Josef

The first of the winter storms arrived in the middle of November. It rained so hard and the wind blew so fiercely that Josef

and Ami stayed close to their cellar home. Each time they ventured out they were quickly soaked to the skin and had to fight

gale force winds to return to the cellar. Finding food became more difficult so that once again Josef was constantly hungry.

Ami’s coat lost its luster and began to take on the mangy look it had when Josef first encountered him.

The storm lasted three days and nights. When finally it abated and Josef emerged from the cellar he was appalled at the

devastation the storm had created. Many of the building shells that had been standing had toppled, trees were uprooted and

the streets were almost impassable morasses of mud.

As Josef searched for food he met no one on the streets. For once luck was with him, a restaurant close to his cellar

apparently had been deserted. Josef climbed through the opening where an entire window had been blown out, frame and

all. He filled his back-pack with several cans that had been left on the shelves as well as packages of cereal grain. He now

had enough to feed him and Ami for a week.

A week later another storm hit, this one more destructive than the previous one. The rains this time flooded all the

streets, causing more buildings to collapse. Two days after the storm began Josef had to abandon his cellar when it, too,

flooded.

It was desperation time once again. None of the remaining buildings were safe enough to provide shelter for more than

a day or two. Holding tightly to Ami’s leash Josef went out into the storm. The wind was blowing so hard Josef was forced to

walk towards the harbor, to go any other direction was impossible. By the time the harbor was reached both Josef and Ami

were drenched and shivering with cold.

Again, luck was with them. Josef spied a fishing boat tied up at the dock. There appeared to be no one on board. The

sea was crashing hard against the dock causing the boat to bounce up and down at its moorings. Josef realized that, if he

could climb aboard, the boat would be in constant motion, but at least it would be dry. As the boat rocked to and fro he had

to wait for the precise moment when boat and dock were both at the same level. When they were he jumped on board

pulling a reluctant Ami with him.

As Josef had feared, the boat rocked and rolled to such an extent that standing was difficult. By waiting for a time when

the boat was at a momentary pause between its hills and valleys he was able to open a door leading to the interior and

scramble inside with Ami. Closing the door again was another challenge.

It was a much more lavish fishing boat than any Josef had ever been aboard. Polished wood panels lined the

passageway. A small, well equipped galley on the port side was opposite an equally small bedroom equipped with upper

and lower bunks, and a tiny bathroom. Toward the bow a door opened into a tack room with all manner of fishing gear neatly

stowed away. Astern was a well stocked pantry, with enough food for weeks. Further exploration led to the discovery of a full

water tank and several tanks of gasoline to operate the galley stove.

In spite of the constant motion Josef felt he had discovered heaven. He quickly opened two cans of goulash and, without

attempting to heat them, gave the contents of one to Ami then ate the other himself. A biscuit of hardtack washed down by

several glasses of water completed his meal.

Sleep that night was almost impossible. Josef knew that if he tried sleeping on one of the bunks the motion of the boat

would soon have him on the floor. Lying on the floor was not much better until he lay down against a wall and got Ami to lie

down next to him on his other side. Ami was able to stay in one place as he slept and not roll back and forth, a condition

Josef had not been able to achieve.

When dawn arrived Josef noticed that the boat was not pitching as much. Also missing was the constant thump, thump

as the boat crashed against the dock.

As it was time to take Ami for a walk Josef opened the door to the deck. To his amazement the dock was nowhere in

sight. When he looked around him all he could see in all directions was a stormy sea in which waves almost twice as high as

the boat pushed the boat first one way then another. Josef realized that the boat had broken loose from its moorings during

the night and he was now at sea, in the middle of the worst storm he had ever seen.

When he tried to drag Ami on deck Ami balked and could not be budged. They would need to stay below until the storm

subsided. If Ami had to go in the meantime, so be it.

All day the storm buffeted them about. Each time Josef opened the door to check on outside conditions the wind blew

the door out of his hands and a deluge of water came in to soak him from head to toe. Throughout all this Ami lay on the floor

in the bunkroom and refused to move when Josef called. It was mid-day before Ami finally went into the galley and found a

corner to use for nature’s call. Josef used an empty can to sweep it up and flushed it down the toilet.

