Ladle-Girl

Mara’s mother won a free cruise online. But, being a single mom managing three side jobs, her mother gave the ticket to Mara to go away for the weekend. 

“Thanks, mom, but I don’t wanna go without you!” said the seventeen-year-old girl. “Of course you don’t, Mara, but this’ll be good for you!” Mara’s mother smiled stubbornly. Mara sighed. “Mom, how will this be good for me?” she asked. “Trust me, darling, it will!” Her mom beamed. Mara inhaled deeply. “That’s not exactly an answer.” Mara’s mother turned to face her daughter. “You’re a beautiful young lady,” she breathed. Mara was standing nearby a mirror. Turning to look at herself, she sighed again. She was tall and slim. Mara had long, dark brown hair that reached her hips. Her caramel skin made her white dress look even lighter. Mara smiled slightly. She had her father’s eyes. They were light grey, and looked as if the moon were reflected in them. “That isn’t very relevant either,” she said. But Mara knew there was no use in arguing with her mother. The woman was a very stubborn lady, and she acted very clueless and dreamy. “Go pack your bag,” her mother grinned softly. Mara took one last chance to exhale and went to do as her mother wished.

”Mom, you’re the one who made me go on this trip,” Mara recalled over the phone, “You know I didn’t want to go.” Mara knew from the beginning that her mother will miss her terribly once she got on that ship. The woman was sobbing her eyes out on the other end of the phone. “Mom! Mom, listen. I will only be away for two days, okay? TWO DAYS! It’s not long, really, okay? -Yes, I know. I miss you too...Well, they have lots of junk food — Yes, they have chocolate milkshakes, I already had, like, six! - Of course, they’re delicious - Thank you, mom. There’s also a swimming pool, on the ship! That’s cra- Mom, I gotta go, sorry,” Mara‘s phone call got interrupted by a blaring sound that was probably an alarm. Bewildered, she put the phone down. Mara hastily got out of her hammock, following the crowd of clueless people in the direction that they were going. ”Please report to the lobby, I repeat, please report to the lobby. Follow the gentlemen in orange. Please remain calm,” demanded the voice over the speaker. Mara knew she was just told to relax, but she felt herself panicking. Her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest. When the crowd finally got to what was supposed to be a lobby, the doors shut behind them and the room suddenly felt drained of oxygen and natural light. Everyone was packed against each other. Mara felt someone’s shoulder brush her arm and someone else’s hot breath down her neck. Holding her breath for as long as she could, Mara looks around, waiting for someone to give a speech and letting them go. “People, people. There is a slight…conundrum,” drummed the same male voice that spoke on the speakers. Mara couldn’t see its source, though. She heard him speak again, “Now, does anyone by any chance have any knowledge of…ship steering?” Mara looked around to see if anyone was raising their hand. There was a rumble of people discussing the new turn of events. “No one?” asked the voice. Nobody seemed to be able to steer a boat. “Why?” demanded a man from within the crowd. “Well,” sputtered the voice, “Our driver seems to, ...be…dead.” Everyone gasped in unison. Some people jeered and shouted, but the voice over the speaker said nothing. “How’d he die?” boomed a female voice through the crowd. “That…Well, um... We’re not really sure. The on-board nurses are unable to identify the source of his death, but it’s some sort of virus, certainly,” answered the man on the speaker. There was another racket of noise as the crowd chatted about the situation. “So,” the voice said after a few seconds, “Does no one have any experience with ship steering at all?” People continued with their conversations, but no one answered the question. “Shouldn’t you have a spare steerer?” called a man obnoxiously. “We do,” replied the voice on the speaker in a monotone, “But he seems…dead…too.” The crowd started chattering again. There was another gasp. “What will we do now?!” cried a woman. “We actually have another problem,” sighed the man miserably, “There’s a leak in the keel.” At this, Mara expected another round of gasps. And so there was. “Please remain calm,” begged the voice, “Listen. There is a leak, but we do have boats for emergencies. Now, what I’m going to do is I’m going to send SOS signals. What you’re going to do is you’re going to go and take as much food as you can. That’s all. Just food. Empty your bags and fill them with food. There is an island nearby, so I need you to, once you’re finished with the food, leave the ship in an orderly fashion by following the gentlemen in orange to the ship’s exit. Please remain calm.” Mara felt scared. A leak? Two dead men? What was going on? But, as the disciplined person that she was, she did as she was told. Mara went to her room, emptied her suitcase and packed some fruit that was on her table in it. She left her room to search for more food. That wasn’t difficult, because the ship was full of it. At some nearby food stands, Mara stopped her case with more bananas, bread rolls, potatoes and containers with soup. Then, trying to not have the panic get the best of her, she went downstairs to where the emergency boats were. “Okay, girl, here, go with this young man and the child,” a man in orange told her. Mara was blinking back her tears. They were not of sadness, but of fear and unknowingness. She climbed in a boat with a guy who was turning his back to her, talking to a little girl. He turned around to talk to Mara. “Hey, can you please move over? You’re taking up a lot of space here,” he spat at her. Mara frowned. “Sorry,” she sniffed softly. The guy looked moody. He was wearing a beanie and a black mask covering his nose and mouth. “We’re lowering you down now!” screamed the man in orange, “Follow anyone in orange.” Mara hopped at the sudden movement of the boat being lowered into the water. At this, the guy in the beanie barked, “Can you sit still? This isn’t hard for just you, okay?” Mara said nothing. She had no intentions with people like him. Mara felt the boat touch the water. They were under the ship, so it was dark. But nearby, at the end of the tunnel through which they were supposed to go, there was light. “Please, lemme take the ladle,” he groaned from in front of Mara. Something triggered her. Now she had enough. “Why?” she hissed at him, “Because I can’t row fast enough? Or is it because I shake the boat too much when I row?” The guy opened his mouth to interrupt, but Mara wasn’t having any of it. “No, listen!” she badgered on, “I know this is a stressful situation that you’re in, but I’m in it, too! And I’m also afraid! So please, if you have another insult you wanna throw at me, keep it to yourself, okay?” The guy looked slightly ashamed. Mara rowed powerfully so that the boat did shake. “Actually-” he started, but Mara interjected. “What?” she demanded. “I wanted the ladle because you’re a lady,” he muttered gently. Mara looked defeated, and embarrassed. “Oh,” she murmured, not looking at the guy. “But if you want, you can have my ladle, too,” he joked. Mara glared at him. “Here, lemme take that, ‘aight?” he offered again, taking the ladle from Mara. 

