And Now We Rebuild: Prelude The Discovery 2042

By Marilyn Craske

And Now We Rebuild--an action-packed book about a family that flees to high ground from a tsunami headed their way. The family meets new acquaintances, working together to rebuild a whole new community and lifestyle.

They live on Prince of Whales Island, the third largest island in the United States, located in Southeast Alaska. Although the book is fictional, it is meant to be more than a fun entertaining novel.

Almost everything is lost in the disaster throughout the islands of Southeast Alaska because most critical businesses are just above sea level. This includes the fishing industry, hospitals, airports, fuel docks, barge lines, schools, logging, mining, and many beachfront homes!

Learn unique ways people build, hunt, scavenge supplies, raise food, find fuel, and more to survive. The government wants them to relocate, but most want to keep their land and rebuild. Christians are unwanted and go into semihiding for security reasons.

A must-read!

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798885406123

Book preview

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And Now We Rebuild

Prelude The Discovery 2042

Marilyn Craske

ISBN 979-8-88540-611-6 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88540-612-3 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Marilyn Craske

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Prelude

End of an Era/Beginning of Another

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

In Conclusion

About the Author

Prelude

The Discovery 2042

Hey, Dad! Look what I found! Chad yelled as he ducked inside a falling down structure.

Don't go in there not knowing… What is this place? It looks like a deserted cabin from inside but just an overgrown rock pit from outdoors!

I don't trust these old logs holding this place up, and the trees and such growing on top are making it sag quite a bit. Where is the flashlight?

It's right here in my pack, Dad. This was someone's hideaway a few years back!

You got that right, son. There were a lot of folks hiding out after the tsunami that devastated these islands and the whole northwest in 2025.

Carefully, they had ducked inside the structure to have a look around.

As they flashed the light around, its beam fell on a small shelf. Look at these notebooks, son. Looks like someone kept diaries! Let's keep and read them. For now, I want to get back to hunting. We can plan to come back here next week and explore more thoroughly.

Lee was thinking of other possible things being mentioned that he was unsure of sharing with his son, Chad, just yet as he flipped through the pages recognizing the handwriting.

Working to control his voice, Lee said, This date. It goes back about nine years ago, 2032.

That is two years before I was born?

Yes, said Lee, not trusting his voice and turning away from Chad to hide the tear running down his face.

You think they were part of the ‘Big Abduction'? Look at these piles of rotten clothes around this dinner table. They were eating.

There was no abduction, son. There was the ‘Rapture.' Something I've been meaning to do is share the truth to you, son.

What do you mean, Dad? Wow! This is incredible! Here's a Bible, Chad, said Lee as he picked it up reverently with his hands shaking.

What's a Bible?

"It was called the Word of God. People that called themselves Christians lived by its teachings. The book was outlawed a few months after the coast was hit. Mankind decided God could not possibly exist or be a God of love to have allowed such destruction on the earth, myself included at the time.

Then about seven years later, they really went ballistic when thousands of them and all the children disappeared in the rapture too. Christians called it the ‘Rapture of the Church.' Millions simply disappeared!

The great abduction was talked about in school!

Yes. But it's a lie. One of the greatest lies ever told!

You were not a Christian, Dad?

No, son. I had given my heart to God when I was very young, and as I got older, I thought I did not need God. I know now I was wrong, and now it's against the law to even talk about Him, much less serve Him! Thousands have been killed for their faith in a God they claimed healed them when they were sick, forgave their sins, provided all their needs, and more!

Oh? How can anyone stop someone from believing in something? Chad asked in anger. Why am I angry, Dad? I was not even here back then.

Slow down, son. It's what is known as the conviction of the Holy Spirit when you know right from wrong. The world calls it your conscience, but Christians call it conviction. It is God's way of teaching you right from wrong because He loves you.

You sure know a lot about it, Dad.

I studied the Bible a lot in my youth. Then got too busy for Him.

Let's not talk about this right now. We are here to go hunting, son, he said with emotion in his voice as he turned around and left. How or should he tell his son the real reason he was here?

Stunned, Chad followed his dad in deep thought about what he had just learned.

