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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780595402816 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 11/21/2006 |
| Pages: | 140 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.33(d) |
Read an Excerpt
Lost At Sea
A NovelBy Jason Payne
iUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2006 Jason PayneAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-595-40281-6
Chapter One
CAST OFF
"Hey Brian," yelled Josh, a tall 13 year old white boy with brown hair, running to catch him. Brian turned around. "My mom said that it's okay for me to go as long as you have me home by 8:30 pm."
"Don't worry," said Brian. "The trip takes about eight hours. Meet me at the beach at 8:00 tomorrow morning."
"OK," said Josh. "Who all's going?"
Brian thought for a moment. "Timmy as first mate, Rusty, Glenn, Chris, Michael, Thomas, Jeff, and Darwin all agreed to go."
"10 people," exclaimed Josh.
"My dad's boat can hold 15 people," replied Brian.
"But aren't Jeff and Darwin a little young? They're only ten," said Josh.
"Jeff's very mature for his age, and you couldn't pry Darwin away from an adventure like this! Besides, their parents said that they could go," said Brian, shrugging. He thought for a moment and then added, "There were supposed to be two more, but Charles is out of town, and Dennis is sick."
Josh was saddened that Charles Andreas, his best friend, could not come along on the trip.
"Well, it should still be a nice boating trip," said Josh.
Brian nodded in agreement.
No one knew what dangers would await the unfortunate adventurers.
When Josh arrived the next morning he saw the ship. It had four sails and one oar one each side. It had a lower deck in the middle and high decks on each end. On the top front deck was the steering wheel. Behind it was a padded swivel chair nailed to the floor.
"My dad calls it the Drifter," said Brian. Brian's dad had retired from the navy.
Brian had his captain's hat and binoculars (which he called his "spy glass"). He lowered a plank and said, "All aboard."
Josh was first with Darwin behind him. Brian went to the lower deck and opened a door. Inside was a large room underneath.
"It's a storage hold," said Brian. "We can keep food and a bunch of other stuff in there. See those barrels? They hold water in case of an emergency. One barrel is full now. There's also a large, fully stocked first aid kit."
"Chris," called a voice.
"Oh-no," groaned Michael.
It was Chris's little brother, Freddy; "the brattiest brat in town." His best friend, William was with him. William was known as "the town wimp." Josh wasn't sure why. He didn't really know William. Both boys had snow-white blond hair; though Freddy's hair was curly.
"Take me with you," begged Freddy.
"No!" said Chris. "Go home!"
"No!" said Freddy.
"Go home," commanded Chris. "You and William go home!"
"I'll play your keyboards," said Freddy.
Chris's keyboards were his most prized possession. He definitely didn't want his little brother around them. Chris looked at Brian who sighed.
"Okay fine," said Chris, wearily.
Everyone groaned.
"And William, too," said Freddy.
"Does William's mom know about this?" asked Brian.
William, without a word, handed Brian a note from his mom that asked Brian for permission to have William accompany Freddy on the trip.
"All right," said Brian, at last. "But you both have to do exactly what I tell you to, and when I tell you to do it!"
Josh sighed. He wasn't looking forward to having Freddy along. Again, he didn't know much about William.
"How did your mom find out about the trip, anyway," Timmy asked William.
"I told her," said Freddy, quite pleased with himself.
"That figures," said Michael.
Josh sat on the floor of the Drifter as it moved into the Pacific Ocean. Brian, the oldest at 14 years old, was sitting in the "command chair" on the top front deck steering. Timmy and Rusty were rowing.
"The wind's picking up," called Darwin. Darwin a white boy with black hair and green eyes, was a super-hyperactive little guy and was by nature a happygo lucky kid. He also had some of the sharpest ears in town.
"All right, stop rowing," said Brian.
So the wind pushed the Drifter down the ocean bank.
At 12:00 noon the Drifter was right on schedule. The boys went to the lower deck to eat lunch. Everyone had packed their own lunch, and several of them had packed rather large lunches in case some of the kids became hungry later.
