Titanic

Chapter 5

After waking up from the dream, Ruth stepped onto the deck and met Jack just in time, and a second conflict broke out.Ruth is determined to see the original manuscript of the Rubaiyat, while Jack prays to the sea from a lookout for safety.

Ruth couldn't sleep at all, and strange dreams lingered in her mind, lingering.She put on her clothes, stepped out of the cabin, and boarded the open-air promenade deck.The night at sea was bitterly cold, and Ruth shivered involuntarily, and wrapped her shawl tightly.Looking up, the sky is full of stars, Ruth has never seen such a clear sky, without a trace of impurities, the clouds like tulle flow slowly, and the bright stars are like sparkling gems embedded in the sky.The night would have been perfect for Ruth if it hadn't been for the cold sea breeze blowing.The sea is still so quiet, just a silent wizard with boundless mana and unfathomable depth.He can remain absolutely silent, but if he gets into a fit, he can easily destroy everything.

Ruth recalled the dream just now and what Umar said in the dream. "Could there really be a catastrophe? Will this ship have an accident? Doesn't it claim to be 'unsinkable'? What does 'our end is the end of this era' mean? Will there be a catastrophe for mankind? "Ruth's head was a mess.

"It must have something to do with the original manuscript of the "Rubaiji"! The treasure that has been passed down for 1000 years, there must be something weird in it. I want to find the poem manuscript and see what secrets are in this thousand-year-old scroll. Who is the prophet Umar? Not really staying inside." The idea of ​​looking for the thousand-year-old scroll was unusually strong from the moment it came out.Ruth really wanted to take action immediately, but she didn't even know where the manuscript was, so where could she find it?She suppressed the urgency in her heart and decided to wait until dawn before trying to find a solution.

The Titanic moon showed its face from behind a thin cloud, like a shy girl, covering her flowery face with a scarf.A gust of wind blew from the sea, Ruth shivered, and was about to go back to the cabin when she suddenly found a figure standing not far away.She was startled, this person has been standing there silently, she didn't notice it at all just now, could it be a ghost floating in the sea?
Then under the hazy moonlight, Ruth carefully looked at that person, and was shocked to find that it was the rude guy who was peeping at her and arguing with her during the day. "It turned out to be him!" As soon as Ruth saw this person, her teeth itch with hatred, and she didn't want to look at him at all.She was in a hurry to leave, but she seemed to be strongly attracted by something, and couldn't help but look at that figure.

Jack stood quietly on the side of the ship, like a marble statue, tall and straight, silent from ancient times.The sharp-edged lines of the face are reminiscent of the rough experience and the resolute personality.

"Looking at it this way, he's quite a manly guy. Fleet may be telling the truth..." After a pause, Ruth shook her head and denied herself, "Impossible, how could this rude and mean guy A knight, a respectable person? I wouldn't believe it even if I was killed!"

Jack was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice anyone else around him.At this moment of silence, most people have already fallen asleep. The eerie coincidences in "For Nothing" still haunt Jack, who feels like he's going to have a sleepless night.

"Titan!" Jack murmured.He thought the name was inauspicious, an ominous omen. The Titans were defeated in the war with the Olympian gods and were sent to hell, with a tragic end. "Is this also the fate of the 'Titanic'?" A tragic emotion surged from the bottom of Jack's heart and quickly spread to every part of his body.He felt that he had become the protagonist of an unprecedented tragedy, entered his role ahead of time, immersed himself in it, and couldn't extricate himself.

Jack was filled with mixed emotions, filled with infinite emotions, and his thoughts wandered aimlessly. All the things he had experienced over the years surged up together, like a major earthquake, throwing the rusty cultural relics deep in the sea to the surface of the water .His nose was sore, and his eye sockets were hot and humid. He tried his best to control his emotions, but his heart was turbulent and he couldn't help himself. A crystal teardrop slid down his cheek.

Ruth, who was staring at Jack, saw this clearly, tears glistening in the moonlight as they slid across the face of the statue.Ruth's heart softened instantly, and all the antipathy and hatred disappeared, replaced by deep sympathy. "This cold-looking guy has something sad! It seems that he is not a cold-blooded animal, but he is not good at expressing his feelings. My views on people are too arbitrary and reckless. The words of Fleet and Andrews There is a certain reason." Ruth reflected on herself alone.

