We set off...on the great RMS Titanic...
Mother, Grandmother and I were all on the Titanic going to find Father in the New World called "America." He was an investment banker and had been transferred to this as they call it "America" to help start a new bank on the East side in...what they say...New York.
Anyways, I wasn't very happy to be going. I mean, what 15 year old would want to drop her whole life to come to sketchy America? It makes no sense. Well, I was happy to be in First Class on the Titanic. It was her maiden voyage. What other sea craft would wealthy folk like us ride on?
I stood at the Bow of the boat, wind rushing through my hair. The wind was so strong that I closed my eyes for a minute. Just for a minute. I didn't even see it coming. I heard a noise behind me. I opened my eyes, and then I felt 2 forceful hands push my back and send me over the side of the ship. Then, I heard shouting. I tried to grab onto something, anything. I felt a hand catch mine. Then someone pulled me up and set me on the deck of the ship. I felt cool water flow over my face. I opened my eyes and looked up. There were 3 men standing in front of me. One looked like a cop, a policeman. He was holding another man that was trying to get away. Then, I saw another person...not a man...yet, not a boy. He looked around the age of 16, maybe 17. He gazed down at me, poorly dressed and the smell of sea all throughout him. I gazed back at him, and wondered if he had saved me.
I stood up and pointed my finger arrogantly at the man the officer was holding. "He tried to send me over the ship!" I cried. "I saw him try to push her over," said the sea smelling man. The officer held tighter onto the man that was trying to get away from his grip, without much success might I add.
He muttered something in what sounded like Italian. Those Italians...they are just way too rowdy. The officer then said, "I will put him in the ship's dungeon ma'am." "You will not get away with this!" cried the Italian criminal. Then he said something else in pure Italian and was thrust under board.
I was left standing on the deck with the sea smelling boy/man. Who was he? Was he the one that saved me from this terrible nightmare?
"And who do I pay my rescuing to?" I asked with my slight English accent. "It was no problem, and my name is Jake," said the boy/man. "Well, thank you Jake. Is there any way I can repay you," I continued. "You could tell me your name," said Jake. "Elizabeth. Elizabeth Wilkins."
I thought that we would just go off and never meet again, but soon I found out that Jake was my true soul mate.
After Grandmother and Mother heard my story about being rescued, they told me to find him Jake and ask him to dinner.
"Jake, I would like to invite you to dinner to celebrate my rescuing," I told him. "These are the best clothes that I have Elizabeth," Jake muttered. "I can fix that," said a voice behind them. "Molly! You are such a fashion expert!" I cried.
"No need to kiss up, child. Just so happens I have an extra suit on my hands that I was trying to get rid of.
"So, Elizabeth, where is you rescuer?" asked Mother. "He's coming..." I answered. I was starting to wonder where he was myself.
All of a sudden, as if on cue, Molly appeared with Jake and they came and sat down for dinner. I motioned for Jake to come and sit beside me.
Now, Jake was a 2nd classman, and he didn't really know what to do at these types of dinners. Molly and I coached him through the whole evening though, and everything turned out all right.
Then, it happened. It was April 14, 1912. We had gone up on deck and we were looking at the coming sea, all sea. As far as the eye could see. And then, all of a sudden, an iceberg appeared. We ran for the opposite side of the ship, and just in time before chunks of ice fell aboard the ship to journey on with us. As the iceberg screeched against the side of the ship, everything went quiet.
"What was that?" I wondered out loud. "Looks like an iceberg to me," said Jake. I could tell that something was wrong though. Then I thought about this situation again. This was an unsinkable ship! Nothing could make this ship sink! And I was wrong. Anything but right.
I needed to find out what had happened. I journeyed through the ship until I found the Captain. "Captain!" I cried. He turned towards me and walked calmly into me and Jake's direction.
"I saw the iceberg hit the ship. Tell me the truth. What is our situation?" I managed. From the look on the Captain's face, it didn't look very good.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth, I am unauthorized to tell you these things."
"I saw what happened Captain," I said slowly. "Please tell me the truth."
"Alright," he sighed. "We are going to sink tonight. Please try to get yourself in a lifejacket and on a lifeboat as quickly as possible. Goodbye Elizabeth." He leaned over and hugged me. I did not understand.
"What are you talking about?" I cried. "You must get on a lifeboat yourself!"
