September 11, 1998
Please excuse my penmanship; I was forced to cut off my good writing hand with an ice hatchet. Frostbite had eaten its way into the bone. There was no blood.
My name is José Guardez and I am arguably the luckiest man alive. I am the sole survivor of a downed fishing vessel due east of the Falkland Islands. My shipmates, bless their souls, died one by one from the wind as we were blown for days towards Antarctica.
Somehow I survived.
What are the odds that in the middle of these horrendous winds I was able to find a cabin twenty feet from where I washed up? I am certainly a fortunate man. This old whaling hut has just about everything I need: radio, dried food, parkas, bedding, and a woodstove with fuel.
I may have chopped away my hand, but I am still alive. That is a gift.
Alabado sea El Señor!
September 15, 1998
The radio has been of little help. The band has gone silent. I spent hours pleading for someone to hear me through the static. No reply.
I did discover a broadcast, just a recording of people chanting in a crowd. They were shouting, “GAR-DEE-INN…GAR-DEE-INN!”
English word for guardián, perhaps?
September 21, 1998
I have begun to ration what is left of the canned herring. I can eat for about four more days and then I will begin to starve. They say a man can starve for two months and survive. If God has any mercy left, he will kill me earlier.
The storm is over, and outside is almost -- dare I say -- warm. I found a seal club underneath the bed. I pray that I may find something plump and fatty to kill by the shore.
September 29, 1998
Last night, while debating the merits of finding my frozen hand and eating it, I heard a loud knock on the door. My heart thumped and my brain boiled with fear. I hadn’t seen a soul in nearly a month.
When I opened the door, I saw no one. Only a bag by the foot of the door. The visitor’s tracks were blown away by the storm. I opened the sack and discovered a bottle of vodka and enough austromerluza to eat for a week. I tore into the fish like an animal.
I wonder if I'm a prisoner here.
October 1, 1998
Now, someone knocks on my door every night. I wait like a trained dog for their gifts. Today it was toilet paper. I have never missed anything more than I have missed toilet paper.
I’ve been hearing people chanting “GAR-DEE-INN” outside. The broadcast must have come from this forsaken hell. I do not trust the people living here, but I need to make contact if I am to survive.
My life is in their hands.
October 2, 1998
Today, there was a terrible storm. I passed the time meditating on my cot. My mind conjured up a leopard seal and it talked to me.
The seal and I were dancing in a grand, golden ballroom. She snuggled her whiskery face into my neck and hissed for me to get ready. She said I have to open the cabin door on the third knock.
I woke up and waited by the door. On the third knock I swung it open. In the door frame stood a man in a whaling parka. His hood was completely covered in ice. I could not see his face. In the distance were three other parka-people with torches. And -- I swear on my life -- I saw another man who was completely naked. He wore only a black bag on his head. He was dancing between the unmoving parka-people, waving a jagged hunting knife.
I read the thermometer. It was -46ºC
I was scared, but it didn’t stop me from begging this parka-man in front of my door to take me out of this hell. I sobbed at his feet. He stood there for a moment, listened, and walked away. They all did. I tried to follow, but I was not dressed for the storm.
I must be insane, por el amor de Dios, I must be insane!
October 3, 1998
Tonight I walked with the parka-people to the foot of the black mountain. The dagger man was not there. I begged, running back and forth between them. No one talked to me. They would not even look at me.
We arrived at a small circular foothill where hundreds of other worshippers were gathered. There was a woman. She too was naked except for a black bag on her head. She danced in the snow, waving a hunting knife. And after that she disemboweled herself. She never made a sound.
The crowd chanted, “GAR-DEE-INN…GAR-DEE-INN!”
I watched her blood pour into the snow. I watched the people chant. I was unable to move, frozen in my fear. I looked up into the sky and saw it erupt in waves of green, purple, and blue light. Then I fell asleep.
I awoke in my cabin, the wood stove ablaze. I can hear the voices of the parka-people.
October 8, 1998
When I received a knock on my door today, warmth spread through my limbs. The hunger vanished from my stomach. I wanted nothing. I needed nothing. I was complete.
The chanting started on my radio, "GAR-DEE-INN...GAR-DEE-INN!"