Jack realized his gaffe, and quickly wiped away the tears on his face with rough palms.At this moment, he noticed that someone nearby was staring at him intently.Jack was exasperated, he didn't like being seen as vulnerable.All along, he wanted to be a strong person and control his own destiny. To him, crying was a very shameful thing.

Taking a closer look, Jack became even more angry. Isn't this the young woman who had a dispute with him during the day?She shed tears in front of a woman, and it was a woman who was waiting to see herself make a fool of herself!He strode up to Ruth, his face was full of anger, his eyes were cold, Ruth felt the chill was biting, much more uncomfortable than the sea breeze.

"My dear lady, don't you dislike being peeped by others? Why do you still do such shameless things? If I am not a gentleman, then it seems that you are not a lady either?" Jack viciously satirized this person who made himself disgraced man.

Ruth wanted to apologize, to clear up the misunderstanding between the two of them for what happened just now and for the dispute during the day.However, before she could say anything, she was ruthlessly ridiculed by Jack and pushed her back.The idea of ​​"turning enemies into friends" that just emerged in Ruth's heart was ruthlessly snuffed out by Jack, and the flames of war were rekindled.Ruth began to fight back forcefully.

"Sir, you are not only rude, mean, and ungentlemanly, but also narrow-minded and self-righteous. May I ask, why should I spy on you? Am I your private admirer? Are you a dignitary or a billionaire? It seems that you are the one who is self-indulgent!" During the quarrel during the day, Jack once said that she was self-indulgent, and now she finally retaliated with the same words to this arrogant guy, and Ruth felt extremely comfortable.

This time it was Jack's turn to be speechless. He froze for a while, then turned around and left.Behind her, Ruth was humming an unknown song, triumphantly, and the situation on the battlefield was completely reversed. ﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡April 1912, 4, the second day after the "Titanic" sailed.Ruth got up early in the morning, and she had made up her mind last night to find the original manuscript of the Rubaiyat and see it quickly.Although she is a girl, Ruth is courageous, decisive, daring to think and act, and she does what she says. This is recognized by those who know her, and many boys feel ashamed.In my hometown, there is a small group composed of boys and girls, and their leader is Ruth. The reason why everyone supports her is because of her courageous personality, and Ruth herself is proud of it.

Driven by intense curiosity, she is going to take action today.If it were someone else, even if they had the same idea, the first thing they would think of was that this priceless treasure must be placed in a safe place, heavily guarded, and they would be discouraged before taking action.However, it is not Ruth's character to retreat despite difficulties. Her creed is to face difficulties and never look back.

Ruth was fully dressed and came to the promenade deck, hoping to meet the lookout Fleet from yesterday again.She lingered on the deck for a long time, and it was past breakfast time, but Fleet was still nowhere to be seen.Ruth was a little discouraged, and sat on the deck chair dejectedly, flipping through the Rubaiyat with her slender and white fingers, and a poem jumped into her eyes: Ah!Come with old Khayyam,
Leave the wise men alone to sigh.

There is only one truth in the world,
The rest is all deception and self-deception. "How confident, how free and easy!" Ruth said to herself, intoxicated.He looked up suddenly and found that Jack was hurrying past in front of him, wearing a uniform.Although Jack didn't notice Ruth, her face turned gloomy instantly, and she muttered in her heart: "It's unlucky to meet this guy so early in the morning!"

Now it's time for Jack to be on duty. He enters the crow's nest (observatory) and looks down at the sea ahead.This is his first time on duty on the "Titanic".The sun is rising, the sea is shining, and Jack, who is depressed, is also shocked by the scene in front of him. Although he has made a living on the sea for a long time, he has seen similar scenes many times, but this time the feeling is different, perhaps It is because of the different state of mind, perhaps because the magnificent "Titanic" gave him a broader vision.In short, the sea, which is familiar to him like a friend, has a completely new look today, and Jack will soon no longer know this old friend.

