A/N: I found this story in my The 500 Challenge archives and loved it enough to share. Enjoy!
Yuri and the Ghost Ship
Even floating was tiring, and with the salty waves splashing against his face, Yuri wasn't able to get much rest. The fog grew thick around him until he couldn't even see the board he clung to. All that remained of his boat was his only lifeline, though he thought he would've been eaten long before now. Yuri tried looking around, but salt and fog obscured his vision. The most he could hope for now was that the sea was just as blind to his whereabouts as he was.
Then he thought he saw a dark shape ahead of him. The sheer size of it told him it was a ship, and Yuri hollered. There was no way the people aboard would see him, but there was a chance they could hear him.
"Hey! Over here!" Yuri waved with a free hand. The ship moved closer and he felt his excitement giving him strength. But he heard no reply…
The ship faded into view and stopped right next to him. A rope ladder fell down the side and Yuri took hold before it could be recoiled. It was a struggle though as he was exhausted from drifting at sea for so long, but he managed to cling. "I've got hold! You can pull me up now." The rope didn't move. Yuri looked up. "Hey, did you hear me?"
Nothing.
Yuri sighed. "Fine, I'll pull myself up." He struggled with the climb, pulling each knot closer, until he finally reached the deck. He pulled himself and allowed himself to fall over, gasping for breath. There was no one there to help him up, but he was too tired to do much more than turn his head. What he saw before he closed his eyes was a rotting deck.
Yuri awoke to the rocking of the ship. The night had fallen and he could barely see the moon through the fog. He felt much more alert, but now discomforted. Whoever had thrown him the rope would've carried him to a safer location, right? He sat up. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
No response.
"Huh… Well that's creepy." He stood and wandered the deck with his hands outstretched. With so little light, there was very little to see. He could easily run into the mast or a door, or even fall right back off the ship. Being blinded, though, allowed him to hear and smell things he'd never experienced before. Rotting wood was strong among smells of stinky fish smells, and the waves were the most prominent sounds he could hear. He thought he heard tentacled creatures scraping against the hull. With each step he felt his courage faltering.
With so little he could see, he thought it was best to find the cabin and stay within it, but it was a hit or miss if he would find it at all. He judged where it might be. The ship had come at him, meaning he had climbed aboard on the starboard side and he needed to head stern side to find the cabin.
But he fell in a hole before he got there…