Jimmy Beckman - Shipwreck

Authors Note1

The story begins with "Jimmy Beckman - Prologue"
This is segment 13.2


Shipwreck3

Some months before Jimmy’s tests of the new sensor, the newspaper headlines and the TV had announced that the yacht of a prominent business leader, had been caught in a severe storm, and sunk somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. There were no known survivors. 4

Jimmy had an idea and talked it over with Chip.5

“The owner's son was aboard and a big reward is offered for information about him and the ship. They had been looking for him for a couple of months now but haven’t found anything. They figure the storm blew it way off course, either it sunk it or got tossed up on some island. A lot of those islands aren’t even on the maps. Are there many birds on those islands?”6

The big hawk scratched himself and observed, “Well, I’ve never been there, but I think the islands each has its own bird population. Some birds probably travel from one island to another.”7

“If someone got thrown up on one of the islands would the birds pass the word among each other?”8

“I suppose so, among the local birds but I guess over time the word would spread further.”9

“Do migrating birds stop at these islands?”10

“Sometimes they stop, for food and water and to rest. Some of the flight stretches are pretty long.”11

“Could we spread a message among those birds to pass back the word if the see any sign of new people on islands that didn’t have any people before?”12

“Scratching himself some more, Chip said, “I’ve never heard of such a thing being done, but I’ve never heard of people talking to birds either.”13

“Do you think it might work?”14

“Maybe.”15

“Would you be willing to fly west a ways and start a message to the birds on those islands?”16

“Sounds like a pretty weird idea but I guess I’d be willing to give it a try. It might take quite a while for the message to travel that far.”17

“If we could get birds to fly west when they get the word, it would move faster. Could you talk them into that?”18

“I could only talk to the first bird I pass the message to. It would be up to him to convince the next bird to do it.”19

“Let’s try, when can you leave?”20

“In the morning, I guess but don’t count on it working.”21

Chip left the next morning, He was gone for several days and when he returned, the two friends resumed their discussion.22

“Well, I flew until sundown, slept until dawn, and then went looking for a bird who would carry your message further. Most of the birds I talked to thought I was crazy and just flew off. Then I found another Hawk who was planning to fly west anyway and agreed to try to persuade a bird at the end of his trip to pass the message on. I found a couple more birds who agreed to this just in case one of the others didn’t get through.”23

“Well,” said Jimmy, “all we can do now is wait and see what happens.”24

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” said Chip and with a flap of his wings, rose in the air and then flew off.25

Days passed and then weeks without any word from the Pacific. Jimmy knew that this method of communication would be slow, so he waited patiently, in the meantime continuing with his daily activities.26

Chip visited him every week or so and always had the same answer, “No word yet.”27

It was during the sixth week of waiting that Chip reported that there had been a few stories drifting back about people arriving at Pacific islands; most of them were of little interest to Jimmy. 28

Then, one day Chip arrived in a state of excitement, “I may have news this time!”29

“Great! Tell me what it is.”30

“There is an island that had no people and now has a few people. No boat, just a couple of people. There was nothing to identify the island or where it was.”31

After receiving a few more stories about this island with new arrivals, Jimmy and Chip decided to investigate this lead by setting up a virtual trip to the area. Chip would fly to the Pacific, carrying a sensor, so Jimmy could see what was there. 32

Jimmy set up a carrying case with essentially the same equipment that had been used for the sensor test with Chip, but with a few improvements. Instead of having the case tied to Chip's foot, Jimmy created a harness that went around the bird’s chest and the case was fastened to that. Chip would have to stay clear of humans, to avoid attracting their interest in this strange harness he was wearing. A global positioning receiver was added, modified to get its power from the energy receptor and also miniaturized.33

On a weekend morning, Jimmy and Chip met beneath the Oak tree where they had first encountered each other. Jimmy had on his school backpack and was on his bicycle. He dismounted and took off the backpack. Reaching inside, he extracted the case and harness. Chip spread his wings and Jimmy fastened the harness in place.34

“Well, it looks like you are ready to go, how does it feel, is the case heavy.”35

“It feels a little strange but I’ll get used to it; it isn’t too heavy.”36

Jimmy reached into the backpack again and brought forth a sensor amplifier and super-battery. He placed them on the ground and turned them on.37

