Cruise Xenon
Chapter 1
It was a rather crisp September morning, when Mark woke and slapped on his burgundy checkered slippers. He got up and opened his bedroom curtains; back at his semi-detached home in Kensington, London; when he suddenly realised that if they didn’t hurry up soon, they would both miss their romantic Honeymoon that they were going to spend on a two week cruise in the Caribbean and the south-east coast of America. Therefore, Mark gave out a quick yawn, stretched out his arms; and rushed round to the other side of the double bed to wake his wife – Sophie. Mark tapped Sophie gently on the arm a few times in an attempt to wake her, but there was little response. Sophie murmured something under her breath and then drifted off back to sleep, as she turned over. He tried again, with a little more effort, and luckily Sophie awoke. She was incredibly tired; her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light, as she too realised what day it was, and that she had better get a move on, if they were in any hope.
He quietly said to her in a worried voice, “We only have two hours, until the ferry leaves Dover, we really must hurry love”.
He opened the bedroom door, and trotted down the mahogany wooden stairs leading to their Mock Georgian hallway, before sharply turning right into the kitchen that they had recently update, by adding a fifty-two inch widescreen television above the breakfast bar, and sprucing it up with a dash of red, and cream paint.
Mark grabbed the loaf of white granary bread that was lying beside the bread cupboard. He un-twiddled the top to grab four slices of bread out before resealing the bag. He placed the four sliced of bread down on the side, before lodging them into the toaster and turning it on. He slapped open the fridge and grabbed the butter with his right hand, and then closing it with his left foot. He pivoted on the spot, and opened the little draw by the sink and took out a knife; and click! The toast popped up. He grabbed the tops of the bread with his fingertips and placed them down on the plate, before blowing his hands to. From grabbing the butter lid off the butter tub, he picked up the knife and took a quick swipe at the tub, and then spread it rapidly across the four slices of toast. Mark then carefully placed the lid back onto the tub before putting it back into the fridge; and then hurrying off back upstairs. Meanwhile, upstairs; Sophie was beginning to get dressed. She opened up her wooden wardrobe beside the bed and grabbed a dark blue pair of denim jeans, and picked an elegant top that matched. She looked at her array of plimsolls, stilettos, and sandals, and picked out a simplistic, yet stylish pair of white high-heeled shoes, that had a white with black polka-dot ribbon running along the brim of each shoe.
By now, Mark had reached the top of the stairs and was heading back into the bedroom. He placed the china plate down on the dressing table, where Sophie almost immediately picked up a slice to nibble on. He quickly rushed down stairs and picked up a carton of orange juice, he took a few swigs from straight from the carton and put the rest back on the sideboard. He went to the front door and picked up the suitcases that were all packed and ready to go. He opened the latch on the door, and tip-toed outside on the gravel driveway round to the garage where he unlocked the car, and placed the suitcases in the boot. He carefully arranged them so that they all managed to fit in the boot of his Audi A4. He then closed the boot door shut and hurried back off indoors, rubbing his hands together on the way. Mark then spoke out loudly to Sophie that we’d better get in the car now, if we have any chance of getting to Dover before seven.
She picked up her newly brought handbag and placed it over her right shoulder; she then walked over to the bedroom door and closed it behind her whilst she checked that she hadn’t left anything behind that they might need. She nodded to herself, thinking she had everything and quickly trotted down the stairs where she gave Mark a quick cuddle and then hurried out the front door and round to their car which was parked adjacent to the house.
Mark closed the front door shut and hurried round to the car where he and Sophie got in. Mark put they key in the ignition and turned it clockwise until the engine started. He put on his seatbelt, whilst looking in the rear view mirror. He reverser out of their driveway and out onto Mulberry Drive. He was keeping to the limit, but was nervous he was going to miss the ferry, so took a short cut down a country lane that would take them right up to the outskirts of Dover. Mark put on the radio, and began listening to South101.FM. He turned the radio up, as he knew Sophie loves the song Breathe Slow by Alesha Dixon, and that’s what they were playing. Mark was tapping his hand on the side of the steering wheel, whilst Sophie was singing in to her hairbrush. As the song finished; Mark turned the radio back off, and everything went completely silent for a few moments – but not for long!
Chapter 2
They got rather far down the country lane, when all of a sudden the car began jerking, soon bringing the car to a complete stop. Mark tried starting the car again, but it was no good; they were stranded down a country lane with no-one in sight. He opened the car door, and lifted up the bonnet to take a closer look at the car. He checked the car over, and couldn’t see a problem with the car. It made no sense. He spoke to Sophie saying;
“Let’s call Jerry, he’ll come and pick us. What do you say?”
Sophie replied “Yes, we’d better do that, if we have any hope of getting to Dover from here.” She paused for a moment, and then said nervously “I have no signal, no signal whatsoever”
Sophie sighed, whilst Mark leant against the side of car thinking of what to do next.
He said “Not, to worry love. It’ll be ok”.
He got back in the car and sat there for a few moments thinking. He was gazing out the side view window when he could see in the distance a visage of a cottage. He got out of the car to have a better look, and it came clearer.
He shouted with joy “LOOK! There’s a house over there. They’re bound to have a phone that we can use”. Sophie opened the car door, and got out.
She replied “Yeah, it’s worth a shot – better than staying here all day”. Mark locked the car, and began walking to the house along with Sophie. As they edged closer to the house, they could see someone in the garden cutting the grass.
