Under Pressure Chapter 3 The Beautiful Sea

30 days later***** For the fourth time since waking, Bridget’s stomach growled. “I’m so hungry" she griped her stomach, then looked at her Father and she spoke. (“Land! I see land!") A voice from the ships dock yelled. Everyone begin talking at once, "I want to see, I want to see.' John's heavy voice repeated as he ran to the window. "I see it! Look father! Over there!" One of the other children smiled and pointed, as John reached the window almost knocking the child over. Bridget rushed toward the window also, tripping over an old man along the way, (who was somehow sleeping through the excitement). She stood on her toes and peered over the travelers, who had gathered around the small window. Then squeezed her eyes, In the distance, far away, she believed she could make out tree's. "Are those tree’s?" "Yes they are." Someone answered her. She didn't know who, it didn't matter, her prayers had been answered and it all seemed unreal. Like a dream come true. Are we really, finally, going to get off this ship alive? She thought with unbelief. "Our prayers have been answered Father" she smiled. "Yes girl, they have" he said. ***** Two days later******* Bridget paced the floor with the others, carrying a screaming baby Sarah (Isabelle's baby) with her. They were all dying to get off the ship, out of that room, a few minutes alone, away from each other. This went on for two days, when suddenly the ship stopped with a thump, throwing Bridget to the floor. Her checks flushed red and she jumped up quickly hoping no one had seen. John had seen, teasing her he pointed a playful finger and giggled, causing her to lunge at him laughing as she pretended to break his finger. "Oh" he yelled laughing. "Oh" she said rubbing her stinging knee and they both laughed. Everyone turned toward the door as it opened and the bearded Captain himself appeared. "We have reached land," He told them. "I will need to speak with the men in charge, soon to decide what direction we should take next." "What does he mean" Bridget turned to Isabelle and asks? “I’m not sure" Isabelle answered coughing. The coughing worried Bridget. Isabelle had been so sick since Sarah’s birth. ****** A line had already begun forming to leave the ship. Bridget got in line behind the old man she had tripped over two days before. (Mr. Tucker, someone had called him.) She remembered the last time they had lined up two months before, how different they had looked .Now, everyone is tired, hungry, dirty, their shine is gone she thought, as she looked down at, what once had been her favorite dress. Now dirty and hanging on her body. She smiled and turned to Isabelle “I’m afraid my dress might fall off.” This brought a small giggle to Isabelle’s lips. Everyone begin talking at once when the line begins to move forward, as if a cloud had been lifted from them. With each step toward the door Bridget’s eyes begin to sting from the brightness of the sun. She covered her eyes as she stepped onto the deck and breathed in the air of the sea. The wind was blowing so hard it send shivers up her arms and blew her dress around her legs. “I think I’m going to lose my clothes” everyone laughed as she clang to her dress. As her eyes begin to focus, she could see the waves hitting the rock and the sand on the shore with melting snow around the trees. “Beautiful” was all the words that she could say.******** More to come in Chapter 4.

Under Pressure Chapter 2 The Sinking Ship

One month later... Bridget felt nauseous! Her stomach churned as the ship rocked back and forth and the smell of urine and vomit didn't help any. Isabelle (the pregnant lady) held her tight with her strong, soft arms. "We should turn back now. We have already been blown off course,lost at sea is what we are" Mr Chedder argued so loudly, Bridget jumped and climbed closer to Isabelle. "I told you before, we can't. We have to keep going, turning around now would be a death sentence for us all." Mr Hopkins argued back as Mr Chedder's fist hits him square in the nose.Blood splattering on the arms of a young girl behind him. Bridget moved to run and help her father but Isabelle pulled her tighter, as the two men rolled to the floor fighting. The ship suddenly turned on it's side sending them across the room and slamming both men into the wall. The wind was whistling around them and the waves hit the ship with force. A chamber pot of urine turned over, spilling all over Bridget and Isabelle, but their wasn't anything they could do about it.The good thing was the men had quit fighting for now. The room grew quite as the sound of thunder roared in their ears, and the room lite up as lightning flashed through the one small window. Bridget clang tightly to Isabelle as she watched the streaks touch the water and the ship tossed and turned with the ocean waves. The woman sitting next to Isabelle gaged heavily and throw up what looked like green water. How much more could she throw up? Bridget thought to herself, for they had been down to rationing of bread ( stale and sometimes molded ) once or twice a day. "Man over board" came an alarmed voice from above. All eyes looked up, but no one moved to help. They couldn't only one person a day was allowed to leave the room, and only to empty the chamber pot. "They are all empty" Bridget whispered as she nervously twirled a blond curl through her fingers. "Hu" Isabelle ask. "Nothing" she answered and hopelessly closed her eyes.****** After dozing off for a moment,Bridget was suddenly awoken by the sound of heavy foot steps running down the stairs.A crew member stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the tired and disgruntled travelers then shouted "We need help, the ship is taking on water, there's a hole in the side." A large burly looking man who Bridget had never heard speak answered holding up a piece of what looked like a small pipe. "Sir I have a piece of iron here in my hand,I believe I can fix it, if the hole is not to big." "You come with me" the crew member said pointing at him,"and two more" he pointed at Mr Chedder and Mr Hopkins."Lets go hurry before we sink." Bridget closed her eyes again to try and hold back the tears, as she listened to the foot steps running up the old wooden stairs.She heard sobs all around the room, but she didn't open her eyes to see them, she didn't feel the need.***** Uneasy Isabelle had been moving around all over the place for hours, when she suddenly griped her stomach tighly. "Bridget, Bridget " the tone of her voice was different, frantic almost and her face was pale with anguish. "What is it mam?" Bridget ask "The baby I' Isabelle stuttered "I think the baby is coming." "Oh no I don't know what to do."Bridget said alarmed, and quickly rushed to and older lady shaking her with force. "Wake up, please wake up the babies coming." With the assistance of two younger ladies Isabelle was moved to dry linens.Then they fashioned a make shift tent for privacy and quickly went to work. They calmed Isabelle,holding her hands and telling her to breath slowly. Bridget backed against a wall, not knowing what to do or how to help her friend. Helpless is how she felt. Her mind was racing with thoughts between the sinking ship and the baby about to be born in the middle of a stormy ocean. Chapter 3 coming soon Copyright Donna Hale 2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Under Pressure Chapter 1 The Raging Sea

