This is my story.
Boom! The ship's hull crashed over the wave. The ship rocked reslestly from side as it tumbled over each powerful wave. The deck vibrated as each heavy rain pellet struck the oak surface. “WE GOT ONE A LIVE ONE,.” screamed Dad over the violent sounds of the sea. I thundered down the brig gathering all the harpoons we had. “FASTER,.” yelled Dad once again trying to make his voice heard over Mother nature's raw power. I could see the beasts sapphire looking skin against the black water of the sea. I grabbed the harpoon and took a deep breath. With years of experience and the perfection of whale hunting, I aimed at the beasts rib cage right where the heart would be. “FIRE” Veiðr screamed. It would take another second before I would decide to fire. A second too late. The harpon struck the whales back. The whale cried out in pain before returning to the icy depths from where it returned. Moisture streamed down from my face. Whether from Sweat or Rain, I could not tell. The feeling of disappointment crept into my chest as I put an empty harpoon on the ship's deck. It was raining, yes, but it felt quiet as I returned to the inside of the boat. Suddenly, tThe whale jumped out of the water and crashed on the deck shattering it into pieces. I sank into the icy depths of the sea and felt the pounding of my heart grow weaker as my eyes fluttered shut.
I woke up drenched in sweat. Sun stabbed at my eyes as I tried to make out what was around me. It took a second before I realized I was on the boat. I closed my eyes and swore under my breath. It had been another restless night of nightmares. Dreams of mother nature finally winning, and memories of dad dying. It had been a recurring dream, the day that Dad died. My mother had died while delivering Veiðr and I, and thus I never metgot to meet her, but from what my father told me, she must've been the most beautiful woman in all of Panem. I longed to be in my dad's presence again, for it had been four4 years since he passed, and we had to take over the whaling business. I wearily hoisted myself out of bed and groaned as I stretched, lifting up my arms and brushing my fingertips against the rough wood on the ceiling. I carefully treaded across the room and put my clothes on. What I wore was nothing special. Just your basic white tank top, and canvas pants, for we weren't rich as some people in Ddistrict 4, but in no way were we poor as those in District 12 are. Before leaving, I would make sure to grab my necklace. It was a trinket worn by my father and my father’s father. It was an old Maui fish hook strung through a piece of string. From what my father told me I had learned that it symbolized a connection between the wearer and the sea and would bring great strength and prosperity to the wearer. Unfortunately, it did not appear that the pendant had magical powers as my dad suggested;, however, it did serve as a pleasant memory of my father and so I would wear it wherever I went.
I stepped outside and the sea breeze I was so familiar with struck me as I knew it would. I walked down the deck and spotted a large shark off the edge of the boat. I had been accustomed to these creatures for quite some time and was not afraid of the lingering sharks as I once was. I grabbed a nearby trident and bounced it in my hand getting a familiar grip. I would proceed with the same routine I had been used to and had practiced for such a long time. I cocked back my arm and shoulder backwards and stuck out my other hand in front and used it to aim. I thrusted my arm forwards launching the trident into the shark's ribcage. Although it tried to swim, it would be to no avail, for I was too accurate with a trident to miss. The next step would be to fire a net around the creature and hoist the beast up. This would be no easy job, for lifting a 250 pound shark out of the water was a hard task, a task that I was accustomed to. I hoisted the shark up and dropped it on the deck. The sShark landed with a loud thud, which shook the deck. “Couldn’t sleep?” Veiðr said. My head whipped around,. “Yea. Somethin like that,” I did not look in his eyes but instead turned my head back around and scanned the sea. Veiðr had always been there for me, I would even go as far as saying he was the best brother a person could ask for;, however, the nights of restless sleep were not curable by any means he had suggested. “Neither could I,” Veiðr remarked, “ With the reaping and all,” The reaping of course! I had completely forgotten all about the reaping tomorrow. Between the burden of my daily duties and nights of restless sleep, it had whizzed right over my head. We were not poor by no means and as such did not have to apply for tessaretassare, but still the thought of having to fight in the Hunger Games brought shivers down my spine. “Well we better get going if we don't wanna be late,” Veiðr said, “ Wwouldn't wanna keep President snow waiting,”
The location where the reaping took place was always far away from where we were hunting, and as such took around a day to sail into port. No matter how many times we would sail into town, I always dreaded the long trip into town. This would be my 6th time going to the games as I was 18 this year. I would be happy to finally be done with the suspense of the occasion. It was a quiet sail that day, and we hadn't seen any large sea creatures. and I hadn't seen any edible plants while cutting through the waves. It had been something I had gotten pretty good at, identifying edible sea plant, for it never hurt to put some greens on the table and the Capitol went crazy over rare seaweeds and sea “delicacies” of course these delcesis were almost always your common sea plants, but I didn't mind the Capitols dense nature;, in fact Ii had encouraged it for the more money I receivedgot the merchants to pay for the plants the more food it meant for Veiðr and I. The sun started to dip under the ocean line and so I knew it was time for bed. I always liked the sunsets at sea and took the time to appreciate them. After a long day of throwing pointy objects, it was nice to take off my shoes and watch the pretty colors along the horizon paint a pretty picture. As if they took a painting from the Capitol itself and transformed it into the sky. However I would make sure to watch this sunset extra carefully for it may be the last I see as a free man. I slipped into unconsciousness that night and wished that wouldn't be confronted with another restless night. A wish that wouldn't come true.