"Put what we don't eat back into the storage hold," said Brian.
Josh was hungry and enjoyed the meal. There was plenty left over, of course, so the kids put the leftovers into the storage hold.
The journey down the ocean bank was to go about 20 miles past the town limits. That's where the town's only river emptied into the Pacific Ocean. The Drifter would have to sail up the river to get back home. The only alternative was to try to go against the tide to go back the way that they had come, but that was unnecessary. The river was definitely the way to go.
"Can you get us down the river?" asked Jeff, a white boy with dark brown hair who was both mature and smart.
"Sure," replied Brian. "With the steering wheel, it'll be no problem!"
Chapter Two
THE STORM
"Approaching the river in ten minutes," called Brian.
It was 1:30 according to Josh's waterproof watch.
"We're right on schedule," said Timmy.
Brian's schedule said that they would come to the mouth of the river at around 1:45. The Drifter was right on schedule.
"Isn't it dark for 1:30 pm?" asked Rusty, a tough 13 year old red-haired boy with normal size, but abnormal strength. He was smart, but he also had a bad temper.
"He's right," said Thomas, quietly. He was an 11 year old blond boy who had an infectious smile and a helpful attitude.
Everyone looked up. Indeed he was.
"That looks like storm clouds," said Timmy, stating the obvious. Timmy, a 13 year old blond kid with "questionable intelligence", usually did that, which didn't help him shed his reputation.
"We'd better turn around," said Michael, a 12 year old black kid with a bad temper who was Rusty's best friend.
"It'd take us longer to go against the wind," said Brian. "At least on the river we'll be moving with the current."
"Then we might as well finish," concluded Chris. Chris was a 12 year old blond boy who was tall for his age. He was brave, but not as tough as he thought himself to be.
Brian nodded. "Besides, turning around would make us run head on into the storm," he said.
Then the wind started to blow the Drifter faster. The waves got higher and stronger.
"Get the sails down," yelled Jeff.
"And hurry," added Thomas.
Glenn, Chris and Michael ran over to the sails, but before they could do anything Brian stopped them.
"They don't come down," said Brian, calmly.
Michael, however, went hysterical. "They don't come down!" he yelled.
"What kind of boat is this, Brian?" "Homemade," replied Darwin.
Brian didn't answer.
Josh was scared. Suppose the Drifter ran aground and broke apart? They could all drown!
"Can we land?" asked Glenn, a 13 year old black kid who was small for his age, but was smart, brave, and tough.
"The wind won't let us without crashing the boat," said Brian, still calm.
"We'll have to rough it."
There was a flash in the sky.
"Lightning," cried Jeff.
"I wanna go home," cried Freddy.
"Shut up," yelled Chris, angrily.
KA-BOOM!
At the sound of the thunder, Jeff and Thomas hit the deck, Freddy started to wail, and William let out the loudest ear-piercing scream that drowned out everything for a moment. William was shaking terribly.
Josh's fear rose. Suppose lightning struck the sails which were stuck up there? Suppose lightning struck the Drifter itself?
I wish I wasn't such a pessimist, thought Josh.
A wave crashed into the Drifter rocking it and swaying it. Josh lost his balance. Wave after wave crashed into the boat, tumbling its passengers. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.
"Everyone down," ordered Brian.
"Brian, you missed the river," cried Timmy, in a panic. "You missed the turn!"
Brian, fighting hard with the wheel, replied calmly, but sharply, "I'm trying to get us there, but I don't want to crash doing it! Let me handle that! You make sure that everyone's down and safe!"
"Aye skipper," replied Timmy, chagrined.
"I hear something," said Darwin, about ten seconds later. He turned around. "Here comes a gigantic one!" he yelled.
Josh turned around. Heading straight for them was a humongous wave! William drowned out the sound of the wave with his subsequent scream.
"Quickly, everyone into the storage hold," shouted Brian, with authority.
Everyone quickly ran to the storage hold on the lower deck. Josh was one of the first ones in. Brian came in last.
