"Water! Water is getting in!"
The shout spread through the ship faster than the storm itself.
Within seconds, panic erupted.
Some passengers screamed.
Others rushed toward the corridors.
Several people began praying loudly.
The crew struggled to restore order.
"Please remain calm!"
"Return to your seats!"
"Do not run!"
But fear had already taken control.
Captain Lubasi felt his pulse quicken.
Water entering a ship was never good news.
In military operations, he had learned that the smallest breach could become a disaster.
A crack in a defensive wall.
A weak point in a formation.
A single mistake.
Now the sea had found a way inside.
The retired officer moved toward a window.
Lightning illuminated the waves outside.
For a brief moment he saw water washing across part of the deck.
Then darkness returned.
Another massive wave struck.
The vessel rolled violently.
People cried out.
A suitcase slid across the floor and smashed into a row of chairs.
The lights flickered again.
This time they remained dim.
Captain Lubasi swallowed hard.
For the first time in years, he felt genuinely afraid.
His mind drifted back to the battlefields he had known.
He remembered gunfire in the Congo.
Night patrols in South Sudan.
Roadside ambushes in the Central African Republic.
He remembered soldiers shouting orders.
Vehicles burning.
Bullets flying overhead.
Yet strangely, none of those memories frightened him now.
This storm did.
Because in war there was always something a soldier could do.
A position to defend.
A plan to execute.
An enemy to fight.
But against the sea?
He was helpless.
Completely helpless.
A sudden realization struck him.
He had spent his entire life believing he was strong.
Yet tonight, a few waves and strong winds had reduced him to fear.
Nearby, Fernando sat calmly in his chair.
The old teacher appeared untouched by the panic around him.
He wasn't reading.
He wasn't speaking.
He simply sat quietly with his Bible resting on his lap.
Captain Lubasi walked over.
"I don't understand you," he said.
Fernando looked up.
"What don't you understand?"
"This."
Lubasi gestured toward the frightened passengers.
"The ship may sink. We may all die tonight. Yet you're sitting here as if you're waiting for a bus."
Fernando smiled.
"Do I look that relaxed?"
"More relaxed than the captain."
The old teacher chuckled.
For the first time, Lubasi noticed deep kindness in his eyes.
"Captain," Fernando said softly, "tell me something. During your years as a soldier, were you ever afraid?"
Lubasi hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Many times."
"Did fear help you?"
The question caught him off guard.
"No."
"What helped you?"
"My training."
"My experience."
"My discipline."
Fernando nodded.
"Exactly."
Another wave crashed against the ship.
The windows rattled violently.
Fernando continued.
"Fear has never saved anyone. It only makes the battle harder."
Lubasi stared at him.
"So you're saying I shouldn't be afraid?"
"No."
Fernando shook his head.
"I'm saying you shouldn't let fear become your captain."
For a moment, neither man spoke.
The words settled heavily in Lubasi's mind.
Then suddenly the lights went out.
The entire ship was plunged into darkness.
A terrible scream echoed through the lounge.
And somewhere in the darkness, a child cried out for help.