Let Us Be Brave

by Linda Thompson

  Lillian stood quietly smiling, staring directly at Nicholi and then at Patrick. She raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement that it was true. Everyone laughed.

  “So you’re going to the board meeting tonight too?”

  “Looks like we all are.”

  “Helen, how’s your head? You look fine.”

  “Doc did a CAT scan and said I had a concussion. He said the best thing I could do was sleep. You all allowed me to do that. He also thought I had labyrinthitis.”

  “What the heck is that?”

  “An inner ear infection. It makes you dizzy and lose your balance. You have to admit, that describes me to a ‘t.’ You won’t believe what causes it . . . .”

  No one made a guess.

  “Stress! Stress of all things! I have to admit, the first day when I lost the plane in the crash, I was pretty stressed. All I could think of was how I was going to take care of all of you and once we were rescued, how I was going to take care of Marie and me. I lost my livelihood in the crash. I tried to be mature and not cry, so I internalized the entire mess. The end result was that I couldn’t do anything and you all had to totally take care of me. I thank God every day that I had you all in the plane. You were the best people to be with.”

  Billy came to the door and said, “It’s time to go to the board meeting. Does everyone have a swimming suit?”

  Each person raised a bag containing towels, suits, shampoo, and soap.

  “We’re going swimming?” asked Patrick.

  “Not only swimming, we’re going to the fancy water park with slides and all kinds of water activities,” said Nicholi.

  “There’s a big river that flows around the park that you can ride on in a giant inner tube, a wave park to play in, and all kinds of places to explore,” said Marie.

  Sam jumped up and down, clapping his hands in excitement. Lillian smiled from ear to ear.

  Patrick looked at Billy with concern. “But will I get to go?”

  “Of course,” said Helen. “We wouldn’t go without you.”

  “When you were in the hospital, we planned this all out,” said Billy. “I bought you a present for the event. Here it is.”

  Billy gave the big box to Patrick, and he tried to tear it open. “Sam, help me.”

  Sam grabbed the paper and had it flying through the air in seconds. Everyone smiled.

  Patrick opened the box and yelled, “A wet suit! For once I can be warm when I go swimming.”

  “You betcha,” said Helen. “Well, we’d better get going to this board meeting. I heard there are going to be a lot of people there, so we better not be late.”

  All together, they went down in the elevator. Lillian grabbed onto Nicholi’s arm, terrified that she was going to die on the contraption as it dropped down two floors.

  “Yoda, you’re afraid? Wow, I’m amazed,” he said.

  When the doors opened up, Team Pebble Lake followed Billy into the big ballroom in the hotel. The place was set up with large, round tables covered with beautiful white tablecloths, elegant table settings, and a centerpiece of fresh flowers. On the walls were large banners for Special Olympics Alaska and each team’s area. The banner in the front and center of the room, next to the lectern, said “Team Pebble Lake.”

  “Our team banner is up front. What is this all about?” asked Helen.

  The director of Special Olympics Alaska stood up immediately and approached the microphone. “Here they are, the famous Team Pebble Lake.”

  As if on cue, hundreds of people rose up from their tables and clapped for the team. TV cameras were rolling as still photographers flashed pictures of them.

  “Please come forward,” said the director.

  Marie looked at Helen and she gestured to go on up front. Nicholi followed her, intently watching the crowds of people clapping. Lillian held onto Sam, and the two walked slowly forward after Patrick. Helen stopped and stood with Billy in the back of the room.

  “That invitation goes to you too, Helen Baranoff. Come on up.”

  Billy gave her a gentle push in the right direction to get her going. She walked forward, feeling as self-conscious as her team.

  The director sat down, and the President of Special Olympics stood and walked forward to the podium.

  “I understand that you were all looking forward to competing in the state games last month, but because of forces beyond your control, you were not able to. We, the board, feel that you have been through the ultimate competition, one of survival. From the stories I’ve read in the papers and seen on television, you have all been challenged and deserve recognition for your accomplishments. Please come forward when I call your name to receive your reward. After you’ve received them, you will be escorted to a table where you will be served a wonderful gourmet meal cooked by the fabulous cooks from the Sheraton Hotel.

  “Samuel Johnson.”

  Sam walked up to the man in the suit and stopped. He looked terrified.

  The president said, “Sam, I understand that you kept everyone in firewood for the time you were lost. The wood you gathered each day kept your teammates, including your injured coach, warm during the storms, and it also provided the energy to cook all your meals. A man that can provide for his team as you did deserves a gold medal for his hard work. He picked up a gold medal held on a colorful red ribbon and put it over Sam’s head. After he shook Sam’s hand, he directed him toward a pretty teen-aged volunteer, who took him to a table with his mother and other friends of his. They all got up and smothered him in big hugs.

