Voicemail from the The Sewol - Korean “Sinking Ferry”

Can anyone hear me? This is Keong Min, from 축구 그룹 6, soccer team.

I hope someone is listening. I am trapped inside now. I am in ninth grade and my moms name is Kyung Min, my dads name is Kim.

We were on top of the ferry when we saw it rising behind us, a big fish. Or at first, we thought it was a big fish, or a whale. After a minute of staring into the ocean, we realized just how big it was; almost the size of a mountain under the water. It was only when it surfaced next to us that we realized pure evil.

It didn’t look like any fish we have seen. The seawater was pouring off of its dark grey flanks and jet-black eyeballs at tremendous rate, as though rivers cascading from mountains.

(gasp for air)

We saw it coming closer to us and it was larger than the ferry. This is a big ferry, too, built by Seoul Commisandre and much larger than any fish. Or so we thought.

When it came near to us, moving through the water without swimming, just gliding, we could feel and see the water displacement against our ferry. Even from a few hundred feet away, the thing began to pressure the boat and cause it to sway. As it drew even closer, we could -

(gasp for air)

Smell it. It was the worst smell i have ever smelled. Worse than garbage left behind our house, or when fish goes bad in the kitchen. Also we could see that there were massive barnacles on the the sides of the thing, some of them looked to be small houses.

The eyeballs were -

(gasp for air)

were horrible. They saw us, took us all in. Even as I began to run below decks, towards safety and the lifeboat deck, when the monster got closer and the waves started to rock us, I could see in those eyeballs the devil. They were giant, they were pitch black dark holes of death. I have only seen that look once before, in my big sisters eyes right before she jumped. She had turned around and looked at me, hated me, hated my family, and then fell back off of our balcony. I had never felt anything more intensely than that look, until I saw the hatred in this monsters eyes.

I was already below the third deck and almost to the lifeboat section when it rammed us, hard. It was like an earthquake, I imagine. I slipped to the side and bumped my head on a steel ferry wall, only barely able to stand once the first round of shaking stopped. There were loud screams from everywhere, blood curdling screams of my friends and other people dying, or being swept into the ocean.

I turned around to see water rushing down the long center hallway at me - a river of blue ocean water, and it looked cold and deep. I ran on, into one of the forward rooms and shut the door, yanking on the seal so it shut tight.

(gasp for air)

I sat alone in the dark of the room for a moment, listening to the muffled shouts from outside the door. Through a thick glass peep-hole, I could see my teammate, Kyong Sul, flail towards the door and start pounding, but the dark blue water had already overtaken him, and the last thing I saw was his eye and cheek pressed up against the glass slit, before he was scraped away into the darkness beyond.

At this point, the ship began to turn on its side, and I had to navigate the storage containers here so as not to fall. Eventually, the ship turned all the way upside down. Now, I believe I am sitting on the ceiling of this storage room.

It has been too long, and I am scared. There is pressure in this room. I feel like if I open the door to that water, I will greet death.

I am not ready to die. I am only a ninth grader at Mokpo Standard.

There is only darkness in this room, and air pressure. I am having a hard time breathing, sitting here on the ceiling.

Is anyone out there?

(gasp for air)

Can someone come get me please?