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Gustav was slightly built. He was perhaps 10 centimetres below average height. But that
didn’t stop him from having hard muscles and nimble feet. His baggy shirt was tucked into a
belt. On the belt, there was a pouch that contained a scarlet pocket knife. His baggy jeans
were tucked into knee-high walking boots. (Arretez often told him that they were on a ship,
not going for a bushwalk). Gustav had brown hair that flopped down over his deep, brown
eyes. Arretez was quite a different kettle of fish. He was tall and broad-shouldered and
looked aggressive. But when you got to know this giant you realised he was cheerful and
had a quicksilver brain and tongue. Arretez had flashing brown eyes and light brown hair,
with even a tinge of blonde in it.
The merchant ship was struggling, that much was obvious. But nobody, not even the
captain, could see or feel the amount of strain she was taking.

Baruna, the captain's son, stood near the gunwale, his eyes riveted on the choppy ocean.
He checked the chart again. Still, he couldn’t work out which island they were approaching.
He had messy black hair and green eyes that were set and steady. He had a leather vest
tucked into his long pants. Baruna was extremely serious, Arretez sometimes actually
wondered whether he had a sense of humour at all.

Cries of terror swept over the deck like the waves. Splitting the air like a knife, Gustav
actually dropped the bucket. A loud creak. Splinters exploding everywhere. Pain cutting
through his face like shards. He staggered, blinded by the sudden pain. Three more
splinters bit into his face. Again he jumped over a rope as it whipped past. But Arretez was
less quick. Blood streamed down his legs. He staggered. Arretez, eyes watering, caught his
legs on the bulwarks and dropped into the frothing water and was sucked down below. The
deck was a seething mass of water, ropes, splintered wood, blood and bodies. All Gustav
could hear was the shouts and screams. He already missed his bright companion, and tears
of sadness streamed down his face like rain. The remaining crew came up from below
decks to clear the weight off the ship but to no avail. More men went down under a hail of
splinters. Gustav fell to his knees, blood cascading from his side. The tattered ship began to
slowly tip as water rushed on board. The tall mast slid into the water leaving a trail of dead

bodies behind it. Where the captain used to stand, there was now a body. A deep gash cut
across his face, and splinters dug in everywhere. The water around him was a rich red and

the ropes continued to cut the body viciously..

Gustav was half carried, half dragged to a standing position and was practically thrown into
the life raft. Baruna quickly got his friend (not Gustav) to row them away from the sinking

ship when he felt a vibration in the boat.
‘Where were you?’ asked Arretez.

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