About two seconds after Brian shut the door the wave struck the Drifter. The ship went into a spin. Josh was flying all over the place. People were screaming and crying. Josh's last memory was of himself tumbling in a circle spinning up and down and around and around and upside down. He was screaming, but he wasn't sure if any noise was coming out.
When Josh came to he was lying face down in the storage hold. It took a full minute for him to collect his thoughts. Josh looked around, but he didn't see anyone. He went outside onto the deck. Everyone looked at him. They seemed worried.
"It's about time you woke up," said Jeff. "You've been out for quite awhile."
Josh looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"We're dead meat," said Thomas.
"What's wrong," Josh asked again.
"That big wave blew us out into the ocean," said Brian. "We got so turned around I don't know how to get back. There's no land in sight. We lost two of our sails."
"I'm hungry, and I wanna go home," whined Freddy.
"I'm hungry, too," said Jeff.
"And me," added Chris.
"So am I," said Thomas.
"We all are," snapped Rusty.
"What time is it," Brian asked Josh, trying to avoid the issue of concern.
"6:11 pm," replied Josh, checking his watch. He was the only one who had a watch.
"We have a lot of leftovers in that storage thing," said Timmy.
"Eat and drink sparingly," said Brian. "Until we find land somewhere that's all the food and water we have in the world!"
Chapter Three
LOST!
For the moment the Drifter stayed put. The reason was because Brian said that it was better to stay in one place and wait for help.
"If we don't find land somewhere, we'll starve," said Michael.
"We should try to find land somewhere," said Thomas.
"The sooner we do, the sooner we'll have food and water," reasoned Chris.
"Maybe," replied Glenn, skeptically.
"I don't think we should just sit here, Brian," said Timmy.
Eventually Brian got wore down by the complaints. "You guys have no idea what you're asking me to do," he said.
"We're telling you to find land," said Michael.
"I know that," snapped Brian, sternly, with a glare that could freeze water.
"However, you're making a big mistake!" "We've got to do something," argued Timmy.
"Okay, we'll put it up for a vote; majority rules," said Brian.
Everyone agreed.
"Who votes to stay put?" asked Brian.
Brian, Rusty, Josh, Glenn, and Jeff raised their hands.
"Five," said Brian, slowly. "Who votes to go find land?"
Timmy, Chris, Michael, Thomas, Darwin, Freddy, and William all voted to find land. Brian turned pale.
"Seven," he said, resignedly. "Okay, you guys are making a big mistake, but we'll try to find land."
The boys cheered as Brian went to raise the anchor.
"I think the others are making a mistake too," Jeff told Rusty, Josh, and Glenn.
They nodded, but Josh knew that there was nothing that he could do about it.
Despite the small meal, Josh was starved.
"This reminds me of a story I read about shipwrecked sailors," said Darwin. "I mean 11 kids lost at sea; great topic for a movie."
"Darwin, this is serious," said Josh. "We are stuck out here in the middle of nowhere and starving at that! We could all die!"
William started trembling and whining.
"I agree, William," said Thomas.
Chris nodded in approval.
"I understand what you're saying," said Darwin, "but it's still something to think about."
Josh was thinking about how worried his parents were going to be. It was 8:18 pm and he was nowhere near home!
An hour or two later, Josh lay down on the deck and went to sleep.
Josh awoke at 7:23 the next morning. He had hoped that all that had happened the last day had been a bad dream, but when he awoke and saw the blue skies and heard the sound of the waves he was disappointed.
Everyone else was still asleep. Brian had fallen asleep in the chair. Josh slowly walked toward him. Brian stirred and awoke.
"Good morning, Josh," he said.
"I had hoped I was dreaming," said Josh.
"No. This is reality. Welcome to it," said Brian.
"We shouldn't have listened to the others and left," said Josh.
"I know," said Brian. "Too late now, though. We might as well keep searching."
"What are our chances of finding land?" asked Josh.
"Well, my dad once told me that there are over a thousand islands in the Pacific Ocean. I don't know if he was exaggerating or not," said Brian, "but our only hope is to find one of them before all of our food and water run out."