“OK, let’s test it. Take off and circle overhead,”38

Jimmy stood back and Chip, with a flap of his wings, swooped into the air. He rapidly climbed several hundred feet and began to circle the oak tree.39

Jimmy switched his mind to the sensor and immediately was looking down at the tree. “Can you hear me OK,” he asked.40

“Fine,” Chip replied.41

“Head out on course and check with me every few minutes. If you reach a point where you don’t get a reply, circle there for a few orbits. If you still don’t get an answer, come back.”42

“OK, we’re on our way!”43

Chip began to climb and Jimmy watched the houses and trees grow smaller as they slid by beneath them. After a few minutes, Jimmy began to see both the scene from the air and the scene back at the Oak tree, alternately, in flashes. He reached down and switched on the sensor amplifier. Immediately he was high in the air with Chip. To see the Oak tree, he had to switch his mind away from the sensor. 44

“OK, it looks like everything is working fine. I’ll head for home and contact you from there.”45

He switched away from the sensor, turned off the amplifier and put it and the battery back in the backpack. Climbing on his bicycle, he began the return trip to his home.46

When he arrived home, he set the amplifier up on a shelf at the rear of the shop, where it would not be noticed, and switched it on. He was back with Chip.47

“Hi Chip, how’s it going.”48

“Good, we’re lucky, the weather looks like it’s going to be perfect.”49

“I looked at a weather map, it should be clear until evening. Then a line of rainstorms should pass in a few hours. You’ll probably be sleeping in a tree somewhere by then.”50

Jimmy felt as if he were strapped to Chip's chest, as he watched the terrain move by below him. They spoke to each other occasionally to be sure they were still able to do so. They were well beyond the direct sensor/mind communication range, so they knew the sensor amplifier was working. Since it was a weekend, Jimmy spent most of the day with Chip, even during mealtimes. Since Jimmy could switch his mind to the sensor at will, he could be eating his lunch at home and still flying, virtually, high in the sky. He could also be sitting physically in front of the TV set and at the same time watching the terrain far below. His family thought he was just lost in thought.51

At bed time, he said good night to Chip, who by this time was settled comfortably for the night, in the top of a tree. 52

“Goodnight Chip. Wake me up if you need anything.”53

“G’night Jimmy,’ came the sleepy reply.54

He slept but dreamed he was flying high in the sky. When he awakened in the morning, his dream became real, and there he was flying again. 55

“Good morning Chip! How did you sleep?”56

“Good morning Jimmy. After flying all day, I slept like a log. I feel great, full of pep.” His powerful wings swept him along toward the west, and virtually, if not physically, carried Jimmy along as well. 57

Since Jimmy could not sit watching continually on schooldays, it had been agreed that he would communicate with Chip in the morning, before he left for school, and in the evening, after supper. Of course on weekends, he could also communicate at other times of the day. Jimmy kept Chip informed of what kind of weather to expect.58

They were over the great plains now and the Rocky Mountains lay ahead. 59

“Chip, I looked at a map of the Rocky Mountains and I think you should go through the passes, instead of trying to fly over the peaks.”60

“Makes sense to me. Do you have any idea where the passes are?”61

“Once I get myself oriented on where we are, I think I can guide you using the map.”62

As they approached the mountains, Jimmy used his map to guide Chip to the passes. Jimmy had checked the weather forecast, and knew that Chip would encounter no bad weather.63

Toward the end of the day, they were close to the steepest parts of the Rockies, and just before dark, Chip landed in a tall pine tree for the night. It was near Jimmy's bedtime so he said goodnight to Chip, and went to take his shower. Following that, he climbed into bed and went right to sleep.64

When he awoke, he was flying over the Rockies. Chip was using passes where possible. Jimmy could stay with Chip only a few minutes as this was a school day. 65

During the day, he fought off the urge to join Chip, instead paid attention to his teachers. At lunch time, he switched his mind to the sensor for a few minutes, and flew along with Chip; they were now over Nevada. 66

“Hi Chip, how’s it going.”67

“OK. I’m pretty well past the highest part of these mountains.”68

“When you get to the ocean, where do you plan to stop and look for information from the other birds, that will help you locate the part of the Pacific where that uncharted island is?”69

