Devil of the Ocean

{Please note that the prompt is to start the story the opening... "It was a dark and stormy night..."}

It was a dark and stormy night. Out for a sunset and night sail, Jake and Kim were off West Palm Beach in their Catalina 22 sailboat, when a fast moving storm blew in from the northwest.

"Jake, we've got to get the sails down. Now," yelled Kim into the companionway. The pelting rain was beginning to sting.

As Jake entered the cockpit, a violent gust slammed into the sails and knocked the over canvassed boat onto its side. Kim fell onto the deck, hitting her head and Jake was thrown overboard. Wiping the blood off of her brow to clear her vision and trying to hold on, Kim reached for the lines on the main sail and as the boat righted itself, she was propelled off the other side.

The waves were between eight and ten feet and obscured the view especially in the darkness with driving rain. The trusty boat with full sails and their three year old son was sailing away. With each wave that tossed Kim about, was a face full of salt water as she screamed for Jake. She coughed and struggled to continue to scream.

The clocking wind caused the boat to stall. She swam as hard as she could as the sails cracked loudly with the brutal flogging. The swift current in gulf stream pushed her along but also kept the boat moving away from her. She looked up every few strokes and hurled unrealistic requests and atrocious curses at the evasive boat.

What will happen to my child, she wondered. She tried to force the thought from her mind. She fought to get to the boat before the wind shifted once again and set her sailing but the waves lifted and pushed her further away with each crest. She went underwater, was losing ground and running out of steam.

In the distance, she saw the reflective tape on the back of Jake's life jacket for just a second when the moon peaked through. She couldn't tell if he was face down in the jacket or out of it. She called out to Jake but got no response. She was torn between swimming to the boat or Jake. Get to the boat first then to Jake, she decided.

As their lives depended upon her reaching the boat, she gave it her all. Twenty feet away. Ten and something grabbed her arm. She recoiled and struck at the water. It was a line trailing in the water behind the boat.

The salt water and blood stung her eyes and she could hardly see the stern of the boat but she wouldn't give up. She thrashed and struggled to get to the elusive line in her hand. It slid over her fingers and finally she had it in her grip.

Kim screamed as a terrible pain tore through her leg and then pulled her under for the last time. The devil of the ocean claimed another victim.