Titanic Story

Titanic Story
It has been barely more than a century since that fateful day the Titanic sank. And though most of the last survivors have passed away, her story lives on. Many have tried to recreate scenes and set stories from her marvelous deck and I am no exception. Our story takes off in a first class stateroom owned by the wealthy, English family the Johnson’s. Their eldest daughter, Carrie, sits at the window.
“The vastness of the ocean terrifies me.” Carrie whispered to herself. She was a very self-centered girl, who had just celebrated her 18th birthday. She rarely admitted she was frightened and would deny it when questioned, but something about that water gave her the chills. She turned away from the window and tried to assume her usual dignified posture then slipped out of the room to go find her parents.
Michael and Elizabeth Johnson sat in Palm court sipping champagne. “Carrie there you are, dear,” her mother cooed at her approach. “Mr. and Mrs. Astor, may we introduce our daughter, Carrie?” Carrie curtsied and took a long look at John Jacob Astor, the richest man in the world.
“How do you do, Miss Carrie?” he asked as he kissed her hand. He was a tall man, balding on top with a clean trimmed mustache. He stood as straight as if he had an iron bar down his spine. His wife was short and plump. She was wearing the newest style dress and her hair was in the latest fashion.
Carrie smiled and tried to appear cool and unconcerned that the boat had just started to move. “Very well, sir, and you? It’s such a marvelous day, we couldn’t have asked-“
“Yes, indeed. It is beautiful out,” Mr. Astor cut in smoothly. Mrs. Astor nodded her agreement and turned to wave to people watching the Titanic set sail. “I believe the whole nation of Ireland came to watch us set sail. It is an event to be remembered forever.”
Mrs. Astor laughed gaily and almost instantly her giggles turned into a shriek as the New York broke loose her tether and nearly collided with the Titanic. Carrie nearly passed out. She knew it; they were going to have a watery grave before the Titanic even set sail. But, thanks to some very fast thinking by a tugboat, the New York was pulled away from the Titanic and she was underway again. Carrie was so ditsy with relief that she became lost in her own conscience.
“Carrie, dear, are you all right?” her mother’s voice broke through the barriers of her mind and brought her back to reality.
“Yes, Mother, I’m just peachy. If you don’t mind, I should like to go explore the ship a bit.” Carrie said, trying to get as far away as fast as possible.
“Ok, but do be careful, dear.”
Without answering Carrie hastened away and headed down the Grand Staircase, marveling at its beauty.. She moved quickly between the lounges, through the dining room, and down the hall toward her stateroom. She was moving so quickly in fact, that she didn’t notice that one of her gloves had fallen off. That is she didn’t notice until a quiet voice behind her made her jump.
“Excuse me, Miss,” a smooth voice said. She turned and found herself facing one of the crewmembers that could be no older than 20. He smiled shyly at her and continued with his sentence. “You dropped your glove back in the hallway so I thought I should bring it to you.”
Something extremely odd was happening to Carrie. She felt as though the bottom of her stomach had just fallen out. Her heart was pounding and her face was heating up and for some reason she could not tear her eyes away from the young man’s face. She tried to speak but her mouth was unusually dry. The selfish, snobby air she usually assumed seemed to have vanished in an instant. She just stood there looking at him.
“Miss, are you all right?” the steward inquired.
Carrie had regained a little of her dignity, enough that she could answer him anyway. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for bringing me my glove,” she stammered. “I was moving so quickly I guess I didn’t notice I lost it. Though I didn’t think that most stewards took the time to bring a maiden her lost glove.”
The young man blushed. “I had nothing better to do, Miss. The captain had finished giving us our orders and told us we were free to do what we pleased when we were finished with our work,” he explained.
“Well, it was very thoughtful of you none-the-less, Mister…?”
“My name’s Andrew. Andrew Jones.”
“Then thank you Mister Jones. My name’s Carrie Johnson.”
“You can call me Andrew. And it was my pleasure, Miss Johnson, but if you will excuse me I have some work that must be done.”
Carrie was reluctant to see him go but said, “Please, call me Carrie. And I’d hate to keep you from your work.”
Andrew bowed then turned and walked down the hall. Carrie waited till he was gone then hurried into her stateroom and sank onto her bed. “What was that emotion that hit me so suddenly? It made me feel so light-headed I couldn’t catch my breath.” She sat pondering these thoughts until she fell asleep.
The next few days passed as a blur for Carrie. She was so caught up in her emotions she was barely aware of what was happening. She ate with her parents, looked after her younger sister while she played on the deck, and spent most of the time staring at the ocean. Then, one night it suddenly dawned on her. She was in love. She leapt from her bed, threw on a dress, and set off to find Andrew. It was nearing 11:30 on that cold night of April 14, 1912. She finally found him on the A Deck. He was sitting on a bench reading a book, so she quietly went to sit next to him.
