A Graduation Cruise To Bermuda

Bella and her five friends just turned their tassels during the graduation ceremony for the 2026 graduation class for the University of Georgia. They were so excited because their professional lives were about to begin. Bella and her friends had met four years ago when they were trying out for the Red Coat Band at Georgia. Bella played the clarinet along with her friend Susan. Then they met three percussionists in the band: Steve who played the snare drum, Ben who played the bass drum, and Elaina who played the xylophone. Since the first couple of band practices at the beginning of their first summer at UGA these six friends had become inseparable.

Each of these friends had a promising future ahead of them and they were the kinds of people that were hard working, ambitious, and outgoing. They made and kept friends easily and could be the center of attention or the light of any party they attended.

Ben’s family surprised him at graduation with his very own yacht. Every experienced law student and intern would need a way to entertain potential clients depending on what area of practice Ben decided would be his niche. But for now, this yacht was going to be used as a graduation cruise for all his friends. He hired an experienced crew that would captain the boat and take care of the daily maintenance of the yacht and then he would hire a personal chef that would be responsible for cooking all their meals and providing everything his friends needed for their cruise to Bermuda.

When Ben pitched the idea to his friends, they were a little skeptical about sailing the Atlantic Ocean to the island of Bermuda. Although Bermuda had exquisite beaches, breathtaking waterfalls, and other beautiful scenery, his friends were still a little hesitant because of all the previous planes and ships that had disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. Even though these disappearances were not as prevalent as they used to be, the friends were still hesitant.

They went to dinner one night to discuss their travel plans and the issues they had with the location Ben had chosen as their graduation destination. Ben arrived at the restaurant first and ordered the first round of drinks. They chatted and reminisced about being in the Red Coat Band, all the football games they attended, and even their favorite band camp stories.

The friends were at one of their favorite restaurants in Athens. It was one that famous Georgia football players and coaches visited often. Ben had chosen the restaurant, convinced his friends to meet him there, and had agreed to treat them all to a nice graduation dinner. Then he pitched his idea to them about an adventurous graduation cruise to Bermuda. He showed them pictures of the yacht he received as a graduation present and told them he would hire the best crew to pilot the yacht and the best chef to prepare their every meal. Ben's friends found it extremely hard to turn down his proposals; like most lawyers, he was persuasive, able to sway a jury into believing that even someone like Ted Bundy had been unfairly accused.

Ben hired a crew of three to pilot the yacht and a professional chef to cook all their meals while they were on vacation. He managed all the details for the trip. All his friends had to do was pack their bags and grab their passports for the trip. He planned for them to be driven to Miami where he would meet them with the yacht, and they would depart from there for their trip to Bermuda. They planned to meet on Friday, June 5th at 12:00 PM. It would take them about three days to sail to Bermuda. Ben had planned for them to stop and anchor in a few places to take a leisure swim and to take pictures of any interesting sea animals they come in contact within the ocean.

On Friday, June 5th all the friends met down at the pier where the yacht was docked. It was larger than they had originally thought. Ben’s parents had plenty of money, but this time they spent a small fortune on a graduation gift for him. They made their way across the yacht, which was expertly adorned but far more extravagant than they preferred. It had eight rooms: three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, a living room, and the cockpit where the helm and all the controls were located. The captain, his first officer, and chief engineer had knowledge of all kinds of vessels and were remarkably familiar with the Atlantic Ocean and the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Ben had hired the best crew to pilot his yacht. He also researched the best chefs in the country and hired one his parents had used for many of their formal parties to cook them the most delicious meals while on their trip.

The girls were all staying in one room, the guys in another, and then the staff would stay in the third bedroom. As soon as the girls and guys found their rooms and unpacked all their luggage, they immediately put on their swimsuits and went upstairs to the deck. Ben ordered the captain to drop the anchor so they could swim once they were about thirty miles from the pier in Miami. He wanted them to have the best vacation after graduation and had planned so many exciting and adventurous activities for them. They had a blast jumping off the diving board and into the cold ocean water. While they were swimming and playing in the water, pods of dolphins swam close to the yacht and were swimming all around the group of friends.

