I held onto Pa's hand tight, and he gripped mine firmly. We boarded the ship, and my stomach did somersaults. I had never been on a ship before, and not a lot of people that I knew had before either. It was the year 1855, and we were very poor. Pa found a job opportunity up the river.
"Are you ready, Cecile?" Pa asked me.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I responded.
After a few minutes, the ship took off. The wind blew in my hair, and I laughed, smelling the aroma of the water. Pa stood there, with his hand on my shoulder. It looked like something was troubling him.
"What's wrong, Pa?" I asked.
"I was just thinking about all of the things that can happen on a ship," he responded.
"Like what?"
"Well, the ship could sink, we could get injured, or bad people could come and raid the ship."
My face fell, and my anxiety raised. Pa could probably tell because he said, "But none of that will happen! You know how much of a worrier I can be, Cecile."
"Yes, Pa," I said, trying to sound more relaxed.
Then the captain walked up to Pa and I.
"How is everything going, Sir?" Pa asked.
"I little shaky, actually. Once it gets dark, so many things can happen. But don't you worry. it'll be fine!" The captain replied.
He looked at me when he said the last part. After that, Pa and I went into our rooms and fell asleep. I had a nightmare of men coming and raiding the ship and kidnapping me. I woke up, terrified, but glad to still be next to Pa. Thank goodness it was just a dream.
"Cecile, wake up," Pa urged.
"What's wrong, Pa?" I asked.
"The captain said it is getting foggy and harder to see. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't worry."
"Thank you, Pa."
"Of course, Cecile. I am going to go out and see if the fog is any better. Would you like to come?"
"Sure! I will get dressed right now."
After I got ready, Pa and I walked outside, and the fog was incredibly thick. I was freaking out, but having Pa's hand on my shoulder calmed me down. But then, I saw lights.
"P-pa, what are those l-lights?" I asked nervously.
"Maybe another ship?" Pa answered.
"Does the captain see it?"
"No, I don't think so."
Pa ran to the captain.
"Sir, my daughter thinks she sees another boat coming this way," Pa explained.
"Nonsense! The girl's just seeing things 'cause she's nervous." The captain replied.
"Yes, sir," Pa said.
"It'll be fine, Cecile," Pa said to me.
"Yes, Pa," I said.
But the closer those lights got, the more my anxiety rose. Then, the boat lurched forwards, or backwards, I couldn't tell.
"W-what h-happened P-pa?" I asked, more nervous than ever.
"I think we hit another boat," Pa said, looking as if he would break down in tears at any moment.
Then, the passengers started freaking out.
"What happened?"
"Did we hit something?!"
"We're all going to DIE!"
Then I started crying. It felt like the ship was sinking, and the captains's facial expression changed immediately. He started calling men to try and fix whatever was happening, calming down passengers, and trying to save us from sinking all at one time. I had completely forgot about the other boat. BECAUSE OURS WAS SINKING!!!! Everyone was either screaming or crying, even Pa. screamed as water started coming into the boat. My legs were trembling, tears were rolling down my cheeks.
I don't remember much after that, except for it was the worst and last day of my life.