As afternoon approached the constant motion made Josef dizzy and nauseated. In his few other voyages in his

grandpapa’s boat he had not been seasick, but the sea on those occasions had always been calm, not wind-tossed and

stormy.

By late afternoon Josef had made two quick trips to the bathroom to throw up and then had to lie on the floor as he was

too weak to stand. He managed, toward evening, to get food and water for Ami but other than that he lay on his back with his

head spinning and his stomach growling.

By morning the dizziness had subsided somewhat and his stomach had settled down. Josef remembered his

grandmother’s often stated maxim, “The best thing for an upset stomach is a good cup of tea.” This prompted him to go into

the galley and fix himself a cup of tea and eat a piece of hardtack. This settled his stomach but the dizziness lingered.

After eating he again tried the door leading to the deck and discovered that the wind had calmed considerably. He was

able to open the door without being showered by sea water. It was still stormy, the waves still washed over the deck and the

wind blew hard enough to instantly chill Josef to the bone, but compared to the two previous days it was calm.

Most of the day was spent in the cabin, with an occasional trip to the galley for food. To help pass the time Josef began

a more thorough search of the boat. This led to his discovering a locker full of books under the bunks. The owner apparently

was a reader. Many of the books were copies in English of classics that had also been in Papa’s library at home. To his

pleasure he found a copy of “Robinson Crusoe.” Rereading this favorite of his helped settle his stomach but also made him

realize he was in a similar predicament. He had no idea where he was or what lay ahead. Perhaps he would crash on a

rocky island and have to survive the rigors the same way Robinson Crusoe did.

He knew this was bound to happen, perhaps soon, if the storm kept pushing the boat and he wasn’t able to control its

movements. Almost in tears at these thoughts he put the book aside and began a search for instruction manuals that would

help him operate the boat. There were none in the locker with the other books, they were all for pleasure reading. Maybe

there was a place topside where books of that type were kept.

If he went topside there was a danger that he would be washed overboard. To prevent this from happening Josef found

a length of rope in the tack room, tied one end to a rail on the lower bunk and the other end around his waist. This way, if a

wave knocked him over, the rope would prevent him from being washed into the sea.

In the cabin Josef found a chart locker which contained many charts and several manuals. To his disappointment they

were all in a language which was foreign to him, perhaps Greek. He wasn’t sure.

While in the cabin he looked around to see what equipment was there that he would be able to understand. There was a

compass, which his grandfather had taught him to read. This was gyrating wildly as the boat slewed around from the

buffeting of the storm. He remembered his grandfather once lashing the wheel in a fixed position so that it would keep the

boat heading in one direction. Once he had the engine running he could do that too, but first he had to learn how to start the

engine. Then he could decide which direction to take.

For now, he was exhausted from his exertions and still weak from his bout with sea-sickness. He returned to the bunk

room and again lay down on the floor. Ami crawled next to him and lay there whimpering.

The storm continued without letup for the next two days. Once each day Josef was able to heat some soup for himself on

the galley stove and to heat water for tea. Each time the constant rolling caused him to spill almost half of what he heated.

He also managed to feed Ami and to clean up after him. Finally, after five days, the storm subsided and Josef went on deck

to marvel at blue sky and almost no wind.

He climbed on top of the cabin so he could see in all directions. What he saw instantly terrified him. There, not more

than 1000 meters away was a rocky shoreline and the boat was headed directly toward it. Quickly, Josef went below and

threw all his possessions, and as much food as he could, into his knapsack. This time, when Josef called, Ami followed him

on deck without any whining.

To Josef’s horror the boat was even closer to the rocks. He could hear the thunderous roar the waves made as they

hurtled onto the rocks. The boat was sure to crash within the next few minutes taking Josef and Ami with it.

What should he do? If he stayed on the boat he would surely drown. If he jumped overboard he would be thrown on the

rocks and be killed, if he didn’t drown first.

Then he remembered he had seen some life preservers stowed away inside some lockers in the cabin. He retrieved

two of them, strapped one of them on himself and tied the other to his knapsack. He then tied the two life preservers

together, grasped Ami’s leash and jumped into the sea, pulling Ami with him as he did.

Josef was a strong swimmer and he knew the life preserver would keep him afloat. All he had to do was paddle away

from the boat. Then he would try to steer himself toward a section of the coast that had the fewest rocks.

