Raising A Human

He walks beside the raft in shallow waters. His waist is above the water level. The sea becomes shallower with each step that he takes. His right hand grips the raft, and his legs push forward, towards the white sandy beach. He is almost home.

His eyes scan the island. The scene would make a nice post card. Two large rocks of volcanic material stand as dark sentinels upon the beach. They are spaced apart by about twenty-five meters. Behind each rock, grows a lone palm tree. Beyond the rock and trees, the white sands stretch towards the green growth of a small forest. Beyond the green growth there are a few rocky peaks.

He drags the raft with him as he leaves the water and travels to higher ground. The survival vessel’s parts will assist his needs, while he waits for help. He can only hope that someone, somewhere, is looking for survivors.

He thinks of his two lost crew mates. He wishes that he knew their names. The lone survivor feels a sting of guilt, realizing that their combined efforts helped him make it this far, to the island, to safety. He will remember them and thank them once he sets up camp.

He drops the raft in the soft sand, near a small outcropping of black rocks. He allows his body to slump down against the raft. He enjoys feeling the solid ground beneath him. It is a relief from the rocking motion that is still moving in his head. He is tempted to close his eyes for a minute but resists the urge.

He locates the position of the sun. There are four, maybe five hours until nightfall. That is enough time to access his resources and set up some type of camp. He searches the pieces of the raft, looking for any helpful items.

He discovers that each life jacket has several zippered pockets. As he searches through the pockets, his thoughts drift to the events of the last few days.

He is Moshe Sankara, a United Nations delegate for his West African country, Burkina Faso. He has served in a government appointed position for the last four years. Currently, he serves as Secretary of Environment.

He had just arrived in a small coastal country, which had been ravaged by a tropical storm, two weeks earlier. He and three other United Nations Delegates had been sent to access the situation and coordinate relief efforts.

The storm hit the first night that they arrived. Their journey by automobile from the airport to their boarding accommodations was interrupted. The city’s main levy had broken, and all roadways were flooding. The delegates traveled back to the airport and were met by military personnel. A city-wide evacuation was underway.

The helicopter landed on the deck of a ship. As the survivors were being escorted inside the vessel, Moshe recognized that they were on a cruise ship. “But of course,” he thought, “all cruise ships have been docked for months now, due to the climate emergency.”

With the many extreme weather events that have been occurring, rescue vessels are in a higher demand than can be met. Government agencies have seized control of passenger transportation systems, to assist in the many, ongoing relief efforts.

Military personnel escorted the refugees to their sleeping accommodations. Moshe was surprised to be placed in a room of his own, with his own bathroom and bed.

He does not remember the exact moment that the vessel capsized, he only remembers being thrown from the bed and against the walls, ceiling, and deck. The frantic swim down the hallway to find higher ground seems like a dream now. Throughout that dark night, over and over, he had the same thought arise, “So, this is how I will die.” It was a night of fear and soul searching.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Moshe spreads before him the items recovered from his search. Whoever stuffed the pockets full of such helpful items, should be commended. The treasures laid in front of him, will help keep him alive.

Items recovered: two empty, bottle shaped, plastic containers with lids, one plastic bottle of water that is still sealed, two fire starter kits, a Swiss army knife, three thin thermal protection blankets, one small first aid kit, it even has aspirins, and six small packages of peanuts. Moshe smiles at his good fortune.

In the middle of a half circle of lava rocks, that are jutting up from the sand, he arranges a blanket flat, on level ground. He places his survival gear in the middle of the blanket. For now, this will be his camp. He reaches for the bottled water and a package of peanuts. Though he knows he must conserve his limited resources, he is famished and thirsty.

He enjoys the meager meal. He rises to explore his surroundings. He travels towards the sea to scan the shoreline. From his view of the sun’s position in the sky, he has determined his directions. To the south, the beach stretches for many kilometers. To the north he sees a rocky cliff that rises forty or fifty meters. Later, once he has a camp established, he will explore the top of that cliff and the southern beach.

As he walks toward the forest, he slows his pace. His eyes survey the surroundings, and he considers the camp’s layout. He stops and thinks of items he will need to complete his camp. He will search for water, firewood, fallen tree limbs straight enough to construct a crude shelter, and maybe find something to eat. He collects the plastic containers and the knife. Moshe walks toward the forest.

The sandy area of the beach is scattered with a few palm trees and tuffs of grass. He cannot identify the trees and plants that he encounters in the forest. He walks towards a tall patch of cane type plants. Some of the cane stalks are taller than his height. He sees old growth that can be easily collected. He breaks and kicks some of the pieces loose.