Brian continued to steer the Drifter as he looked for land through the spy glass. The others became restless as they watched him.
"Why are we going so slowly?" asked Chris, disgustedly. "Can't we go any faster?"
"No," said Brian, calmly. "Not only are we missing two sails, but the wind's not blowing much. One set of oars is not going to move this ship very fast by itself, no matter how strong Rusty and Glenn are!"
The boys were also becoming hungry; quite hungry. Freddy was particularly vocal about it.
"I'm hungry! When are we going to eat?" he asked.
"I don't know, Freddy," said Chris. "I'm wondering that myself!"
"When can we eat, Brian?" asked Jeff.
"Yeah, it seems like everyone's very hungry," said Timmy.
"You'll eat when I tell you," replied Brian, firmly, "and I will hand out the portions!"
Brian allowed everyone to have one mealtime at noon. That was much less than filling.
"I want more," whined Freddy.
"You can't have anymore," said Brian.
"But I'm hungry," cried Freddy. He stomped his foot and yelled, "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!"
"So is everyone," replied Rusty, angrily, "but no one can eat anything else—including you, Freddy!"
Freddy kicked him.
"Freddy, if you don't behave, I'm going to toss you into the water and leave you there," said Brian, calmly but firmly.
Freddy whined, but he didn't say anything else.
Freddy's silence didn't last. He just didn't complain when Brian could hear him. Instead it was Chris getting the earful.
"I'm hungry, and I wanna go home," cried Freddy.
"So do I, Freddy," replied Chris. "So does William. So does everyone, but we're lost, and we can't get back."
The thing that struck Josh was that he really felt like Freddy, and he knew that everyone, including Brian, was very hungry, too.
Josh looked out at the ocean. The wind had picked up, meaning that the Drifter was finally moving a lot faster. Still, he had little hope that they would ever find land. Josh sighed sadly as depression set in. For now he was able to fight back his tears.
That evening, Josh went to sleep tired, but very hungry.
This is torture, he thought. I'm doomed to die out here, and I'm only 13 years old!
The words rung in his brain: "Dead at age 13; dead at age 13; Josh McCullen: dead at age 13!"
Josh screamed aloud.
"What's wrong, besides the obvious?" asked Timmy.
"Just a nightmare," said Josh, wearily.
"A lot of those are going round lately," said Chris.
Thomas and Jeff both nodded.
"Are you okay now?" asked Chris.
Josh nodded and went back to sleep.
Chapter Four
LAND HO!
"Land Ho!"
Brian's words threw Josh out of his sleep. It was still dusk outside. Everyone ran to the top front deck. Brian was standing there, looking through his "spy glass."
Josh strained to see something, but could not.
"Let me see," said Timmy. He looked through the glass. "There it is," he said, pointing. "It's land!"
"Doesn't look like home," said Jeff, softly.
"So what? It's land," said Michael.
"With food," added Thomas.
"Hopefully," said Glenn.
"The first thing we need to do is look for shelter," said Brian.
"What about food?" asked Freddy.
"We'll look for that first thing in the morning," said Timmy.
"Right," said Brian.
8:42 pm: The Drifter prepared to dock.
"Suppose this island is inhabited by hostile natives?" asked Jeff, probably to Darwin.
"I'd be an exciting adventure," replied Darwin.
"To say the least," said Chris.
Darwin continued, "Us getting shipwrecked on an island with hostile natives! If I made a movie I'd make millions; especially if it's a true story!"
"Darwin, have you flipped?" asked Josh.
"The strain has unhinged his mind," said Michael.
"Nah," said Thomas. "Darwin's just being Darwin."
Jeff nodded, smiling.
"Darwin, we may never get back to put the idea on a computer," said Chris.
William shook again as he cuddled by Freddy.
Josh sighed. He couldn't see how Darwin could think of things like that when their very existence could be destroyed at any moment. Maybe Thomas and Jeff were right (after all Jeff and Darwin were the best of friends); maybe Darwin was just being Darwin.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Lost At Sea by Jason Payne Copyright © 2006 by Jason Payne. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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