Red Midnight Project By Griffen Gannon

Guatemala

Santiago’s Trip Santiago’s village was attacked by soldiers. Santiago was told to run with his 4 year old sister, go as far as he could, and tell the story of that night. This started the journey to Lake Izabal where he would leave and sail to Florida…

Leaving Lake Izabal Santiago made it to Lake Izabal with his sister. He met a man named Enrique who would help him prepare for his trip. He had to set out soon or the soldiers would find them. They gathered all the supplies he could use for his trip. Enrique and his wife did all they could, it was now time to set off. Enrique would be going with them for the first part of their trip. They said goodbye to Enrique’s wife, and they were off.

Dodging the Military Boat They have just left lake Izabal and are now on El Golfete. This is a rougher lake and there is also a military boat guarding part of the pass. They have to lower the sail and Enrique starts paddling. They have to stay close along the shore under the trees so the boat doesn’t see them. They are half way through when a branch breaks. The lights search for them but they stay hidden. Quickly they paddle by the boat. They have made it by the boat. Now they drop Enrique off at Fort Castillo de San Felipe de Lara and are on their own.

River of Garbage Santiago and Angelina are sailing when he sees the first piece of garbage, he doesn’t know what it is. He soon realizes it is a bunch of garbage. Santiago picks up what he thinks is usable quickly while they float through. He soon realizes these things will be very useful to him. One thing he finds use of is a barrel that he rips it up and makes a spray guard. Later on in a storm it saves their lives. The river of garbage saved their lives.

Pirates Santiago decides to stop them at an island to take a quick rest. He wakes up by the sound of a motor and Pirates rambling. He hides himself and Angelina under trees quickly. He made her stay silent and when the pirates finally fell asleep they made an escape and got away. Not quite! He heard a motor coming on fast from behind. Soon he heard a loud crash. The pirates crashed. They were safe. For a while…

Finding Angelina’s Doll Santiago is improving the boat to make it easier for them to sail. He floats past some more garbage later on in the day and he quickly searches for useful stuff. He only finds some wet wood that’s useless and a water bottle that is useful for bailing the boat. He soon sees something small and dark floating towards the cayuco. He soon sees it’s only a doll that is pretty beat up. He starts to pass by it and soon sees Angelina so lonely. Santiago quickly turns the boat and grabs the doll. He tells her the doll is hurt. Angelina has found a new friend.

Fishing is Key to Living Santiago and Angelina are now crossing the Gulf. He is trying to find a new way to fish. When he is looking forward he suddenly sees the two front nails in the boat. He soon starts to work at the nail. He finally gets it free and manages to bend it by the end of the day. The next morning he takes the hook and ties it to some old line. Then he takes a piece of old bait puts it on the hook and minutes later he catches a fish. He can fish. He has more food for them.

Bad Storm It should be about the end of the trip, but it’s not. Santiago feels the wind pick up and the waves are getting bigger. He quickly lowers the sail and that’s good because a storm quickly comes on. This is a bad storm where the waves come in every direction. Suddenly they get hit by a wave. They are tipping. He hangs on to the boat and they are tumbled under water and get pretty beat up. Only one answer; a hurricane.

Seeing the Lights They are stilling rolling around in the water for a while and after a long while it settles a little. He grabs the boat and manages to get them inside. They are both so weak and on the verge of death. That’s when he sees it, Santiago sees light. He starts frantically paddling towards shore…

Getting Repaired Physically and Emotionally Santiago and Angelina make it to shore. A kind woman finds them and sends them to the hospital. They are both taken care of with all their injuries and are sent to have a meal. They have made it to safe land. A nice nurse talks to Santiago. She is like a mom to him. He soon realizes they are safe. Angelina’s doll is fixed and they are all comforted. They can start a new life.