Though they are not bamboo, the cane pieces seem strong enough to withstand the light weight of the thin thermal blankets. He gathers eight long pieces and walks them back to the sandy area. He drops them there, planning to transport them to his camp, after he does a bit more exploring. He picks up a cane stalk to use as a walking stick, or as a defensive weapon. He may encounter wildlife in the deeper forest.

Further into the green growth, he begins thinking of the types of creatures that might live on this island. Reptiles, birds, perhaps even monkeys, or other mammals? Some, he may can consume for nourishment. Some may want to eat him.

He journeys deeper into the dense growth of trees. He hears a delightful sound, running water. He moves in that direction. He comes upon a small pond. The water is trickling down the cliff of a rocky hill, probably from an underground stream. The hill rises for about five meters. To the south of the pond, the water flows down a thin and shallow stream towards the beach.

He kneels beside the pond and scoops both hands into the water. He brings the water to his face and sniffs it. He touches his tongue to the water and tastes it. He decides it is safe to drink. He drinks deeply, washes his face and the wound on his arm, and fills the plastic containers.

A foreboding feeling comes upon him. He is suddenly aware of danger. He stands to his feet and grips the long cane stalk. Something is here, close by, he can feel it. This awareness has been a reoccurring event for his entire life. Even as a child, Moshe has experienced the ability to sense things that are about to happen. He has learned to trust this intuition. His senses scan in all directions.

Across the pond, he sees movement in a patch of tall grass. It is a creature that has black and tan coloring. It is some type of cat, though larger than a domesticated feline. Possibly a leopard. It is certainly too small to be a tiger. Moshe’s heart is pounding in his chest. He holds the cane stalk in a weapon stance.

The creature breaks through the grass and comes into full view. The animal is unaware of his presence. He is relieved to see it is about the size of an average domesticated dog. It appears thin and lean. He feels confident that he can defend himself against such an animal if it attacks. The animal sees him and stops its movement.

Moshe stands still and examines the creature. He wonders if he should shout out or beat the cane stalk on the ground, to try and scare the cat away. He realizes that the cat is simply coming to the pond to get a drink of water. Moshe slowly backs away, all the while keeping his eyes on the cat. The cat continues to watch him as well.

Moshe has traveled some distance from the pond, on his way back to camp. He stops and turns and faces the direction of the pond, he feels as if he can sense the cat watching him. Though both man and beast were suspicious of each other, there was a curiosity and fascination between them. They had looked into each other’s eyes.

Moshe arrives at camp. He is laden with supplies from his shopping list. He begins constructing his shelter.

After a few hours of piecing together his nature provided materials, with his upholstered bed placed inside the A-frame tent, he stops to rest. During his search for materials, he had discovered a fruit bearing tree. The oval shaped fruit is like mangoes, though smaller. He only picked the ones that were changing from orange to a more burnt reddish hue, because the darker colored pieces are softer. He cuts into one of the fruits and places the small piece into his mouth. It is very sweet.

The night’s dinner consists of half a bag of peanuts, only half of the fruit, and a bottle of water. He certainly has more room in his stomach for a larger meal, but he wants to make sure his digestive system can process the fruit. By morning, if no issues are experienced, the fruit will be placed on his regular island menu. The sweet taste of the fruit is comforting.

The sun is nearer the horizon, and he walks down the beach to the water’s edge. Looking out over the waves, he hopes that section of ocean is in someone’s shipping lanes. He decides that in the morning he will drag down some large pieces of wood, from the forest to the beach. In the event he spots a vessel, a fire and a trail of smoke may be seen from a distance, and hopefully bring rescuers.

He lies on the upholstered bed. He had removed his shoes and socks earlier. He removes his outer shirt. He will sleep in his pants and undershirt. He covers himself with the thermal blanket. The other two are coverings for the shelter. The weather is warm, but he is thankful for the remaining blanket. He is not sure how cool the night will be.

Stretching out now, he realizes how tired he has become. Finally, he is relaxing after his first day on the island. He remembers his friends from the raft. He places both hands on his heart, then brings them to his lips. He kisses his hands and raises them, in honor of his lost brother and sister.

He closes his eyes and begins thinking of what the next day’s task will be. In the forest he had noticed several patches of thick and tall grass. He plans on weaving enough of the thick blades to replace the blankets that are now serving as the walls of his tent. He is sure to discover other uses for the blankets. His planning for the next day surrenders to the hypnotic sound of lapping waves in the night. Sleep overtakes him.