By the foot of the door was the ceremonial hunting knife and a black hood. The storm spilled down from the hills drenching the scenery in a vast, beautiful pale. All at once I understood my purpose. I am to become a guardián.
Tonight I will dance into the divine.
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I definitely accept. Thanks gmuxx!
I wonder if GAR DEE INN actually means guardian. What are they even guarding? I'm curious now, haha. I think you write really well. You definitely deserve more recognition! Do you actually speak spanish, though? "Alaba el Dios" sounds a bit unnatural, I'd say "Alabado sea El Señor" o "Alabado sea Dios", if I was religious, hahaha. I'm definitely following you, I really enjoyed reading this.
Ah! 'Alabado sea El Señor' is what I read on a blog somewhere. I had it in the draft, but then I chickened out and went with the google translate. Unfortunately, I don't speak any Spanish at all. Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to add that to the edit.
Thanks for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Hahaha Google Translate is a dangerous tool sometimes. If you ever need any help with Spanish in the future, don't hesitate to contact me, I'll be glad to help. Congrats on winning the contest! Definitely worthy of such an award.
Oh, I'll definitely take you up on that sometime. Thanks again. I can't wait to read your next entry.
Wow. I forgot I was reading there... it was like watching a movie. Great story!!!
Thanks Geke! I'm really happy you enjoyed it.
Great read. Though I like stories with a happy ending. I suppose he was thinking it was a happy ending.
Haha. That's one way of looking at it.
Congratulations! This story has been curated (late!) by The SFT. :-) A small SBD reward has been transferred to your wallet.
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Thanks SFT!
Wait!!!..could this be the best post i ever read on the internet ? !
Haha! What? Well, thanks man. It's not everyday that I get to read that on my comment board.
Love the Writing !! i enjoyed any moment ^ ^ Big Upvote :D And Follow :D
You are more then Welcome visit to My Page its about {Art and Drawing😊 }
Thanks so much. I checked out your drawings. They're fantastic! The shading and lighting is just amazing.
Thank you so much ^ ^
Happy you like it :D
Great post. May suggest putting a face to a profile, like an avatar or photo :)
Absolutely. I'm going to get around to doing that some time this weekend. It'll be up before the end of the weekend.
So interesting! I loved how you brought a new twist to the topic. Good luck!
Thanks. I was worried about leaving certain things obscured. I'm happy you liked it.
This post recieved an upvote from minnowpond. If you would like to recieve upvotes from minnowpond on all your posts, simply FOLLOW @minnowpond
Wonderful, just wonderful! I enjoyed that, best of luck in the contest amigo. Madre de dios!
Gracias! Thanks for reading, @pulpworks.
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Nice writing. I enjoyed reading the story :)
I'm certainly glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!
Good story. Nice creepy ending. The only thing I would add is what possessed these people to give themselves up this way. If you made it a horrifying reason that would be awesome. Still, your rhythm is great.
Thanks for reading @linkboltus. I'm happy you enjoyed it. I always appreciate the feedback.
awesome survival story !
Thanks @themevlog!
I had not read your entry for the contest, now after reading it I understand why you won. It was difficult, the level was very high I had the opportunity to read incredible stories. I loved your story.
Congratulations!
Congratulations @jordan.lesich, your wonderful entry won first prize!! Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed every line :)
Thank you so much, @v4vapid for putting this contest together. I'm really happy to have participated and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. That was a lot of fun.
Very entertaining and well written! I really liked the diary structure. It gives the story a good pace and it fits really well with the Antarctic theme.
Thanks for reading @miniaturetiger! It was my first diary structure story, and I was sort of apprehensive going into it. I'm happy you enjoyed the story.
Simply awesome! I want to howl about it! But all I can think to say is: Simply awesome!
Haha. Thanks.
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@jordan.lesich Thanks for sharing your activities with finding up and jogging. The 1st yrs tend to be the hardest. We are at our for six yrs non-halt.Carry on Performing at it. Perseverance and exertions tend to be the keys to results.
@jordan.lesich Your generate up is spectacular. Mad regard for sticking as a result of many of the hardships, Many of us would've Give up A great deal before..
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STOPOh the falklands!!!!