SUBMARINE - ENGLISH

 

SUBMARINE

KURU ARAVINTHAN

Time 00:00:01 Saturday

It was 12 O clock midnight and suddenly the eyes of the whole world had turned towards that small harbor. Despite the raging storm, heavy rain, and the freezing cold, several people from news media all over the world were gathering there. Because of their unexpected actions, the harbor was looking as lively as it had never been before. Everyone had that expectation on their face along with the fear as to what would happen next! Although the ship “Sea Eagle” was properly anchored at the harbor, the wind was too strong for it to stay still and the ship was slowly moving here and there on the water. That ship was designed with all the facilities necessary to help out in case of emergencies in the deep sea. Right next to the Sea Eagle was the submarine L.R-5 getting ready with all its modern equipment and facilities to help out in an emergency. Unable to manage mother nature’s wrath, huge waves were rolling and colliding with one another.

For Micheal who was in deep thought with his eyes closed, the Sea Eagle’s movement felt like a lullaby. He was somewhat anxious as he had been given a huge responsibility by his superiors. He accepted these responsibilities without any complaint, not only because he felt pride in serving his motherland but also out of the kindness of his heart. He was determined to see those responsibilities fulfilled. But throughout that night the weather was not in his favor. Like never before the strong winds and high tides were making his task of reaching the open sea ever more difficult.

‘No matter what happens I should rescue them first thing in the morning. I should keep the promise I gave to Larrisa’ Micheal told himself.

He felt that the promise he gave to Larissa was far more important than the one he gave to his superiors. He was not expecting to see Larissa after such a long time and he was certainly not expecting her to come in search of him. This could have been the reason why he was so anxious.

‘You should always keep your promise. That is what makes you honorable’  his mother who lived in the village often used to say these words to him and it was all he could think of.

‘Larissa should feel ashamed knowing that Micheal is a man of his word even if it costs him his own life’

‘Micheal I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I don’t see any other way! I know you can help me. Please save my husband’s life. Please don’t say no. Please…’ she begged.

‘Uncle, I want to see my father….!’ the seven-year-old daughter of Larrisa, Theresa looked at him sadly.

‘Uncle….!’ He couldn’t bear it! Just the thought of Larissa’s daughter calling him Uncle made him furious. He should have been the father figure to her daughter.

Just like walking on a tightrope could a single misstep in life result in such a dramatic turn of events?

Seeing both the mother and daughter this way broke his heart.

‘Please don’t cry Larissa! I cannot bear to see you crying!’

 She took advantage of his kind heart.

 ‘So, will you help me? Will you save my husband?’ she asked longingly.

 ‘I would do anything for you Larissa’ he replied confidently with an open heart.

‘Promise…?’ she put her hand out.

‘Promise…!’ he vowed placing his palm on top of hers.

He felt tears falling on his hands.

Memories buried deep in his heart ached him. How could she ask me for help after all that has happened? Does a woman always put her family first above all else?

Almost an exact scenario happened that day. Only the roles were reversed. This was exactly how he begged her holding her hands. ‘If you truly love me, if your love for me is pure, please don’t say no to me Larissa!’

On that day when he longed for her love, she shattered his heart into pieces and left him.

Once she left, she could have stayed away! But after all these years she came back in search of him. Not alone but with her daughter! That also to ask him to save her husband’s life.

 

 

 

 

Time: 02:10:35 Saturday

‘Micheal, call for you!’

He snapped out of his thoughts and entered the cabin containing the telephone.

Who could be calling at this hour?

‘Micheal here!’

The voice on the other side was of the defense minister from the Ministry of defense.

“Micheal, how are you? We are all counting on you! Is everything ready?’

‘Yes sir! Everything’s ready. We are about to depart in the morning!’

‘We? How many of the men are going with you?’

‘Twelve of them! But I am the one who’s going to dive and open the submarine hatch. Sherman is also coming with me as my backup. The others are on standby.’

‘Good job.  This Sherman, can he stick with the plan? Can you count on him?’

‘Yes sir! I can count on him. He has been working with me for the past five years now’

‘Alright. How is the weather? Is it going to be okay in the morning?’