Mark yelled out to him “Hello there, I don’t suppose we could use your phone could we?” The man replied “Why, of course you can; may I ask what for”.
He replied “To call my best friend in Dover to come and pick us up, you see. Our car broke down just on the lane over there”.
“Oh I see, well I hope he’ll know how to get here. I don’t see many people being out here in the country. You’re the first I’ve seen all week” replied the old man.
“Oh my, it must be nice and quiet for you though” replied Sophie in a gentle and subtle voice.
The old man, cleared his throat and said “Yes, very much so”
The old man showed Mark the phone. Mark picked up the phone and dialed Jerry’s mobile it rang for a few seconds, and then he answered. “Hello, is that you Mark?”
“Sure is” replied Mark.
“Shouldn’t you be driving? Your suppose to be here in under ten minutes”
“I know, the car broke down just outside Dover. Would you be able to come and pick us up?” replied Mark.
“Yeah, but we need to be quick”
“Uh-huh. Well we’re on the lane off of the B240. We’ll be standing next to the car” replied Mark
“Rightio, see you in a minute” replied Jerry
“See ya” replied Mark
Mark and Jerry simultaneously put down the phone. Mark pivoted on the spot and said to Sophie “Right, that’s all done now. I said we’d be waiting by the car, so we’d best go”
Sophie replied “Yeah” “and Thank you so much, but we really must go. Bye”
He replied “Bye”
“Bye” replied Mark.
Sophie and Mark waved to the old man as they left his garden and began walking down to the country lane in which the car was parked. As they began walking back they saw in a neighboring field an array of large circles in the middle of a corn field. Mark wondered to himself, what an earth they were; but his thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a car engine. They looked towards their car, and they could see another car approaching the brow of the hill. They began jogging back to the car, as they realised it was bound to be Jerry and Kim. As they approached nearer and nearer Sophie could pick out Jerry’s face and began waving her arms in the air, to try and catch his attention. Luckily, in the corner of Jerry’s eye, he saw the shape of a person waving, he side glanced and spotted Mark and Sophie waving, so he put his foot down on the breaks, and wind down the window; and shouted. “Come on guys, we will be due for departures in a few minutes”
“We’re coming” replied the pair of them.
Mark and Sophie carried on running down through the field to the car waiting at the bottom. Once they reached the car they quickly opened the car door, jumped in and swiftly put on their seatbelts whilst Jerry began pulling away. They left the Audi there for the time being, as they didn’t have the time to deal with the hassle of getting the car moved. Despite the fact Mark and Sophie were without their car, they and so were Jerry and Kim extremely happy of the adventure they were about to encounter.
Chapter 3
“You can’t go Amelia, you just can’t” said the doctor in a sympathetic voice.
“But doctor, I have waited weeks for this day to come!” replied Amelia.
“I’m very sorry to hear that, but you really must stay here and rest. It is vital you recover from this ordeal”
“If you insist…” replied Amelia in a distressed voice.
The doctor picked up his utensils and pulled back the curtain, whilst Amelia was crying deeply in to the pillow on the bed that she was lying down on.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, over in Dover the Queen Elizabeth III cruise-liner was just about to depart Dover and head for Miami on the east coast of Florida. The first stop of this two week worldwide cruise that many were going to experience firsthand, including Mark and Sophie. Unfortunately, Amelia she was unable to make it, as she was advised by her doctor to take it easy for the next couple of days.
Mark and Sophie were unpacking their suitcases in the cabin room that they were given for the fourteen nights. There room was in fact opposite that of Jerry and Kim’s. Mark specifically ordered room 101, as it was the only room on the first floor that had a balcony out on to the side of the ship. Mark lent down on the cabin door handle, and turned the key that he had just placed into the keyhole. They stopped and gazed at their cabin for the duration of the cruise, and were lifted with joy. He jumped and landed face down on the double bed, and said “Now, this is the life, Sophie” in a cheerful manor.
Sophie replied “It sure is!”
As Sophie and Mark were unpacking their belongings, the ship was unchained and was about to leave Dover Harbour. Two large withdrawn beeps on the fog horn and the ship were away. The tug-boats were ahead of Queen Elizabeth III to pull the ship into its rightful place. Sophie and Mark, hurried to put their belongings away, but they wanted to witness the ship leaving the port of Dover, so they stopped what they were doing, locked the cabin door, and hurried up to top deck to get a good view of leaving Dover.
They managed to get to top deck in time, so rushed towards the edge of the ship to get a clearer view. Mark found a gap in the crowds of people and edged his way forward bringing Sophie with him. They were holding hands and looking at the coast of England, as they gradually became further and further away from the shore, and that all they could see was the outline of the chalky cliffs of Dover. A few minutes later, people gradually began going off to participate in different activities – however, Mark and Sophie decided to go back to their cabin to carry on unpacking their belongings, so that they would have plenty of time later to have fun.
Jerry and Kim decided to go off to the Club, to have a quick drink to celebrate them going on the cruise. Jerry went over to the counter, asked for a pint of beer and a vodka and coke. He lent against the bar, whilst Kim found a table to sit at in the corner. The barmaid made the drinks and handed them to Jerry; he took the drinks and paid her the money, but in doing so – she winked at him in a pitiful way. Jerry noticed her, and took it with a pinch of salt; he picked up the drinks and took them over to the table in the corner by the entrance to the club.