When he landed in the water he immediately felt the shock of extreme cold. He would have to reach shore quickly or he

would become too cold to move and save himself. He started to swim but found he was not able to move his arms enough

while holding Ami’s leash and with his backpack attached to his life preserver. He had to save himself first. He released

Ami to let him find his own way to shore.

The waves crashed over Josef’s head, spinning him around so that he became dizzy and seasick again. He was no

longer sure which direction shore lay. He could only try to keep his head above water and pray that the action of the waves

would push him to shore.

Almost an hour went by before Josef felt his foot hit something under water. Then a few minutes later he felt another

bump. He was certain he was close to shore, but in which direction still puzzled him. He could feel his legs cramping up

from the cold and began kicking out with them to restore the circulation. When he did his feet touched bottom and he knew

he had made it to shore.

He pulled himself up far enough so the surf wouldn’t reach him and collapsed, too weary to go any farther. How long he

lay there Josef didn’t know but when he revived enough to look around he saw he was lying between two large rocks and the

sun was shining brightly overhead. When he tried to move he was very weak and not able to stand up. Ami lay a few feet

away, his head on Josef’s backpack.

Fearing the worst he crawled over to Ami, threw his arms around him and called his name. Ami slowly raised his head

and then let it drop back onto the backpack. Josef flung himself on Ami, tears streaming down his face. “Ami, Ami,” he

cried. He then began singing a lullaby Mama used to sing to him.

The sun soon dried Josef’s clothes and in doing so warmed him up. As he got warmer he felt stronger and was able to

stand. He called Ami and the two of them walked slowly farther away from the shore. From the top of a large rock Josef

could see in every direction. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. Perhaps he had followed Robinson Crusoe’s

example; maybe he was on a deserted island and would have to live off the land.

As he looked around what he saw didn’t look too friendly. Although there were many trees he could see no fruit or nut

trees, nor any sign of animal life. Only one encouraging sight met his eyes, off in the distance he could see a stream

glistening in the sun. At least he would have water.

He next looked toward the sea to see if there was any sign of the boat. Yes, there it was in plain sight, high up on the

rocks. He decided to see if he could get to the boat. He might find many useful items there that he could remove and take to

shore.

To his surprise the boat was high and dry, completely out of the water. Then it dawned on him. During the time he was

sleeping, when he first came ashore, the tide must have gone out. He would need to hurry so he could rescue as much as

possible before the tide came back in.

Reaching the boat was easy, getting on board would be a problem. The boat was lying part way on its port side so that

the deck slanted at a steep angle. The railing around the deck on that side was twice as high as Josef’s head. He would

need a rope and some way of tying it to the rail. Then, if he could imitate a monkey, he could climb up to the rail. With no

rope he had to find another answer.

He walked around the boat to the starboard side and there found what he might be able to use as an entry. On that side

was a large hole created when the boat crashed on the rocks. The hole was close enough to the keel that Josef, by

stretching as high as he could, was able to reach the lower edge. It took several attempts, and all his strength, but finally

Josef pulled himself up to the hole. All this time Ami kept circling at his feet, whining.

“I’ll be right back, Ami,” Josef called out. “Be a good dog and stay there.”

It was dark inside the hold. After his eyes adjusted to the dim light Josef began to explore his surroundings. Walking

was difficult; the surface was not only slanted, it was slick. As Josef moved from place to place he grasped for handholds on

spars or on anything within reach. Several times he slipped and slid a short distance before he was able to grasp something

and stop his slide.

Fifteen minutes passed before he reached the hatch leading to the upper part of the boat. Fortunately, this hatch wasn’t

bolted from above. Josef pushed it open and pulled himself through.

What he saw astounded him. Both the galley and the bunkroom were a shambles. To Josef it appeared that a giant had

used a large cudgel to destroy everything in sight. All the galley supplies were in a pile on the floor; all the pots and pans,

dishes, and other cooking items. The stove had been torn loose from the counter it was attached to. The water tank had

burst, soaking everything.

The bunk room was also a mess. The top bunk had collapsed onto the lower bunk. The mattress pads were sopping

wet. Josef was appalled.

