Alyse J. Taft's Story

Alyse J. Taft

Alyse Taft stared at the bronze liquid at the bottom of her glass. She had been saying goodbye to her family for ten minutes before making her way on board, and this is the first stop she made; the Outdoor bar. At first she was worried that they'd card her but the bartender barely looked at her.

Her fingers played along the rubber armrests of her mechanical prison. She had been stuck in a wheelchair since birth, and looking now at the people walking around the pool and deck she felt a familiar pang of jealousy. Why could they walk? Why had she been forced to sit in this chair for the rest of her life?

She tipped the rest of the drink into her mouth. Being a parplegic wasn't why she drank, she drank because she could. She drank because the burn of the alcohol made her forget that she would never write a book as well-received as her first. She spent her life imagining amazing worlds but when she really needed it her mind was blank, uncreative. She waved at the bartender and watched as her glass was filled again.

It was funny, she had been on this ship for less than twenty minutes and she was already getting drunk.

She opens her bag and pulls the rectangular, flat stone out along with the note she'd spied her grandmother slipping into her bag. The stone was rough and engraved with the words, "Save Our Ship". She laughed at her grandmothers humor. As she had been growing up, her grandmother was one of the few people that supported her creative nature. When Alyse had published her first novel, her grandmother had likened it to sailing a ship into uncharted waters. Since then her writing career was always "their ship". Her grandmother, like her father, felt that this trip was just what she needed to revitalize her creativity. She didn't believe that, but she found her self lightly kissing the cold stone for luck.

Slipped the stone back into her bag, she unfolded the note:



She waved the bartender to fill her glass again. Luck ... wasn't what she needed.

SETTING

With all of its passengers finally on board, the ship slowly starts to pull away from the dock. The sea here is warm, something the ship is grateful for as it forges on into deeper waters. The sky is clear, and the scents of the sea fill the air. The PA system crackles and a low gruff voice fills the air.

"Hello, everyone, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard the Long Grain, the largest cruise ship in the world. As you may know this ship is built for your entertainment; there's a pool on the deck and a bar for those of you who like the taste of whiskey. Down below we have the large Gambling Hall and the Gym. If you head down even lower you'll notice what I like to call the moving aquarium; a large portion of the hull completely made of glass with lights so you can see deep into the depths. There are hundreds of cabins so go ahead and take your pick. However, if none of that sounds appealing then let me tell just what you'll see on this trip."

For a few moments it is silence, but then there's another crackle and the voice continues, " ... do I look like I'm stupid? Mind your station Jerry or I'll have you mopping the deck with the janitors ... again. Oh crap, I pressed the button ... don't give me that look!"

The PA goes silent again and then the voice came back with a small laugh. More laughter can be heard in the background as the captain continues, "As you may know, we'll be making a complete circuit of the world. On our travels we'll see waters that are brighter than the night sky, because of the glowing jellyfish that hang out near the surface of the water. We'll be escorted by humpback whales and, thanks to some incredible patronage a few of you will get the chance to swim with the dolphins. We'll be making a stop in waters so clear, that you can see into the pristine depths to the bottom of the ocean. For the next 156 days, you won't step on land but I can assure you that you'll remember this trip for the rest of your lives."

There was another slight pause before the captain came on again, a bit more serious this time, "However, before we can get to all that fun, I'd like to call everyone to the deck so that we can go over some safety procedures. When you get to the deck, please find your nearest hostess and they will explain the lifeboats and what to do in case of emergency. I hope you all enjoy your ship and ... for the love of god Jerry! What did I tell you about putting gum on the bottom of my desk!?"

The PA system cuts out and people begin to make their way to the deck.

Alyse J. Taft

Downed her half full glass and glances behind her, "Amy? Is it alright if I call you that?", her voice slurred giving away her drunkedness, "Did you know that we're more likely to be hijacked by pirates than we are to sink?"

She slammed her glass to the counter with a loud clunk and began tapping the rim to alert the bartender.

"And," she waved her hand into the air, "if pirates did hijack this ship the last thing we'd be doing is heading to the life boats."

She lifts her glass to her lips and finds it empty. Not bad for her first time drinking. Maybe this would become a new past time. Right now, with a belly full of poison, she didn't feel so bad about her lack of creativity. In fact, she was looking forward to a trip of gambling, sleeping, and of course drinking.

"How about we start with you calling me Doctor Danziger, and progress from there?" Danziger says gently. Her eyes are briefly askance to the bar tender, who is rapidly closing down in order to get to his station for the drill. The roll down screen moves into place and locks the bottles safely in place. "The drill is mandated by maritime law, so we," she indicates her white clad cronies as well as herself, "will get in trouble if we can't convince you to play along. And no, if we see any pirates? That is a whole 'nother drill."

Alyse J. Taft

"Fine."

Something about what Doctor Danziger had said was sobering. It could have been the insistence on a formal title, but Alyse knew better. Growing up, she'd rarely felt constrained by her disability. Her entire life had been spent in a chair and quickly grew used to the condescension, strange looks, and exclusion that came with it. Now as she allowed her self to be wheeled away from the comforting liquids she felt that constraint.

She remembered her fathers finger on her forehead, "You are human because of this," his hand moved to tap her knee, "Not this. It's better to ignore someone who can't see the difference."

She remembered that day well. She was eight. A fellow student had begun calling her a robot and claiming that he didn't want her around because he was scared that she'd go 'terminator' on him. She came home crying and it took her father nearly an hour to get what happened out of her. After she told him, they both watched all of the Terminator movies back to back and when the next school day came, she went in dressed as Arnold complete with a horrible accent.

That was the last day she could remember that she'd let her disability really feel like a disability. So this feeling she had right now was strange, foreign, and probably the reason she wasn't feeling as cheerful as she been had a few moments ago.

She said nothing as Doctor Danziger went through the procedure. She just stared at the calm sea and blamed the alcohol for how bad she felt. Even when something in the back of her mind said it wasn't the drink.

Danziger had her porters grab the chair and mount the stairs, keeping the occupant level, she had them deposit her when she could roll on her own, but the crowd on the lifeboat deck caused her to push the chair, instead of having Ms Taft move it herself (in addition to the concern that Danziger had about the young woman drinking and driving.)

The day was bright, and the sky clear and unrelentingly blue, and the life vests were every bit as orange and the sky was blue. She donned hers and handed one to the woman she was accompanying. "In a real emergency..." she said sotto voce, "I could carry you on my back. I have a harness for that. We used them in the Marines, when we had bug outs from field hospitals." Not pausing she added, "and I have a transfer chair in your lifeboat, so that if your chair has to be left behind, you won't be S.O.L"

Children had found the whistles on their life vest, and parents were admonishing them to not blow into them.

Ugh, manchildren...

Steve shrugged at the dealer apologetically, but he didn't think much more of the incident after that, just another guy to keep in mind. He made the motion to have Spock come to heel, scratching the dobbie between the ears and giving him a small treat for obedience. He followed Buster for a short while making sure he didn't look like causing anymore trouble on the way. Then he did a round of his patrol making sure everyone was on their way or at the drill.

Walking in right on time, Steve's job was guiding a group of children through the drill. Up-Top thought that kids would pay more attention to a guy with a dog than one without. Really it all balanced out, Spock was good with kids, but the kids were more interested in the dog than the drill. Steve had to coax them by saying he'd show Spock's tricks if they behaved well.