Several hours later and after a hardy meal of fresh duck meat and sitting by the fire, Lee said, Let's read the document now, Chad.

That duck meat is great stuff! said Chad. Then seeing the look on his dad's face again, he said, Sure, Dad, thinking that his dad was really acting weird and yet feeling an ache in his chest too. It was like a sense of loss.

With mixed feelings, Lee started to read the writings of Meg Knight.

End of an Era/Beginning of Another

1

It Happened

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

4/20/2025, 10:05 a.m.

Oh my gosh! I don't know whether to be excited or scared out of my wits! A huge tsunami must be about to head in! It would have to be at least three hundred and fifty feet high! Run for the hills! went through her mind as Meg stopped heading for Craig. Screeching to a halt, she turned the truck around right there in the middle of the two-lane road. No one else was around her at that time of day, so traffic was few and far between. Meg vaguely remembered as she hollered at Paul what was happening and quickly pointed at how far out the tide was! The water was racing out to the deep sea rapidly!

Tsunami!

Slow down, Mom!

I can't, son! That tsunami will be traveling hundreds of miles an hour straight at us!

The sky was gray and overcast, but it was not raining. The four miles back to Klawock seemed endless as she raced back at seventy miles per hour, slowing only for curves!

It was Wednesday, the twentieth of April, a quiet cool day for Southeast Alaska. People were at work, children in school, fishermen working on their boats for the upcoming summer fishing season.

Meg Knight had her son, Paul, start calling friends in Craig to sound the alarm of the coming disaster. Since Paul was an EMT and first response medic, he wanted to stay and help. But you are of no help dead and will be of more help alive, explained Meg. You will be of more help later. Sounding the alarm to get folks to higher ground now is the best thing you can do! Tell them to grab a warm change of clothes, bedding, some jugs of water, food, a weapon, and fire starter. Maybe a tent or tarp. Take care of yourself first and your needs.

It sounded selfish, but her mind was racing ahead to greater long-term concerns—concerns of plans she had put in place over the years! She was deeply concerned for everyone who would be affected by this disaster, one she had hoped would never happen in her lifetime.

Thinking as she raced along, The Knight family has to get out of town to high ground with their survival packs fast! For many years I've been told certain things about the end of time and what to expect according to the Word of God. I have studied and researched it myself. Not real deeply, but enough to believe in my heart that a lot will happen in my lifetime.

Christians believe in the teaching of the Bible. True believers in Jesus believe he is the Son of God and in God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. To say otherwise is to call God a liar! He only teaches the truth so that we can live forever with him in eternity! A new heaven and a new earth—that is only one benefit of asking Christ into your heart.

So what is happening? A tsunami is coming, and the damage will be deadly and astronomical! The whole of the Alaska coastline and the northern US will be devastated, and I assume it will be the last straw.

A new world order and martial law will probably be coming into effect, so I'm fleeing to the wilderness first to escape the wave, and second, to keep from being arrested and/or killed for my alleged freedom of religion. The prophets of the Bible said a belief in God would be outlawed.

The whole world has been suffering from earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and more along with all sorts of cosmic activity too! War and famine are rampant over much of the earth! Millions have lost their homes and jobs due to disasters and the banking institutions. The cost of fuel is about ten dollars per gallon! There is very little safe water to drink, and the government is controlling it! You can't even gather rainwater for drinking! You must let it go back into the soil to water the plants first!

Green first, save the planet. Not the people! Only those who conform to their strict rules and accept the mark will be allowed to buy sell or trade any and all commerce. However, God is a jealous God. We are to worship Him only! The earth is the Lord's and all that is therein! Worship him, not the earth he created.

Meg assumed martial law would be the new order of the day.

They have been looking for an excuse to take complete control! You will be required to conform, take the mark of the beast, or be treated as a terrorist. Anyone that does not deny the Bible will be killed. Believers are being blamed for every war, famine, and all the unrest! So refusing to conform to this new world order, which leaves God out, is cause for death. Like an act of treason! Little to no mercy has been given to the homeless and the old or sick.

