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the unsinkable.

the maiden voyage.

By Melissa EavesPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 9 min read
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The Titantic 11: an exact replica of the Titantic.

She clutched the valice tightly to her. The bodice of her dress fit snug clinging to the corset that held her just so beneath. He watched her with a possession that defied question.

Her name was May, they were newlyweds and this voyage was their honeymoon.

The ship rose and dipped in calming fluidity. Their bodies undulated in rhythmic motion as they harbored excitement and a brief discomforting feeling of not belonging.

They came on board this vessel at the insistent demands of their friends who promised to finance the voyage and claimed that it was a must have experience. May and Anthony were not planning on the expenditure of a honeymoon. But Prudence and John had not taken no for an answer.

So, on April 11th they along with 2,000 or so other passengers departed from the Ireland coast.

Actual ticket
Actual Titantic Menu

Later that night, at a dinner in the sumptous hall complete with brocade tapestries,mahogany tables, and five star menus. Beef, mutton, salmon, and exquisitely prepared potatoes were merely the first course. Dessert was decadent and exquisite . Pastries of variant textures and rich cremes, were complimented by real french vanilla ice cream. French ice cream is made with whipped eggs and real cream. It was sugar laden heaven softened by a bed of milk on a spoon.

All of this was further enhanced by a strong rum infused pallate cleansing tonic. The dining area was suffused with light clinks of silverware on fine china and the low and pleasant murmur of a contented crowd.

Prudence decided to use this time to make an impropmtu announcement, with face flushed and sparkling eyes, she proposed a toast. "I would like firstly thank you for coming”, with this she smiled warm and hard at May and Anthony, “and secondly I would like to tell everyone that”, she paused, took a deep breath and gushed, “4 years of trying, hard work and dedication"(she winked mischievous). "I am having a baby, We are pregnant!!!" There was a round of applause and squealing all aound.

If thoughts were bubbles, these ladies had wings and plans.Baby showers and giftings and long walks and all of the other prenatal things took flight.

It was well known among the small circle of friends and now among the newer friends that Prudence and John had been trying for a child. Now glowing with happiness and excitement, John led a beaming and tearful Prudence to the dance floor.

And then there was Julianne. She was unapologeticly single and often drank and wailed loudly of loneliness. Lilith and Alfred were other familiar sites on the dance floor and in the evening games after dinner. Lilith was etheral in elegance and uncannily witty. As the youngest couple the two still managed to move fluidly among a much older age group. Alfred was dark, mysterious and jovial. The two added glamour, mystique, and fun to each night that the luxury liner remained afloat.

Evening fashion:in the 1900s -Démodé

After dinner, feeling giddy and slighltly intoxicated the crew made their way to the ballroom and danced and laughed their way through the evening. The made fond farewells long after midnight, retreating to their rooms with minds full of swirling ballgowns, pale bosoms, brocade embodierys with golden threads and sparkling eyes.

Breakfast the next morning was a lighter affair with smoked salmon, cheese crumpetts, oats, sausage, and fresh fruit. The morning sun sparkled through the window panes lighting patches of mahogany and sending rainbows dancing through the air. It sent refractions in the light bouncing from the crystal chandeliers and cutlery and gleaming from the rich and polished surfaces.

Three days were filled with fun and activities; shuffleboard, a gymnasium, dances, music, and impropmtu theatre by the lively and perhaps drunk party of the first class. The days were leisurely and sunny, but bitterly cold. They ate light lunches of cold cuts, hard biscuits, gourmet cheeses, and fresh fruit on the deck. They enjoyed the fresh breezes and then had swimming dates in the indoor pool.They made friends. There was Margot and Ann and their respective husbands Harold and Bob. Priscilla and Tom became quite familiar to the respective couples, flashy, jolly and loved to dance.

Gymnasium on Titantic 11; an exact replica of Titantic -bluestarlines.com

The morning of April 14 dawned cold and bright. It was so cold on deck that the wind bit the skin in stinging pricks of sharp pain.

There were warnings issued several times during the day about icebergs. The Captain disregarded the messages and warnings and kept the speed aboard the ship at a steady pace.

Titantic 11/an exact replica of the Titantic -bluestarlines.com

The day passed relatively uneventfully. Dinner was held. Games of backgammon were played and no one knew that soon their whole lives would hang in the balance of fate. Lily sang harmony with the band and the effect was magnificent. It was stunning and received an ovation.While Alfred and John argued politics, May and Prudence discussed baby names.

At 11:40 P.M. a lookout spotted an iceberg directly in front of the ship. The iceberg struck the starboard side of the ship and tore a hole in the metal underbelly of the hull that penetrated all the safety guards and technological installations that would prevent sinking and rendered the unsinkable Titantic as sinking.

By 11:50 P.M. a copius amount of water began pouring into the front part of the ship. Within minutes 14 feet of water had poured into the stern and had reached the boilers of the ship.

At 12:00 A.M. the captain learned that the ship only had a couple of hours. He radioed for help.

