Space & Time

Chapter 16- Wind Battered and Sunburnt

The day was getting unbearable with constant exposure to the elements. Boris had

paddled for the better part of the morning and now Svetlana was approaching exhaustion, as her

turn was almost up.

Eva was getting ready to take the paddle, she spoke to Boris, "Boris, check our flare gun

to make sure it is ready to fire if we see a boat." He complies and opens the small plastic box

containing the flares and flare gun, examining it to make sure it is dry and functional. The flares

look undamaged so he starts to return the contents to the container.

He speaks to Eva, "All good with the flare gun, anything else you need me to... whoa, oh

no!" He abruptly ends his sentence as his finger accidentally bumps the trigger and launches a

red-hot flare into the bottom of the raft.

"Put it out, put it out!" Eva frantically yells at him. Boris goes to grab it but the flare has

melted to the rubber of the raft around the flame. Now yanking with all of his might, Boris pulls

the flare up, tearing the bottom of the raft along with it and throws the bright glowing red stick

over the side. The waterproof flame illuminates the water around it as it sinks to the bottom.

"Boris, why do you have to muck everything up?" his sister ask him rhetorically. Now

the seawater is seeping into the raft through the four-inch hole Boris created.

As the flow of water increases, Boris starts scooping the water with his hands shaped like

a cup to throw it over the side. His efforts can‟t keep pace with the flow of water in through the

hole. Eva and Svetlana look around for something to use to complete a quick repair and stay

afloat. Svetlana stops and looks at Eva, not really at Eva but in her direction and past her.

Eva looks back at her, "What are you looking at?"

Svetlana replies, "Over there that looks like something reflecting the sun it looks like it

could be a boat."

Eva spins around then squints her eyes and looks into the distance, "It is a boat, quick get

the flare gun before your brother drops it over the side!"

Svetlana grabs the gun and loads a flare into it. Holding it above her head, she shoots a

flare high into the sky and quickly loads another to repeat the process. Eva grabbed the paddle

while Svetlana was shooting the flares and is now paddling the raft towards the ship. Boris is

still trying to act as a human bilge pump, focusing on the water coming into the raft and

wondering why the others are so excited.

*****

On the deck of the R/V Neil Armstrong operated by the Woods Hole Scientific Institute,

working in the Atlantic Ocean along the Gulf Stream, the ships mate Tom Everett caught sight of

two bright red flares arcing through the sky due west on the port side of the ship. Tom got on his

two-way radio to the bridge and communicated the sighting to the Captain. The news surprised