Beowulf Alternate Ending

My father watched the dark, thunderous clouds swirl above our heads with anxiety swimming in his eyes, which were the shade of the metallic gray of our little fishing boat. The sharp taste of the salty sea air was heavy on my tongue and in my lungs. Underneath us, our plain gray motorboat rocked like a bucking bull. I clutched to the co-pilot’s seat like a child to its mother, watching the dark waters churn beneath us menacingly. “I’m sorry, Remi,” my father muttered in his strong yet raspy voice that reminded me of a barking bulldog. Although we were both drenched with the chaotic rain, I knew he was pouring sweat, just like me. “I thought we could beat the storm. I just got so carried away by watching that stupid dolphin…..” I shook …show more content…
I felt it underneath us, tilting away from the wave. We were flipping over. An aching pain exploded in my throat as my dad suddenly smiled. I always knew he was wise, and he tried to comfort me in times of stress. But this time, I knew it was different. He knew we were going to die. “Dad?” “I’m sorry, Remi,” he said, his smile revealing that snaggletooth that I always hated. Now, I never want to see it go. “You will always be my daughter, no matter what. I love you.” “NO!” I screamed archaically as the boat began to turn over. “NO! DAD!” The boat began to sway. To my right, water began to spill over the deck. I felt myself falling towards the ocean. The waters below lapped up the sides of the vessel like the hands of an angry mob. Blood rushed to my head as we turned even further. We crashed into the hungry sea. The freezing water covered me like a blanket, shocking all my senses into unfathomable clarity. I was upside down, and when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded in darkness, somehow blacker than the night. My eyes began to burn, so I shut them. My hands grabbed at the belt around my waist. I felt it give, and I was suddenly free to drift in the infinite expanse of the shadowy ocean. Blindly, I swam up to feel around the upside down boat. I felt the smooth metal of the steering wheel, and the leathery cover of the pilot’s …show more content…
For a brief moment, I imagined them blackening like the Atlantic itself was infecting them. I couldn’t hold my breath any more. “HELP!” I shouted through the merciless waters. The sound was distorted, muffled, like I was shouting through a pillow. The water seemed to absorb the noise like a sponge. There was no way, even if my dad had made it to the surface to escape the capsized boat, that he would hear me. Breathe! my brain screamed at me. I couldn’t help but obey. Freezing water gushed into my lungs, stabbing my insides with what felt like broken glass. I suddenly couldn’t find the strength to move. The creature holding onto my ankle began to drag me further down to the unknown depths of the ocean. I could hear the water rushing past my ears. My mind began to grow fuzzy, like I was about to succumb to the release of sleep. So this is it, I thought. The image of my father’s last smile filled my mind. I thought to myself, What a nice last thought to have. I closed my eyes, and my mind became as dark as the shadows of the