Chapter 46

In the aftermath of the fire on the freighter, Natalia and the few other passengers had been ushered into the one secure room that had not been affected by smoke: the bridge. Her brothers had not been found.

There was barely enough room for Natalia and her fellow travellers to sit on chairs within this control centre of the ship, let alone lie out and relax or actually go back to sleep.

It was a clear night, and the awesome Atlantic stars cast their light through the wooden-framed, salt-stained windows. Natalia’s shadow detailed her fetal position pose. For such a formidable character it was a surprising demonstration of vulnerability.

The crew had now put out the fires and the strong odour of burnt wood and metal and plastics was starting to emanate throughout the remains of the passenger compartments. It was also permeating through to the games room area behind the bridge, and to where the remaining passengers were attempting to sleep.

The smell was tinged with other qualities, but few had experienced the mixture or recognized immediately what it was. All they knew was that it was a nauseous smell, and tried in vain to breathe through their mouths and block their nostrils off.

As dawn broke over the freighter, the Captain continued to check on his course for the day. He reviewed the speed in knots, the compass bearing and the weather forecast for the next couple of days. He needed his ship to be escorted into Portsmouth Harbour and for The Islander to have extensive repair work carried out prior to the next stage in her voyage. He also needed to file his report on the fire and detail that Natalia’s brothers were missing, presumed dead, but that no bodies had been recovered.

The ship was now cruising at three-quarters speed and would be on track to reach Portsmouth the following evening. The Captain was confident that no further repair works, apart from those to the passenger compartments, would be required. The engines and the hold had not been affected. Despite her current slumber, Natalia had also immediately asked the question whether the fire had spread to the hold of the ship. The Captain thought it strange at the time. Why should this passenger on his freighter be concerned as to what route the fire had taken?

It was imperative to Natalia that none of the Morales’ stock had suffered from any effects of the fire. Even smoke damage would be a catastrophe. She had quizzed the Captain in detail as to where the fire had spread and where the smoke from the fire would have escaped to.

Fortunately for her and the remnants of her family, the Captain had confirmed that the whole ship was compartmentalised. As soon as the fire had broken out, the hold areas had been shut off and remained clear of fire and smoke. This had allowed Natalia to sleep. She was in no current state to absorb the horrors of the night. Having ascertained that her livelihood was safe, she fell into a deep sleep.

Once dawn had broken, and the sun had fully appeared above the horizon, shining its bright rays through the bridge windows, Natalia properly stirred from her slumber.

She recalled the events of the night and could not quite believe or recall her memories of what had happened. When she could remember enough to make sense of the events, it hit her that her brothers were not sleeping in the bridge with her and her fellow passengers and that they still had not been found.

She rushed so quickly to her feet that she felt light headed. She desperately scanned ahead for the Captain and realised that he was standing just a couple of metres away. She questioned where her brothers were. The Captain indicated that her brothers had still not been found and that the fire had been so intense that there was nothing left of the passenger compartments. She started shaking uncontrollably.

She had to have some air. Dashing out of the bridge door, she again attempted to focus her thoughts on the future. She focused on her life, her aspirations, and her dreams. She would start a new Morales family. Then maybe, someday, these events would prove themselves to be justifiable.