“Larry has been there twice. The airlines let him accompany them on a ship they sent to retrieve the plane and cargo. It wasn’t large enough, so they sent a bigger one. He brought samples back the first time and they told him about fifteen thousand dollars per ton. Based on that, he got some backers willing to invest in the boys.”
“You’re one of the backers, aren’t you?” Maggie said.
“Yes, I had some money I could lend him. The company would pay it all back when they became self-sustaining. He’s calling his company, ‘The Found Boys’, a play on Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, and envisions it will eventually include young women. There will be an onsite foreman with his or her spouse, dorms set up for housing, and lots of hard work and many life skills learned. Folks would rotate off after some months or years.
“They would eventually run out of rocks to harvest and buildings to build, but there’s a second source of work. He had the dirt covering tested along with the dried mud. When the two are mixed, it becomes very fertile. He sent me a picture of a piece of earthmoving equipment designed to mix the two layers while picking out the nodules. He is really excited.
“On the first trip, he brought a dune buggy and traveled all over the island. Weeds completely covered everywhere there was dirt, but they were all blooming. Toward the north end, there was a thick layer of the dirt all around the natural harbor, which I took the liberty of naming Rachel Bay, after my two daughters. I hope you don’t mind.” Matt looked at her fondly.
“Aww, that’s sweet! How about the caverns?” Maggie asked.
“Remember the paper I had you sign?”
“About that treasure-seeking outfit? I didn’t know what it was all about, but I signed it anyway. What was that?”
“They came to me in July when I first got back. They thought there might have been sunken ships, with or without treasure, that The Boy may have brought up with him. They had a submersible, so in return for searching for the caverns, you and I told them whatever they found on Emergent they could keep. I thought the caverns would most likely have been formed the same way the harbor was formed, by lava flowing away, so I told them the depths. I had them start looking in Rachel Bay. That’s where they found all four, within a half-mile stretch of coastline. They never found a ship or treasure.
“When Larry went there the second time, he took several jars of petunia seeds, and scattered them everywhere. I’m hoping you’ll go with me there on June 28 next year, the island’s anniversary, and we’ll see how they did. Anyway, they got the plane completely off the island, but I named that end Plane’s End. I named the river, too, Abba River, after the Hebrew word for Daddy. All the names are similar. ‘Emergent feature, nine letters.’ They’ll have three choices.”
Maggie was counting on her fingers. “I’d like to name a feature.”
“Sure, what?”
I’d like to name the mountain you can see from anywhere on the island, Matt’s Peak. Four choices.”
“Done!”
“And yes, I’d like to go there with you. That would be so cool.”
“Larry said maybe the island can become a sanctuary for endangered animals after it was properly cultivated. Herbivores, of course. He is planning to have divers explore the caverns, and if they are like what we called for, he will invite medical types, botanical researchers, and the Institute for Creation Research to come and investigate their use. The Found Boys will also build gardens and parks, and he has other ideas, too.”
“How about the post office?”
“That will be near Rachel Bay along with the rest of the center of activities. His plan is to move the GSM there and make it a combined museum and international post office. It turns out the harbor is very calm even when the ocean is rough. I told Larry he needs to teach the boys how to fish and boat and have fun.”
“Speaking of international,” Maggie said, “I guess you heard about the man who shot down our plane?”
“Rishaan Chabra? Yes, I read in the news that India executed him and some others for that.”
“I wrote him and we traded letters several times. He told me what a changed man he became after giving himself to Jesus. So humble, and so acknowledging of his guilt. He told me he was not afraid of his upcoming execution. He said he was occupying his time by writing letters to every family he hurt, asking their forgiveness, and telling them about his new faith in Jesus Christ.”
Breakfast was over. “The dishes can wait,” Matt said. “I have a present for you.”
Jenny had been crawling around and now wanted up on Gumpa’s lap. He picked her up and got a box from the closet. “Merry Christmas!” he said.
In the box was a miniature pallet with three tiny coffins strapped to it, and a fourth coffin on top. Maggie undid the clasp, and all three coffins opened together. “It’s a jewelry box! It’s myrtle wood. It’s beautiful! Look, the interior is pink velvet.”
Matt brought out a second box. “For Jenny. An identical one. The top coffins open, too. Look inside Jenny’s.”
“The ring! Where did you get these?”
“The ring is just paste. I’ll give you the real one to take back with you. Have it appraised and insured and put it in a safe place. The Hardwood Casket Company got our letters and invited me to see them in Oregon. I gave them pictures of us on the GSM that we got from Penny, and they agreed to make these. Turns out they already make the miniatures for promotional purposes. I met Steve S and Sue S there. They’re a married couple. Nice folks.”
“And I have something for you,” Maggie said. “I’ve been carrying it around. I knew I’d see you again, and I wanted to give it to you in person.”
She reached in her handbag and pulled out a slip of paper, on which was written:
“Fishing net? he asked. / God sent him for my dead soul. / Dragseine is the word.”
Matt read it out loud and laughed. “Drag seine. The crossword answer! A haiku no less.”
He looked at Maggie. Tears were forming in her eyes as she said, “The middle line is the most important part.”
“Now it’s my turn,” Lou said.