They finally decided to climb up the ladder and just relax on the deck. Susan and Bella took pictures of the friends lounging in their chairs on the deck, and they also took pictures of all the dolphins. The dolphins were putting on quite a show for them, and they captured some excellent pictures of them in their niche. Elaina asked the chef to make them mixed drinks and some snacks since they had worked up quite an appetite by swimming in the ocean.

Ben and Steve left the deck to go check with the captain about their location and if they were still on course. The captain assured them that they were right on schedule, and everything looked good with the weather so they should not have any unpleasant surprises. Then they went and discussed their plans with the chef and made sure everything was in order with the food. Ben wanted everything to be special, and he had worked out all the details for this trip perfectly.

Their first two days out at sea were magical! The food was delicious, and the chef made sure they had whatever food they desired. The captain and his crew made sure that the sailing was smooth and there were no problems. Everyone was happy and safe.

Then on the third day something extraordinary happened. The captain told Ben that a strong storm had recently appeared on the radar, and since it was to the east, they would need to sail right through it. Ben asked the captain to keep him informed, but the captain had confidence in his ability to sail through this storm. The friends were on the deck when they saw these dark storm clouds forming very quickly. They decided to go below deck to the living room and play cards during the storm. At first, the storm sounded and appeared to be as normal as the storms that frequent Georgia. Then the thunder grew louder, and the lightning lit up the sky like the Fourth of July. The waves became rougher and started splashing hard against the yacht. A few reached the deck's railing.

The friends started worrying and wanted Ben to go check with the captain to make sure they were still safe. Ben walked up the stairs to the cockpit and what he saw surprised him immensely! He did not see the captain or his crew. Who was steering the helm if the captain disappeared. Elaina walked after Ben into the cockpit, startled to find the yacht unmanned and without a crew in charge. She ran downstairs and asked for the friends to locate the captain because the weather was getting worse. They looked everywhere but were unable to locate any of the crew members. Elaina ran back up the stairs to assist Ben. She opened the door and went out onto the deck. Ben yelled “stop” because he feared for Elaina’s safety.

While she was out there in the pouring, storming weather she felt an arm grab her feet and she went overboard into the cold ocean. Although she was surprised, her swimming skills were outstanding. She opened her eyes underwater to see if she could see the captain and his crew. What she saw amazed her! A gorgeous fishlike man grabbed ahold of her body and swam back to the surface of the water. He held a beautiful sapphire necklace and placed it around her neck and whispered Latin words in her ear. She could not understand every word he said, but she knew he was trying to protect her. He took her back to the ladder and she climbed back up to the deck. The fishlike man disappeared under the water. There was something dangerous on the deck and this fishlike man knew it and removed her from the deck so she would be safe. When she was back on the deck, Elaina could barely catch her breath. Ben came out on the deck to make sure she was okay. She was soaking wet, and he took her back inside and wrapped a warm towel around her.

He held Elaina close and noticed that she was shivering. He told her not to worry, but to go below deck, dry off and put on some clean clothes, and alert the others. Ben also told her to stay down there and to send Steve up to the cockpit to help him. While Elaina was gone, he picked up the CB radio and tried to radio for the coast guard. All he could hear was static at the other end. He then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tried to dial “911”. There was no signal. Ben knew they were in trouble. The crew completely disappeared from the yacht; Elaina was pulled into the ocean by a fish merman and then she was wearing a beautiful sapphire amulet that was the color of the sea. It was a complete mystery that meant something, but he was completely puzzled! He felt relieved when Steve joined him in the cockpit. He explained as much as he could to Steve and then as if there was not enough trouble for them to manage, a weird fog blew in from the west. At this moment, he felt both shocked and afraid, particularly since the fog appeared green and even seemed to emit a glow in the darkness.