‘Yes sir, we believe so. But whatever happens, we have decided to depart in the morning!’

‘The whole country is now getting worked up. We should take necessary actions before people start to criticize the government!’

‘Of course! In any case, we will have it under control in the morning!’

‘Alright. Good. An emergency cabinet meeting has been called now. I need to take some urgent decisions. I will contact you in the morning after the meeting if need be!’

‘Yes sir!’

‘Good luck Micheal!’

‘Thank you, sir!’

The connection was terminated.

He was proud to have conversed directly with the Minister of Defense on the phone. He understood the concern of his superiors to answer the people of this country. They had plenty of reasons to be anxious about. But the government also did not want to expose their political secrets.

At first, the government officials considered it a local issue. But in response to the requests made by the family and the relatives of the sailors who got stuck inside that sinking submarine in the deep sea, the government had no other options but to seek help from foreign countries. In turn, some countries came forward to help.

That is how these Sea Eagle rescue ship and L.R-5 rescue submarine came for the aid. They were kept on standby, ready to depart at a moment’s notice.

 

 

 

Time: 04:05:21 Saturday

The rain was pouring outside. Micheal looked out through the window in the upper deck of Sea Eagle. It was pitch black. The wind was so heavy and the sea was equally rough. But still, he firmly believed that the weather would be settling in the morning. The chilling sea breeze made him shiver. He went into his cabin and wore his sweater. Now he felt a comforting warmness and without even realizing a smile appeared on his face. He took comfort not only in the warmth of the sweater but also in the fact that it was handmade for him by Larissa!

He was wearing the same sweater on that day too when he was waiting for her in the freezing cold. Even through the pouring raindrops from the cloudy sky, she was rushing to see him.

‘Hey, Larissa! Are you mad? Why did you come here in this weather?’

He took out his handkerchief in a hurry and dried her hair with it.

‘I am fine! Don’t bother about my hair. I will dry it myself’ she moved away from him and took out her handkerchief and dried herself.

He felt that something was off after seeing the way she moved away from him. But the thought of her coming here to see him even when it was pouring outside made him feel happy.

Moving a little away from him she sat down right in front of him silently.

As the lightning stroke in that dim evening sky, the sadness that filled her face became visible.

‘What is it, Larissa? Why are you silent? What happened?’

She kept her head down and didn’t respond pretending she never heard what he said.

‘Are you mad at me?’

‘……………..’

‘Please, talk to me!’

She only moved her head implying no.

‘Is there a problem with your family?’

‘Yes…’

‘Why don’t you tell me?’

Suddenly she started to burst out in tears.

He hurried right next to her and lifted her head up. As soon as he touched her, she fell in his arms with tears.

Seeing Larissa cry made him water his eyes.

‘Please don’t cry Larissa!’

She moved away from his hands and looked directly at him.

‘Please! Tell me what happened!’

‘I had a fight back home! Father didn’t agree to our marriage. He is forcing me to marry another guy. I don’t know what to do. Everyone is so worried there because of me!’

‘Why is he forcing you to do so? What is he going to get out of this?’

‘He is my father’s superior. He got promoted at such a young age because of his talents. My father is so fond of him’

‘Have you met him before?’

‘Yes, my father introduced me to him when I went to the navy Christmas celebration. He even asked me to dance with him that day. He was so polite, and I couldn’t refuse’

‘Then what happened?’

‘We went to dinner after the dance. There he told me that he liked me and asked me to marry him.’

‘What did you say to that?’

‘I didn’t say anything. I only managed to smile.’

‘But why…? you could have told him that you already have a boyfriend’

‘Yes, I could have. But I was afraid that my father would find out about us if I told him. So, I didn’t’

‘No, you should have told him. Now see what happened.’

‘You are making it sound like I did it on purpose. I thought it was not proper to tell him before I introduce you to my family’

‘Okay... so what are we going to do now?’

‘Now he has asked for my hand directly to my father.  My father who was waiting for the chance to get a promotion has said yes.’

‘What? Are you going to sacrifice your happiness for your father’s promotion?’

