Sabrina turned to Marco. “Those clouds look pretty ominous. Are you sure we should be doing this?”
Marco looked to the front of the boat and a concerned look crossed his face again. It made Sabrina worry even more, because if he looked worried then there was most definitely something wrong.
“Captain, did you notice this storm up ahead?” Marco called out, his words drowned out by the increasing wind. “I thought you said we were sailing away from it.”
The old man turned around from his post and shrugged. “Just a little storm. Shouldn't be a big deal. They happen sometimes and usually pass before the water gets too rough.”
As the Captain explained himself, Sabrina spun around to see how far they had gotten from shore. Her heart sank when she noticed that the land which they had left behind was now barely visible.
“Can we at least get a little closer to shore?” Sabrina shouted to the captain. “That way if something does happen, we won't have far to go to get back to land?”
The captain placed his hand on top of his head to keep the wind from blowing off his hat. “We can't do that. The coral reef makes the water too shallow that close to the beach. We have to stay out this far if we want to travel to the other side of the island.”
The wind picked up again, so powerful that the main sail became as taut as could be, and Sabrina felt the boat shift against its pull. A burst of adrenaline pumped into her veins and her heart rate increased. She suddenly wondered if this tour to see the volcano was worth the risk. But the captain seemed steadfast and Sabrina put her faith in his experience. Marco, on the other hand, didn't seem to have such blind faith.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Marco asked. “We were supposed to avoid this.”
“It's just a little storm,” the captain repeated, gripping the wheel a little tighter. “My computer is telling me that it's safe to sail, so we're sailing.”
“The computer? But what about experience?” Marco said.
“I've got both,” the captain said abruptly, clearly not wanting to hear it from Marco any longer.
A swelling wave rocked the vessel, and Marco stumbled to keep his balance. The clouds, which just a few seconds before had been in the distance, were now nearly straight above them.
It all happened so quickly. Sabrina didn't know what to do. The boat rocked aggressively as large waves pounded its side. Each hit came harder than the last and she gripped the railing so hard that her knuckles turned white.
This is not what I had in store for today, she thought, attempting to swallow down her fear. This certainly didn't feel like a little storm.
That was when the biggest of the waves hit the side of the boat. Everything that wasn't tied down was forced to the starboard side, including the captain. While Sabrina and Marco were able to grab the rail, the force was too great for the old man. He lost grip of the steering wheel and Sabrina watched as he flew straight off of the boat and into the water.
“Marco! The captain!
” Sabrina shouted, as the wave passed and the boat settled again. “He fell off!”
Marco stood up and glanced overboard. The captain was in the ocean, and was flailing against the waves. He was obviously panicked and barely able to keep his head above the water. It would only be a matter of time before he got hit by another wave.
“We have to save him.” Marco leaned in toward Sabrina, enunciating the words over the wind. “I can't do it on my own, though. I'll need your help, Sabrina.”
“What? I don't know what to do, Marco. I'm not that good of a swimmer,” she said, her voice sounding panicked. “What can we do? Let's call for help. I'm sure the coast guard or someone can get out here.”
“There's no time for that.” Marco walked over to a bench near the front of the vessel and lifted up the seat of it. He then pulled out some life vests, one of which he tossed to Sabrina. She held the orange device, her hands trembling as she put it on as quickly as possible. When she looked back up, Marco already had his on and he was now holding a circular white lifesaver with a rope attached.
“Now what?” she asked, already guessing the answer and hating it.
“I'm going in to get him,” Marco said.
The boat rocked again and Sabrina nearly lost her balance, but managed once again to not fall over.
“I need you to crank this handle to reel us back in once I have him,” Marco shouted over the wind. “It'll pull in the rope that's attached to this life preserver. Can you do that, Sabrina?”
“I don't know if I can,” she said, shaking her head. “I'm not strong enough.”
Marco approached her and placed a hand onto her shoulder. “You are strong enough, Sabrina. Trust me. Just give it everything you have and don't stop no matter what.”
Sabrina doubted she'd have the strength to pull off such a maneuver, but she quickly realized she didn't have a choice. If they didn't save the captain, he'd likely drown. And with no captain to steer the boat, then all three of them had a fair chance of sharing a similar fate.
“Okay,” she said, with a hesitant nod.