The Ship of Death (MV Princess of the Stars Tragedy)

This is my first time to ride in a ship. I am so excited, and take note; I will be riding in the country’s biggest ship. I am going to Cebu to visit my relatives together with all my family including my grandma who insisted to come even if her knees are weak. I really miss my cousin’s laughters of joy. I am so excited that I forgot to pack all my gadgets. My laptop, my newly bought Sony PSP and my iPod, nut it doesn’t matter, at least I brought my most important possession, my prayer book.

The sea was calm on the midday journey. All was clear. The sky was bright and my grandma’s face was full of joy. We were on the economy class because my father cannot afford to put us in a cabin. Children’s laughter is everywhere. My father even talked to a newly freed prisoner whose deck is just one way ahead of us. He’s full of joy and I even overheard him saying that he’d been to prison for 30 years and he regret all things he have done swearing he’ll never go to prison again. Thank God, He’s good. He always shows mercy for us all. Everything was perfect, everything was fine, not until the clouds formed into dark cottons, the sea became wild and turbulent, the rains dropped like stones, the storms raged and the ship swung back and forth. Who would think that this would be our one way ticket to death? I never remembered the captain saying that there would be storms on our way or else he would not permit the big vessel to sail, does he?

The laughter then turned into vicious cries. The smiles became frowns of anger. All was shouting what to do but the captain told us to be calm because no one will be harmed. We trusted the captain, I trusted the captain. His words became small relief for us all in the midst of Poseidon’s claws. I think God was angry but I strongly grippe my prayer book and whispered, “No one can save us now, but you.”

My grandma is crying, my brothers’ faces were full of tension. My mother has done the sign of the cross in the nth times, but as I never expected, my father was calm. He spoke words of assurance that everything will be fine, that we will reach Cebu safely and that we’ll meet our relatives’ happy faces and everything is jus a dream, a very gloomy dream, but is it really a dream? I slapped my face, it did hurt, and I realize, that this was reality. My father gave me a meaningful stare, and I never thought this would be the last moment with him.

Everyone is going crazy but still the captain told us to be calm, who will calm in the midst of this unwanted, heart-pounding situation? My mother headed for the life jackets as the rain poured down on our faces. The waves enter the ship freely. My head is turning and feels like the world is circling, I was like in a roller coaster but the shouts are not merry, it’s horrible.

Everyone’s praying now and I prayed that the captain would command us to abandon the ship, but my prayers are not heard.

I looked at my grandma once again, she’s calm now, but I wonder she closed her eyes, the newly freed prisoner strongly held the bible, my two brothers were numb, my mother doesn’t know where to go, my father is still assuring us that everything will be fine. The ship is still swinging back and forth, the storm is still raging and the waves are still turbulent. Everything was in a slow motion in my life’s slowest time. I firmly gripped my prayer book and prayed, after that…

…all was darkness.