He knew he had only an hour or so left to salvage what he could from the boat. After that the tide would start coming in

and he would have to abandon what was left. He needed some way to carry whatever he saved to higher ground. Perhaps

he could use the mattress pads as sleds.

With this in mind he dragged the two pads up to the deck and threw them over the side. He then rushed back down and

began stuffing everything he found that looked usable into two duffel bags he found in the tack room. Small items were

stuffed into his pockets and shirt, including all the dry matches he could find. From the tack room he also took several

lengths of rope and two plastic tarpaulins. When he was sure there was nothing else of value he pushed, pulled, and

dragged the duffels to the deck and toppled them over the rail to land next to the pads.

By this time he could see water lapping at the rocks at the stern of the boat. In no time the tide would be in. All the

goods he had saved had to be on higher ground before that happened.

When Josef jumped down next to the duffel bags Ami came running to him barking and wagging his tail furiously. Josef

quickly tied one “sled” behind the other and loaded one of the bags on each. As this made the load too heavy for him to pull

he untied the second sled. Moving as quickly as he could, he started off with the first sled. With every bump the bag rolled

off the sled. He solved this problem by tying a length of rope around the bag and the sled. This took valuable time. By the

time he returned for the second sled water was lapping around his ankles. Moving even more quickly he lashed the bag onto

the sled and almost ran with the sled on this turn.

After regaining his breath Josef looked with pride at the mound of goods he had salvaged. Whether they would all be of

value to him he wasn’t sure. With these valuables safe for the time being, as it was mid-afternoon he began looking for a

place to spend the night. Where he had stacked everything was too exposed, especially if it got stormy again.

He called Ami and walked to an area closer to the stream he had seen shortly after arriving on shore. He knew what he

needed had to be close to the stream but not too close in case of flood. He also wanted it to be on higher ground than the

stream. To his delight he found a place that looked perfect. Two large boulders, each twice as tall as Josef, tilted towards

each other on an open knoll about 20 meters from the stream. Under one there was room for Josef and Ami to sleep and

under the other room to make a fire. He rushed back to his sleds and pulled them, one at a time, over the rough, rocky

terrain to his “cave.” This took the rest of the afternoon; when he finished the sun was beginning to set.

Josef piled everything he could onto one pad and carried the other one into the cave. He next dug out a few cooking

utensils and enough food for supper and breakfast and covered everything else with one of the tarps. Large stones around

the edge helped secure the tarp from the wind.

Firewood was plentiful; it took only a few minutes to collect a large supply and stack it in the cave. By this time it was

almost dark and beginning to get cold. A large fire soon took the chill off. Josef opened two cans of goulash, gave one to

Ami and set the other can close to the fire to heat up for his supper.

After wolfing down the goulash he sat back and looked around him. He thought of how close he had come to death and

how fortunate he was to be alive. For the first time in months he prayed, thanking God for saving him.

As a blanket he wrapped a tarp around himself and called Ami to sleep beside him as he did on the boat. During the

night the wind came up and blew fiercely through the gap between the rocks. Josef, comfortable in his bed, slept through it.

He woke up early to another crisp, sunny day. A quick dip in the ice cold stream was refreshing. It also helped wash off

the grime that had built up during his week in the boat. Ami refused to go into the water; he pranced back and forth barking

and wagging his tail.

After a breakfast of hardtack and tea Josef returned to the high rock he had climbed the day before. The boat appeared

to be in the same place but it was now surrounded by water. He would need to watch for the tide to go back out. Then he

would return to the boat and see what else he could salvage.

In all other directions, all that was visible was tall trees. There were still no signs of humans or other life forms. The sea

shore, except in a few isolated places, was studded with rocks. One of those places must have been where Josef had found

his way to shore but he didn’t know which one.

As he was looking around he saw movement at the edge of the trees, near the stream. A small deer emerged and

began drinking from the stream. Josef was entranced. As he watched, the deer, startled by something Josef couldn’t see,

bounded off into the forest.

For the rest of the morning Josef worked around his cave. He sorted out all his worldly goods, separating food items

and packing the food in one of the duffels. Early in the afternoon, when the tide was almost all the way out, he returned to the

boat. He took one of the sleds with him, a duffel bag, and his empty backpack. When he climbed inside the hold was half full

of water. Because of the water, reaching the hatch cover was much more difficult.

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