On a warm summer day, a young boy on his way home from school sat down on a park bench for a snack break. Eli could not believe it was only a few years ago that he had arrived here. He sat there, taking in the peaceful green field and bright blue sky, feeling the stillness of the tranquility as he reflected on his past. Before long, the warm summer heat sent him into a deep sleep.
Eli dreamed back to that time. It was the fall and rise of the new king in Milva that brought about new dangers. Social unrest from travel bans and aggressive policing, internal political warfare, and rapid economic decline pushed most Milvans to border countries and other foreign countries for refuge. Eli's military father was forced to the front lines of the political warfare and to save their family, his father smuggled his mother and him aboard a friend's cargo ship and many other refugees. They were to meet up with his aunt and uncle in Trent, a peaceful country across the sea. Although Mira, his father's friend, assured them of their safe travels, with the sudden changes in his life and the consequences for escaping the country, young Eli feared for his family's future.
Three nights since their departure from Milva was when Eli encountered the cruel and merciless sea. Solven pirates from a neighboring country of Milva seized their ship when they were crossing their waters. To flee for safety, Mira took Eli, his mother, and the other refugees into several lifeboats, while the captain and other crew members distracted the pirates. In their haste, the life jackets were forgotten. Eli and his mother were in one lifeboat led by one of the crew members. Mira followed behind, leading another lifeboat filled with refugees, packed like sardines. Three more dinghies alike followed behind. They quickly made their way towards the shores of Trent.
Misfortune befell Eli the first night on the lifeboat. The sway of the rough waters, fishy smell of the sea, and mixture of body odors tightly packed next to him sent him into bouts of sea sickness. Nausea rolled over him with each coming wave. But more worryingly, cloudy skies were rolling in and with each wind that whipped their faces, their anxiety grew, and their hearts beat wildly along with every bob of their little dinghies. They anxiously held on. The sea swept wildly tossing the dinghies to and from without a care. One by one, the lifeboats separated from each other, and the waves seemed to beckon and pull people into the sea. Everyone held onto the skimpy little rope attached to the dinghy and prayed for mercy, prayed for light, and prayed for their lives.
Lightning struck and bellowing winds capsized the dinghy. Everyone screamed as they fell into the dark stormy sea. Eli felt chilling cold-water envelope his eyes as the sea gently pulled him down. Alone in the dark sea. As his vision slowly darkened, Eli started to miss the taste of his father's warm cooking. He missed his mother's gentle pats and warm embrace. He missed the playful sound of the neighborhood kids laughing outside his window, the fresh smell of the living room after folding up the laundry, and the happy smiles of his family when listening to the radio. He missed home. He was scared.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around his waist in the dark and he was pulled into a warm embrace. The pressure above his head gradually lessened as his face surfaced. Eli coughed for air and saw his mother's face next to his. Oh, his mother! He quietly sobbed on his mother's shoulder. They held onto the capsized dinghy along with many others until the storm passed.
Dawn broke and the sun crept through the cracks of the dark gloomy clouds, coloring the sky with a godly hue. Everyone cheered and laughed in relief. Before long, they had returned onto the dinghy with the help of other survivors and Mira. The sky cleared up with the rise of the morning sun and the shores of Trent appeared on the horizon. Eli's chapped lips from the salty sea smiled in hope; for his family, for the future, and for his life.
"--! --Eli!" He awoke to someone calling his name.
"I was looking for you everywhere! It's quite chilly today. Aunt Ima already made dinner and your dad sent a letter today. Shall we head home?" said his mother.
His drowsy eyes met his concerned mother's face and realized that he was no longer at sea; no longer in that horrid dinghy; no longer alone.
"Mm let's go home!" said Eli as they walked home hand in hand together.