A Matter of Survival

Fandango

Surviving depended upon his not resting. He didn’t know how much more his body could tolerate, but he knew that the only way he could get through his situation was through dogged determination.

He couldn’t remember anymore how long he’d been alive since the passenger ship he was in was shipwrecked after being hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat. He was still lucid enough to know that his injuries were debilitating and if he didn’t find dry land soon, he would surely perish in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

He thought back to his ancestors, comprised mostly of hardy Nordic seamen, and to the struggles they had to face and how they were able to get through them. He was sure that once he reached his destination, the shores of America, his own struggles would come to an end. But with each passing minute, his prospects dimmed, and it seemed that death would reach him before he could reach his goal. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

When opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the water. “Am I alive?” he asked a man standing beside the bed he was in.

“Yes, you’re alive, although just barely,” the man answered. “You’re aboard a U.S. Navy ship and we’re on our way to the naval station in Norfolk. We thought you were dead when we found you and fished you out of the water three days ago, but you have somehow, against all odds, managed to survive. Now you need to rest. Close your eyes. We’ve got you.”

Written for these daily prompts: JusJoJan (surviving), Word of the Day Challenge (resting), The Daily Spur (tolerate), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (dogged), Scott’s Daily Prompt (shipwrecked), Ragtag Daily Prompt (debilitating), My Vivid Blog (ancestors), and Your Daily Word Prompt (comprise).

12 thoughts on “A Matter of Survival”

  2. Sadje January 23, 2022 / 7:20 pm

    Nice story Fandango. Where there’s a will …..

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Nope, Not Pam January 24, 2022 / 1:55 am

    Great tale, really gripping 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Marleen January 24, 2022 / 12:18 pm

    I like that story. It sheds light on how the mind works. (And being a story involving water doesn’t hurt.)

    Liked by 2 people

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