“I guess it should be a big seaport, there will be lot of birds there.”70

“San Francisco is a big seaport. Why don’t you stop at their waterfront? There will be lots of seagulls and other birds.”71

“Sounds like a good idea. Can you point me in the right general direction?”72

“Sure! Now on the map we are going almost exactly toward the west. We need to go a bit to the south.” Chip corrected his course. "There, that should get you in the right general direction. When we hit the coast, we will figure out if you are to the north or south of San Francisco. Then you can just follow the coast to get to the city.”73

Jimmy switched his mind away from the sensor, and was again back sitting in the schoolyard. A few moments later, the bell rang calling everyone back to class.74

That evening when he rejoined Chip, “Hi Chip, let’s see if we can spot where you are on this map. Those look like the Sierra Nevada Mountains ahead. Looks like you are headed straight for San Francisco.”75

“Hi Jimmy. I plan to go as far as possible before stopping for the night, so I arrive in San Francisco early in the morning. I want as many hours of daylight as possible, for collecting information from the other birds.”76

“Good idea. I’ve got to go now. I have a pile of homework to do.”77

“Seems like you spend a lot of your time doing that. Sometime, you’ll have to explain to me what it is.”78

“OK’” Jimmy laughed, “Just be glad you don’t have to do any.”79

When Jimmy awoke in the morning, Chip was in San Francisco and busily interviewing every bird he could. Jimmy wished him luck and left for school. He resisted the temptation to see how the Hawk was doing, until lunchtime. When Jimmy switched his mind to the sensor, Chip was in great spirits. 80

“I talked to several birds, who had heard the stories about the deserted island. They gave me an idea of what part of the Pacific it might be in. I’m gonna start out for what you call the Hawaiian Islands in the morning. From there I’ll head for the area to the south of that Midway Island you showed me on your map. I’ll spend the rest of today collecting information, to make it easier to find the island.” 81

After school, homework and supper were out of the way. Jimmy was stretched out on his bed, with a book on his chest, in case one of his parents came in, and switched his mind to the sensor. 82

“I’ve finished talking to birds, and I’m sure that the island is south of Midway Island. From what I learned, there a lot of little islands there that are not on your map. I’m going to get as much rest as possible, and leave at dawn.”83

“OK, then Goodnight. I’ll talk to you in the morning when I wake up.”84

“Good night Jimmy. See you in the morning.”85

Now that they were getting close, Jimmy started feeling nervous. “I sure hope Chip was right about the area where that island is located. It’s a big Pacific and an awfully small island we’re looking for.’86

The next morning, Jimmy contacted Chip, only long enough to see if everything was still going according to plan, and that Chip was OK. Chip was on his way, and the Pacific Ocean stretched out below. There was no sight of land in any direction. It was a beautiful but lonely scene.87

At school, Jimmy did his best to keep his mind on what was going on in class, but the thought of Chip flying over that great, lonely stretch of water, really disturbed him. It took a lot of will power, but he waited until evening, before he switched to sensor mode.88

He was startled at the scene before him. He was looking down at a ship of some sort, from what appeared to be a yardarm. Below, he saw people in casual clothes, and here and there he saw men in white uniforms. 89

"Where are we Chip?", he asked. 90

"I'm getting a free ride", said Chip. "I saw this ship going in the same direction I am, and making pretty good speed, so I decided to come down and ride free for awhile. 91

Jimmy laughed delightedly. "That's great Chip. Way to go! Why don't you ride free all the way to Hawaii?" 92

"I might just do that", replied Chip.93

“What is your plan after Hawaii? It’s a long stretch between Hawaii and Midway Island, and there aren’t many islands along the way.”94

“Well, if I can find a ship going that way, maybe I can hitch another ride. Besides, the ship will be an easy place to find food, either on or floating behind. I’d prefer a fresh rabbit or squirrel, but I don’t think I’ll find one of those out here.’95

“Good idea on hitching a ride. Maybe you should do some fishing.”96

“Right!”97

Jimmy relaxed now that he knew Chip was safe. For the next several days he checked with Chip in the morning and evening, but did not worry about him. Chip had decided to stay with the ship until within sight of Hawaii, and in his words, "get fat and lazy". Jimmy encouraged him to do this.98

