Lottery Dreams Ch. 19: Port Side Out

Something happened.

Something magical.

The ticket came away, just as the waters reached Charlie's neck, and the ticket got far enough to lodge between his teeth. Slowly, despite the roaring water, Charley pulled the ticket out.

He still held it between his teeth as he rushed up the ladder. The water was coming in fast now, and the team of divers had meant to do a good job of sinking their ship, and everyone on board. The whole structure lurched to one side, and with sickening memories of their old rusty tub, buckling in two, Charley thought fast.

As people rushed past him to leap over the side, he looked in the rooms for a plastic bag. Once he found one, and after wiping the grease from his hand, he wrapped the ticked up tightly and tucked it in his belt.

Out on deck, he saw Natasha and Raj and was just about to come up with another cunning plan, when the ship made their minds up for them. The whole deck surged to one side and the prison ship began to roll.

They were flung into the water, and foam and bubbles trapped them in a nightmare of cold and drowning.

"It wasn't like this on Titanic," shouted Natasha as her life jacket inflated and she bobbed about in the water.

"What we do now?" shouted Raj, as the ship stopped rolling and finally settled on the shallow sand bank.

"Swim for the shore!" shouted Charley.

"I'm not one for swimming!" Raj felt he had to tell everyone.

"I've carried you halfway around the world." Natasha, a strong swimmer, strode out to clutch the boy and begin heading towards the shore.

"Not long, I can see cars on the beach," said Charley. He was not the best swimmer and realised he had not participated in this activity since his last holiday at Butlins. Even after the sinking of their last ship in the Pacific, Charley had not mastered the art. So, well out of practice, he found he was floundering.

As the sand sloshed around beneath his feet, he discovered why. The tide was going out, and as he remembered on the night their own ship ran aground, Charley knew they could not beat the current.

Several of the other survivors were beginning to panic and splash about. The irony was not lost on the press, the next day when they reported that most of the people were drowned within minutes of the Norfolk beaches. Many more only made it to the mud flats, where, on thinking they had reached dry land, they waded inshore. Only to find themselves sinking up to the neck in sticky mud. The cries of those men echoed around the beach for some time.

The local coast guard ignored the requests of the special naval operation and went out to rescue them. A later enquiry said they had nothing to do with the official Royal Navy but were a private firm. Untraceable.

"You dead yet Charley?" Natasha called out above the rolling waves.

"Any minute. How about you and Raj?"

"Oh, we're getting there."

"Don't head for the beach. Keep going up the sea channel," Charley managed to make his brain work in the freezing cold and remembered the treacherous waters.

"You crazy, we have minutes to live here!"

"Trust me. We can't get ashore on the mud flats. Listen to them crying for help? No. Go up into the river mouth."

They all paddled for quite some time until even Natasha had to admit defeat.

"We are going to die here. Why not wait for the rescue boats?"

"No! Not that! Start heading towards the setting sun. Due West. See those bright lights?"

"I'm hallucinating!" cried Natasha. "I can see a fairground!"

"No your not, it is a fairground. That's Skegness. Just keep going, we can make it."

And so they did. Washed up on Skegness beach, they dragged themselves up the sandy beach until they reached the car park. The sand was firm enough for them to walk on here, and soon they lay exhausted beneath an ice cream stand.

"We can't stay here," Charley could barely hear his own voice now, but knew there was still a danger. "The police will be looking for anyone coming ashore, and anyone off the beach. Just keep going. I know a place to stay."

In a dream, he leads them up the sands of Skegness beach, until they found themselves walking on long tufts of grass. They could hear the music thumping from the fairground now, and even smell the food being served.

"Hot dogs," laughed Natasha. "I can smell hot dogs. Jesus, I could eat a hot dog right now."

"How can a nation that keeps dogs as pets, go so far as to eat them?" said Raj, finding he still had enough strength left to argue.

"I'll explain later, " said Charley. "I think we are here?"

Sure enough, he looked up at the old caravan and recognised the peeling paint on the side. The key was still in the same place, under the plant pot, and with great relief, they all came inside to slump in the battered old chairs.

"Old Dave might want some rent from us for using his caravan," said Charley, as they woke in the early hours.

They had been woken by the sound of the helicopters circling the beach.

"Looks like they found a few washed up on the beach?" Natasha risked a glimpse out of the dirty net curtains, at the world outside.

"I wonder how many of us made it?" said Raj, feeling hungry and looking in the cupboards for some food.

"I doubt if any of them made it, but us. And we weren't supposed to be here. I can't wait to see their faces in London when I walk through that door."

"What with?" said Natasha. "The drive shaft is at the bottom of the North Sea?"

"Not this little fellow."

With that, Charley pulled the plastic bag from beneath his belt and produced the lottery ticket.

"How?" cried Natasha. "I mean, how?"

"You did it man!" Raj almost fell to his knees. "How did you finally get it out?"

"If you want the truth, it fell out all by itself."