One Last Breath

A Story By LD, Age 13

As the last life-boat is being lowered, I know I'm not going to make it to the boat in time with my 2-month-old son. I have been parted from my husband of 10 months, in the crowd of frantic people scared to die. But I'm trusting God with my life as well as my family. I want to think the brightest that the love of my life will live and we can be together until our real time comes to leave this world, and I am not afraid to do so.

As I run to the tilting rail where the life-boat is just feet from hitting the water, I know I do not have much time. I begin to cry as I tuck $200, my gold wedding rings, and my will into his blanket that I pray is keeping him warm. I ask the women in the last boat to catch my baby as I painfully give him up to save his life. I remember a photograph of me and his father that I always kept in my pocket, and I quickly write on the back: I will love you forever, remember me by my love and your father by looking in your eyes, Mum. I tuck that in his blanket along with the other items, kiss him for what seems like the last time and finally give him up for his sake.

The women tell me he is safe and want me to jump into the boat to be with him. I hold my breath and jump, missing the boat by only a few inches in the icy water that feels like 2,000 knives stabbing you all over your body at least 20 times each. I cannot swim because in Paris we never felt the need to know. In this moment, I've resided on that particular topic, everyone should know. My one life-line is feet away, but I can't reach the women hanging over the side, extending their arms to try to save my life but we are too far of a distance. We cannot reach, and I give up.

I turn to see the last seconds of the supposedly "Unsinkable" Titanic and all of the men and women still onboard. And in the corner of my eye I catch the bravest man of them all, Captain Smith at the very top of the ship that looks as if it is piercing the starry night-sky. He looks so calm, as if he doesn't know the ship is 3-quarters in ice-cold water and he and 1,000 people are about to lose their lives to it.

The ship is gone and I turn back around to see my baby, safe. I know that he will live and have an incredible future in front of him. I make my last movement and take off my life-vest to try to swim, but I can't. I realize that it's my turn to take my last breath and give up my life to the vast ocean along with all of the others who lost their lives to an ice-burg on that fateful night on the Titanic.