It took the ship three days to get to Hawaii. Chip took off on his own, when the outline of Diamond Head appeared on the Horizon. He spent the next day hunting for food, and exchanging information with any birds he met. 99

When he was fully fed, he took off for Midway Island. 100

On one of their contacts, Jimmy asked about hitching a ride. “How come you’re still flying? I thought you were going to hitch a ride?”101

“I can fly faster than these old tubs move. I’ll wait until I spot something going faster. Beside, they don’t have much food in their wake. I’m in the shipping lanes, I pass a ship pretty often so if I get tired, I can always drop in on one for awhile.”102

“You know best. I have more homework, so I’ll talk to you later.”103

“So long, Jimmy.”104

Finally, Chip overtook a cruise ship heading in his direction at a good speed, so he landed high on one of the masts, and rode in style for the rest of the way. It turned out the ship was headed for Japan, and would pass south of Midway Island.105

One night, when Jimmy contacted him, Chip said, “I think we’re getting near to Midway Island. I saw a couple of seagulls to day. Tomorrow I am going to make contact with some of them.”106

The following evening, he reported, “I talked to several of the gulls today. They told me a lot about the islands to the south. Some of them have heard about the search for survivors, but they haven’t heard anything about the island where they might be.”107

Jimmy replied, “That’s discouraging news, I expected you’d hear more about the island the survivors were on, as you got closer to it. Could we be in the wrong area?”108

“Don’t give up yet. Let me keep inquiring around.”109

“OK, good luck. How’s the food aboard that ship.”110

“I think I’m putting on weight. These guys must throw away more food than they eat!”111

“Well, back to the homework.”112

“Goodnight Jimmy.”113

“Goodnight Chip”114

The next time they made contact, Chip had good news. “I met a seagull who had heard that there were people on an island that had been deserted! The gull wasn’t sure where the island was but had heard the story from a bird who had come to this area from somewhere to the south.”115

“Hooray,” cheered Jimmy. “That’s great news. What do you plan to do?”116

“I’m going to fly to the nearest island to the south of here. It may take most of the day to get there.”117

Jimmy rode along for awhile but after several hours of looking at empty ocean, they were now out of the shipping lanes, he excused himself and switched away from the sensor.118

That evening, he contacted Chip again.119

“I found an island. There are no people here but there are a few birds. None of them had heard about any survivors but they say very few birds stop here so they don’t know much about what’s going on at the other islands. They thought I ought to try an island southwest of there, where there are more birds.”120

“OK. I’ll contact you in the morning, “Goodnight.”121

“Goodnight, Jimmy.”122

Chip took off and flew to the southwest. He flew high to increase his field of vision, and sure enough, after a time, saw an island on the horizon. There were more birds here, and a few had heard about the island, with the new people. They directed him to go further to the west. He followed the rumors, flying from island to island, until he found a bird who had actually been to the island that had these people. The bird agreed to lead him there.123

It was a long flight over a stretch of empty ocean, but finally he saw the trees of an island on the horizon. As they neared it, he could see that it was very small, but covered with trees, so he assumed there was fresh water there. The other bird landed in the first tree it came to, but Chip circled over the island, looking for people.124

He spotted a man who appeared to be fishing. He was wading in the lagoon, holding a stick in one hand. Every so often he stabbed at the water with the stick. 125

Chip circled lower trying to see if there was anyone else. Just then, the man in the lagoon raised the stick over his head; there was a fish on the end of it. The man seemed to be calling to someone under the trees; a second person ran out from the trees and joined the first man. Both men seemed excited about the fish. 126

Chip descended and landed in a tree, from which he could watch the men, without being seen. He settled down, and waited for Jimmy to check in with him.127

That evening when Jimmy switched his mind to the sensor, Chip seemed quite excited.128

“Jimmy, I think I found the right island. There are a couple of people here, Look!’129

There in front of him, Jimmy saw two men in ragged clothes, sitting on the ground beside a makeshift lean-to, made with tree boughs. In the background, were trees, and beyond them appeared to be the ocean. Both men looked emaciated and weak, probably from lack of food.130

Jimmy switched away from the sensor long enough to go to his desk, and examine the newspaper photograph of the missing heir. Then he switched back to the sensor, and carefully examined both men. One looked nothing like the photo but the other might fit. His hair was the same color, the build similar but a bit more bony. He had a growth of beard so it was difficult to tell much about his facial features. His nose was similar though.131

