8
W E’ V E G O T H O P E
Colin looked out over the ship. He thought about Mama. He thought about Papa. How could he have really gotten captured. He thought of himself as always the smart one. But now—it seemed him and Fiona were completely opposite. She was getting treated better since she obeyed and was nice to everyone. But Colin—he felt like a disease right about now.
“Colin…” Ronan stood beside him. “You don’t have to hate me. I’ll protect you if you will just listen.
“Listen? You want me to listen—to you?”
“I could’ve kept you helpless and lame. But I chose not to.”
“Colin, listen! Just listen and respect me.”
“Respect you?” Colin paused in the middle of the deck.
“Oh, no.” Fiona worried.
“Yes.” Ronan tried to remain calm.
Colin went up to Ronan and tears burned his red, tired eyes. “Show me something to respect!” He yelled.
Fiona went after him. “Colin, time is running out, you have hatred in your heart.”
“Why do you care?” Colin stood there.
Fiona smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? Colin—” She looked at the ocean. “We’ve got an ocean of faith. We’ve got hope. Because God gave it to us. Faith can move mountains. So I know it can move you.” She to went to hug him, but Colin walked away. “Fiona.” He paused. “I just can’t.”
“Colin. You don’t always have to depend on yourself. God can help you.”
Colin looked away. “I’m the only one I can trust.”
Ronan met Fiona’s gaze. “Why do you tell of such false things?”
“I—I don’t.”
“Fiona. Your god isn’t real.”
“Ronan. You know He is. you can feel it in your heart. And I promise, before I die one of you is going to change. It may be you, Ronan.” She left and went to a different part on the ship.
That day rolled by and the night stars filled the sky.
“God…please. Let me change Ronan. Or Colin, or even both. But please…let me change them.”
Colin sat alone in the crow’s nest. He remembered one day, two months ago, when he had stood on the mountains and admired the goldfinches and water and the trees—Colin hated thinking about home.
“If I had just run faster, we could be home now.” He sniffled. He thought about what Fiona said about God. “If there is really a God…why doesn’t He let us home?” Colin looked up at the moon. “Please…take us home.”
The moon hid behind the sun and the warm air gave everyone a happier spirit. That is, almost everyone.
Colin noticed something out of the corner of his eye. “Wait a minute…” He looked closer at the sea.
“That’s sharks!” He turned around. “There’s sharks!”
The slaves started panicking.
“What will we do, Captain?” Asked Archer, the strongest man on the ship.
Ronan’s face was worried. “We’ll just have to go around them.”
“Pray to Allah this will work.” He said.
Ronan looked at Fiona. “Allah doesn’t hear our prayers because of her.” He tipped his head in the direction where Fiona was.
“What should we do?”
“Nothing. Just try to convince her she is wrong.”
“Shouldn’t we throw her overboard?”
“No. She may be in use for me.”
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