on with all her might as to not fall into the freezing Atlantic. The top end, the end she was on, broke in off, and sent her tumbling into the ice cold water. As the freezing water of the Atlantic engulfed her, Amelia had only one thought: I knew I hated this ship. Swirling in the darkness, Amelia saw a light. She swam towards it. Through the pain. And finally she reached it. When she got to the light, she saw her father with his arms wide open beckoning her. She swam into the light.

City of New York, 1922. Sophie had just turned 18. She had been separated from her mother, but found her way onto a life boat. The Carpathia had picked them up, and she looked restlessly, asking anyone she could find about what happened to her family. But to no avail. She couldn’t find them. She finally heard from a woman that she had seen a girl matching Amelia fall into the water after the ship broke, and her mother, also hadn’t made it on a life boat. She had sobbed for hours. Even Aira hadn’t escaped the disaster. When they got to New York, Aunty Esther was there and took her in. For eleven years later, she had just turned 18, and was trying to leave it behind, though it felt like she had  a hole in her heart. 

Through the tragedy, she found new family. She lived a long, and happy life, and passed away in 1983. The end.