Jenny, ever the wiggle-worm, had gotten off Matt’s lap, so he picked her up again.
“Maggie, there’s something I want to ask you,” he said, reaching in his pocket and getting down on one knee. “Rachel Margaret Trillbey, love of my heart and delight of my soul, will you agree to be my wife? Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”
The discussion for the rest of the morning was about wedding plans. Matt told them, “You’re both sure, right? If so, there’s no reason to wait. Get married as soon as you can find a spot on Maggie’s church’s calendar. That’s my advice!”
“Yes, let’s do!” Maggie said, and Lou agreed.
“I’m calling Mum right now,” she said, “then I’ll call the church and find out how soon we can have it. Then Lou and I can pick a date.”
Half an hour later, they settled on March 7. Maggie’s mother and Lou’s parents were ecstatic, and Charlotte’s friend Alma agreed to help however she could.
The next evening, Matt held a reception at his house for his friends so they could congratulate the engaged couple. He saw Harry and Gert Somerset in an earnest conversation with Lou and Maggie, and the next morning, he found out what it was about. Their church service started out with them getting baptized.
“They told us they didn’t have any opportunities at their own churches,” Harry explained later.
The next two months were a whirlwind of activity. Details were worked out, dresses were bought, invitations were sent. Decorations, organist, flowers, photographer, wedding party, and reception were all arranged. The honeymoon was postponed until summer, when school would be out. There was only one snag.
“Charles’ daughter is going to be the flower girl, and it turns out she’s allergic to roses,” Charlotte lamented. “I’ll figure something out, though.”
As Matt walked Maggie and Jenny down the aisle, he saw what Charlott
e’s solution was.
Petunias, of course.
MATT’S WEDDING SONG
Long be - fore the world started, God gave me to you. As our
God is your shel - ter, so I shall be too. I will
e’re lift you up, your good al - ways my goal, and I’ll
trea - sure your joy and your pain in my soul.
2. Long before the world started, God gave you to me,
You’re a gift I shall cherish ‘til eternity.
The delight of my soul, you have captured my heart,
And so nothing but death shall e’er cleave us apart.
God is my all in all, and he has chosen you, to show me his love.
God is your all in all, and he has chosen me, to show you his love.
3. Now we’re partners for life as He made us to be,
And His Spirit will lead us in blest harmony.
In His kingdom we’ll work to lead others to Him,
In His mercy and grace may we never grow dim!
4. When we stand before God at the end of all time,
We’ll see Jesus our Lord in His beauty sublime.
We’ll be glad that we’re His and our union is too,
He’ll say “Well done good servant” to me and to you.
God is my all in all, and he has chosen you, to show me his love.
God is your all in all, and he has chosen me, to show you his love.
God is our all in all, and he has chosen us, to show forth his love.
Copyright © May 2020 by Joseph V. Webers. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joseph V. Webers earned a BS in Physics from the University of Delaware, and an MS in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School. He retired from the US Army after serving over 40 years as a soldier and civilian, in the fields of weapons (including weapons of mass destruction), Explosive Ordnance Disposal, ammunition, and firing range safety.
In various positions during his career, he had the opportunity to make the flight to London’s Heathrow Airport using several different carriers and flying from several different US airports. He regrets never having had the opportunity to fly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, however.
Joseph wrote this book while living in Williamsburg, VA, with his wife Betsy. He enjoys gardening, crosswords, and traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. He is a member of the Chesapeake Bay Writers, a chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.
AFTERWARD
This is really a love story. For obvious reasons, I couldn’t identify it as such, or else some readers might have been disappointed when it didn’t turn out to be a romance. The love between Matt and Maggie spoke of a deeper and more fulfilling relationship than a mere romance could ever produce. However, that’s not actually the love about which I attempted to write. In my incomplete and rough-edged way, I tried to present the love God has for his children: how he pursues us, draws us to himself, and showers us with his wonderfulness.
If you took the journey with Maggie, please let me know. I’d love to hear your story and help you take the next steps. Go to the The Wreck Emerged website and send me your comments from the Contact page at https://josephvwebers.com/contact.
If you’ve have finished The Wreck Emerged and want to join the conversation, express an opinion, share a story, or ask a question, go to https://josephvwebers.com/mmjblog. It is not linked at the home page since I didn’t want to advertise it to those who haven’t finished the book yet. There are just too many spoilers there! You’ll need a password; it’s “mrj131” without the quotation marks.
The mmjblog page is still in its infancy, a work in progress. There were some fairly heavy topics discussed in the story, like hearing God speak, forgiveness, and breaking vows you may have made which are holding you back somehow, and I want to pursue these further. Maggie has expressed an interest in blogging about her experiences, especially if they are helpful to anyone going through what she went through. She will have to work that into her schedule filled with speaking engagements, teaching year fives, and raising a two-year-old. I think she and Lou may be getting ready to have another. I’d also like to discuss some technical details of things I mentioned, like the sand and dust storms and the underwater caverns. I’m not an expert, but I can point you to different sites to help your understanding.
Did you enjoy Matt’s wedding song? If you’d like to use it, please get in touch with me through the contact link above. I have a special request.
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