“Can I help you, Carrie?” he asked.
Carrie wasn’t quite sure what she should say (a first for her). But she knew she had to be honest (another first for her). “No,” she finally murmured. “I just want to be here with you.” He looked at her, astonished. “I know it sounds ridiculous but I’ve somehow fallen in love with you. I don’t know how but I feel like I’ve known you at one point in my life.”
“You have.”
“I beg your pardon.”
“Do you remember the little boy who ran into the Thames River after your glove when you were about ten?” Andrew asked, a look of loving reminisces in his eyes.
Carrie clapped her hands to her mouth. “You can’t be that same little boy! The little boy who told me he’d always remember me. The one who told me he loved me.”
“But I am. I have thought of nothing but you in the past eight years. I’ve crossed the whole of England trying to find you again. When I first saw you on the Titanic I couldn’t believe it, but it is you, you’re here and I’m never letting you go.” He pulled her into his arms and was about to kiss her when…
Boom! There was a terrible crashing noise, then all was quiet. Andrew let her go and ran to the edge of the dock to see what had happened.
“We’ve hit an iceberg! Go tell the Captain!”
Carrie swayed dangerously. An iceberg! Sure, enough she could see the huge mountain of ice next to the boat. Every one said that the Titanic was unsinkable but she thought it was poppycock. Nothing could defy nature, not even something as well engineered as the ship. Fear gripped her heart like an armored knight’s fist. It was all she could do to keep from throwing up.
Andrew grabbed her arm and pulled her around so she was looking into his eyes. “Carrie, I want you to go down to your cabin and put on your life belt. I’ll come down and get you if there’s any danger.”
Carrie ran from the deck as fast as she could she went and woke her parents and younger sister. “Hurry! Get dressed! We’ve hit an iceberg! The ship might be sinking!”
“Sweetheart, be sensible. This ship is unsinkable,” her father said.
“Daddy, listen to me. We’ve hit an iceberg about twice the size of the Titanic. There is a huge gash in the starboard bow side and she’s taking on water quickly. A steward told me he’d come get me if there was any danger but to be up and waiting for him.” Carrie hastily explained.
“Why don’t you wait up for him and wake us if he comes.” Mr. Johnson yawned.
Carrie saw no other alternative. She sat in a chair near the door while her parents drifted back to sleep. Her younger sister Sarah was the only one who really seemed to care. She got up, put some clothes and her life belt on, and sat next to Carrie to wait for Andrew.
He knocked on their cabin door at just past 2 o’clock in the morning. “We’re sinking! I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner there was a mass revolt that I had to help with down in the lower decks. The hallways down there are already flooding. The bow is constantly slipping further underwater, do you feel the tilt in the floor? Wake your parents and tell them to hurry. I’ll wait for you.”
“Mother, Father, the boat is sinking, you must wake up!” Her parents quickly got out of bed and started to dress. “There is no time for you to dress, you must come now!”
“Dear Carrie, we are not going to go up there indecent for all the world to see. Take your sister and go on up there with the steward, we’ll find you.”
Carrie wanted to argue but knew it was useless, so she grabbed her 12 year-old sister’s hand and they followed Andrew to the A deck. She saw the crew loading a lifeboat across the deck. She hurried her little sister into it saying that she would come get on a little later. Carrie was amazed to find that the band was still playing. She continued looking around the deck with growing horror, there was only one lifeboat left and it was filling fast.
Andrew looked around with Carrie and knew there was no hope of survival for him but there was hope for Carrie. Andrew grabbed Carrie’s arm and spun her around so she was facing him, then rushed her to the last seat of the last lifeboat. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “There is only one lifeboat left and there is no way in heaven that I am going to be able to get on it, but you must. You must go with your little sister she needs you. Since I am a crewmember it is my duty to help as many people as I can and if that means going down with the ship, so be it.”
Carrie looked up at him with tears in her eyes, “I will not leave you!” Carrie had never felt worse. She had found her first love only to lose him. She had never felt like her survival depended on another’s. She had finally stopped thinking about herself more than others and she didn’t want to lose that.
“You must. You must stay in that lifeboat and pray for my survival.”
The young lovers were never reunited. Andrew gave his life belt to a small girl and perished trying to swim in the icy water. Carries parents also met an unfortunate end and will rest forever in the Atlantic. Carrie and her little sister, Sarah, both grew up and devoted their lives to telling the world about the Titanic and her unfortunate ending.