Social Security has been done away with altogether, and anarchy has become the order throughout most of the nation for some time. Protesters have been shot and killed in the streets or beaten and thrown in jail. The government, which is controlling the press, calls them riots as folks try to regain control. They are accused of being unpatriotic, terrorists, and even traitors! The freedom of speech to protest openly and religion has been heavily attacked. Giving your opinion publicly can get you sued and or thrown into jail. No more freedom of speech or religion.

Much of the wars around the world are being blamed on the Christians, so Christianity is against the law throughout most of the world.

Snapping back to the present, here I am about to leave almost everything behind, except what I can carry in my truck or on my back and bicycle, depending on road conditions and other arising circumstances.

For years Meg had been expecting something like this to happen. She had put together the ultimate survival kit! If time allows, they will use the truck and hopefully have all three kids, not just Paul, and be headed for safety, maybe never to return home if it's destroyed.

The locals were just noticing the tide, and signs of panic were everywhere! They were uncertain of what to do first as no sirens were going off yet!

Slowing down, Meg entered the small town of Klawock where her house was and headed straight for the gas station and minimart.

Leaving Paul to top off the fuel and make more calls, she raced inside and, without saying a word, started putting supplies into a small basket, stuff she wanted for the survival kit she had been working on. Afraid the prices would double if the clerk knew what was happening, she kept silent.

The convenience store catered to loggers, hunters, and fishermen, so supplies for camping out, fishing, and easy-to-fix food were all very handy when one stopped for fuel there.

Meg grabbed fishing lures and sixty-pound test line, a dip net, chain saw oil, and was headed for the canned goods when Paul came in, puzzled. She handed him the basket and told him to go up to the counter and get four boxes of ammo for his rifle. It felt like hours. She put a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, three bags of canning salt, a dozen boxes of large mouth lids, and several cans of canned milk in another basket. Taking a box of powdered milk, too, she headed for the counter.

She explained to the clerk what was happening as she paid with her card and while Paul loaded up the back seat with the supplies.

They had not taken time to refill the fuel jug on the back due to the time factor. No food was needed as she had plenty at home two blocks away and on the outskirts of town.

Sirens were finally sounding as they were pulling away from the station, and Meg headed out a back way.

Mom! Where are you going?

Chan spends all his time at Frank's house. I'm looking for him. His phone went to voicemail. It turned out he was at home, and they only lost a couple of minutes.

Two or three minutes later, they were at the house with Meg blaring on the horn to attract Pearl and Chan's attention as they came to a halt.

She jumped out of the truck, shouting orders.

Paul lowered the tailgate and headed for a wooden flat out back of the cabin. It was perfect to use as instant side walls for the truck to add height. It could also be a part of a shelter later.

Chan was sent to fetch his foam mattress from an old futon, and Meg started spreading a huge tarp across the truck bed. It went up over the hood to be folded back over their supplies once it was loaded.

Pearl was just standing at the door in shock because in the past, the warnings were for very small waves that did little to no damage. This, she knew, was big by her mom's actions!

Move, Pearl! Do as I ordered! Get the dry goods out from under the stairs and put them in garbage bags. Use the trash cans and put supplies in them."

Pearl knew what to do as she snapped out of it and raced to get started. Survival kits first! Each of us has packed our own to meet our own wants and needs—clothes, hygiene kits, snack foods, and more stored with the sleeping bags.

All food in the house, roughly six boxes and totes, would be gathered too. Most of it was stored in them due to a lack of cupboard space and the knowledge that someday, they may need to move in a hurry. By then, Meg was helping Paul. The chain saw was needed to cut the flat in half as it was too long for the truck. The saw was going with them too, along with the chain saw gas.

While Paul took care of that, Meg wasted no time waiting and fetched her personal survival kit and put it in the cab. Chan was putting the full-size mattress on the floor of the truck bed, and Pearl had put stuff on the deck, ready to load.

As soon as the sidewalls were onboard, they started loading. Chan brought out the small lightweight table about the size of a card table and put it against the back of the cab. Totes and boxes were then loaded on and around it.

