Nathan
GA Member
- Jul 2, 2018
- 755
The bow of the trawler smashes through the icefloes of the Gulf of St Lawrence. The winter ice cracking and scraping as the metal connects. 2 dry suit clad men stand at the bow, baseball bats at hand. The older man’s bat dripping in ominous red, the younger man’s face taught with fear.
The captain yells from the cabin window;
“Lets go Justin! Today you become a man!”
“Dad, I don’t want to do this”
The older man pushes Justin forward “This is your culture! This is how your ancestors lived, do not disappoint them”
Justin clambers over the bow of the boat, dropping onto the chunk of ice at the front of the boat. Keeping low, he creeps forward. Cradling his bat, as the ice crunches underneath his feet.
Moving forward, he looks up at his target. A furry white seal cub is hissing at him as he moves closer. The mother nowhere to be seen. This was his moment. He steps forward, raising his bat up to the sky. Justin stops his swing, looking down at the beady eyes of the cub.
“Get on with it son!” His dad shouts from the bow of the vessel.
Justin closes his eyes blocking out his senses as he begins to restart his swing. Backwards the club goes over his head. Justin begins to stumble towards his prey.
..A foghorn sounds as the ice around him begins to crack. Ice splinters up into the air obscuring his vision. Cold Metal suddenly appears in his peripheral vision as the outline of a ship begins to cut across his path to the seal. Ice breaks underneath his foot as Justin begins to turn to run back to his boat. He slips, falling face first onto the cold winter ice.
A loudspeaker fills the air; “The hunt is over!”
He looks up to his Dad, before a loud crack is heard before plummeting into the cold winter water.
Falling underneath the ice, Justin attempts to regain his bearings. Swimming up he finds the weight of his suit holding him down, his suit is taking on water. The Coldwater shock induces a syncope. Justin begins to shiver intensely as the light from the water begins to slip away. The shockwave of feet frantically running on the ice can be heard, the muffled screams of his father trying to rescue him. Justin feels the life draining from him..
The captain yells from the cabin window;
“Lets go Justin! Today you become a man!”
“Dad, I don’t want to do this”
The older man pushes Justin forward “This is your culture! This is how your ancestors lived, do not disappoint them”
Justin clambers over the bow of the boat, dropping onto the chunk of ice at the front of the boat. Keeping low, he creeps forward. Cradling his bat, as the ice crunches underneath his feet.
Moving forward, he looks up at his target. A furry white seal cub is hissing at him as he moves closer. The mother nowhere to be seen. This was his moment. He steps forward, raising his bat up to the sky. Justin stops his swing, looking down at the beady eyes of the cub.
“Get on with it son!” His dad shouts from the bow of the vessel.
Justin closes his eyes blocking out his senses as he begins to restart his swing. Backwards the club goes over his head. Justin begins to stumble towards his prey.
..A foghorn sounds as the ice around him begins to crack. Ice splinters up into the air obscuring his vision. Cold Metal suddenly appears in his peripheral vision as the outline of a ship begins to cut across his path to the seal. Ice breaks underneath his foot as Justin begins to turn to run back to his boat. He slips, falling face first onto the cold winter ice.
A loudspeaker fills the air; “The hunt is over!”
He looks up to his Dad, before a loud crack is heard before plummeting into the cold winter water.
Falling underneath the ice, Justin attempts to regain his bearings. Swimming up he finds the weight of his suit holding him down, his suit is taking on water. The Coldwater shock induces a syncope. Justin begins to shiver intensely as the light from the water begins to slip away. The shockwave of feet frantically running on the ice can be heard, the muffled screams of his father trying to rescue him. Justin feels the life draining from him..