‘That promotion was his dream. Apart from that, he is very rich. He has a government bungalow; he has no family responsibilities, and he is not expecting anything from us. Besides, he has also accepted to take care of all the expenses of the marriage. My father had no reason to deny. That is why he has agreed without even consenting me!’

Suddenly he heard thunder striking at a distance. But he felt the pain of thunder in his heart.

‘Larissa do you know what you have done? Do you understand the price you have paid for your silence?’

She remained silent

‘So, what have you decided now?’

‘My father is threatening to kill himself if this marriage doesn’t go through. I hope you understand my situation.’

‘What did your mother say?’

‘She is also with father. She is saying that if anything happens to him, she would kill herself’

‘You haven’t answered my question, Larissa.’

‘What do you want me to say? I hope you understand my situation’.’

She has indirectly told him her decision.

‘So, what about us? What about our love?’

‘It was all true! But Micheal, what would you do if it was you in my position?’

When she tearfully asked this of Micheal, he couldn’t find an answer.

‘Tell me, Micheal, is there any other way?’

What could he possibly say? Apart from him, no one else could possibly know what he has been through with his own family! In this state how could he give a promise to her?

The silence was the only answer he had.

‘Should we sacrifice my parents’ life for the sake of our love? Tell me, Micheal?’

‘Sacrifice your parents’ life? For our love?’

Micheal was stunned by the thought of it.

Micheal was shaken to the core when Larissa asked him whether they must sacrifice her parents’ life for their love. He couldn’t hear anything else that came out of her mouth after that! Everything else faded. He was standing in the rain alone for a long time without even realizing that Larissa has gone.

Micheal’s mind never recovered from that shock. Some of his friends helped him to get to his quarters that day.

At first, he could not even fathom the thought of leaving Larissa. But later when he was alone, he began to feel the heartbreak. He started to read between the lines of everything she said that day.

‘Micheal, my family has been good to me ever since. I don’t have the courage to betray them.’

‘But where did you find the courage to betray our love Larissa?’ he mumbled to himself.

He ached with a slowly piercing pain in his heart which he had never experienced before. All his attempts to see her again was in vain.

Maybe her parents could have thought that he was useless. He was suffering from the truth and the loneliness was not making his pain anymore easy to bear. Unable to bear the heartbreak he took leave and went to his home trying to forget what he lost.

Finally, he got over the breakup and moved on. He came back to work and got to know that Larissa has been married. He also found out through some of his friends in the navy that her husband was the captain of one of the state-of-the-art submarines.

It was his submarine that had met with an accident in the deep sea and was sinking right now. Micheal is leading the team for its rescue.

The submarine was involved in a navy exercise during which a bomb had accidentally gone off. At first, everybody thought that the sailors aboard the submarine would have met their fate. But they were shocked to see an S.O.S message being broadcasted from the disabled submarine.

That would mean that there were still some survivors aboard. The people in charge have prematurely and mistakenly assumed the worst. But now suddenly everyone was feeling hopeful.

Everyone had an incentive now to work towards the immediate rescue of the submarine and its crew. And it was for that reason, they were now making the preparations in a hurry.

 

 

 

 

Time: 05:10:07 Saturday

In the dim light of the table lamp, Micheal was looking at the blueprint. It was the blueprint of the sinking submarine. This submarine was the commanding vessel to its entire squadron. It contained several classified military intel. It was powered by a nuclear reactor and some people believed that it also carried some small-scale nuclear weapons. The reactor was automatically shut down as soon as the accident happened. Any further damage that might have caused by reactor meltdown was therefore prevented. But officials were concerned about any damage to the nuclear weapons on board. Therefore, the government was very cautious in making decisions about this situation.

 

Micheal was carefully going through the photos taken of the damaged submarine. It looked as if there was damage to the torpedo compartment. It should have been the ground zero for the explosion which would have resulted in a fire in the compartment. From there it could have spread to the adjacent compartments. He couldn’t exactly picture what could have gone wrong. But it was clear that the second bomb to go off should have been the one that caused significant damage to the ship. The front end of the submarine was damaged because of this second explosion. He could also see damages to the periscope room. The emergency escape hatch at the front end was also damaged beyond repair.

