Pulling the skiff onto the beach, Sammy used all his strength to flip the vessel over. The wind blew in every direction almost at hurricane strength but the boy was determined. Once the hull was up right, he crawled underneath and began to dig into the sand. Ever the one to join in a good dig, Buddy plowed right in and did his share. Once a hollow space was created, Sammy took corkscrew pins and drove them deeply into the sand and tied them off with the lengths of rope he kept for such occasions.

Once he was sure the boat was secured on the beach, he returned to his little nest. Buddy burrowed in next to him to stretch out beside his master. Together the boy and the dog kept themselves safe and warm. All that could be seen beneath the skiff was the clear blue eyes and the upturned nose of the boy and the brown eyes and black nose of the mutt. There they waited as the lightning streaked the sky, the thunder cracked and the wind rocked the boat back and forth.

For hours the boy and the dog watched as the storm blew and the rain fell around them. Finally as the night began to fall, the weather took a last breath and began to abate. Lightning flashed now and again over the Isle el Rayo Bello, less frequently than before. Sammy decided to wait fifteen minutes before deciding if it would be safe to leave the security of the overturned skiff.

After eight minutes the thunder roared once more accompanied by a lightning flash. After another fifteen minutes, it became quiet. A half an hour later, Sammy crawled from beneath the skiff and stood on the beach; Buddy sat patiently beside the boy's soggy white sneakers. When all was clear, the boy untied the tethers that held the boat and flipped it back over.

Once it was afloat, Buddy took his accustomed place in the prow while Sammy took the oars. In the calm dark waters of the black midnight, the sound of oars lapping the water was all that could be heard. As it grew closer to Isle el Sol Bello, the mother became alert. Slowly she rose from the hard kitchen chair she had been seated on all that dreadful afternoon and floated, with the softest of footsteps, toward the beach. With the steady beat of his heart, her son was calling her. It was the sound only a mother could hear.