"A Captain goes down with his ship- always. I'm sorry Elizabeth, I really am. Until we meet again in a better place...Goodbye." He hugged me one more time and walked quickly off. I did not understand. Jake took my and led me off to find a lifejacket. "We must quickly get you onto a boat." I yanked my hand away. "I will not go without you," I cried. "You must come with me. I will not go without you!" "You must," he said quietly but firmly.
How could I just say that I wanted to die because he was dying? Well, I guess I could but it wouldn't have made much sense.
"Alright then. I must go. Will you escort me to the upper deck?"
"Of course malady."
The upper deck was buzzing with people and half filled lifeboats being lowered down to the icy cold water. Jake and I had made it up to the deck without much trouble, and then we started the heavy task of trying to find a lifeboat.
Half crazed men, women, and crying children all filled the deck aisles. It was a very terrifying sight. I didn't know how much longer I could take all of this drama.
"Elizabeth, I know that you're going to make it out of this alive..." he said. I was too busy focusing on his eyes, and they looked more scared then his voice sounded.
I snapped out of his eyes when he said, "No matter what, I'll always love you."
He leaned forward and...well, you know what happened next. He kissed me, and I kissed him back. I didn't want to go now. I wanted to be in his arms forever.
We found the nearest lifeboat and I sat down in the nearest seat. What looked like a firework was set off, and I was lowered down with the lifeboat. All of a sudden, I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. I knew then that I had to give up my wealthy life for something even more valuable to me...Jake. I lept out of the boat and 2 men caught me. I didn't even thank them. I had to find Jake. No matter what, I had to find him and stay with him.
"Jake! Jake! Where are you Jake?"
"Elizabeth? Elizabeth is that you?"
"Jake!" I ran towards his voice and tripped. I plunged into his arms.
He took my hand, and kissed me once again. We started running towards the stern of the ship. The Atlantic water was rising quickly and we needed to get to the higher part of the ship. We reached the stern and climbed over the railing as the ship stood almost parallel in the icy water. The middle of the ship then cracked and the bow plunged down with many, many people on it. We went down with a thud.
There was a huge splash of water that hit my face, and soaked my hair, but I didn't care.
Jake put his arm around my body to keep me steady as we went up, now perfectly parallel. We sat there for a few seconds, and slowly, then faster the ship plunged into the icy water. Jake and I hit the water together and the RMS Titanic sucked us down
"Ahhhh!" My head came atop the water and I heard people shrieking and screaming.
"JAKE!" I cried. "Jake!"
"Elizabeth!" I heard a hoarse voice cry.
I swam towards the sound of Jake's voice.
"Jake!" I cried. "You have no lifejacket!"
"We have bigger problems," Jake shouted over the splashes of water. "In this cold of water, we could all freeze to death in 7 minutes or less."
I thought this over for a minute. "What if we keep on moving around in the water? Would it help us to stay warm?"
"No, it wouldn't help one bit. We would still all freeze. It would help if we got atop something though! Something that's not in the water," he finished.
"Then let's try to find a boat- or at least a piece of drifting wood," I shouted over the cries and whistles.
We swam over to a bed frame and we both climbed aboard. We hugged each other to stay warm.
"This has been a dreadful night," I said soberly.
"Yes, but it has been wonderful to spend it with you," Jake said.
I blushed. "Thank you," I said as I gave him a quick kiss.
We waited, and eventually, I fell into a deep sleep in Jake's arms...
I awoke what felt like minutes later to a whistle. There was a girl blowing the guard's whistle to get a lifeboat's attention. Jake roused and then was wild-eyed. It was morning now, and the lifeboats were coming to see if anyone needed help. Jake and I hoarsely screamed and waved our hands wildly in the air.
The girl kept on blowing the whistle until the lifeboat reached her. We also climbed in and we found out the girl's story and we told her ours. Hers was somewhat like mine, in a way. She didn't know where she belonged, and once she had found where she belonged, it was taken away.
Well, a week after we set ashore, Jake died from heart failure. He died peacefully in his sleep, but it was very tragic for me.
I remarried in the great depression and my husband and I were very close. We shared everything with each other. I even shared my story about Jake and how I loved him, and he understood.
We had 4 beautiful children, 3 girls and one boy. They all became very interested in the Titanic. Their decedents went on with searches throughout the dying Titanic today.
Elizabeth never really knew how to explain her story in a way that anyone would understand it, but she did. Now as generations and generations after her hear or even read her story, they come to realize how important life is and how much we have that we should be thankful for.
Elizabeth had one final look at her beautiful Jake, her husband, and her children before she passed away. Her children would forever more pass down the story of Elizabeth, Jake, and the RMS Titanic.