‘Close enough,’ he thought, ‘to notify the search team.’ To Chip, he said, "I think you may be right Chip. Hold, while I try to phone the search team." Before he switched away from the sensor, he noted the coordinates on the global positioning receiver.132

He went back to his desk, found the telephone number listed in the newspaper article, and dialed it. After several rings, a woman's voice said, "Hello". 133

Jimmy asked, "Is this the number that people with information about the missing yacht are supposed to call?" 134

The voice at the other end of the line said, "Yes, it is." 135

Jimmy said, "I think I know where some of the survivors are." 136

The other voice said, "You do! Where are they?" 137

Jimmy gave her the coordinates of the island, and explained that it was south of Midway Island.138

The other voice, now sounding excited, asked, "How do you know this?" 139

Jimmy hesitated and then said, "I dreamed it." 140

The pitch of the other voice dropped and the excitement disappeared, "You... You dreamed it?" 141

Jimmy replied, "Yes. Please believe me. There are at least two of them and they don't look in very good shape." 142

The woman's voice sounded very disappointed, "Can I have your name and telephone number?" Jimmy gave her the information. "Thank you" and the woman hung up.143

She didn't believe me, Jimmy thought. I guess saying I dreamed it wasn't a good idea. But if I told her the truth she certainly wouldn't believe me; nobody would.144

Jimmy switched back to the sensor and said, "Chip, I called the search people and spoke to some woman. At first, she sounded excited and asked me how I knew. I couldn't tell her the truth; no one would believe that! So I told her I dreamed it. Then she sounded sad. She took my name and telephone number and hung up. I don't think she believed me."145

Chip, who knew nothing about telephones did not understand most of what Jimmy had just said, but did understand the last statement, "I don't think she believed me." 146

"Now what?", he asked.147

"I don't know. We can't just leave those guys there to starve," Jimmy replied. "All I can think of is to ask my Dad what to do." Chip said nothing. "I'll be back", said Jimmy and switched away from the sensor.148

Just then, the telephone rang. Jimmy heard his father, downstairs, answer it. Half expecting to be called to the phone Jimmy waited. His father talked to someone for several minutes. Jimmy decided it did not involve him, and was about to go down stairs, so he could talk to his dad, when he finished with the phone call, when he heard his father call, "Jimmy, pick up the phone." Jimmy did so. Jimmy heard his father say, "Jimmy, this is Mr. Prescott, on the phone. His son was lost in a boating accident; it was in the papers and on TV. He says you called his home and spoke to his wife, telling her you knew where he was and that you dreamed it." He thinks it was some kind of prank. Was it?"149

"No Dad, the part about dreaming it was kind of made up, but I do know where he is, at least where some of the survivors are." There was a pause.150

His father directed his next words to Mr. Prescott. "Mr. Prescott, my son has never lied to me and by the sound of his voice, I know he is not lying now. I don't know if he is correct, but I am sure he believes what he is saying is true. He is a levelheaded kid, and I am sure has a good reason for what he is telling you. Whether you act on it is up to you, but I assure you this is not a prank."151

A man's voice replied, "Thank you Mr.. Beckman. Goodbye." Jimmy heard a click and knew Mr. Prescott had hung up. He heard his father's voice, "I'll be right up, Jimmy". Then he too hung up and so did Jimmy.152

His father entered the room a few minutes later, and took a seat on the bed. They looked at each other and his father said, "Care to tell me what this is all about?"153

Jimmy said, "Dad, the story behind this is so weird, that no one would ever believe it. I am putting off telling you until I can prove to you that what I am saying is true. Can you give me a little more time, and trust me?"154

His father stood up and said, "I trust you, son", and left the room.155

Jimmy switched back to the sensor and asked Chip, “Can you survive on that island for a few days?”156

“Sure. Its very nice here, if you’re a bird. I like it and could probably stay indefinitely.”157

“I’ll get back in touch in a couple of days.”158

“Take your time.”159

Two days later, the newspapers and TV announced that the Prescott heir had been found on a desert island. They reported that one of the crew members was with him; They both were hungry but were otherwise in good shape. They were the only survivors found.160

Jimmy contacted Chip and told him to come home.