  “Nicholi Trefon.”

  Nicholi was gently rocking forward and back, but heard his name called. He stood looking at the man.

  Marie whispered, “Go to him; you’re no dummy. Everyone’s watching.”

  Nicholi shyly walked up to him.

  “Nicholi, I understand you did several things that saved everyone from disaster. You helped set up and find shelter. Your teammates and coach all said, ‘If it wasn’t for Nicholi, we might have died from all the ash. He helped us set up the tent we lived in during the first storms and gathered food for us to eat, but he also found us a cabin to live in right before the volcano really erupted.’ Because of your help and observation of the environment you were in, you saved not only yourself, but you probably saved Patrick’s life as well. The board feels you deserve a gold medal for helping your team obtain adequate food and shelter.” The president put the ribbon over Nicholi’s head, and the heavy gold medal fell on his chest.

  Nicholi immediately grasped the metal and inspected it carefully. The pretty volunteer high school girl approached him and led him to a table with his mother from Pebble Lake and his father from Anchorage. The two stood as he approached, and both gave him big smiles and hugs for his part in the event. Cameras shot pictures all around him, but the only thing he noticed was that his mom and dad were together again.

  “Lillian Ivanoff.”

  Lillian walked proudly up to the man at the podium.

  “I have heard so many stories about you. I understand you are a little Yoda-type personality; small but mighty and a force to listen to.”

  Lillian looked down at her shoes and smiled with embarrassment. She knew she was all of these things, but it was weird having a man announce her qualities to strangers.

  Addressing the audience, the man said, “Everyone, because of this young lady, these athletes probably gained weight on this survival event. She not only provided them all with meals of fresh clams, seaweed, and salmon that she harvested and cooked, but she also taught her teammates how to live off the land. If it hadn’t been for Lillian’s leadership skills, they would have run out of food by the fifth or sixth day out of the fourteen that they were trapped at Iniskin Bay.” He looked at Lillian. “For excellent survival skills, the board would like to present you with a gold medal.” He put the heavy gold medal necklace over her head.

  She felt it land on her chest and she smiled with happiness. She was escorted slowly through the crowd of people
to a table with her family. They all stood up and surrounded her, smothering her with hugs and tears that flowed down more than one of her relatives’ faces.

  “Marie Baranoff.”

  Marie smiled with great pride and held her head high as she approached the podium.

  “Marie, you have become known as a modern Clara Barton. She was a famous nurse many years ago. You nursed and took care of Patrick and your sister, Helen, during this ordeal. You always did what you were told when fishing under Lillian’s direction or gathering firewood under Sam’s. You took directions from Patrick and made sure everyone was as comfortable as possible. The board has decided to give you a gold medal for excellent nursing care for the injured and providing assistance in setting up camp, feeding, and gathering what was needed for your team’s survival.”

  He gently put a gold medal around her neck, and she was led off to a table with some old friends of hers from Pebble Lake. They all gave her hugs and praised her new gold medal.

  “Patrick Daily.”

  He put his chair in gear and drove carefully up to the front of the crowd.

  “Patrick, I understand that if it hadn’t been for your incredible intelligence and leadership skills, Team Pebble Lake could have fallen apart the first night when your pilot and coach was injured. You took charge of the situation, realized that shelter needed to be built, and managed to communicate to others what they needed to do before the first storm hit. You figured out adaptations to the survival camp as needed and encouraged others to set up a latrine and to build a safe fire, all when you couldn’t help them. You maintained this superior leadership until you became ill. Even then, you tried to stay involved in day-to-day survival as you waited patiently to be rescued. The board feels you deserve a gold medal for superior leadership skills in hazardous conditions. The director picked up the last ribboned gold medal and placed it gently over Patrick’s head.

  It landed on his chest just above his arm, which was relaxed on his wheelchair tabletop. He looked down at it and smiled with pride just as the others had. He was escorted to a table with Billy and many of his friends from Pebble Lake. These people were his family, and they had traveled a long way for this celebration. For the first time he didn’t feel lonely. They all bent down and gave him big hugs and pats on the back when he arrived at the table. Billy took the table off his chair, and he drove right up to the big round table and sat just like everyone else. He beamed with joy. He had had no idea he was going to win a gold medal for surviving. He was so grateful.

  “Helen Baranoff.”

  Helen walked up to the director and said, “I have no idea what you can say to me. These wonderful Special Olympics team members from Pebble Lake saved my life. While I slept and recovered from the crash landing after the engine failed, my five team members completely took care of me. They fed me, gave me water, even took me to the latrine when I needed it. I was helpless and pretty useless until the last few days before we were rescued. Even then, when I was starting to walk again, they had to do everything. I honestly don’t think I would be alive today if it weren’t for the excellent care I received from my athletes. They were incredible, to say the least.”

