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54
The Unsinkable
Hat
of her mother’s hand to press firmly down on her hat as she slowly
raised her head up and up. The ship towered over her, its size so
overwhelming she gasped and couldn’t help opening her mouth.
The people leaning over the railing of the ship waved frantically to
their friends and family. Even from so far below, Mary could see the
pure excitement and anticipation on the passengers’ faces as they
cheered and laughed.
Suddenly, thick black smoke began billowing out of the top of the
cigarette-like funnels and the planks linking to the side of the ship
were hastily taken away. More hollow drones sounded as the thick
ropes tying the vessel to the harbour were reeled in and the ship
began to move. Mary scanned the deck trying to find her father’s
face among the ecstatic people.
She leaned further over the railing on her tiptoes, squinting her
eyes as she continued searching. Suddenly the world around her
froze as she began falling. She whirled her arms in front of herself
and grasped the railing. Mary breathed a sigh of relief as she gaped
down at the thrashing sea below.
A gust of wind came, carrying with it the strong stench of the sea.
As Mary lifted her head again to watch the ship slowly depart, her
straw hat was swept away, slowly tumbling through the air.
‘No!’ Mary screamed as she desperately jumped up to seize it.
‘Mary!’ her mother shrieked from behind, ‘get away from the
railing at once! You are going to fall right off.’
‘But mama! My hat, look! My hat, my hat from daddy!’ Mary
frantically pointed towards the falling hat and clung onto the rail as
she watched it land on the water. Small, sloshy waves kept it nodding
along and tears welled up in Mary’s eyes. ‘Mum, I have to get it! I
have to!’
‘Mary,’ her mother said gently; ‘look, see? There’s nothing to
worry about – straw hats float. They can’t sink!’ She placed an arm
around Mary’s shoulders and they both stared down at the bobbing
hat with its jaunty card still proudly proclaiming its name. ‘We can
go get it later.’
Mary nodded and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Her
gaze shifted to the vessel now picking up speed and started waving
regardless of whether her father could see her or not. She kept on
waving until her arm tired and she could no longer see the people’s
faces aboard the ship. Her straw hat kept floating and she smiled
down at it. Her straw hat. Her titanic, unsinkable straw hat.
‘
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