When Micheal was thoroughly examining the photos, he lost all hope of rescuing the survivors through the emergency escape hatch at the front end.

It could have been easier for him to make the rescue attempt through it. Since the hatch was damaged, now he had no chance of doing it. He could see the possibility of that cabin being flooded. So, he shifted his attention towards another hatch at the back end. It looked intact. He already knew that it could be opened from the outside without help from the inside. But that would require specialized training. Fortunately, Micheal was trained for that. There was a good chance of survivors at the cabin in the back end of the submarine. The S.O.S signal should have come from them. He highlighted the hatch at the backend in the blueprint. When he was going through the blueprint to find a way to open the hatch, his assistant requested his presence mentioning that he had a phone call.

‘Another phone call at this hour? Who could it be?’

 

Time: 06:12:01 Saturday

‘Hello…!’

‘Micheal! Larissa here!’

‘Hmmmm…!’ Micheal replied when he heard her voice.

‘Am I disturbing you, Micheal?’

‘…………’ Micheal didn’t know what to say.

‘Why are you being silent Micheal?’

‘No, It’s fine!’

‘I am scared, Micheal! The news media is telling all kinds of things’

‘Don’t be afraid Larissa! You should stay strong in times like these.’

‘How could I not be scared, Micheal? All I could think of is him. Is he going to be alright, Micheal?’ she asked him crying like a small child.

‘We believe so. They have enough oxygen to last another 24 hours. So, there is nothing to be afraid of!’

‘Will you be there with the rescue team before that?’

‘Yes of course!’

‘They are saying that the weather is not in our favor. Is it?’

‘Yeah, let them say whatever they want. But no matter what happens I have decided to go!’

‘I know you could pull this off Micheal, but I am a bit worried about you too!’

‘Why?’

‘I am afraid that you would get stuck in this storm!’

Micheal laughed teasingly.

‘Why are you laughing Micheal? Did I say something wrong?’

‘No! It’s just you still have some care for me. That’s all’

‘Micheal please, don’t hurt me with your words! Let’s not dwell on the past, shall we?’

‘But weren’t you the one who hurt me first?’

‘This is no time for payback Micheal!’

He could hear her cries and lament over the telephone. It made him realize a woman’s rage, desperation, and inability.

After all that has happened, still Micheal felt his eyes water whenever she cried.

‘Larissa my darling! You shouldn’t cry!’

‘Micheal, what did you just say?’

‘I said don’t cry!’

‘No, you said something else.’

‘Yes. I did say darling’

‘Please don’t Micheal. It brings back the old memories. Please don’t call me that!’

‘Maybe you have forgotten everything, Larissa. But I haven’t!’

‘I have a seven-year-old daughter. I don’t want these memories I have buried coming back to haunt me. Please!’

‘No, it was never my intention to hurt you!’

‘I have been a good wife to him these past 8 years. Even if it wasn’t for me, he should come back for his daughter. She is so fond of him Micheal. She needs him!’

‘I’ll do my best Larissa!’

‘Hey, can you hold on a second, my daughter wants to talk to you!’

After a brief moment, she gave the telephone over to her daughter.

‘Hello, uncle… Theresa here!’

‘Hi Theresa…’ he replied with a voice of kindness.

‘Will my dad come back uncle?’

‘Of course, he will’

‘My friend tells me that her neighbors think that he is not going to survive. Tell me that is not true Uncle.’

‘Don’t you believe those rumors!’

‘But the news media is saying that they couldn’t comment whether there are survivors or not for sure.’

‘Well… We have received an S.O.S signal from the survivors! We haven’t lost hope yet. That’s why we are going on a rescue mission now’

‘Aren’t you afraid to go out in this storm Uncle?’

‘To tell you the truth I am a little afraid. But someone has to save your father, right?’

‘You are very sweet. I want to give you something.’

‘To me? Alright, what do you want to give me?’

‘Can I give you a kiss?’

‘A kiss? From there? How can you?’

‘ummmmmma’ she gave him a loving kiss over the telephone from the other end. It made him happy.

