Week 6 Storytelling: A Trip with Hank

It all started when I was drafted. I was originally an English teacher, but when duty called, I was drafted to lead some of the bravest men I have ever met. With these men,  we stormed Normandy in one of the most famous amphibious raids to have ever taken place. Even after this hellish session, I was sent on one of the worst fetching missions ever, traveling almost all of Europe to find a young man to bring him home to his family. I lost almost all of my men during this expedition, but I was able to survive and go home to live prosperously.

Not long after this war, I was drafted to another. This time Vietnam. Here I met my best friends Bubba and Lieutenant Dan. I remember specifically being ambushed one day, our unit being cut down in mere minutes. Summoning all of my strength and courage, I raced the injured away from the danger to an evacuation point. It was here where I lost Bubba, who died in my arms that day. Despite this, I was able to leave the military a decorated hero and make a fortune alongside Dan.

Despite my riches, I decided to buy myself a boat and be its captain. On my very first voyage, we were hijacked by a band of Somalian pirates. Using us as hostages, the pirates demanded money. Fortunately, I was able to persuade the head of the pirates to take me as the only hostage. Assured that I would die when leaving with the pirates, I was fortunately saved by the military. After this, I retired my captain's hat and continued to live off my fortune.

It wasn't long before I began to grow restless again. This time, I became a pilot. In the military, I was trained to fly helicopters and various bombers. I put this to good use by being one of the best pilots at my local airline. However, disaster struck on my 100th flight ever, when a goose flew directly into our plane's turbine. Where lesser men would have given up and began praying, I managed to guide the plane to nearby waters and land safely there, saving all those on board. Because of this, I was awarded with fame and riches that was even unheard of to me.

Despite having the most tumultuous time traveling, I decided to have one last trip, this time on a boat to relax. However, during our voyage, we were struck by storm. I awoke on a deserted island, scared and exhausted. It was there I lived for months, surviving on nothing but coconuts and the companionship of a volleyball that washed ashore. Needless to say, I had a dance with insanity during this time. Fortunately, after months of hardship, I was founded by a TV crew searching for lost treasures in abandoned islands. It was because of this TV show that my fame and fortune were reinvigorated.

Now, as an old, decrepit man, I tell you this story so that you may one day tell it as various blockbusters. My name is Tom Hanks, and this is my story.

Author's Note: I wanted to write a story in the style of Sinbad's Seven Voyages. In Sinbad's story, a seemingly ordinary man recalls all of his voyages that were all life and death situations. Whether it was facing a man-eating cyclops or a killer old man using him as a slave, Sinbad has been through such a gauntlet. Upon my first reading, the first thing that popped into my mind was the meme of Tom Hanks, that states something along the lines of "you never want to travel with guy", since many of his hit movies have him involved with various incidents that seem to play out in the end due to sheer luck.

Bibliography: The Voyages of Sinbad, The Arabian Nights: Andrew Lang. Link

(Tom's whole life in one picture:

Imgur)