I sank further into the bottomless black abyss that was the sea. My slowing heart beat turned to an almost unnoticeable trace of life. Deeper and deeper I went, I lost track of time and the throbbing pain in my lungs started to increase until the pain pushed ever and ever closer to my unconscious. “I'm going to die,” I thought. “I’m going to die,” however i wasnt panicking while I thought that, it crossed my mind more as a fact. I was going to die. I was going to die if not for Veiðr finding me. Veiðr’s arms wrapped around me as he kicked his legs up in a consecutive pattern. As he swam upwards my heart became slower and the consciousness that I had faded. Bum buh, went my heart. Veiðr was 30 feet from the surface. Bum buh, 20 feet. Bum buh, 10 feet. Bum buh, 5 feet. Veiðr's pace slowed just before he would reach the surface, for Veiðr had succumbed to the effects of trying to hoist not only himself, but me as well, out of the water. We both sank gently to the bottom, are limp bodies like dead weights. Nothing would save us now it would take a miracle.
I woke up to the sound of bells, I knew I was at the port. Each household, market, and boat in District 4 had bells on the day of the reaping. They all rung in a ghostly moan that echoed across the beaches and port. As Veiðr docked the boat, I dressed in my nicer clothes. Everyone going to the reaping got dressed up. If we were going to be seen on live television we might as well look out best. Veiðr would constantly remind me. I knew this tradition for what it was, a way for the Capitol to mock the lower districts. I wore a loose white linen shirt, a denim vest and jeans. It had been customary for all of the Elding boys to wear this traditional garb;, a tradition I would make sure to follow. For if we were going to be mocked, we would do it with dignity. I put on my necklace and stepped outside. I was confronted with a fast wind that whipped my face. I looked up and saw massive stormy clouds and a massive cyclone starting to form. Wind whipped around the port running through the bells making their moan into a howl. How….fitting. I snickered. Veiðr and I boarded the dock, it creaked underneath both of our tall statures. While we passed some of the vendors packing up shop looked at us. I could feel their stares in the back of my head. I couldn't blame them however. Veiðr and I both stood around 6’,4 and our bodies were covered in heavily toned muscle, a menacing sight to behold. As we made our way through the port and closer into the town, the wind started to pick up, what started as a mild breeze started to become a fast wind. After a short walk we had made it to the city center. We went through the routine finger prick and then the peacekeepers directed us to our spots. District 4 is known as a Career district when it came to the Hunger Games, however the people in District 4 knew this had not been the case for decades now. District 4 used to take great pride in the Hunger Games, but as the fish industry rose more and more, sons and daughters focused more on making money off of fishing than training for the Hunger Games. As time went on, more and more people crowded into the city square. These people were posh. Unlike Veiðr and I, these people looked very wealthy. Many of them had clothing made out of silk that would cost a whole whale. “HELLO EVERYBODY!” screamed Norman Purpleberry, district 4’s escort. “WHO'S EXCITED?” The comment was then followed by complete silence. “Well I know I am!” said Norman once again trying to get life from the crowd. He would not be successful. “Well, I suppose we should just dive in, eh? I should remind everyone that this year we are picking two tributes from one gender,” said Norman “This should really spice things up, am i right.” Norman gave his signature over-dramatic smile and looked around the crowd. Once again nobody said anything. “Well i'll be darned it looks like nobody is awake yet,” Norman said, “Wake up District 4 it’s not sleepy time,” Norman gave an uneasy laugh. It was painful at this point, as it is every year. “The gender will be picked through this wheel here. Let's get started, shall we?” Norman walked to the wheel and spun it.
A breeze pushed the wheel fast. It flashed from boy to girl what felt like every nano second. “Who will it be? Nobody knows!” Norman said, still trying to get a reaction from the crowd. The wheel slowed and with it the annoying ticking sound it made after passing each different section. Tik....tik...tik..tik.tik. The wheel landed on a spot that read boys. “Well looky here it looks like it's the boys turn to be tributes this year!” The adrenaline coursed through my veins the same nerves that were with me every year scratched at my logical thinking. “Now for the fun part,” Norman said, still managing to smile after the crowd's brutal treatment towards him. Norman picked two cards at the same time, another “signature” move he always liked to pull, the trick was expected as it is every year and so would not push the crowd to any reaction. Just as he removed his hands from the large glass bowl a howling gust of wind swept across the stage. The wind swept up all the cards in the bowl and flung them up in the air. Each card danced fluttering towards the ground like a maple leaf leaving a tree in the fall. Each card represented a person's future on this earth, due to this it caused an eerie sight. The pure white cards fell on the ground as the skies darkened. At this point even Norman's smile was gone, he just stood there like an innocent child at the opening of his parents door after a nightmare, he closed his mouth and put a manufactured smile on his face and read the cards. He looked at the cameras with glassed over dead looking eyes. “Ladies...and gentlemen.” Norman sounded like he always did bright and cheery, “ “the tributes for this years games, are Veiðr and Njǫrd Elding.”
Like a prisoner sent up to an execution block, I stumbled up to the stage. A million emotions crossed my mind. Fear, anger, rage, worry. buried themselves in my brain. I looked out into the crowd there had to be at least 15,000 people. All with the same expression. Nothingness. At that moment I realized how brutal the Hunger Games were. People were stripped of their dignity and forced to put on this show for the Capitol every year. We were not people, but instead pawns of the Capitol. However my thought would be cut short as a powerful breeze swept in. The breeze tipped over the glass bowl off its podium and by the time I realized it was falling it was too late.
The bowl bounced off my head, knocking me out cold. I once again slipped into the dream world.
My father was the bravest man I knew; he battled sharks and brung down whales with one harpoon. He was the best father sons could ask for, he taught me how to be a man and taught me that my morality was the only thing that separated me from being someone from the Capitol. Having a dad as amazing as that was a miracle of its own So what was stopping another miracle from happening too. Dad wrapped us over his shoulders and swam to the surface. He put us on the only piece of driftwood large enough to support the both of us. He slipped his necklace in my pocket before sinking into the waters never to be seen again.