Frank’s Fishing Adventure

Setting the Scene - Writing Prompt:

The fishing boat ran into an unexpected storm. Frank was worried because he hadn’t seen land in hours. Suddenly...

Frank’s Fishing Adventure

The fishing boat ran into an unexpected storm. Frank was worried because he hadn’t seen land in hours. Suddenly the wind began howling and the rain seemed to be whipping from every direction. The murky conditions caused poor visibility.

Frank had experienced bad storms before, but this was the worst he had ever seen. His small boat was being tossed around the water like a ball on a trampoline.

Jozef was napping downstairs after a long, hot day of fishing with his brother. The rocking motion of the boat caused him to fall into the deepest sleep he had ever experienced.

Suddenly the boat was rocking out of control and Jozef landed on the floor with a hard thud. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He stood up, a little shaken by his fall, looked around until he realized where he was, and climbed the ladder to the deck.

The visibility was so poor that he could not see his brother standing ten feet away from him.  The wind whistled so loudly that Frank could not hear Jozef calling to him.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours to Jozef, he finally saw Frank inching his way towards him.  As the wind whipped all around them, Josef held out his hand and Frank grabbed hold of it.  Josef pulled his brother back into the cabin and closed the door just as a rogue wave overtook their tiny craft.  Water instantly began leaking into the room as the boat was spinning and spinning.

Both men were terrified.  They were sure that they would not make it through this storm alive.

Neither man was very religious, but they believed in a god who loved them and protected them.  So, they got on their knees and prayed to their god to protect them.

After a while, the spinning seemed to slow down a little and the brothers decided that the only way they would survive this ordeal would be for them to talk about their options and make a survival plan.  The problem was that neither of them had ever been in a situation like this before and they had no clue how to survive whatever was happening outside.

Frank picked up the thermos of coffee he saved from supper and poured a cup for each of them.  They sat at the table and began discussing their options.

Both men agreed that their best plan of action right now would be to stay inside the cabin until they were sure that they were not under water.  They agreed that if they opened the door right now the ocean could rush in, and they would drown almost instantly.

Frank remembered that the boat had dry bags that floated when they were sealed shut.  He told Jozef that he thought they should figure out which supplies they still had.  He said they should gather food, water, a few clothes, first aid supplies, and whatever emergency supplies they have in case they needed to leave the boat

Once they gathered the supplies, they stuffed them into the dry bags and set them aside.

When the task was completed, they sat back at the table to figure out what their next step should be.

Jozef tried again to use the radio, but the storm was preventing them from getting through to anyone.  With a sad look on his face, Jozef said, “I’m afraid, Frank.”

Frank walked over to his brother, hugged him tightly, and whispered, “Me too, Joe.  Me too.” Then they clung to each other, crying until there were not tears left to cry.

When they were all cried out, they decided to get back to their planning. The brothers decided that if the storm didn’t end soon, they would put on their scuba gear, open the door, and see what other options were available.  They would take the bags with them and hope that the bags really do keep their contents dry.

Frank told Jozef that he thought they should try to eat something before they open the door, just in case the food doesn’t survive.  And so, they ate a meal.  Once they were full, they put on scuba gear, grabbed the dry bags, and headed towards the door.

Frank slowly turned the lock on the door and pulled on the handle.  As the door opened, instead of water rushing into the cabin, they heard birds singing and saw a bright light.

The brothers walked onto the deck and saw that the storm had passed and that the boat was a few yards off the most beautiful beach they had ever seen!

Frank put down the boat’s anchor and jumped into the ocean.  He same to the beach to survey the situation.

Jozef joined his brother on the beach.  It looked like they were alone.  There didn’t seem to be any people here – and they had no idea where they were.

The men shed their scuba gear and piled it onto a rock.  The sun was hot.  If it weren’t for the ocean breeze, the temperature would be way too hot to breathe.

The men sat on a log to discuss their current situation and their options.  They decided to explore their surroundings to prepare in case they had to stay a while.

Beyond the warm, beautiful beach, they saw a dense forest of trees, smelled tropical flowers, and saw fruit hanging from trees near the forest’s edge.  “Good to note,” Frank thought when he saw the fruit.

They searched for many hours and found no signs of other humans.  They decided to swim back to the boat to sleep and they could explore again in the morning.

As soon as their heads hit their pillows, both brothers went directly to sleep.  This fishing trip had been way more exhausting than they expected, and they slept very well that night.

After the breakfast dishes were done, the brothers stood on the deck cautiously surveying their surroundings.  They could see that this land seemed to be much bigger than they originally thought.

They stood on that deck, coffee in hand, watching birds dive into the water and then fly away with a fish in their mouth. It seemed so peaceful here if circumstances were different, being surrounded by this beautiful scenery would feel like heaven.

However, with the peace that comes from the surroundings also comes the fear that this island could be so remote that they may never be rescued.

As Jozef grabbed a knife to take with him on the island, his hand brushed a box he had completely forgotten about. 

Before they left on their trip, Jozef’s son handed his father a box and told him that he saved his lawn mowing money  buy him a birthday gift.  He told his father to wait until they were fishing to open it.

Curiously he unwrapped the box and discovered that his son had bought him a small drone. A note on the box said that the drone was charged and ready to take on his next adventure.

“How perfect!” he thought as he tucked the box into the dry bag with his knife and the sandwiches, he made to take with them.

Jozef grabbed the bag, Frank picked up a rifle, and they swam to shore.  They gathered firewood and placed the branches onto the sand to allow the sunshine to dry them out so they could make a fire and establish a base camp.

Together they walked through the forest searching for signs of other humans, carefully and cautiously watching for any danger that may be lurking amongst the trees. They noted any wildlife and possible food sources in case they were stuck in this island for a long period of time.

After a few hours of exploring, the brothers decided to return to the beach, have a little lunch, and figure out what they needed to do next.

As Jozef pulled the sandwiches out of the dry bag, he remembered the drone was inside the bag.  He pulled it out and showed it to Frank.  Neither brother had ever used a drone before.  They read the directions as they ate.

After a few practice runs along the shoreline, Jozef raised the drone high into the sky, dodging curious birds as he tried to see what else was on this island.

They saw green trees full of coconuts, fruit, and wildlife.  They saw brightly colored flowers and beautiful mountains.  They were speechless when they saw amazing waterfalls flowing into beautiful, blue lagoons and surrounded by lush, vibrant fauna that seemed to be very abundant on this island.

As they flew the drone towards the mountains, they discovered a village at the edge of the trees.  The village had huts filled with families.  Children were playing in a field, and they saw a few Jeeps parked beside the huts.

“Is this really a remote island?” Frank asked. “It looks very habituated.” They were both excited to see other humans, but still didn’t want to get their hopes up that they could make it home after all, they still had no idea where they were or if these people were friendly.

The men gathered their belongings and swam back to their boat.  They weighed anchor and sailed towards the village on the other side of the island.

As the boat turned in the direction of the village, they saw that the island was not an island after all.  They were on the shoreline of, what they later discovered to be Chile. The storm had taken them so far off course and they had to turn around and begin their long trek back up  the eastern shoreline of South America towards their homes in Louisiana.

Frank checked the radio again and it worked this time.  He told the coast guard who they were and explained what happened during the storm.  He asked them to contact their families to let them know that the brothers were okay and that they were heading home.

What an adventure this had been!  Before embarking on this trip, Jozef told his brother that he wanted to have more adventures in his life.  This birthday, he got the adventure he had been searching for.  Happy birthday Jozef!