Paul had thrown a couple of two-by-eight-by-ten-foot planks in along the side, thinking they might be needed. Then he got the ax, shovel, rake, pick, and hoe. Over a year ago, holes had been drilled inside where normal guardrails were put to make them deep enough to hold those long-handled tools upright. This kept them handy and out of the way of other supplies such as lumber.

Next, he got his own survival kit and EMT pack before helping to finish loading everything up.

Neighbors were running up and down the road, trying to find out what all was going on because they realized this more severely than in the past. Where should they go and what should they take? How much time did they have?

Chan hollered, Flee to high ground and couldn't say why but had to keep moving.

They had been working for about fifteen minutes and about twenty-five minutes from when Meg had first noticed the tide racing out! We are taking too long!

Meg stopped and turned on the truck radio to the emergency broadcast system to learn more.

The countdown was down to thirty-four minutes to get to high ground! That was hard to believe because tsunamis ran hundreds of miles an hour, and it was still going out when she first sighted it! Timing was critical!

As the news continued, Meg was stopped dead in her tracks as they announced that California's coastline had fallen off into the ocean as predicted for decades! "Noooooo! My family!" she screamed, gasping for breath deeply. It was already hitting the Oregon-Washington coastlines, and no doubt, racing inland, up every valley and river! Then it would rush back out. Heading our way? she wondered. We live about thirteen hundred miles away. How much time is left to get to high ground? The earthquake must have been very massive and destructive!

Move, Mom! You can't help them now! shouted Paul.

All their bedding had been pushed into the middle of the beds and the sheets pulled loose from the corners, wrapped around them and tied into a quick knot. The bundles had been thrown on the truck.

While one person grabbed their rain gear, winter coats, and extra-tuff boots from by the door, someone else was taking stuff out from the laundry room. Soap, hangers, canning equipment—Paul had already put the chain saw, gas, oil, and tool bucket on. Someone had grabbed the kitchen garbage can and filled it with shampoo, soap, and towels. Each had done their part and in very short order.

Four adults, working very fast, running, could do an hour work in about fifteen minutes. That is how they managed to get so much in such little time! It helped to know what they wanted because they knew what would be needed if their home was threatened by a fire, natural disaster, or even a war. They had no way of knowing, so they left nothing to chance. Even copies of birth certificates, property deeds, and more were on flash drives in Meg's kit. Only because of preplanning could they pull this off. The originals were in a small, portable safe. Both were put in the truck.

Under normal conditions, going the speed limit, it was a fifteen-minute drive to the Control Lake intersection, a landmark that was roughly three-hundred feet above sea level and about eighteen miles inland. Their Klawock home was only about thirty-five feet above sea level.

Meg took a chance, and they all ran back inside one last time to grab more canning jars that were empty and the pressure cooker and stacked stuff around the dog kennel which had been put on last with Crime Wave inside. He was a German Shepherd-Husky mix.

The cat always climbed into the truck whenever the door was open and was inside sleeping as they loaded it.

The tarp was quickly pulled over top of everything and was stuffed recklessly down the sides. They needed something on top to hold it down to prevent it flapping in the wind.

Chan fetched the wheelbarrow for it, and Paul realized they did not have the guns!

Time, guys! Pearl yelled, panic setting in. And then she ran for their laptops. She also snagged up a bucket of strawberry and raspberry stars on the front deck.

Meg, trying to find something more and heavy for the tarp, noticed her fruit trees she had just planted the day before. She ran over and literally pulled the three four-foot trees up by the roots and tossed them onto the truck, tucking a corner of the tarp around the roots.

Must go! screamed Meg as they all piled inside, arms loaded one last time. Roads are clogging up! Oh, why is it so hard to leave?

As they tore out of the driveway, Meg nearly hit a man running by.

Adrenaline was running high! It felt like hours and as if too much was being overlooked! Did anyone get the cat and dog food?

Yes, Mom. It's in the back.

The road is getting too many vehicles on it! We will be trapped if I don't pass them before the winding curves going up into the hills, thought Meg.

Most people just got in their vehicles and left with plans to return in a few hours like in the past.

