The New Year's Eve Tragedy

Rachel Coriam’s brother Dennis was tragically killed on his own birthday which - sadly and ironically enough - coincided with New Year’s Eve. And it is for this very sad reason that she and her parents dread every New Year’s Eve that rolls around. Here is Rachel’s heartbreaking story:

Ever since my brother died under such horrific circumstances on the final day of the year, which also happened to have been the very day he was supposed to be celebrating having turned a year older, I’ve been unable to stop having recurring nightmares about the tragedy that should never have happened. The permanent trauma as a result of his unexpected and horrific death is why I now see 31st of December as a curse that befell him.     

Dennis had been described by our parents as somewhat of a miracle arrival. On New Year’s Eve of 1981, he had made his arrival into the world over three years before myself. And they've been just as much bundles of pride and joy to us as we were to them.

And it was on New Year’s Eve of 2019 that everyone’s lives - including mine - would be torn apart…

Dennis’s friends had held a birthday party for him to purposefully coincide with a New Year’s Eve disco that had taken place at the exact same venue. They had all excitedly boarded the Universal Wonder Cruise, all ready to get into the partying mood. Especially Dennis.

Various cocktails of all different levels of alcohol being passed out, and people gulping them down without a care in the world. An endless playlist of EDM Party Mix Bangers blasting from speakers at all corners. The special occasion seemed to be in full swing.

Taking time out to sober up, Dennis had gotten on his mobile phone to his family, leaving a voicemail for them. ‘I’ll be staying over at Matt’s after the celebrations are over,’ he had concluded, ‘but don’t worry. I’ll call again tomorrow. Happy New Year.’

The cruise ship had been heading back from Cyprus to Cheshire, and CCTV cameras were still active. One of them had captured a man in his late thirties… falling overboard whilst heavily intoxicated.

Everyone had gathered around and got ready to ring in the New Year when they realised someone was missing. ‘Has anybody seen The New Year’s Eve celebrant?’ someone asked. In other words, where was Dennis?

He was nowhere to be seen. ‘Dennis!’ his friends called out. ‘Come on! It’s time for the countdown!’

No response. And so they began searching high and low. Maybe he was hiding in one of the dressing rooms and playing a prank on them? Once it was confirmed he wasn’t there, they checked everywhere else.

But he was nowhere on board. This wasn’t a game of any sort at all - far from it. What had started out as happy go lucky fun, cheer and excitement turned into nightmarish terror - without warning.

Robert and his other friends had no choice but to phone the police and alert them asap. Dennis was missing!

The crew continued searching the ship for Dennis. Ships of the cyprus navy and Chester Coast Guard searched the international waters through which the Universal Wonder had been sailing during the hours in which he had gone overboard without a trace.

The women were frantic, hysterical and crying their eyes out, whilst the men were shaking and sweating. This was not how the year was supposed to end. Everyone’s heads were spinning.

Finally, the police arrived and took down the names of the attendees.

‘When did you last see Dennis?’

‘What was his state of mind? Did he appear agitated or disturbed in any way?’

Amy, one of Dennis’s female friends, had her face buried in a handkerchief and was sobbing uncontrollably as one of the other girls tried to calm her down, despite being in tears herself. ‘He’d had a lot to drink,’ she said, her voice shaking. ‘But he wasn’t depressed or drowning his sorrows or anything.’

‘Technically, we were playing charades and all sorts of other games,’ Robert said, pain etched in his voice. He pointed over to where he last saw his best mate seated by the pool area. ‘Many times, I checked up on him to make sure he was okay.’

He clasped one hand across his face, unable to take any of it in. Dennis was gone, and for all anybody knew there was more than an extremely high chance that he had drowned and his body washed away upon having hit the hard ocean water.

I was celebrating the upcoming New Year in my own style at a newly opened Mediterranean cafe my friends had taken me to as a kind act of wishing me the best of luck at the Exodus Enterprise corporation I had been accepted to.

We were spoiled for choice here. I spotted my favourite vegan dish, a Greek gyro with falafel with potato wedges on the side. Not to mention vegan kebabs.

My mobile rang just as I was in the middle of choosing something off the menu. I wasn’t expecting it to be someone other than one of my family members. ‘Rachel, it’s your brother, and I’m afraid it’s not good news,’ the local constable on the other end sounded very solemn. ‘Something’s happened to him, and your parents are in a total state. One of my partners is with them this very moment.’

I dropped my phone. I couldn’t believe what was happening.

They had news on Dennis? And something terrible had happened to him? 

Please tell me this isn’t true!

A Jewish man in his fifties was walking his Labrador across a riverbank near The Maunsell Sea Forts when he discovered something that made him stop in his tracks. From a distance, it looked like a mannequin.

The fur on his dog’s back stood on end. The gentleman, too, had an unpleasant feeling once he moved closer to the object. It wasn’t a mannequin after all, but a dead body.

The male corpse appeared to be bashed and broken, the back of its skull split half-open.

And snippets from the news of that cruise fatality came back to the dog owner’s mind. ‘Holy Jesus,’ he muttered.

‘How in fuck’s name did they let this happen?’ I wailed as my mum continued bawling her eyes out and my dad was pacing up and down the room with red-rimmed eyes. 

The whole point of having lifeguards on board was to ensure that there were no fatal accidents. And now I wasn’t even sure if Dennis’s sudden death was just some unfortunate accident that couldn’t have been prevented. 

‘Dennis appeared to have had his drink spiked with an illegal substance,’ the constable confirmed, ‘despite drugs not being allowed on board. There was also a struggle between him and another man, this other man being from an abominable occult gang.’ Because his brain had been seriously affected by the alcohol and whatever drugs had been slipped inside it, Dennis’s frail condition meant that he had been unable to fend off his killer or shout for help.

The local chief detective looked at me and my parents with much regret. Even today, I can never forget the look in his eyes. ‘I’m extremely sorry for your loss.’

Too late now, I thought, tears blurring my vision.

It was late midnight when I let everything sink in. The crowd was still going mad with excitement. More fireworks were heard popping and going off into the pitch black sky as people were ecstatically yelling, ‘Happy New Year!’ and blowing horns and trumpets to mark the new decade.

And what was I doing? Heading over to the mortuary to identify my brother’s body.

If only I had done something that day.