Each time Bridget took a step forward the boards to the old dock made a crackling sound. She wanted to walk to the end of the dock, to watch large white caped waves. They looked as if they touched the sky and it was breath taking. Finally giving up she looked up at the bright shining sun, with the dark storm clouds in the distance and a beautiful rainbow, all looking down on her. The brisk wind blew her bonnet partly off her head causing her hair to fly into her mouth, quickly she pulled and back on her head and tucked her hair back into the bonnet then breathed in the smell of the salty sea air. Bridget smiled as she parted her lips a bit and stuck her tongue out to taste the salt from the sea ,as she thought about the journey she was about to take. Her feelings were both excited and afraid of the journey ahead. She Knew it would be long and dangerous, but not as dangerous as the life she was leaving behind.(Fearing always running for her life.) “What will this new world look like?” She spoke aloud to herself. Not able to imagine a place only a few men had seen. A place they would be free to worship God the way he was meant to be worshiped. A place where they would not have to hide from the queen, far away across the sea, a new land, she could not see from where she stood, and a land they would call their own. At the young age of eleven, Bridget felt willing to risk her life for this new land and the hope it would bring. Hope that she would no longer have to hide from the royals and her crime of worship. “Will life really be different? “She spoke out loud in her soft quite voice. “Yes it will. “Her father (Mr. Thomas Hopkins) answered “and your sisters will be only a few ships behind us. “He laid his hand on his little girls shoulder, as she turned and looked up at him. Her deep blue eyes melted his heart; they were so much like her mothers. Memories rushed into his mind like a flood, the cries of his daughters and the breaking of his heart as they watched his wife and their mother captured and beheaded by the royals. He tried to avoid her eyes whenever possible. They hurt him so much. “Why don’t you walk on to the end of the dock girl?” He asks as he motioned to her with a nod of his head. Bridget looked out at the wide ocean as she answered “Because Father the boards sound as if they are going to break. He let out a laugh that he couldn’t hold back, just as John a boy of ten years of age yells “Here it is, here it is.” He danced and pointed at the ship topping a wave a little in the distance. Suddenly Bridget realized the dock was full of excited Men, women and children.All ready to travel across the raging sea. ********* As Bridget stood with the others and watched the ship came in, Thomas had kept his hand on her shoulder while they waited. She was happy he had, it helped to calm her and he rarely ever touched her. As the ship docked the passengers begin to form a line single filed. There seemed to be so many of them for such a small ship. She wondered how many there were and begin counting in her mind. One-two-three she counted as she observed a boy and girl ahead of her in line playing and pushing each other than giggling loudly. Four-five-six-seven she continued counting then stopped when she saw a very beautiful pregnant lady with a somewhat classy look about her. She stood quietly in line with tears running down her cheeks. We are all so different; Bridget thought to herself and begins counting again. Deep in her thoughts Bridget jumped at the sound of the captain’s voice.” all aboard the Mayflower. “He yelled. The line seemed long as Bridget and her father waited their turn, to step onto the ship. As each traveler inched forward it brought her closer to the journey ahead causing thoughts of fear to creep into her mind. When it was her turn she slowly took a step onto the ship. Surprised when it swayed underneath her she lost her balance falling forward. Thomas quickly steadied her and she walked down the stairs stopping at the bottom, she let her eyes adjust and glanced around the room they would spend the next few months in. It was dark, except for a few lanterns one of the ladies had started to light. The room was small and Bridget felt as if the walls might close in on her. She knew now why they had only been permitted to bring a few clothes and a blanket a piece” Father how will we sleep in here? “Bridget asks remembering her count of One hundred and one. “We will make do. “He answered her, but she could see the fear on his face......... More of this story to come in my next post. Copy Right Donna Hale 2012
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