The way to the island wasn’t far, but to Mara it felt like an eternity passed. The whole way there was filled with an awkward silence, which was made worse whenever the toddler decided to say something. Mara, the guy and the little girl were some of the last to reach the island. When they got there, there was a large crowd surrounding something, like a group of people watching a monkey dance for money. “What’s going on?” Mara heard someone ask. She managed to squeeze her way into the crowd. There, on the ground, lay a woman, probably in her thirties, her skin white as milk. Her brown eyes were empty, just staring into the light of the day. “Is – is she dead?” someone asked from behind Mara. A nurse who was sitting with the ghostly lady was sticking something into her neck. “I’m afraid so,” answered the nurse. Mara felt terribly gloomy at the sound of children sobbing at the back of the crowd. Then there was another sudden series of gasps. “This man, too!” someone from within the crowd pointed. A middle-aged man laid face-upwards on the grass, his face pale, his pupils speckled. “This is very contagious!” someone yelled. “He’s dead!” roared somebody else. There was a raucous mix of people crying, others shouting and some interrogating. As for Mara, she remained silent. She noticed that the man in the beanie also said nothing. For the first time, Mara didn’t feel tall. She noticed that as she was standing next to the beanie-guy. His head peaked out from above the crowd. She also noticed now that he was rather muscular. His tanned arms were big and a bit bulky. Mara didn’t notice that she was staring at him. His dark hair stood out from underneath the beanie. He had hazel eyes that made you feel sorry for him. But Mara didn’t. She still felt annoyed at him…and humiliated. “The man’s there,” Mara noticed the beanie-guy saying suddenly. How long was she staring at him? He seemed to realize that she was, and thought it was rather funny. Mara glared at him again, and turned away. But before she could continue to be mad at him, her hand was being grabbed and she was pulled out of the crowd. The guy pulled her to a more wooded area on the island. “Since you’re obviously so obsessed with me,” he chanted and sat down on a rock, “It would be decent of you to tell me your name.” The guy pulled of his mask. Mara rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, I can’t have an argument with an idiot,” she bickered, and turned away to go. “I’m Spencer,” he introduced himself. Mara scoffed. “Now tell me your name.” He looked at her. “I’m not giving my name out to a stranger, thank you very much…,” she told him. “You look like you’ve got some mysterious animal name…like Raven, or something. Is it?” Spencer chuckled. Mara shook her head with a grimace. “My name’s Mara, alright? Now, which way did we come from? We have to get back.” “Mara,” Spencer repeated, “Mara.” “Yes, Mara. Don’t get used to it, because I’m leaving now.”  “The disease,” Spencer said suddenly, “It’s very contagious. Once you have it, you’re done for.” Mara folded her arms and frowned, “And what makes you such an expert?” Spencer sighed. “I saw something on the internet,” he answered. “The internet?” Mara repeated, “You base you’re evidence off of… the internet?”