Moving under normal conditions was very difficult and often involved lifestyle changes, new environments and all included. This was very different. It was much harder than expected. The family had homesteaded and had some idea and lots of experience of what may lay ahead. Most folks did not have a clue. TV survival shows don't reveal the half of it because of ignorance!

So, when pulling out of the driveway for what was no doubt the last time, Meg's adrenaline was pumping stronger than she could ever remember. There was no time to worry about neighbors, only pray for their safety and Godspeed.

The Knights had taken about eight minutes longer to leave than they wanted, but they were on the way.

Careful planning ahead based on Scriptures and signs of the times along with warnings from God's prophets is how this came about so quickly. The prophets had quoted the scriptures on If my people will turn from their wicked ways, then they will hear from Heaven and God would heal their land. Not everyone was so blessed.

At the first stop sign, a man jumped on the side of the truck's running board and held on for dear life to the mirrors as they took off out of town toward the mountains, giving the poor guy a thumbs up and fist to hold on tight as he linked his arm through the side mirror's frame!

He can't hold on forever, Mom! yelled Pearl as Meg picked up speed quickly.

He has good footing on the running boards. Pray he has the strength to hold on for about five miles. That will be about two hundred feet up at the base of a mountain. He can climb higher if he wants to.

There were at least ten vehicles ahead of them. The first two were speeding on ahead, knowing the danger behind them as they pulled out ahead of everyone else. The rest were forced to go the speed limit, being controlled by the third person in line. Not Meg, though.

She hit the horn and pulled her Chevy Silverado extended cab four-by-four pickup into the other lane of the two-lane road. Flooring it on one of the few open stretches of that road, she passed everyone, going about seventy mph in the fifty mph zone!

There never was much traffic coming to town that time of day, and one could see if there was oncoming traffic for quite a way. That move saved their lives. Three other vehicles follow suit. However, they must have turned off onto logging roads that headed up various hills along the Big Salt Road they were traveling because Meg never saw them pass later.

Some had turned up a hill right out of town, which headed past the Trophy Inn. Meg did not feel it would be high enough ground and had kept going.

The man on the truck was in shock, and at the top of a small mountain, five miles out of Klawock, they pulled over, and he climbed off, half falling to the ground. The truck does have nice running board, but… Anyway, I hope we saved his life by getting him to high ground. It was right next to the logging road that headed to even higher ground. May God be with him from here on out!

Off again, before anyone could pass us, Meg peeked in the rearview mirror and noticed the man heading up the steep hill as she hoped he would. Wonderful!

Sixty miles per hour is about all you can do on these back roads but much better than walking or riding a bike!

As they continued heading out, they were slowed by other traffic as they started climbing, winding up the hills. You start to climb in earnest about a mile out of town, and it goes up quickly, but then it drops back down to sea level at Black Bear Creek. We must get past this spot and then climb back up toward the center of the island.

It still took them the normal time to travel to the Control Lake turn-off, fifteen minutes, because of the amount of traffic further along. One by one, they had to slow down as they slowed down and turned off onto logging roads until they were the last ones left!

The island had never had a tsunami be very high, and folks did not seem to feel they needed to go to the center of the island, which is where Meg believed would be the safest area.

Time would tell, and many should be fine. Their next challenge would be the elements of nature. What would be left to go back to?

Small low-to-the-ground vehicles that had turned off the main drag were seen bottoming out and blocking others behind them. They had seen people getting out and start running up the hills in a state of panic. Small children were making it harder to climb on foot too. I'm sure we will hear stories later as to what all happened.

Another problem folks were facing was that many of those roads had been shut down. They were no longer in use for logging and were overgrown with alder trees, and many had their access cut off for liability reasons. A few were left open for hunters.

When Meg had first thought about how to go about fleeing a disaster, it was going to be on her bicycle, wearing her duffel bag on her back, her sleeping bag tied onto the bike and all alone if necessary. Saddlebags loaded, and that was about it. She praised God for the truck and its dependability.

There was a kind of sacred silence in the truck with everyone holding their thoughts and feelings inside.

