Stranded: Part One

by Petbumblebee

The small inflatable raft rocked wildly on the waves, the rain pouring down in sheets. The frightened Aisha huddled coldly in one corner, holding on to the slick yellow plastic for her life. Thunder and lightning crashed all around, while the boat filled with icy water. “I’m going to stay out here forever,” thought the distressed little Aisha. As the excruciating night wore on, the Aisha managed to fall asleep...

A soft scraping noise awakened the Aisha. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the harsh sunlight. Her boat was being dragged across the sandy bottom of a beach, the tide gently rolling in on all sides. She painfully picked up her drenched, matted mass and stepped onto the beach. Her green fur sparkled in the intense sunlight, and her four ears waved in the cool wind.

“Where am I?” she asked herself. Lush palm trees surrounded the beach, while a tangle of brush rode up a mountainside. Water surrounded the small piece of land, waves rolling in on all sides. “I’ve washed up on an island!” she exclaimed. She turned to look at her pitiful raft. A large piece of wood had gouged through the plastic, making it useless on the water. Her expression dampened at the thought that she may be here for a long time. “Oh, if only I hadn’t agreed to go on that stupid trip!” she battered herself. She thought back to the previous morning...

"Guess what Sakura?!” her owner exclaimed happily.

“What?” Sakura inquired.

“I just won two tickets on the Neotania!”

Sakura’s eyes widened with excitement. “Really?! Oh wow that is so awesome!!”

The Neotania was one of the greatest ships ever built. It was truly a luxury to even step onboard!

“Yes. Really! The ship departs in 3 hours, so we have to get moving!” her owner said.

“Oh my goodness! I have to go pack!’ exclaimed Sakura.

She ran upstairs and yanked her pink suitcase out of the closet. She threw in everything from her pretty Blue Bandanna to her worn out Purple Fuzzle.

“Chirrup! Chirrup!” something behind her said.

“Oh, Beeky! I can’t leave you here! I’m going to take you with me,” she said firmly to her PetPet, a Beekadoodle.

“Mom! Can I take Beeky? I can’t leave him here all alone!” Sakura pleaded with her owner.

“Well, all right I suppose he can come. Just make sure he keeps quiet and stays out of trouble.”

“Oh I will Mommy! Thank you!” Sakura picked up Beeky’s small cage and and her pink suitcase and ran out to the car. She opened the trunk, dropped in her suitcase, and put Beeky in the back seat with her. In a few minutes they departed, looking forward to the magnificent voyage.

Sakura’s eyes opened wide in awe as they neared the dock. The Neotania sat there grandly, so humongous that Sakura had to stick her head out the window to see the top! Sakura’s owner parked the car, and both went over to the booth. A yellow Chia stood there, and asked for their tickets. Sakura’s owner handed them over, and the Chia gave them the keys to their cabin. They boarded the ship excitedly. It was a truly grand sight to see, a glorious red carpet covered the floor, while crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Beautiful silverware sat upon the tables, which were covered in white satin tablecloths.

The two felt out of place amongst all of the richer Neopians, and decided to go find their room. They walked down a long hallway, and came to a halt at a white door. Sakura’s owner took out the keys, which the Chia had given her, and unlocked the door. Inside was a cozy setup, involving a crisply made Victorian bed, an oak dresser and bedside table, and expensive marble wallpaper. Sakura and her owner dropped their luggage and unpacked, happily chatting with one another as the ship’s engines roared to life.

By the time they were done arranging things to their liking, it was nightfall. Sakura stated that she wanted to go out on the deck. They made their way up to the top deck and looked out over the never-ending ocean. Suddenly, a great crash threw everyone to the ground. An alarm sounded and the ship was in a frantic.

“What’s going on Mommy?!” Sakura asked fearfully.

“I don’t know Sakura, but don’t let go of my hand.”

They ran over to one of the ship’s crew and asked what was going on.

“There’s been an accident!,” he said, “Some debris ran through the propellers and got tangled, and I’m afraid the ship couldn’t take it. I suggest you two get to the lifeboats, she’s going down.”

At these last words Sakura’s owner panicked, and scooped up Sakura in her arms. She ran to the life boats and stood in line.

“Mommy! Beeky! He’s still in the cabin! I’ve got to go save him!”

“No Sakura! Stay here!” But Sakura had already jumped out of her Mommy’s hands and had started running across the deck. She ran all the way to their room, and hurled the door open.

“Beeky! We’ve got to get out of here come on!!!” She opened the bird’s cage and Beeky flew beside her. When she reached the top deck, she couldn’t find her Mommy.

“Mommy? Mommy!” she cried. Suddenly, a large pitch caused Sakura to fly over board, into the water.

“Ahhh!!!!” she screamed as she flailed through the air.

She splashed into the icy ocean, struggling to stay afloat. She wildly thrashed about, until she spotted a yellow lifeboat floating to her left. She swam over to it and managed to get inside. She drifted away from the horrifying accident, and wondered where everyone was...

A strange noise suddenly jolted Sakura back to reality...

To be continued...