The island that was not there

The ship smashed upon the rocks,
Splintering like broken glass in the darkness.
All aboard were lost to the ocean,
All but one.

Adam, the sleeper, suddenly awoke
Within churning, icy black waves.
The night sky above seemed unnatural.
It raged with a destructive storm.

Lightning flashed,
Thunder rolled,
And rain struck the waves like razors.

The sleeper’s lifeless shipmates
Surrounded him.
Most drifted face down among the waves,
While others lay scattered,
Their broken bodies dashed upon the rocks.

Without warning,
A massive wave struck Adam,
Dragging him beneath the surface.

He fought his way back up,
Gasping for air.

Through the rain and darkness, he saw
An opening in the rocks.
A partly submerged cave.

Fighting the waves,
He swam towards it,
Then dived beneath the surface once more.

He entered the cave,
Where an immense current seized him,
Dragging him into the darkness.

His body was thrashed like a ragdoll,
Hurled against the unseen walls,
Before he burst to the surface again,
Gasping for breath.

He found himself inside a small cavern.

Somehow, he found the strength
To drag himself free of the water
And onto a dry stone floor.

Here, he could shelter
From the storm outside.
A respite from the crashing waves,
An escape from impending death.

His body exhausted.
His mind empty.

For the first time since the ship struck the rocks,
He was safe from the sea.

And Adam slept.