The plan to flee was from the government, probably under the cover of darkness, not a tidal wave! So they were somewhat prepared and yet did it in much less time than they thought it would take. They also had a lot more stuff than ever dreamed of bringing! Now to keep it all and not lose it later to thieves or by fleeing again on foot the next time, whether it was to go deeper into the mountains or to try and get to Canada. The border was very close to them and could maybe be done by boat. None of them ever looked back. Meg hoped it would be all right but had her doubts.

People were fleeing a wave with the apparent intent of returning to their homes shortly thereafter like in the past. They had been told to take one change of warm clothes, three days of food, and plenty of water and also bring a sleeping bag. This was taught in the schools and in seminars for disasters and in the announcements sent out by the Emergency Broadcast System. Don't return home until told it is safe to do so.

Some saw it as an adventure until they realized the full impact of what was happening.

They had thought a lot of folks would head out to Control Lake as a rendezvous spot! They had passed a couple of vehicles going the other way but were unsure how to stop and warn them. What a sad story that turned out to be!

Meg turned left toward the north end of the island at the Control Lake intersection. She was headed toward a specific logging road that had been closed for several years to vehicle traffic. Its elevation was well over four hundred feet and by then, and no one was around! It was only about a half mile north of the intersection that they pulled off the road at a pullout.

They walked back up the highway to the road they wanted to drive up. Over the years, hunters had it semi-open for their four-wheelers and off-road vehicles to use. This made the task much easier for them, and Paul headed back for a shovel. A half hour later and back in the truck, Meg was just about to do a U-turn and head in when they heard a log truck coming.

Once the truck had sped past a high rate of speed, she quickly backed up, put the truck in four-wheel drive, and drove in without bottoming out once! The wheelbarrow almost bounced out, though!

Meg felt the truck lurch in a weird way and slammed on the breaks. What the heck is going on? she asked and then realized they were having an earthquake.

After about three minutes, things settled down. Putting the truck back in gear, Meg continued up the road, being cautious of fallen rocks and downed trees.

With reality setting in, there was silence among them. They knew that by now their Klawock home was no doubt gone as the tsunami slammed into the island! How far will it come inland? Can it catch up to us? No! We are too far inland and up plenty high.

As soon as Meg thought it, a supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding came over her. Only God can do that to a person's mind and body. Perfect peace! Thank you, Lord, she whispered.

Safe for now, they had to cover their tracks and make the road look impassable. Brush did the job of concealing tracks and a couple of easy-to-move boulders. Meg had dropped off the boys and Pearl in a rock pit about half a mile up the road along with stuff to build a camp. Then she parked the truck up around the bend under some alder trees, hoping it was out of sight of any possible air traffic. Chances of passersby by were extremely slim.

Later, as they sat around a campfire, no one could believe how lucky they were to get out of traffic like they had. On an island of several thousand people, they knew in their hearts it was God and God alone.

Most folks just drove out and parked alongside of the highway in all the pullouts to wait out the danger period like in the past. They got out of their rigs to visit with one another.

They thought they could wait it out or watch it from a safe distance of several miles from town from one to two hundred feet up. There were three to four vehicles in each little area. Usually, the all clear came within an hour or two! This had happened several times and was great at the time. Unfortunately, this was different. Much larger!

A couple of years prior to this, Pearl and Meg had realized they may wind up living out here somewhere if they had to flee anything serious, such as a war or major tsunami. It started them thinking of places they had been hunting or cutting firewood. It would need to be inland between mountains and yet with a low enough valley to plant crops. It had to be somewhere central for a quick or easy accessibility, yet further from the bulk of civilization.

Why a valley, Mom? asked Pearl, liking the high mountains.

Because the springtime will come later up high and fall sooner. It will get more snow and be colder too. Even the plant life is different with almost none up by the alpine.

Oh, yeah, I knew that, she laughed.

Now getting back to the present, it was decided to build the camp here in the rock pit. This place is protected from the high winds this area is known for. A shelter is quickly needed since it is still very cold out up here at night.

Expect a heavy frost, guys said Pearl. As Mom said, we're up in the mountains a bit.

Hey! It's not the Rockies, said Chan.

Chill out, said Paul, laughing at the pun.

It averages about ten degrees colder here than at home, said Pearl.