Spencer lifted his shoulders. “Isn’t it better to be safe rather than sorry?” Mara looked away. “I guess so,” she agreed. “We have to stay away from the rest. The disease is bound to break out among them,” Spencer told her, standing up. He picked up some sticks lying around. “I’m sorry, ‘we’? Why we?” Mara asked. “Well,” Spencer said, “I’m sure the princess won’t be able to protect herself from a bloodthirsty bear, now will she?” Mara rolled her eyes again. “What are you doing with the sticks?” she asked, changing the subject on purpose. “So, that’s a ‘yes’,” Spencer made sure, smiling cynically. “You didn’t answer my question,” Mara debated. “Did you answer mine?” He looked up so that his hooded eyes met Mara’s. She couldn’t bare the eye contact, so she couldn’t help but look away. “Is this for a fire, then?” she wondered. “It’ll be night soon,” he said, “Fire’ll keep the wild animals away. “Can I have your mask?” Mara said suddenly. “Sorry?” Spencer bent down to pick up another piece of wood. “We’ve got to get some of the food from the others. We don’t know how to hunt and we don’t know which fruits are safe to eat. You can go, too,” she told him. Spencer took a second to consider this. “I’ll go,” he said finally, “You stay here and collect as much wood as you can. Don’t go far.” 

It didn’t take Mara and Spencer long to become part of a set of tribe, even though it consisted of only two members. But even though they weren’t staying close to the others, they still passed them and the group was becoming smaller and smaller. Days that turned into weeks passed and no had yet come to rescue them. Food was scarce and they started to need to hunt or gather for themselves. Being the only two in their tribe, it was easier for them to care for themselves. Mara still wondered how she had gotten herself into Spencer’s camp. She despised him, and yet she was sort of drawn to him at the same time. When night time came, Mara and Spencer rested in a tree. Each night, they slept in the exact same one, one that marked where they stayed. It was very uncomfortable, but it was their safest option. Mara slept on one branch, and Spencer in another. The ground was a more perilous option to lay upon due to wild animals roaming around and searching for food during the night. Spencer’s theory of fire scaring predators away was proven wrong. One night whilst Mara and Spencer were sitting by the fire, they heard a growling nearby, and then they saw the glowing of eyes. Since then, they decided to get up into their tree whenever the sun set. Before this, whenever Mara imagined herself to be in such disastrous circumstances, she imagined time to pass slowly. However, it didn’t. Days passed by in a wink of an eye, even though they did nothing but eat, sleep and talk. Mara missed her mother. She knew well that her mother was worrying herself sick on the other side of the ocean,  not knowing where her daughter had been. Mara could picture herself as a mother of a girl who had been lost. The mere imagination made her throat clench up. This bothered Mara so much. She didn’t know what to do. But, somehow, Spencer found a way to comfort her. He had been getting on her nerves so frequently in the past few days, teasing and prancing her endlessly. But for some reason Mara couldn’t stay mad at his face, no matter how hard she tried. 

“G’night,” Mara whispered as she made herself comfortable on her uncomfortable branch. “Night,” Spencer wished back. Mara let her eyelids down so that her lashes tickled the skin under her eyes. She wasn’t sleepy at all. But the sun was setting, which meant the carnivores were waking up. They couldn’t risk staying on the ground any longer. But Mara closed her eyes anyways, hoping to catch some sleep. It was dark in no time. The sun had sunken away behind the farthest ends of the sea, and now the sky was pitch black, stars twinkling in it. Suddenly, Mara felt something cold on her skin. There, on her hand, slid something. Mara felt her heart sink into her stomach. Is that a snake? Mara couldn’t know for sure, but that didn’t make her feel any less terrified. “Spencer,” she breathed through her teeth. There was no reply. Mara tried her best to stay calm, but her chest was heaving and she could hear her own heart throbbing. Mara was inhaling and exhaling slowly, motionlessly, trying not to make the snake on her feel threatened. But the air seemed dense and unbreathable. Mara’s throat was parch. Her face was wet with sweat. She still didn’t know what was on her. Whatever it was, Mara felt it about to strike. In one quick, sudden movement, she felt it go, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Shhhhh, shhhhhh,” shushed Spencer. “Wha- what?” whispered, Mara, unaware what was going on. But Spencer was laughing. He was laughing so hard he was gasping for air. “Oh my w- that was you?!” Mara bellowed. Spencer couldn’t answer. He was laughing to much. “I swear, I’m gonna kill you! You jerk!” she spat. When Spencer finally calmed down, he chuckled a bit, then said, “Am I at least a handsome jerk?” Mara turned to his side of the tree. “Wha – no, you are not!” “Oh, come on. I know you like me,” he said cunningly, but oh so confidently. “Why are you doing this? I do not like you, you’re the most evil person I ever met,” she disagreed. Spencer chuckled again. “Oh, really? Then why aren’t you pulling away when I do this?” Before Mara could react, she felt Spencer’s presence near her. She felt his warm breath, even though she couldn’t see him. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, his hand on her cheek. Spencer was right. She wasn’t pulling away. There she was, in a tree, blindly kissing him. He was a handsome jerk. Suddenly, Mara heard a rapid sound. Bright lights were flashing from above, through the trees. “A helicopter,” Mara breathed. She smiled. “Apparently us kissing is good luck,” Spencer smiled, “We should do it more often.”