My name is Elsie Tracy, I was on the Titanic when it sank, Whoever is reading this, tell my story. Tell my family that I loved them. May 31, 1911. I gasped as I turned the corner. the ship was amazing! I was never a person who loved boats, but she might convert me! The beauty was longer than my whole village combined, and taller than Big Ben! Mum turned me around by my shoulders and gripped me in a hug so tight I was certain no one could take me out of it. Pa hugged me from my back, and With his skinny frame, John shimmied to a spot where he could wrap his arms around my waist, which was as high as he could reach. "Be safe, have fun, and make good choices!" said Pa in his deep and hearty voice. "I promise" I laughed when I said it, but barely had enough air for that, "You can let go now" I wheezed. Mum and Pa let go, but John stayed, holding me like I was the only thing keeping him from sinking. "John," I said softly, "you have to let go of me." He looked up at me with a tear-stained face, "Don't go, Elsie!" he whimpered. "I need to John." I said soothingly, "You're going to be fine! Mum will keep you busy and Pa promised to let you tinker with him in the wood shop." He frowned. "I have a bad feeling Elsie." I smiled and sank to his height, going eye-to-eye with him. "The Titanic is the unsinkable ship! It will carry me to New York, SAFELY, then I will take a train to Missouri, to stay with Uncle Edward and Aunt Elaine." he sighed and finally let go. I walked into the line with 20 pounds in a little shoulder bag, just enough to buy me a ticket for the ship and the train. I held a briefcase in my other hand with all of my belongings. It was finally my turn to go to the ticket booth, I walked up and said "Second class please." the man held out his hand, "12 pounds" I dug my hand into my shoulder bag until I found them, I counted the money out and then held it out to him, he accepted the pounds and gave me a ticket and a key, "Enjoy your trip on the Titanic." his voice hinted that he had said that many times over, I smiled and waved at my family, showing all was well with my ticket, I then gave my briefcase to a worker who took it to the ship. As soon as I stepped onto the boat I was immediately seasick. I clutched my stomach and threw up over the ship's side, "Oh dear! Are you alright?" said a kind voice, "Ergh" I croaked out, my stomach rolled again with the ship and I let it out. the disembodied voice produced a hand and rubbed my back comfortingly while she said things like; "there there, get it all out of your system." I did as she said. After a while, I stopped throwing my insides out and the kind lady pressed a wet rag to my face and rubbed it clean. I smiled up at the lady who I now could see was old, maybe 60 or 53 with laugh lines around her eyes, and a kind smile. "Hello!" she said "Fine morning for throwing up I see," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye, I laughed lightly and agreed "Very fine indeed Ma'am, the water was looking a little too clear," And with that, we both burst out laughing. After a while of laughing the kind lady said, "My name is Mrs. Murphy," She looked around for someone, then said "Apparently, I have no idea where my husband is," she looked back at me, "Where are your parents?" I pointed off the ship in the crowd of people where I could see my broad-shouldered Pa pushing to the front of the crowd, with Mum behind him carrying John. I waved to them and they waved back. "Oh, dear! Are you traveling alone?" She asked sympathetically. "Yes ma'am, I have a friend who is going to the Americas for a new start in life, but I haven't seen her or her family yet." she waved at my family too then asked, "Girl about your age, with curly red hair and huge green eyes?" I nodded vigorously, "you've seen them?" She smiled, "I room right next to them!"
Turns out, I did too! For the next few days we all went out to eat together, Mr. Murphy was as kind as his wife. One time, Captain Edward Smith came down to second class for supper! Anna, my friend, and I were giggling together outside the dining hall, right by the rail. I looked over the clear night. there were no clouds in sight, nor any icebergs, which one crew member told me were common around this area. I shot up fast, "Oh no! I forgot something in my briefcase!" My briefcase was in a room underneath us, literally in the 'belly of the beast' Anna sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it, we can't go in." I smiled wickedly and her eyes widened. "Oh no." she said as she started walking back to the dining hall, "No no no no NO." "No what?" I asked innocently "I know that look!" "What look?" "The look that says 'Elsie has an idea that might work but Anna won't like it'!" I put my hand over my heart and said "You think my ideas might work? I'm touched!" Anna stopped in her tracks as if thinking about something, she groaned and stomped one foot then turned back around, "Fine. I'll do it, but ONLY to help you avoid trouble." I nodded giddily, after all, I hadn't told her what my plan was, so she already had considered it as a working plan, so what could go wrong? we crept down a couple of flights of stairs and tip-toed through hallways until we came to the right door. We pushed with all our might and struggled until it opened with a very loud groan as if protesting. We froze, waiting and watching for the footsteps and people who would naturally come, there was nothing, only our breathing and the soft creaking the boat made. I walked inside and started looking for my briefcase, after a hesitation Anna followed and walked in the other direction. After a while, I heard a squeal of excitement coming from where Anna was, I rushed over and saw that she had found my briefcase! I went to unlock it, and that's when we heard it. the door, with its loud creak, shutting. We looked at each other for a mili-second then bolted to the door. Anna pounded on the door while I struggled with the knob. Anna sank to her knees, now sobbing uncontrollably, I sank too and hugged her while I cried silently "I'm so-" I got out until I started sobbing, blubbering out a sorry. we cried for what seemed like days, But as we stopped, a worse noise erupted from below us "That didn't sound good." I said, worrying. That's when the water started rising. At first, there was no water, but then it started seeping through the floor. "What's happening?!" Anna asked frantically, and that's when I started panicking, for real. The water rose until it was up to our waists and we clutched to each other, both of us sobbing from fright. It rose to our necks and it got harder and harder to breathe, then, we barely had enough space to hold our heads above the water, and my head got lighter and lighter. Funny, John said something was going to happen. I wasn't panicking anymore, I had read somewhere that this was how you drowned. At first, you were panicking, trying to get to the surface, and then you felt an eerie calm wash over you, telling you not to go. I never felt anything after that. My lungs burst, and I sucked in water. I died that day, that horrible, horrible day when the Titanic sank.