Life will be hard work and rewarding. Most of the people would likely get killed if not by the tidal wave, then by exposure or each other trying to survive. They were panicking as we left! We must keep our wits about us, said Meg.

Martial law enforcers, along with many other folks, will no doubt pull together to try and pick up the pieces and to maintain some semblance of order. To start over will not be easy.

Stay seated! Here we go again! Chan said as the ground quaked again. This is likely to go on for days.

As Mom was saying, I agree we need to stick to the plan and start here, then move down into some valley if being here does not work out, said Paul. My skills as a medic are needed more than ever. I may not be a doctor, but usually, there is something one can do to help an injured person, even if to only try and make them comfortable.

And I agree with you, said Meg. However, you don't want to build a shelter only to leave it. No one knows for sure yet, but I suspect our lives will be a bit nomadic in order to survive. Maybe we will plant a garden down in some valley nearby and use this area for the hunting lodge of sorts. All in due time. Let's get through tonight and then tomorrow. Okay?

Sure, Mom, they all echoed.

"You'll notice, Mom, that this pit is a couple hundred feet down into a small valley. The road curved down and around after it went up a way. My guess is we are lower than Control Lake by at least fifty to seventy feet. That lake across the road here is probably full of fish too!"

Chan's right, said Pearl. This place looks as good as any I know about. Wally and I used to hunt over near here. This is April, and the snow is gone early due to a warm winter.

Okay! We did well to pick this area, and it sounds like a plan for now. I did not notice when driving in how far down we went. My concerns were elsewhere.

Hold on, you guys! screamed Chan. You act like we can't get back!

Calmly, Meg took his hand and explained how the earthquake alone probably destroyed or damaged bridges all over the island, not to mention the tsunami. He just sat there in shock, looking at his mom as reality began to set in.

"Now you all gather around and join hands and let us offer our thanks and prayers to God and ask for His continued mercy and grace on us and others as now we rebuild!

Heavenly Father, we come to you to offer up our praise and thanksgiving for your help today. We seek your continued guidance on everything we say and do. Please keep your guarding angels around us night and day over the weeks to come as we take one day at a time. Let us be a living testimony to anyone we encounter. We want to feed the hungry, bring comfort and hope! I ask that you keep us strong and healthy. Our diet may not always be as it should, but we seek your divine intervention for all our needs according to your riches in glory. Please let the weather cooperate until folks can build themselves shelters. Be with those who are hungry and cold tonight. Many folks will be missing, so please comfort your people everywhere. Our nation in in crisis, and we need you, Lord. Thank you once again. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name. Amen.

No one knew if Don, Meg's husband and father of the kids, who was in Anchorage visiting his cousin, John, was all right. Nor did they know if they would ever see him or Lee, her eldest son, again. Lee and his family, along with many of Meg's nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles, and cousins all lived in California. Most lived on the ocean side of the San Andres fault line. Would they see or hear from any of them again on earth?

Earlier, they had made a tent using a tarp and had been trying to relax a bit, each lost in their own private thoughts.

Chan, as of yet, had not ever given his life to God, so he had gotten a bite to eat while the rest of them fasted and prayed through dinner.

Meg took Chan out of the tent for a walk and to talk privately. She explained to him just how important it would be for him to know Christ now more than ever. His mind was racing with what was going on back home. He was scared and worried about his friends left to fend for themselves! Did they get out in time? Should they have tried to just help people get away?

Aren't you a Christian, Mom? he spat out at her in anger.

God has given your friends many chances to turn to him and has been calling you too! You have been under my hedge of protection because of prayer going out for you. One day, I'll be gone. You are an adult now, son. Well, old enough to be held accountable for your own choices in life. You can't blame others when you stand before God. You know in your heart the truths I taught you since you were very small. Putting my faith in God and prayer is all I can do right now.

They had homes on both the windward and leeward sides of the island, Klawock, and the southside of Thorne Bay. Meg had turned left away from Thorne Bay because she figured that is where people would least likely look for them.

