Survival Series Collection I ( 3 Short Stories): Survial Series, #1

By J. Gordon Monson

This book is a collection of three separate short stories. Each has a theme of life threatening experiences by young people going through great difficulties. Each separate story tells of individual times when they could have been maimed or possibly even killed. It also tells of the extended periods of time when they experienced great personal hardships. In Shanghai Exodus both Pi and Tang are effected by the greed of their one father. In For One Life the Mendez children are effected by an act of God. And in From Here to There both Johan and Oleg are effected by mandates from their controlling government, and then by a very special book they found.                                             

Titles: 1. Shanghai Exodus; 2. For one Life (and) 3. From Here to There.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Gordon Monson
• Release date: Aug 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386806196

J. Gordon Monson

The author went from telling his children bedtime stories to enlarging his work to novel-length stories offered to readers beyond his own household in 2012.

Book preview

SURVIVAL SERIES COLLECTION I

3 Short Stories   by J. Gordon Monson

TABLE OF CONTENT:

FOR ONE LIFE

CHAPTER 1  THE SHAKING

CHAPTER 2  DESTRUCTION REVEALED

CHAPTER 3  WHERE WAS THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 4  SHELTER FROM WHAT

SHANGHAI EXODUS

CHAPTER 1  1982 EVENTS

CHAPTER 2  SEA WORTHNESS

CHAPTER 3  HOMEWARD BOUND

CHAPTER 4  DECISION TIME

FROM HERE TO THERE

CHAPTER 1  HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER 2  SCHOOL DAYS

CHAPTER 3  BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 4  THE BOOK

CHAPTER 5  THE CAMP

CHAPTER 6  UNIVERSITY DAYS

CHAPTER 7  KITCHEN DETAIL

CHAPTER 8  ILLEGAL BUSINESS

CHAPTER 9  JUDGES DECISION

CHAPTER 10  ROUTINE NOT ROUTINE

CHAPTER 11  FOURTH AND FINAL

CHAPTER 12  PREP FOR CROSSING

CHAPTER 13  NIGHT CROSSING

CHAPTER 14  MISSED REUNION

CHAPTER 15  THE FINAL LEG

EPIPOLGUE

FOR ONE LIFE

By J. Gordon Monson

CHAPTER 1  THE SHAKING

Almost every morning the three older Mendez children would play outside until their mother called them in for breakfast, while the baby sister watched her mama work.  Nattalia prepared breakfast for her family while her husband, Alfredo, got ready for work. His work as a journeyman elevator repairman took him all over the big city, and sometimes even out of town.

Their oldest child, Juan Mendez, is a handsome, olive skinned ten year old with dark brown hair and eyes. Juan’s seven year old brother, Felipe, a four year old little sister, Rosa and his baby sister, Maria were the precious offspring of the young couple.

Their family lived on the first floor of a multi story affluent apartment building near the center of Mexico City. They felt fortunate to live on the ground floor on the back side of the big building. Their apartment patio opened to a big play ground where the children could go out to play almost every day.

That one particular morning Juan had set the table for his mother before he, Felipe and Rosa headed outside. He always woke up hungry and was glad when breakfast would be ready. The three were outside waiting for mother to call them in to wash up for breakfast. Sometimes she even let them bring their meals outside whenever one of the picnic tables was available. That morning, Juan, Felipe and Rosa were the only children playing outside. They had been out only a few minutes when suddenly the whole world seemed to shake around them! Juan knew exactly what it was. He had felt earthquakes before, but this one seemed to be so much harder. A few seconds passed, and then another jolt even harder than the first caused Juan’s swing to go sideways.

Juan looked up when he heard the noise above him. He saw their nine story building start coming apart. A big chunk landed between him and Felipe who was swinging just a few feet away. Juan quickly jumped off his swing, grabbed little Rosa and yelled to Felipe to duck under one of the concrete picnic tables. He and Rosa just crawled under their cover when everything seemed to come down around them. It seemed like the air they were breathing turned to straight dust. He coughed several times before he thought to wrap his shirt around both his and Rosa’s heads. Hopefully this would help filter the air.

The morning had started off bright and sunny, but now everything went black. He thought to himself, "Can this all be real?" What do we do now?

He felt Rosa move beside him and it caused him to come back to reality. She began to cry. She just whimpered at first, but then she lost control, half crying and half screaming. She was really scared not understanding what had just happened. All he could do was hold her and try to comfort her. After a very long time she stopped crying, but still whimpered for the longest time.

After the dust settled Juan took a look around their tiny shelter for any sign of light, but there was just total darkness. His next thoughts almost made him lose control. How much air did they have inside this little space? If no light could be seen, most likely no air could get in either. He talked to Rosa,

You lay very still because we want to listen for any sounds from outside.

Just as he finished speaking there was another shaking and more movement of the pile of debris over them. After this shaking stopped he looked around again, there to Juan’s right was a tiny sliver of daylight. It was no bigger than a small coin. It was so good to see any sign of light, and this meant they would have a supply of air to breathe as well. This little bit of light gave him hope. He could continue to encourage Rosa that we must be patient. Someone would find them. This also gave him a better chance to hear any of the outside sounds.

He thought, maybe, if I can push open the hole enough, we can both crawl out. I have to try. He first pushed then pulled on the large pieces around the tiny hole, but nothing moved. He asked Rosa to push on him as he pushed on the pile, maybe between the two of them they would have enough weight to move something. But this didn’t work either.