‘Sweet kiss! Thank you so much. For your kind heart, nothing is going to happen to your father. He will definitely come back for you!’

‘You should come with him to our home Uncle, will you?’

‘Yes of course!’

‘I will be waiting for you!’

‘Okay promise!’

He put down the receiver and was amazed at the love that little girl had for her father. He became completely determined to bring back her father for the sake of that little girl.

 

 

Time: 07:20:28 Saturday

The radio announced that the storm that was centered around about a hundred miles off the coast was now moving North.

In the morning Micheal carefully studied the sea. Since the storm has now slowed down, the sea was not as rough as it was before. But it was still dark and raining. It looked as if the storm could be back at any time.

The rescue team was overjoyed when they saw that the weather has shifted in their favor. They began to believe that they could successfully pull off this rescue attempt and bring back the survivors. With this newfound faith, they readied all the necessary equipment in hurry. At the moment of their departure from the harbor, Micheal yet again got a telephone call. Micheal thought that this call should be from the Minister of Defense. He felt pride in the fact that he has now got some direct contact with his high-ranking superiors.

‘Hello! Micheal here!’

‘Hi Micheal, It’s the defense minister’s secretary…’

‘Good morning sir, tell me.’

‘Are you ready to depart?’

‘Yes sir. Everything is ready. We will be leaving in a moment.’

‘Is the weather going to be a problem?’

‘No sir, we don’t much care about the weather now. In any case, we have decided to go. We are determined to come back with the survivors’

‘Micheal, you are the one who is going to open the hatch, aren’t you?’

‘Yes sir, I will be the one. Sherman will be with me’

‘What if you can’t get it open by any chance?’

‘No, the hatch is still intact. I believe there shouldn’t be any problem in getting it opened. I have already been trained to open this kind of hatches several times before.’

‘So, you are confident that you can get it done no matter what, aren’t you?’

‘Yes sir, I firmly believe so! Your trust and support to us is much appreciated in this regard’

‘Good! I really appreciate your guts. But you need to listen carefully to what I am about to say.’

‘Sure sir... I am listening’

‘You should keep this a secret between us, and you should do exactly as I say.’

‘Yes sir, I will do anything for my country’

‘If that is the case don’t open the submarine hatch. Just pretend to open it. That is all we need you to do.’

‘Sii… sir! What are you saying sir…?’ he asked not believing what he just heard.

‘But why… sir…?’ he questioned and the answer that he got shook him.

Micheal froze for a minute after what he heard from the defense minister’s secretary. Eventually, he managed to get back to his senses and asked again.

‘Sir, what are you saying?’

‘Yes. Don’t open the hatch. The government is very concerned about the secrets that would get exposed if that hatch ever opened. So just pretend to attempt a rescue mission for the sake of news media and the people. That would be enough’

Micheal was so confused now.

‘I don’t understand sir. What could go wrong in just opening the hatch and getting them out?’

‘So many things! We don’t know what kind of bomb went off. If it was a small nuclear bomb, as soon as you open the hatch, there is every chance for the radiation to leak outside.’

‘So...?’

‘Don’t you understand what kind of damage a radiation leak like that can do?’

‘But what about the survivors? Are we just going to leave them to their fate?’

‘What else can we do? The foreign countries are waiting for an excuse to screw us over. This may also cause political instability within the country.’

‘The people are just expecting us to get them out no matter how, what could be wrong with that?’

‘That is the main problem. Do you know how dangerous it is to get them out if they are exposed to a lethal amount of radiation?’

‘Why? We could give them some kind of treatments as soon as we get them out?’

‘Yes, we can. But it is not going to make any difference. With that kind of exposure, they are certainly going to die within a short time! Do you think their family would want to see their loved ones suffering every day for the rest of their life?’

‘So, what are you implying sir?’

‘We are not going to achieve anything by saving a handful of people! But say if we do save them and there is political instability, that could cost much more lives. It is not good for the government. That’s why I am telling you to delay the rescue attempt’

‘So, do you want us to abort?’

‘No don’t do that. We should be showing our people and the foreign countries that we did all that we could. We should make them believe and at the same time we should delay the rescue attempt.’