He likes the sea, its vastness, its unpredictability, its domineering, its turning into clouds and rain.In Jack's eyes, the sea is a man full of masculinity, a king who dominates everything and speaks for himself. It can arbitrarily decide the life and death of everyone in its territory, save everything, and destroy everything.Sometimes it is a capricious, cruel and ruthless tyrant, and sometimes it is a tolerant, peaceful and reasonable elder.The sea has different faces, angry, stern, smiling, and calm. No one can predict the expression of the sea tomorrow.This is the charm of the sea.Jack hopes that he can become a man like the sea. If everyone has an idol to worship and imitate, then Jack's idol is the sea. He molds himself according to the personality of the sea, which is deep and strong.

Whenever he was alone on duty, Jack had a long-acquired and unknown habit of talking to the sea as if two men were talking.He did this not because of loneliness, but because of the deep resonance and tacit understanding with the sea in his heart.

"My friend, I don't feel very well. It seems that something very terrible is going to happen. It's all because of that ghost novel written by a man named Morgan Robertson. But the ship in his book has nothing to do with this The ship is so similar, is it a mere coincidence? Or is it a dire prophecy? I hope I am unfounded. Please answer me, friend, will this ship reach New York safely? We are old friends, don't be dumb , don't impose bad luck on me. If you are in a bad mood and need a victim, just set off a storm and open the eyes of those who have never seen your power, but don't sink this boat. Fafa Forget about your temper, why bother to be serious? However, there is someone you can take away, and I will be very happy to see her disappear. "

Jack thought of Ruth viciously.Sometimes, Jack felt that his prayers could be answered by the sea. It was a deep intuition that could not be expressed in words.However, today he was disappointed, Dahai kept silent to him, without any reaction, as if he was about to abandon this old friend.Jack stared blankly at the boundless sea and the giant ship under his feet. The "Titanic" was so big that it gave people the illusion that no one could sink it.

Jack's mood became even more depressed, and he closed his eyes sadly.At that moment, Jack had a wonderful feeling that his soul and body were separated, and he soared up to an unbelievable height, overlooking the sea and the "Titanic" on the sea.The scene unfolding in front of Jack completely subverted the illusory sense of security when he was on the boat. On the vast sea, the "Titanic" was too small to be worth mentioning, just like a fallen leaf on the lake, or a naughty child A ship model placed in water.Adults can overturn it by making waves on the water with their palms.

In the face of the mighty sea, the giant ship built by human beings is vulnerable.Jack suddenly realized that if Poseidon wanted to sink the "Titanic", he was sending a warning to human beings in this way and punishing human beings for their vain conceit.The mysterious natural power cannot allow its offspring to despise it, even its most proud creation - human!

"Doomed!" Jack uttered a hopeless whine in his heart. ﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡Jack recalled the hard experience of wandering in the sea these years, passing through countless winds and waves, and narrowly escaped death.The most thrilling time was that the ship he was on encountered a strong storm at sea, and the huge waves turned upside down like a cliff, smashing into the small cargo ship.There were more than a dozen people on board, including the captain, and the waves easily overturned the boat, turned it upside down, and threw it upside down on the surface of the sea.The captain and several other crew members were trapped in the boat and sank to the bottom of the sea.

Jack and a few survivors escaped, ups and downs between the crests and troughs, and the sea water filled their stomachs to the point of bursting.Jack grabbed a fragment of the hull, part of the deck, a plank two meters long and half a meter wide.This small piece of wood became his life-saving straw. It was because of this piece of wood that Jack did not die in the sea.However, the joy of his narrow escape didn't last long, and he was depressed by the predicament in front of him.

On the vast sea, there was no one to be seen, and the surviving companions did not know whether they swam far away or were swallowed by the waves again; there was no sign of a boat.At that time, Jack understood the meaning of a sentence - "every day should not be called, and the earth and the earth will not work". Being in the sea has nothing to do with the world, who will care about you!
After the storm, the sea was unusually calm. It seemed that the storm had exhausted the energy of the sea, and now it had to take a breath and rest for a while.There was not a single cloud in the sky, the sun was dazzling, and it was hot and painful when it shone on the body.Jack, too, had run out of strength, and lay down on that plank, resigned to fate.Without fresh water, without real objects, he didn't know how long he could sustain in this situation.According to the usual saying, it would only be a week at most, and if he did not encounter a passing ship during this week, he would surely die.