Original transcript of call

Titantic 11 Radio Room -bluestarlines.com

At 12:o5 A.M. the passengers and crew were called on deck and it was discovered there were only enough life boats for half of the passengers.

On deck, the word passed quickly through the passengers. The crew tried to contain the melee but the panic was driven and angry and the first boat left at under half capacity.

Lilith stood, pale elegant and terse on the top deck, next to a hysterical Prudence. John and Anthony stood quiet. Quizzical looks and blurry eyes were soon shaking awarenessess, as the bitter cold cleared senses.

May was standing next to Anthony with silent tears streaming down her face. Alfred stood behind Lilith. His strength was a grim resolve in place. And Julianne joined this grouping in sober shades of a stripped security.

At 12:25 the Carpethia sent word that help was on the way.

CARPATHIA TO THE TITANTIC

ALL OUR BOATS ARE READY

WE ARE COMING AS HARD AS WE CAN OLD MAN

DOUBLE WATCH ON THE ENGINE ROOM

HAVE THE LIFEBOATS READY

WHEN WE ARRIVE

TITANTIC TO THE CARPATHIA

COME AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE OLD MAN

The deck was a mass of hysterical, screaming and fighting passengers…and at 12:45 as the first lifeboat was lowered it contained only 28 of a possible 65 passengers.

The first distress rocket was fired. As the red white and blue flares registered in Anthony's mind he rallied the group around him and with grim looks they began formulating their way to the lifeboats. The decks were a mass of panic, confusion, and hysteria.

Contrary to history’s broad paintbrush they would have to fight murderous and unnoble men for a place on the lifeboats. Prudence was the hardest to console.

John took her in his arms and tore her screaming from the decks, he put himself behind her and sheltering her with his arms used their bodies as a battering ram to reach the front of the lines for next. He kissed her long and hard and pushed it all; his love, hope, and energy forward and then securing her within he turned and walked calmly back into the milieu of people on the deck.

The band had decided that their lives would best be spent in one last service for fellow humanity. As the lifeboats were being boarded and lowered, the band chose to remain with the sinking vessel and comfort the remaining passengers who would sink as well. They played and as the ship began its descent cheerful waltzes, uplifting spirituals, and moody powerful classics filled the airwaves. In effect, removing some of the chill of deaths’ foreboding and the frigid air with the spiritual warmth of human compassion and artful skill.

Alfred and Lilith joined the jostle for the 4rth boat.

Anthony put May and Julianna on the seventh.

That left he and John.

Both May and Prudence were alone in the world without their husbands, each would only have the other.

As the last lifeboat was being lowered John and Anthony had decided to join the not so noble and make a jump for it. With deft feet, masculine dexterity, and the fuel of adrenaline they hit target. Amid the outcry from the other passengers, John gave them a knowing look and gestured to the soon to be passengers without lifeboats and only vests, as the ship was capsizing. Some who would have guns.He then patted his pocket, with the reassurance of one who would definitively guard the smaller vessel.

As the Titantic began its slow downward descent, the mood aboard the Titantic grew somber. Couples held one another and swayed to the music. The passengers had stopped shivering and stood in a reverant capacity of dignity. The moments were still and hushed as the ship tilted and shuddered. The musicians played on.

Margot had remained on ship with Harold. Ann and Bob, Priscilla and Tom were also among the many couples who perished aboard the freight liner. They, like the capitain, went down with the ship.

At 2:20 A.M. the unsinkable Titantic drew its last breath. It rose briefly, leveled, and then tilted its high end nearly vertical before sinking entirely into the feezing waters of the Mid Atlantic.

At 3:30 A.M. the survivors on board the lifeboats spotted the Carpathia's first rockets, by 4:10 the first lifeboat was retrieved. And at 8:05 am the Carpathia left the scene of the accident with 705 total survivors. Roughly, 1,500 had perished.

The deck of Carpathia the morning of the rescue

Lilith and Alfred survived, and Lilith went on to become a successful writer. With a happy husband and life.

Stoudenmier, SunMagazine, April 7, 1972

May and Anthony remained together and had a white picket fence, a happy home with kids and dogs and all the amenities of the emerging and modern life.

Prudence and John had a baby, they named her Lilith Ann. Then they had another and then another.

And Julianne, she remained single for another year or more before she met someone stunning in London. She spent another 4 years happily lonely before they were married.

Photo taken by Rohorek, The iceberg that sank the Titantic(note the scrape on the side)

Above is an actual photograph of the iceberg that struck the Titantic. It was recorded and documented as such by a variety of eyewitnesses.

“Well it struck me at the time that it very much resembled the Rock of Gilbatar”, observed an eyewitness (speaking of the iceberg that sunk the ship) who had survived the Titantic, Joseph Scarrot.

Brief Addenum:

This is a work of historical fiction. It has authentic details but any similarities to real characters in real life are purely coincidental, as it is merely a work of art.

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About the Creator

Melissa Eaves

I am an freelance writer. I love the written word and the poetry of my soul is expressed by mastery of it.

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