Rosa began to cry again. Juan told her as long as they saw the light they would be found by someone looking through the pile of rubble. Finally she quieted down again.

Juan had to stop his work around the hole long enough to rest, and to think of what else he could try. Then he remembered Felipe. He had not even considered what had become of him up until now. Was he safe under one of the other tables? He also thought about mother and father and baby Maria? It was parts of their big building now covering the table above them. Could the whole building come down on their apartment? These thoughts were too much for this small ten year old boy. Tears started to form in his dark brown eyes, but he held them back from crying as he had to be strong for Rosa’s sake.

Juan and Rosa spent the rest of that long day, the daylight long spent, under that table covered with the rubble. The table had saved them both from being crushed and killed, but with no food or water, it was likely going to be a long night. Hopefully someone might find them before morning.

As darkness overtook the big city, Juan still couldn’t hear any sounds coming from outside. Was there any signs of life beyond their little shelter cave.

Juan told Rosa to try to sleep while he continued to listen. There, in the stillness of the night, he heard a thumping sound. It sounded like it was coming from his left. He knew Felipe was somewhere over in that direction. Could this be his brother making the noises to get someone’s attention?

Juan found two small rocks. He tapped them together three times, and then he stopped to listen. He hoped to get some sort of communication started. This noise would wake Rosa, but he needed to know if his brother was still alive.

There, he again heard three more thumps. He thought, there had been no other children on the playground this morning so this had to be Felipe making the sounds. Juan tapped the rocks together again, and again he heard three thumps in response. He was about to try it again, when another violent shaking came. When the shaking stopped he tried to get Felipe to respond again. He tried again and again, but got no further response. All he could do is to hope and pray that Felipe was still alive.

In the dark Juan couldn’t tell if their air hole was still open, so he felt in that direction, but he couldn’t feel any air movement either.

Juan had to see if he could get Felipe to respond. He continued to signal, and then stopped to listen. He tried again and again but always there was silence from Felipe’s direction. After what seemed like hours of tapping and listening Juan was completely exhausted, as well as very hungry and oh so thirsty. He couldn’t let himself think about food or water. These thoughts would only make it worse. He had told Rosa to not think about them either. He must have fallen asleep. When he awoke again everything was still dark. He had lost track of time and didn’t know if it was night or day? He slept again. The next time he woke he was so very cold. He touched Rosa’s arm and she felt cold too. This little shelter was not a warm place to sleep, so he moved closer to her, wrapped his arms around her before he fell back asleep again.

Several long cold hours had passed before Juan could know just what had happened during the night. The next time he woke up the inside of their tiny shelter was lighted. He rolled over and saw that the opening was much bigger. It was almost big enough for him or Rosa to crawl out. The last shaking must have moved the rubble even more. He could see one big chunk blocking their escape. He used every muscle in his little body to push on that chunk. It moved only a very little. Again and again he pushed, and inch by inch he was able to move it far enough so Rosa could squeeze her small body through the opening. He tried to follow her but couldn’t get out. He told Rosa to go find someone to help. She was gone what seemed like a very long time, and when she returned, a man who said his name was Alfredo, the same first name as his father’s name, helped Juan move the big chunk out far enough for Juan to crawl out and into the full wonderful daylight. Juan hugged Rosa before he looked around. The warm morning sun felt so good, and now both he and little Rosa were finally free. He figured they must have been in that temporary cave shelter for more than a full day. It had been a very long time to go without water and food.

CHAPTER 2   DESTRUCTION REVEALED

Juan looked at what used to be their home. He was not prepared for what he saw. Their nine story apartment building, their home for all of his life, was now a huge mountain of rubble. So many thoughts came to him, "Somewhere under all that rubble his parents and baby sister may be buried. They were all still in their home when the first earthquake started yesterday morning. He hoped that somehow they were able to get out, and get safely away before the building came down. Then, there is Felipe, where was he? Was he under the next pile of rubble? How could he and Rosa find him? How could they move all that to see where he is? All these thoughts were too much for him. He dropped down to his knees and just shook all over from his head to his toes.  

Juan looked towards the direction he had last seen Felipe. The tables were far enough away from the building that they were not completely covered, but there was still a lot of rubble to be moved to find Felipe. He ran over and began to move chunks of rubble as fast as he could. Senior Alfredo asked him what he was doing. Juan told him that their brother was somewhere under the other picnic table now hidden by a five foot pile of debris. He could not be sure which table his brother had gone under, but he was fairly sure it was the one right next to the one he and Rosa had been under. Senior Alfredo, a little man with sad eyes, said, I have to get some help as there is a lot of rubble to be moved. We also need to get you two some water and food, and maybe even a bath if any water could be found. I’ll be right back with some help.

Juan needed to stay and find his brother. He and Rosa again started moving chunks of rubble from that area where he thought the picnic table should be. Rosa carried the smaller pieces away. They worked as fast as they could, but made so very little headway. Finally three other rescue workers came to help. They gave Juan and Rosa some food and water. He had forgotten how hungry and thirsty he was until they came with food and water. He told the workers about where the table was. In time they found the table, and then finally they also found Felipe. He was still breathing, but was not conscious. His legs were caught under a large section of the fallen building. He must have regained consciousness for only a short time when he was signaling to Juan.

The workers spent maybe another fifteen minutes freeing his little legs, and an ambulance rushed him to the hospital. Juan and Rosa were able to ride along. They waited in the very busy waiting room to see what the hospital could do to help Felipe. It