“Reef the topsails!” The captain barked.
Young Eli watched as the ship’s crew raced up the ratlines. High overhead the men spread out over the wooden yards to bring in some of the canvas sails. After nearly two weeks at sea, Eli was beginning to understand the ways of the sailing ship even though he and his family were only passengers.
“The captain must be expecting the wind to pick up,” said Eli to his friend Patrick. “Too much sail in a strong wind could be dangerous to the ship.”
Eli and Patrick stood at the railing gazing up at the crew as they pulled in some of the sails, tying them to the yardarms.
In a matter of minutes, the crew finished their task and lowered themselves to the main deck. At the western horizon the red-orange sun hung just above the ocean.
“I never grow tired of a glowing sunset,” said Eli.
“Me neither,” Patrick agreed.
The two friends kept their eyes on the fiery globe until it disappeared below the horizon.
“How much longer did they say before we reach port?” Eli asked.
“I heard four days, depending on the weather.”
Eli waw growing restless. Day after day aboard the lumbering ship was tiresome. He couldn’t wait to see his father again. Four months earlier Eli’s father had left home to take a new job and now Eli and his family would soon be joining him. Eli wondered about his new home where palm trees grow, and where he will never need to wear a winter coat.
“From the looks of it, we might be in for some rough seas boys,” said Josiah.
A crewman in his twenties, Josiah befriended Eli and Patrick.
“They’ve not taken in this much sail since we departed,” Josiah explained.
“Are we in for a storm?” Eli asked.
“Could be, but don’t you worry, it’ll be alright,” Josiah reassured the boys before joining the other sailors.
With nowhere else to go, the boys stayed on deck enjoying the cool evening breezes. Eli waited for the night sky to light up with all its bright starry hosts. He was disappointed to find a blanket of thick clouds had rolled in, blocking his view.
“Eli,” a women’s voice called from the hatchway. “It’s time for bed.”
Eli’s was not looking forward to spending another night in the hot, stuffy cabin, but he obeyed his mother and turned in for the night. The only good thing was he got to bunk next to Patrick. The friends would whisper and giggle late into the night or until one of the other passengers had enough of the two. Then they would drift off to sleep with the rocking of the ship. The night started out like the others, but everything changed in the early morning hours.
“Boys! Get up quickly!” a voice called in the darkness.
Eli rubbed his sleep eyes. He was surprised to find the ship rolling violently from one side to the other.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“There’s a storm. Get up and get dressed quickly,” Eli could hear the worry in his mother’s voice.
Climbing out of bed, Eli’s feet landed on a deck with water sloshing back and forth. Water also trickled down through the cracks of the deck above.
There was a great commotion among the passengers. Eli was nearly knocked off his feet. Patrick grabbed him and the two held on to each other to keep their balance. Soon the water was over Eli’s ankles and rising fast.
“Everyone to the boats!” one of the crewmen shouted.
When he reached to top desk, Eli was horrified to find the ship riding low in the water and the heavy seas washing over the deck. The howling wind and crashing waves were deafening.
“Which way?” Patrick shouted in his ear.
“I don’t know,” Eli looked around for someone to help him.
“This way boys,” Josiah’s powerful hand grasped Eli’s shirt dragging him and Patrick to a lifeboat. There, other passengers clung to the ship to keep from being washed overboard.
Other crewmen worked the lines to lower the boat into the water. The heavy wooden boat swayed back and forth in the storm until one end broke free from its line. The crew fought to keep the boat from being swept away, but the sea was too strong. A wave caught the boat and ripped it away from the ship.
Eli turned to look for his mother, but in the darkness and confusion he did not see her.
“Stay together!” Was the last word Eli remembered Josiah shouting as the ship slipped under the waves. With no boats in sight, he was left to face the violent sea. He figured he had only minutes before it swallowed him up, and his life was over.
To be continued.
***
Read John 16:33
Who is speaking in this passage?
What did Jesus say will happen to us in this world?
Most people ask why God allows bad things to happen. What does He want us do have in troubled times?
What are some things you can do to have peace in times of trouble?