It was early evening on the Pacific sea, the ship was sailing
with ease towards San Francisco, the cook was clearing up
In the galley and the chief steward was down in the walk-in-
freezer making a list of food that was left and how much food
he needed when the ship birthed. The ship shook violently, it
had struck a mine and the door in the meat freezer was stuck
and the ship was sinking. The cook knew where the chief was,
ran down to the store and was able to open the freezer door,
they both grabbed life jacket and jumped overboard.
Eerie silence, they struggled to stay together, then the unholy
scream from the ship as it was swallowed by the voracious sea.
In front of them, there was a raft used to paint the shipside, they
scrambled on to it, totally shocked and exhausted they fell asleep.
At dawn the chief couldn't wake up the cook, an elderly man,
this had been too much for his heart. The chief knew what he
had to do, but waited till afternoon before he rolled the cook
overboard, curled up on the raft and closed his eyes, had seen
grey fins and didn't want to witness his friend eaten by sharks.
The chief was picked by a passing liberty ship the day after and
three days later, he walked ashore in San Francisco.
A sliver of war's agony, of no consequence, for its outcome
except for the man who had lost a friend.
