“Get off my boat!” He yelled this repeatedly. The sun was not fully up, and the sky was fuzzy streaks of deep blue and orange. The waves were choppy, the raft unsteady. Drowsy and weak, I blinked several times before I realized what was happening. I saw Geri rise to her elbows and cry out, “Jason! What are you doing?”

Half of the canopy lay sliced on the raft floor. For some reason, Lambert had cut it into pieces.

“Get off . . . my BOAT!” he screeched again. His voice was as dry as the rest of him. He swung the knife back and forth in the Lord’s face. “You are . . . useless! Useless!”

The Lord did not seem frightened. He raised his palms in front of him, as if urging calm.

“Everyone here is useless!” Lambert railed. “None of you got me home!”

“Jason, please,” Geri said, getting to her knees, “you don’t need a knife. Come on.” I saw her eyeing little Alice protectively, moving to a space between Lambert and the girl. “We’re all worn out. But we’re gonna be OK.”

“Be OK, be OK,” Lambert mocked, singsongy. He spun to the Lord. “Do something, you IDIOT! Call for HELP!”

The Lord, too, glanced over at Alice to make sure she was safe, then looked back at Lambert.

“I am your help, Jason Lambert,” he said softly. “Come to me.”

“Come to you? Why? To do . . . nothing? Anyone can do nothing! Look! We ALL can do nothing! . . . You don’t exist! You are useless! You do nothing!”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t believe in you.”

“But I believe in you,” the Lord said.

Lambert’s eyes fluttered closed. He turned away, as if bored with the conversation. For a moment I thought he might topple over and pass out. Then, so fast I can barely remember it happening, he whipped himself backward, his arm outstretched, and slashed the knife across the Lord’s neck.

The Lord reached for his throat. His mouth opened. His eyes widened. As if in slow motion, he fell backward over the raft edge and dropped into the ocean.

“No!” Geri screamed. I literally stopped breathing. I couldn’t even blink. I stared like a mesmerized animal as Lambert yelled “Done!” and dropped the knife. Geri dove for it and pulled it underneath her, but as she did, Lambert thumped across the raft, grabbed little Alice, and heaved her over the side.

“Out we go!” he bellowed. “Out we go!”

I heard Alice splash into the sea, and my heart pounded so loudly it filled my eardrums. In an instant Geri jumped overboard to go after her, leaving Lambert alone with me. He rose to his unsteady feet and began lumbering my way.