A towering ship sailed forward, cutting through the waves of the western ocean.Its destination was New York.Aboard the ship were a few passengers, heading from London to New York to begin a new life.Even within the ship, passengers were divided into two classes — the wealthy and the poor.The wealthy occupied the upper deck, while the poor stayed on the lower levels.Preparations were in full swing on the upper deck for a grand celebration — it was the birthday of a prominent businessman's daughter.Moreover, the clock was ticking toward midnight, when the new year would begin.Down below, the poor passengers were also making their own humble preparations to welcome the new year.They waited eagerly for the clock to strike twelve — like a cat waiting to pounce on a mouse.And finally, midnight arrived.The rich celebrated the new year and the birthday in their lavish way.The poor celebrated in their own modest style.
After the celebrations, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.The poor were all given a large hall with several cots to sleep in.After some time, the captain issued a message:Everyone was instructed to assemble in the main hall.Following the instruction, all the passengers gathered there.Even in the hall, the divide remained — the rich in the front, the poor in the back.Soon, the captain and his crew arrived at the hall.One of the passengers asked the captain:> "How long has it been since we got here? Where have you been all this time, Captain?"The captain replied:> "Let that be. I called you here for a reason."Then, addressing everyone:> "There's a problem. We're supposed to be heading west, from London to New York. But the compass isn't showing any direction."> "What do you mean?"> "Check your own compass if you have one," the captain said.The man took out his compass.The needle was spinning wildly.It wasn't pointing in any specific direction.A mix of confusion and fear spread across his face.> "We don't understand why the compass is behaving this way," the captain continued."But there's a bigger issue — we've lost radio contact. There's no signal to reach anyone."> "There's no need to panic. I just thought you should be informed. Everyone may now return to their rooms. By the time you wake up tomorrow, we'll be in New York."
The passengers returned to their rooms.The captain and his crew began trying to find a solution.That's when the weather suddenly turned.Rain and wind rose violently, and the waves became furious.The ship rocked hard as the ocean raged.The passengers began to panic.> "No one should leave their rooms! This is just a sudden weather change — it will calm down soon,"the captain tried to reassure them.The captain struggled desperately to keep the ship under control.> "Captain, look over there!"his assistant shouted in a trembling voice.Hearing this, the captain turned.What he saw was beyond belief — an impossible sight.Ahead, not far from the ship, stretching from the sea up to the sky, was a vast white light, waiting to swallow the ship.It looked like something that only existed in stories.It felt like death was standing right in front of them.The captain instinctively drew a cross with his hands.But in those final moments, what filled his mind wasn't the fear of death —it was the regret that his words to the passengers had become lies.As he stood frozen,a massive wave hurled the ship straight into the white light.---