Ben and Steve called for all the other friends to join them in the cockpit. They knew by the sound of his voice that things were serious, and they were in trouble! They all ran up the stairs and saw the glowing fog when they got to the top of the stairs. Ben’s friends grew concerned when they could not find the captain or any of his crew. He told them what he saw, and Elaina confirmed it. She recounted how she was cast off the yacht, saved by a man resembling a fish, and presented with a sapphire necklace. Where did this man come from? Why did he place this sapphire necklace around her neck and what evil did he rescue her from because she could clearly fill its presence on the deck of the yacht. A mystery confronted the friends, requiring a solution before their safe arrival at Bermuda Island could be assured.

They immediately helped Ben steer the yacht and they tried to man the controls, but everything was spinning. Steve also picked up the CB and tried to signal for help. All he could hear was static. They were all panicking because they were all alone and no one knew where they were or could hear them on the CB.

Then the fog disappeared as soon as it appeared. The storm clouds blew away, and the sky was sunny and blue again. The captain and his crew were still missing, and they were all worried about their safety.

All the controls were working normally, but when Steve tried the CB again all he could hear was static on the other end. Then the static disappeared, and they heard a voice speaking language that was unfamiliar to them. Elaina was the only one who recognized the language. It was a form of Latin, but it was a much older form of the language. She had studied Latin in high school and could read and speak the language. However, this form of Latin was more ancient than what was in her high school books and studies. She did catch bits and pieces of what the person said and recognized the words “danger, evil, and protect yourselves.” Elaina knew this was the voice of the man from the sea who had saved her from some evil force that was on the deck of the yacht. Her heart skipped a couple of beats because her knight that lived in the sea was trying to save her again.

Then his voice stopped, and the CB was picking up regular signals again. Steve called for “SOS,” and the coast guard received his signal. The coast guard told them to continue to sail to Bermuda and alert the appropriate authorities once they arrived at the island. The coast guard was still right in the middle of the terrible storm that tossed this yacht all around the ocean and quite possibly lead to the disappearance of their crew.

All the friends except Elaina stayed in the cockpit. She pulled her laptop out of her bag and started looking up maps of the ocean and course they were sailing. There was nothing there except water. Where could this man live? She had heard tales of the lost city of Atlantis, but this was just too outlandish to be true, but so was a human being that lived in the ocean. Being a journalism major made Elaina more curious than most other people and she knew that something was after all of them, but she did not want to scare her friends. She hoped that her man from the sea would keep all of them safe until they reached the island of Bermuda.

It was late in the day, and all the friends were exhausted and terrified. Ben and Steve would take turns at the helm, and the other three friends would take turns watching the controls. Everything was working out beautifully for the friends except they were confused and terrified about what happened to the crew. When Elaina's turn came, she observed the cockpit controls briefly before stepping onto the deck. She leaned over the railing and suddenly her fishlike man friend appeared at the surface. This time she jumped in the water with him. The two swam to the surface together and she put her arms around his neck and looked him in his beautiful brown eyes. He was an incredibly handsome man with deep brown hair, dark eyes, and olive colored skin. She kissed him for saving her life. It was a kiss that would last a thousand years for her! After several minutes, she loosened her embrace from his neck and proceeded to swim back toward the ladder.

Elaina's friends arrived to take over her watch, allowing her to head downstairs and rest. She placed her head on her pillow and smiled as she drifted off to sleep. The next day, the yacht arrived in Bermuda. The friends tied the yacht to the pier and immediately went to the police station. They filed a report with the appropriate authorities. For hours, the coast guard used ships and helicopters in the Atlantic Ocean to locate the captain and his crew. There was no exact location for their disappearance, so it was exceedingly difficult for them to have a starting place and ending place. After twenty-fours, the coast guard had to give up their search for the crew. The friends stayed in a resort overnight while the coast guard tried to find the crew and then they decided to fly home the next day.

Even though this had been a terrifying experience for all the friends, Elaina would never forget the man of her dreams that she met in the Bermuda Triangle. She wore the necklace every day as a remembrance of their love and for protection. She would venture out to the Bermuda Triangle again in search of her long-lost love!