Joe couldn't believe his eyes as he opened his mail. The envelope looked typical, some sort of announcement of a prize winner. "You're a Winner." It was one of those things he typically threw away without even opening it. But this time was different. And when he started reading the letter it seemed to be announcing the same thing they all do... you're a winner... blah, blah, blah. But... something attracted him to read more.
And as he read, Joe realized this wasn't a typical letter. This was truly announcing him as a winner! He won an all-expense paid trip to the Bahamas! He didn't remember buying a ticket or sending information to some web site to enter a contest for a trip to the Bahamas, but he entered so many contests. Maybe he just didn't remember.
They knew his name, his email, his phone number, and his address. It just had to be legit. All he had to do now was call the number and arrange for his trip dates. He looked up the phone number on the Internet and everything said it was legit, so he called it. Some man with a gruffy voice answered and Joe arranged for two weeks at the end of May. The guy would arrange the round-trip flight and everything. And one of the best things about the trip was a 3-day, island-hopping tour by boat.
Joe really needed this. His girlfriend broke up with him last month and he needed a pick-me-up. This would certainly help with that. Fun in the sun and sand was exactly what he needed.
It was two weeks later that he received another mailing from the company, this time in a more non-descript envelope. Inside were his itinerary and airline tickets. Joe was getting more and more excited for the trip! It was only a few weeks away!
The middle of May came and he packed a bag for the trip. He was going to be wearing a lot of shorts and t-shirts, so it didn't take up much room. He got a ride to the airport and took the flight down. It went very smoothly. The weather there was incredible when he finally arrived, sunny, upper eighties with white, fluffy clouds dotting the sky. Joe took a deep breath of the warm, salty air, and took a moment to feel the warm sun on his skin. Yes! This was the perfect getaway!
He got there early enough that after he checked into his hotel, he was able to go to the white, sandy beach and get into that beautiful blue-green water. His boat tour started tomorrow, so he took the time to enjoy the rest of today. There were a lot of vacationers around him, but he was left on his own. When he sat in the lounge chair on the beach he let his eyes wander behind his sunglasses to watch the beautiful women walking around in their very small bikinis. There were very few families this time of year... which made his people-watching all the more delicious.
He ate a late dinner in the hotel and then went to bed early. He wasn't going to miss his boat trip for anything!
He got up early the next morning since his itinerary wanted him at the docks by 10:00am. He took a cab and made it with plenty of time to spare and at 9:45am he and the other passengers were all finally able to get onboard. There were five other passengers waiting, two men with their wives or girlfriends, and another middle-aged guy. They talked a little on the boat and introduced themselves before they set sail.
First there was the single guy, Jonathan. He was thirty three and worked at a software firm. He had been divorced for the past five years, was currently single and, like Joe, just wanted to get away for a while.
Then there were Joshua and Megan. They were about thirty and engaged to get married at the end of the summer. They were taking this trip because the wedding plans and family members were stressing them out.
Finally, there was Tyler and Jessica. They were in their mid-thirties, had been dating for a long time, and weren't even looking to get married. This was going to be their vacation for the year.
All of them talked about how surprised they were to win this as a prize. None of them remembered how they even entered the contest and really didn't even know the company that had sponsored the drawing. They all laughed it off, because it was certainly real. They were here in the Bahamas and on the boat, right?
"Hi folks, I'm Captain Thomas, and this is my boat, Mermaid Love," the burly, silver haired, gruffy-voiced captain said. "I hope you enjoy her for the next three days. We're going to visit five different islands on our tour and stop at each one for the night. All of them are uninhabited islands, although they are visited by tourists and locals and are zoned for tourist and recreational use. You'll find the beaches there absolutely incredible! I doubt there are finer beaches in the whole world. And I've packed tents and hammocks below for your use to stay the night, whichever you choose to use."
"Our first stop," he continued, "is about three hours away. I'm sure you'll find plenty of sea life to watch if you choose and you'll definitely get a lot of sun. The weather forecast for this whole week is for lots of sunshine."
The couples were talking excitedly between themselves. Obviously they were all pumped!
As the boat backed into the water, Joe started thinking about an old 70s TV show... Gilligan's Island. And suddenly, Jonathan started singing the song to himself.
"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..."
They all looked at him and smiled. All of them remembered the song and quickly joined in.
"A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.
"The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour.
"The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The Minnow would be lost, the Minnow would be lost.
"The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan,
The Skipper too,
The millionaire and his wife,
The movie star
The Professor and Mary Ann,
Here on Gilligan's Isle."
From the deck, Joe saw Captain Thomas smiling and shaking his head. He was pretty sure this wasn't the first time his passengers had done that.
The trip was going well and Captain Thomas had plenty of food and drink in the cabin that they ate all they desired as they watched dolphins playing in the ocean waves all around them. Some got really close to the boat, much to their excitement, and they got plenty of pictures on their cellphones.
It was about two hours into their trip when they noticed that black clouds were forming on the horizon and were coming in quickly.
"Don't worry. It's surprising, but we'll make port before it hits and we'll just wait it out on the boat," the captain told them.
They nervously watched the dark clouds getting closer and closer as if they were racing them to the island to see which of them would get there first. Joe was so thankful to see the island and then the cove where they were going to anchor. The waves were getting higher and the boat was rocking. They had to hang on to the railings to keep from falling over.
The storm hit just after they dropped anchor, as if it were waiting for them, the warm rain pelting the water and boat alike. The sun was totally blotted out and it got very dark. Joe didn't know if it was seasickness or what, but he didn't feel well all of the sudden. He felt a little woozy. His head was spinning and he was having a lot of trouble standing up. He briefly wondered if there was something in the food...
He heard splashing water around him, like things diving into it, but could barely keep his eyes open. Then he felt strong hands grab his arms and haul him to his feet. He opened his eyes to see it was Captain Thomas. He was leading Joe out into the rain. Joe tried to complain and tried to let him know that he just needed to sit down and rest, but Joe was helpless to do anything to stop the Captain. His body felt like Jello.
And then the world around him was spinning and Joe felt himself hitting the warm water. He'd fallen overboard! The sea water felt good, but with his body being tired, there was no way he could swim. He looked up and briefly saw Captain Thomas on the deck, looking down at him for a moment, but doing nothing to save him. Water poured into his mouth and Joe couldn't even scream for help.
Then Joe saw large, heavy sacks arcing into the air and crashing onto the deck. Six large bags thudding with the sound of a lot of coins. But it didn't make any sense and Joe couldn't figure out where they might have come from. And then he sank into the ocean water and lost consciousness.
When Joe woke again, he was lying on the beach, on his back, with water lapping at his legs. The sun was shining above him, almost blinding him with its brilliant radiance. He turned his head to the side, wondering where he was, and saw the others lying on the beach, too. In seconds he was unconscious again.