  The director said, “We want to present Team Pebble Lake with a trophy for incredible teamwork in a survival situation. The vice president came from the side, carrying a huge trophy. On the front was a brass plate with each of the athletes’ names and the dates that they were lost in the wilderness.

  “With honor, I accept this trophy for Team Pebble Lake. We will keep it in a public place at home so all can see it. Thank you so much,” Helen said.

  The high school escort led her to a table with Mark, Diane, and Jack, and other pilot friends from King Salmon and Homer. She put the trophy in the center of the table and sat down, smiling.

  The director gestured to areas of the audience at a few occupants and said, “There are some other important people here tonight that were all involved in the rescue of our team members. Would you raise your hands so the rest of us are able to recognize and thank you for your help. There are Irene Vaughn and her granddaughter, Danielle Foxworthy, along with Nathan Conroy, who first spotted the plane in Cook Inlet and notified the pilot of its location. Irene and Danielle left their tour group and returned to Anchorage specifically to meet our athletes before they fly back to San Diego tomorrow. There is Michael Vaughn, who happens to also be Irene’s grandson from Anchorage. He was in the second plane that helped spot the athletes’ SOS in the fog, which gave their general location. Mark Wenger, who works for FAA in Homer was instrumental in compiling information and figured they were possibly at Iniskin Bay. Jack and Diane McDonald helped Mark find them by sailing their boat across Cook Inlet in heavy fog from Homer for the final rescue. All these people have gone out of their way to be present tonight and happily meet our Pebble Lake Team.”

  Everyone stood and clapped, turning to face first the rescuers and then the rescued.

  Dinner was immediately served and it was delicious.

  After dinner they all went to the water park and played until it closed. Patrick was put in his new wet suit and was happy to find out that the real reason they were staying in Anchorage was to wait for this surprise event, not to keep him closer to the hospital. Whatever had been blocking his breathing had finally been coughed out, and his coloring was good enough that the hospital had released him to go swimming. Along with Lillian, Helen, Billy, and Auntie Melinda, he sat in an inner tube and went around and around in the fast flowing river of water that traveled throughout the indoor water park. Sam, Marie, Nicholi, and Mark left the rest periodically to go down slides and then rejoined the group float and exploration of the park.

  That night, exhausted from the long but adventurous and fun day, they returned to the hotel and slept in comfortable beds in nice rooms with their families.

  Chapter 49

  Return

  One month later Helen and Marie flew on the mail run to Homer to meet Mark. He noticed Helen had an extra happy look on her face when they hopped off the Peninsula Airlines plane.

  “The insurance company is going to pay to get me a new plane! I just found out,” she exclaimed as soon as they could talk.

  “Wonderful. Looks like you’re back in business.”

  After they grabbed a couple of twelve-inch sandwiches from Subway on Pioneer Avenue, they headed back to the airport. Mark had arranged for them to take a helicopter ride with one of his friends. The three of them hopped in with the pilot, who was extremely proud of his four-seater helicopter. Helen sat up front with the pilot, both wearing headsets. She watched and listened with curiosity. After hovering about five feet off the ground for a minute to warm up, the four flew down the coastline toward Anchor Point and then across the inlet to Iniskin Bay where Mark and Helen pointed out the beach and cabin. After landing, they all got out, carrying matches, boxes of canned goods, another splitting maul, limbing ax, and chain saw. Soon they limbed and cut up several downed trees into little pieces of firewood, exactly fourteen inches long. As Mark worked the chain saw, Helen split the wood into pieces the precise size to fit in the little stove in the cabin and stacked them perfectly to look exactly like it had before their stay there. They restocked the small pantry with everything they had eaten and made sure the steam bath was in perfect order. Marie mopped the floor for the last time and closed all the doors just as they had originally found it with the note from Indian Joe and his wife plus the note from Helen and her athletes. They noticed lots of bear sign around the smokehouse and claw marks on the walls, but the bears seemed to know that the fish were all gone since they didn’t tear the door off its hinges.

  As Mark and Helen walked back down the hillside to the helicopter, they held hands. Helen’s head was on his shoulder, and he pulled her in close for an embrace when they got a chance to be alone and out of sight of Marie. “I know this was a tough experience for you, Helen, but all things happen for a reason. I’m just glad you survived all of this and I was allowed
to finally get to know you.”

  Marie stuck her head around the tree just as they kissed and held up an imaginary bow and arrow and shot it toward them. “I gotcha! When you two gonna get married? People that kiss like that on TV get married.”

  “Marie!” blurted Helen.

  Mark turned red in the face as he stood there, hugging Helen. “We’ll see, cupid. We’ll see.”