All Safe at Last

 •  7 min. read  •  grade level: 3
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Art stood at the prow of the boat. This was his third trip, and his last. With Father and Mother and the three little ones safe, his task would be done. He thought, too, of his adventure in the night — how he had helped save Colynsplaat from the flood, and he heaved a sigh of satisfaction. He was tired — so tired that stars seemed to dance wildly before his eyes. But that did not matter. When this trip was over, he would rest; he would rest on his laurels, as people say.
They were nearing the big brown barn roof, which still stood well above water. The tops of the poplars swished through the waves. Art thought of Coba. That was a brave thing to do — swim out into this wild water to rescue a baby in a chair! He felt that it was more than anything he had done. The doctor on the dike had said she would be all right; and the baby, too.
Then suddenly he realized that the house should be in sight, and he could not see it. Had they missed their course, and was it behind the barn? Or — no, he could not bear to think of that! Other houses caved in, but theirs was more sturdy than most. It must be behind the barn!
He stared till his eyes ached, and his lips began to bleed from his biting teeth. If the house is gone, where are Mother, and Father, and Trena, and Dottie, and Bill?
Mr. Cozynse spoke, “Art, you have sharp eyes. What is that over there?”
Art looked in the direction of Mr. Cozynse’s outstretched arm. He saw a man who seemed to be standing on the waves. The thought of Peter walking on the sea shot through Art’s mind. But this man was waving a black coat ...
“It must be a signal for help,” said Mr. Cozynse, and he turned the rudder.
Art wanted to cry out, “What about Father and Mother!” But he didn’t. After all, this man was in great danger. Father and Mother would be safe in the attic; the house must certainly be there, out of sight behind the barn.
“Pull away, boys!” Mr. Cozynse said. “All together now — one ... two ... ”
But what had become of the man? There was nothing to be seen except the whitecaps of the waves. Had he drowned with rescue so near?
Then Art spied him again. He was lying down now, and must be on a raft. Someone else lay beside him. There were two adults, and three children. The waves washed over them again and again, almost hiding the raft from sight.
But when the man lifted himself on his hands to look at them, Art cried out, “Father!”
The oarsmen pulled hard, and Mr. Cozynse guided the boat around the raft. Art’s hook dragged the little craft close. There they lay — his father, his mother, his little sisters, and Billie — half under water.
Father lifted Trena into the boat, and then Dottie. Art helped Billy crawl in.
“Now, Mother,” Father said.
Mother raised herself slowly on the teetering raft. She was numb with cold, and faint. But when she caught sight of Art her face lighted.
“My boy!” she said. “Then God has granted that we should see each other once more!” A gentle smile played on her white lips. She raised one hand as if in greeting.
“Come, Mother,” Father urged gently.
“Yes, I’m coming,” Mother said. She took one tottering step. But her foot slipped, and the raft tilted under her. She fell, and slid into the water. The raft bobbed up above her head.
It all happened in a flash, and Art jumped overboard an instant after. He dove under, caught hold of Mother’s shoulder, pushed her head above water. The men did the rest. Hanging to the edge of the boat, Father held Mother up; others dragged her in. Another hand jerked Art back into the boat.
The oarsmen spread blankets over Mother. Then Mr. Cozynse ordered again, “All together — one, two ... ” They shot forward through the water toward the dike.
Art lay under the blanket, too. Mr. Cozynse insisted that he should. And he was content. Everybody was safe at last, and he himself had rescued Mother. He was Coba’s equal, after all.
Mother was very pale. But Art remembered the woman they had drawn out of the water in the morning. The doctor had said she would be all right. He had said the same about Coba. “Tuck her into bed with plenty of warm blankets and hot water bottles, and she’ll be fine,” he had said. They would soon have Mother in bed, too.
When the boat touched the dike, men were waiting to help. They lifted Trena and Dottie and Billy out first. They would have helped Art, but he jumped out and stood ready to help Mother.
The men lifted her, blanket and all. Art caught a glimpse of her pale face and closed eyes. Her lips were almost smiling; and though she did not say a word, Art seemed to hear her say, “My boy!” Just as she had done on the raft, and just as she had done yesterday — was that only yesterday that she said goodbye to him? Then she had been afraid that they might not meet again. But that fear had not come true. They did meet again, and they would all ride together on the bus, to Colynsplaat.
At Len’s house, Art took a warm bath and dressed in dry clothes. Then he settled in a comfortable chair close to the fire. The others had been taken to the hospital.
Art’s eyes fell shut. He was tired, but very happy. There was so much to be thankful for! Father, Mother, brothers and sisters, all safe!
“Art!”
Art opened his eyes. Father was there, dressed in some of Mr. Cozynse’s clothes.
“Isn’t it wonderful, Father?” Art exclaimed. “We’re all safe and sound!”
“Yes, we are all safe,” Father said.
Art looked at Father curiously. His face and his tone of voice were so solemn.
“We are all safe, aren’t we?” he asked anxiously. Father nodded. “Yes, Art, all of us are safe,” he said.
But the words seemed hard to say, and Father’s eyes were blinking away moisture. Art had never seen him look so.
“Then what’s the matter, Father?” he asked anxiously. “Is it Coba?”
Father shook his head. “Coba is doing fine. She’ll soon be well. But Mother ... ”
The words choked him, and he stopped.
Art felt his own throat pinch tight with sudden fear. “Is Mother ... ?” he whispered.
Father nodded. “Mother is gone,” he said. “But you said we were all safe!” Art cried out. “We are, Art,” Father answered quietly. “We were all saved. But ... Mother was saved in a different way.”
Then Art understood what Father meant. He thought again of what she had said, just the day before, “If we should not see each other again, I want you to know, my boy, that all is well with Mother. Jesus has made all things well.” He recalled the smile, and the look of peace, that he had seen on her face when they lifted her out of the boat. Yes, she was safe. But it wasn’t Coba who had rescued her. And it wasn’t Art, even though he had dived into the water to drag her out. It was the Lord Jesus who had saved her. He took her out of the flood and into Paradise, where she will never have to fear another flood; for there is no sea there, and no cold, and no hunger, no sorrow and no tears. She is safe with the Lord, forever.
What gave Art and Coba’s Mother such assurance that all was well with her? Was it not her trust in the promises of God’s Holy Word?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).