‘But there is no point in delaying. They will simply think that we are doing it on purpose. Won’t they?’

‘Yeah, therefore what I am telling you is to blame it on the weather!’

‘But they only have a few more hours of oxygen left!’

‘That’s what I’m telling you, after a few hours once they run out of oxygen, they are going to die naturally!’

‘What are you implying sir? Do you want them to suffocate… helplessly…?’

‘Yes! We can make the people believe that we did all that we could, but we couldn’t save them on time!’

‘Do you hear yourself? That is so wrong.’

‘Accidents are happening all over the country each and every day. Do you see anyone mourning over all that? Let's just pretend that this is one of those accidents and move on.’

Once he heard this, Micheal was speechless.

Are the same politicians who campaigned about the pride of our country, the importance of our friendship, and the strength of our brotherhood now telling me this? Look how they are scheming now. How could they do this so easily? Don’t they have a shred of humanity left? Will they do anything to keep them in power? Is politics a pile of lies and deceit?

‘Micheal… what’s the matter with the silence?’

‘It’s nothing. Never mind!

Micheal understood that the government has forced him into an impossible situation.

‘Just continue your rescue mission as I told you and pretend to open the hatch. But whatever happens, do not open the hatch!

‘…………..’

‘Am I being clear? This order is high up from the chain of command. I trust you with it. Good luck! If everything goes according to plan, a promotion and a commendation will be waiting for you when you get back.’

Without giving him a reply Micheal slammed the receiver down and terminated the call. At that moment he felt his inability to do anything about the situation and he felt useless.

Who needs this kind of promotion and commendation?

 

 

Time: 08:18:03 Saturday

They started their journey as planned. The sea has now somewhat calmed down. The ship was speeding on the water towards the open sea as the darkness was surrounding. Staring at the waves, Micheal reflected on everything that has happened.

‘What am I going to do?’ he wondered.

‘Did this order actually come from high up the chain of command? Or can this be the work of those who are plotting against the government? Can there be traitors amongst the high-ranking government officials?’ Micheal was so confused about all of this.

Even though the sea had calmed down, his mind hadn’t, and he was constantly bombarded with all these thoughts.

‘Boss, what are you so concerned about? Who was on the phone? Did something go wrong?’ asked Sherman standing right next to him.

‘No, it’s nothing! It was the defense minister’s secretary!’

‘Are you sure that it was him?’

‘Yes, I think so’

‘You look so worried. What did he actually say to you?’

‘He just gave me some shocking news that I wasn’t expecting!’

Micheal was taken back for a second, confusing upon whether to tell Sherman what exactly went on or not. He desperately wanted to tell someone. Finally, he told him everything hoping to get an opinion from him regarding the situation.

‘Boss, are you nuts? Do you want us to give up at the last minute after all the efforts that we have put into this?’

‘What else do you want me to do?’

‘We need to consider one thing. Even the weather is shifting now in our favor. Do you think it’s a really good idea to abandon the mission now? Do you want us to be the reason for the death of all those survivors on board?’

‘What else do you think that we can do?’

‘Personally, I am willing to help in any way I can’

‘So, it seems that I have made my decision! Despite the order from the superiors, at the last minute, I am going to open the hatch anyway and let them out’

‘It’s a good idea. But if you do this, it may even cost your life.’

‘What more can they do? Worst case scenario, I will be either court-martialed and imprisoned or be given a death sentence! At this point, I am not so worried about either’

‘Boss, why are you being so careless of yourself?’

‘Yes, I am ready to sacrifice my life to save many more’

‘Are you really going to give up your life for them?’

‘YES…!’ Micheal shouted while holding his thumb up. His determination was obvious in his words.

‘I want to see my father’ as he vowed to save them Micheal had the image of that crying little girl in his mind.

 

 

Time: 12:55:09: Saturday

As soon as they reached the site of the accident, they put on their specialized suit for deep-sea diving. They were carrying with them the equipment needed to open the hatch in a box along with comms necessary to communicate between each other and with the command post aboard the ship. Wearing the diving suit that can withstand the cold and high pressure of deep-sea along with the oxygen cylinder and mask, they have dived into the water slowly making their way down below.

