The man smiled but never looked his way. LeFleur felt the hot sun on the back of his neck. He stared at the empty blue horizon. The distance from Cape Verde to this beach was thousands of miles.

“How did you do it, Benji? How did you survive all that way alone?”

“I was never alone,” the man said.

* * *

Over time, Montserrat quieted considerably. The journalists departed. The raft was shipped to a Boston laboratory. Leonard Sprague, the police commissioner, was disappointed that the media attention, while sparking curiosity, did not increase tourist travel to the island.

The TV reporter Tyler Brewer won an award for his extensive Galaxy coverage, then went on to other stories. The company that insured the yacht was forced to pay a large settlement after analysts concluded that the sinking was caused not by neglect but rather by a mammal attack that broke holes in the fragile hull and caused a catastrophic explosion in the engine room.

The families of those lost at sea felt a certain closure, knowing the final resting place of their loved ones. And in the weeks that followed, a few of those families received unusual correspondence. Alexander Campbell, the youngest son of Nevin Campbell, got an unsigned letter that stated his father’s regrets at not spending more time with him. Dev Bhatt, the husband of Mrs. Latha Laghari, received an envelope with two earrings inside it.

Six months later, Jarty LeFleur and his wife Patrice went to a doctor and learned that Patrice was pregnant. “Are you serious?” she said, then broke into tears and grabbed her husband, whose mouth dropped open in happy astonishment.

And not long after that, a rent-a-car drove to the lookout above Marguerita Bay, and a man in black jeans and boots walked down to the beach, holding a tattered notebook. When he spotted a thin man heading his way, they both started running, yelling each other’s names, until they embraced in a long-awaited reunion.

In the end, there is the sea and the land and the news that happens between them. To spread that news, we tell each other stories. Sometimes the stories are about survival. And sometimes those stories, like the presence of the Lord, are hard to believe. Unless believing is what makes them true.

Acknowledgments

First, I’d like to thank you, beloved readers, for making time for my stories. May the stranger in your lifeboat always guide you, inspire you, and shine upon you.

Next, although this is a work of fiction, I did rely upon some real-life help to make the ocean scenes as legitimate as possible. To that end, I would like to thank Jo-Ann Barnas for her excellent research, and through her efforts, appreciation to Mark Pillsbury, Editor, Cruising World; and A. J. Barnas, a marine operations manager.