General
The wind howled through the rigging, and a sheet of airborne spray sliced toward me over the top of the dodger. I gasped as the icy water hit me, soaking me from head to foot before it swirled away down the cockpit drains.
"Mom!" I shouted. "Mom! Please help me!" My voice was hoarse and my teeth were chattering. "Mom! I need you!" The wind snatched my words away and drowned them in the tumble of waves and spray.
I didn't want to die out here.
Without thinking about how scared I was, I dove. It was like diving into cold midnight. My ears roared as the water closed over my head.
I kicked downward, blindly reaching with my hands. My clawing fingers raked the outside wall of the cabin. I followed the wall down to where it met the deck. If the ax was still on board, that's where I would find it.
Just as I was about to run out of air, I felt the smooth long handle of the ax. I grabbed it and pushed upward.