When they reached the submarine, Micheal wasted no time. He approached the back-end hatch which he had highlighted earlier in his blueprint with haste and started to work on it. He was working as fast as he could hoping that the sooner, he opens the hatch the more lives he can save. Sherman was helping him out from time to time by lending him the needed equipment.

Micheal was patiently working on it. It is no easy task to open the submarine hatch this deep underwater. But in the past Sherman had witnessed the talent of his boss in perfectly executing all the missions he had been given. Sherman had every bit of confidence in Micheal.

Suddenly Micheal’s face lit up.

‘Boss, what happened?’

‘I have opened the combination lock. There is one more lock to go. It will be done in a minute.’

‘Can we get the hatch open once the second lock is done?’

‘Yes, soon we are going to see results for all the efforts that we have put’

‘So, you are saying that we can get them all out alive. Aren’t you?’

‘Yes, we can. Anyway, that’s why we are putting all these efforts in. Isn’t it’

‘Have you thought about what would happen to you if they got out?’

‘What is there to think about? They should survive, they should get back to their family and be happy. I find my peace in that’

‘So, you have decided to give up your life for them, haven’t you?’

‘I am not giving up anything. I am simply doing what is right!’

‘Label it as whatever you want. It doesn’t matter. You have set your mind to it haven’t you?’

‘Yes, I am just doing my duty and what I feel right in my heart’

While Micheal was so focused on opening the lock, Sherman crept behind him and suddenly pulled out the oxygen supply tube in Micheal’s suit.

Micheal was shocked by what Sherman did and yelled ‘No… Sherman you too?’ not believing everything that had just happened for the next few seconds. Eventually, Micheal began to suffocate without his oxygen.

‘I am sorry that it had to be me, Micheal! I have been given an order to neutralize you if you ever try to open the hatch. I am just doing my duty. Besides, I am not going to get any promotion with you alive! Thanks to you Micheal, now I am going to get a promotion and a commendation.’

Sherman’s treacherous words echoed in his mind as Micheal was struggling to keep his breath. All these times he had thought of Sherman as a good friend and now he had stabbed him in the back. Micheal froze in his suit not knowing what to do.

When he was drawing his final breath, he was sinking deep into the ocean along with all the truths that they tried to hide. As he was descending into the abyss his final breath rose as a bubble and burst at the surface. Neither Micheal nor the truth was no more. 

 

Time: 18:00:00 Saturday

They reported about Micheal’s accident in deep-sea in the evening news. They said that in the attempt to rescue the survivors of the submarine, Micheal was met with a tragic fate because of an unexpected accident, and fortunately, Sherman who was his backup managed to escape. They further reported that the rescue attempt was delayed because of the said accident and when they opened the submarine hatch it was too late for those onboard. The news media also mentioned that they will be broadcasting a live interview with Sherman afterward.

At that very moment the wait, the hope, and the promises were all shattered to pieces. The situation for which the whole world was expecting a positive outcome now had met a tragic end.

When her friend hurried to Theresa to tell her what had happened, Theresa couldn’t believe it at all.

‘Micheal uncle has told me not to believe in rumors. I am not going to’ she said refusing to believe it.

With half-masted flags all over, the whole country was mourning over the death of those sailors. Their loved ones silently ached and cried with heartache.

This tragedy had become another one of those thousands of accidents that happens every day. As time moved on, the tragedy was also faded out of the people’s minds.

Still believing in the word that Micheal uncle had given to her to bring her father back home safely, every day after school that innocent little girl Theresa is waiting at the door keenly expecting their arrival!

 (Courtesy - Vikatan)

    

Thank you so much to everyone for enjoying this story. As of today, 3 million people have read this story which is a milestone I am enormously proud of and could not have done with out the support of my publishers and fans. This specific story was published in Vikatan, an India magazine which publishes more than 1 million hard copies a week. I am extremely grateful for all your continuous support and blessings. Many thanks for the opportunity to meet our fan club members.

Submarine English Story - By : Kutu Aravinthan