under these circumstances. I’m not sure how long it will be before we are rescued, but if it’s okay with you, I can make a bag from one of the rafts so when they do come, we can take her with us.”
Hiroshi nods and turns to face Noah. “Yes, that needs to be done and I appreciate the offer, but I will do it. Besides, you have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“You should take this.” Noah unclips his sheath and knife and hands it to Hiroshi. “If you need any help whatsoever, just let me know.”
Hiroshi takes the knife and lowers his head. Noah gives him a reassuring pat on his back and turns toward the raft. From his position he can see the beginnings of a fire and it brings a small smile to his face. Evelyn and Luna still hover over the injured man.
“How is it going?” he asks.
“Surprisingly well, all things considered,” replies Evelyn dabbing her forehead with the crook of her right arm. “We should have this wrapped up in another ten minutes.”
“Fantastic,” he replies.
Reaching in the raft, he takes Evelyn’s knife from her backpack and unfastens the Velcro straps binding the two rafts together. He flips the empty raft over and cuts a large rectangle from its underbelly. As he finishes, he hears the sound of shuffling sand and looks up to see one of the volunteers walking toward him, holding two long stocks of bamboo and the hand axe he had lent him.
“Good timing,” Noah declares. He extends his arms to grab the poles and carefully inspects the cut sections. “This is fine work, thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
The man smiles. “My name is Jacob Turner and, quite honestly, it’s the least I could do for you, sir.”
Noah drops the two poles on the beach and extends his hand. “Please, call me Noah. I don’t go by sir anymore.”
They share a vigorous handshake and Jacob says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Noah. You should know that I am in your debt, from here on out. If it wasn’t for you, I’m certain I would have died in that crash. I’m not sure if you realize it, but it was me who told you to go back to your seat. When you pulled me down, I slid into Section Two. So when the ship dropped, I was thrown into an empty flight station that was thankfully right next to me. Otherwise I would have suffered the same fate as my crewmates. I watched several of them be thrown about the cabin.” His voice trails off as he recounts the harrowing memory.
Noah pulls out a penlight from his pocket and shines the light to study the young man. He notices his shirt is tattered and torn in several places and the top three buttons are undone and two of them have disappeared. The red tie is no longer around his neck, stuffed instead in his front trouser pocket with a portion of it poking out. A large bloodstain is across the front of his once crisp, white linen shirt.
“I see. And am I responsible for that broken nose, too?”
Jacob snickers. “Yes, I suppose that you are, but it’s a small price to pay for one’s life. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Noah shrugs. “Make sure you see my wife about that nose of yours, and I have a clean shirt that I can give you from my pack. In the meantime, will you help me with this?” Noah motions to the poles on the ground. Jacob agrees, and together they lay the cutout from the raft over them and fold and refold the raft sheet around the two poles, creating a makeshift stretcher for the injured man. Evelyn calls out that Jeremy is ready to be transported. With Jacob’s assistance, they place him on the stretcher and carry him inside the tent. The man is unconscious, drenched in sweat and as pale as the moon.
When he exits the tent, Noah finds everyone gathered around the fire, which has grown to a full blaze. They are huddled closely together, several of them attempting to dry their clothing, while others stare silently into the flames. Their faces carry the terrible burden of the day’s events. Noah leaves them to their
Hiroshi nods and turns to face Noah. “Yes, that needs to be done and I appreciate the offer, but I will do it. Besides, you have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“You should take this.” Noah unclips his sheath and knife and hands it to Hiroshi. “If you need any help whatsoever, just let me know.”
Hiroshi takes the knife and lowers his head. Noah gives him a reassuring pat on his back and turns toward the raft. From his position he can see the beginnings of a fire and it brings a small smile to his face. Evelyn and Luna still hover over the injured man.
“How is it going?” he asks.
“Surprisingly well, all things considered,” replies Evelyn dabbing her forehead with the crook of her right arm. “We should have this wrapped up in another ten minutes.”
“Fantastic,” he replies.
Reaching in the raft, he takes Evelyn’s knife from her backpack and unfastens the Velcro straps binding the two rafts together. He flips the empty raft over and cuts a large rectangle from its underbelly. As he finishes, he hears the sound of shuffling sand and looks up to see one of the volunteers walking toward him, holding two long stocks of bamboo and the hand axe he had lent him.
“Good timing,” Noah declares. He extends his arms to grab the poles and carefully inspects the cut sections. “This is fine work, thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
The man smiles. “My name is Jacob Turner and, quite honestly, it’s the least I could do for you, sir.”
Noah drops the two poles on the beach and extends his hand. “Please, call me Noah. I don’t go by sir anymore.”
They share a vigorous handshake and Jacob says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Noah. You should know that I am in your debt, from here on out. If it wasn’t for you, I’m certain I would have died in that crash. I’m not sure if you realize it, but it was me who told you to go back to your seat. When you pulled me down, I slid into Section Two. So when the ship dropped, I was thrown into an empty flight station that was thankfully right next to me. Otherwise I would have suffered the same fate as my crewmates. I watched several of them be thrown about the cabin.” His voice trails off as he recounts the harrowing memory.
Noah pulls out a penlight from his pocket and shines the light to study the young man. He notices his shirt is tattered and torn in several places and the top three buttons are undone and two of them have disappeared. The red tie is no longer around his neck, stuffed instead in his front trouser pocket with a portion of it poking out. A large bloodstain is across the front of his once crisp, white linen shirt.
“I see. And am I responsible for that broken nose, too?”
Jacob snickers. “Yes, I suppose that you are, but it’s a small price to pay for one’s life. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Noah shrugs. “Make sure you see my wife about that nose of yours, and I have a clean shirt that I can give you from my pack. In the meantime, will you help me with this?” Noah motions to the poles on the ground. Jacob agrees, and together they lay the cutout from the raft over them and fold and refold the raft sheet around the two poles, creating a makeshift stretcher for the injured man. Evelyn calls out that Jeremy is ready to be transported. With Jacob’s assistance, they place him on the stretcher and carry him inside the tent. The man is unconscious, drenched in sweat and as pale as the moon.
When he exits the tent, Noah finds everyone gathered around the fire, which has grown to a full blaze. They are huddled closely together, several of them attempting to dry their clothing, while others stare silently into the flames. Their faces carry the terrible burden of the day’s events. Noah leaves them to their
Similar Books