One day, two days, as long as a century.In just two days, Jack had lost the will to survive.His body was severely dehydrated, and the hunger took the last ounce of strength out of him, not even the strength to breathe.Lying on the debris of the deck, the most unbearable feeling is the feeling of despair, the heart is cold, and the sound of blood flowing to the heart can be clearly heard.Jack felt that he had become a piece of wood, without any vitality.

He was confused and fell into a semi-comatose state.At this moment, Jack seemed to see a person falling from the sky, walking towards him like walking on the ground on the sea.At first, Jack thought it was an angel sent by God to save him, or pick him up to heaven, but when that person approached, Jack realized that it was his father.

Old Dawson: "Jack, wake up, you haven't arrived yet, and the days are still long! If I die, I will die first!"

Jack: "Father, I can't hold it anymore!"

Old Dawson: "Don't be discouraged, hold on for a while, I just went up to have a look, and there is a boat coming in this direction. If there is no accident, the people on the boat will definitely find you. So, cheer up quickly, immediately will be saved."

Jack didn't know if what his father said was true, or if he was using white lies to cheer himself up. He struggled and asked, "Father, why did you come here? Are you not angry with me anymore? Forgive me?"

Old Dawson sighed, "In this world, is there any father who refuses to forgive his son? There may be such a son, but such a father may not be found. No matter what you have done, after all, we are father and son. When you are in danger, how can I sit idly by?"

Jack was moved and choked up and said: "Thank you, I think we can reconcile, no matter whether I survive or not, I have changed my mind, and I don't intend to continue to fight against you. We are father and son, not enemies, right? "

Old Dawson accepted Jack's apology with a smile.Jack wanted to support his body to stand up and shake hands with his father. Suddenly, he stopped still, his eyes widened, and he looked behind old Dawson in surprise.A huge wave was coming silently from behind the old Dawson, exactly the same as the huge wave that swallowed the cargo ship. It was as high as 60 feet (18 meters), and it was about to swallow the old Dawson.

Jack exclaimed, "Father, run! Run!"

Old Dawson still had a smile on his face, as if he didn't hear Jack's call, and gently told Jack: "Son, live well! If you feel homesick, come back."

Jack's vision blurred, as if submerged in sea water again.He woke up with a start and looked around in a panic. The sea was still so calm, there were no huge waves, and there was no shadow of his father.When he calmed down and stabilized his mind, he found a black spot on the horizon, which was gradually getting bigger.After a few minutes, Jack finally confirmed that it was a boat.Miraculously energized by the hope of rescue, he used the fragment of the deck as a raft, and with all his might, he swam toward the ship.His cries alerted the crew on duty, who rescued the weak and disheveled Jack aboard.In that shipwreck, Jack became the only survivor.

After landing, Jack was confused and didn't know what to do.He had an urge to go home, hoping to settle the feud with his father as he had done in his dream.But he couldn't overcome a man's vanity, he made a name for himself, and the idea of ​​returning to his hometown was still very strong.It is still a difficult task for Jack to put down his airs and admit his mistakes in front of his father.In the hesitation and depression, Jack met his later friend Kofi, and the two hit it off right away. Kofi took him to another boat and continued to drift on the sea.So, the matter of going home was put aside for the time being.

At this moment, looking back on the past, Jack fell into self-doubt, "Perhaps, he should go home at that time, and that was the right way. A person can't be so lucky forever, and survive every time. Passed that level , may not be able to escape this catastrophe. If it is inevitable this time, there will be no chance to apologize to his father in front of him again. In the face of death, the conflict between father and son and the false self-esteem of a man are nothing what?"

Jack felt a deep remorse for his youthful frivolity and later paranoia.However, he himself is not sure whether this kind of self-blame will prompt him to truly reflect and repent.Once the "Titanic" arrived at its destination safely, perhaps his regrets disappeared without a trace again, and he returned to the track he had been accustomed to for many years and continued his current life.Man, what a strange animal!
(End of this chapter)