So Chan and Meg sat and cried for those left behind. He decided to pray with his mom for God's forgiveness and protection as Chan realized he couldn't run from God and that if it were not for God, he would not be where he was today. He just knew this was much bigger than any of them and beyond their power to save others.

Someone needed to be there to pick up the pieces, heal the sick, feed the hungry, and rebuild. God gave them wisdom in advance, and Meg knew he would put them to work, rescuing in due season.

2

Gary's Surprise Visitor

Well, look here, ol' buddy! That sure is nice color in this here stream!

"Woof! Woof!" barked Toe Jam, wagging his tail.

Slow down there, Toe Jam. You are way more excited than I am! We've been following this stream, trapping beaver all winter, and I never thought to look for gold nuggets! This far out from the roads and average hunting grounds? No one comes this far out or up the mountain. Let's develop a campsite here and mark this for next week. Supplies from down by the lake and the truck will be needed, stuff packed away all year.

While heading back to camp, dozens of birds suddenly flew up from the trees, going crazy, and a doe ran across their path like it was being chased by a bear! The whole area became alive with game going crazy! Even Toe Jam, his pet wolf, started acting nervous and began whimpering!

What is going on? wondered Gary. About that time, he felt the strong jolt and shaking from an earthquake that seemed to never stop!

Two hours later, as he arrived in camp, he noticed the water on the lake was still quivering! No, more like rolling back and forth! Gary went down to check it out, and dozens of fish were right on the surface, racing around franticly, and the water was very murky!

Wow! I think we've just had a major earthquake not too far off, he commented to Toe Jam. Was the epicenter on the island? What a day, buddy! Way too much excitement for us old guys. Let's get an early supper going. Rice and that trout I caught this morning okay by you?

Woof!

I knew you would agree.

Several minutes later, he fed his dog. Here you go, boy, you know where the water is. That earthquake is just what we needed to break loose more gold nuggets and exposing them for us! And that sure was as fine a meal as anywhere on the planet, old boy!

Settling down to play a few tunes on his guitar, Gary thought he was hearing something like an engine. What in the world is that noise? I do believe I hear an airplane! They sure are off the beaten path! Yep! There it is, circling around the lake. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's looking for a place to land that plane!

Best go down and greet him or them and see if something is wrong or someone is just out for an adventure, exclaimed Gary as it came in for a landing. Now don't you go giving away that new strike, Toe Jam.

Woof! Woof!

Gary watched patiently as the pilot of a small beaver floatplane landed and taxied up to his homemade makeshift dock. It was only a couple of logs bound together with ropes, not the best, but okay for his purposes. However, without question, mooring a floatplane was going to be more complex!

Grabbing his lines hanging off the plane, Gary held it steady as a very shaken pilot climbed down, out of his plane.

Not knowing why, Gary watched as a middle-aged man headed for shore and fell to his knees, shaking in tears, yelling praises to God for a safe landing!

To Gary, nothing seemed wrong except being so remote, about a hundred miles from the nearest small town.

Tying off the plane, he then walked over to the man and introduced himself. Howdy, sir! I'm Gary. You seem pretty shook up despite a beautiful safe landing. What's up?

I'm Ralph. My plane is on fumes because the tsunami has made it impossible to land on the ocean! It was huge and is still surging! A wave over hundreds of feet high traveling faster than I can fly hit land! Every town on the coastline of southeast is no doubt destroyed! Every dock, thousands of homes, and businesses—gone! The coast guard, fuel depots, airports! Just gone!

Wha—? When did this happen, Gary asked anxiously, thinking of his sailboat in the Klawock harbor.

Just now! It's still happening! It will be surging for hours if not days! I was headed back, empty of passengers from Thorne Bay to Ketchikan, when I saw the wave coming in, destroying everything in its path! People were fleeing, many to no avail, he said, weeping and shaking openly. It's still surging, and multiple earthquakes all up and down the coastal region are adding to the devastation. Even now, I see this lake is shaking clear up here. Can't you feel the earth trembling?

Shaken by the news, he answered, Yes. I have been feeling tremors.

I should have realized something was amiss when the tide was going out so quickly from Thorne Bay. I was in such a hurry to get back home early. I was lucky to get off the water!

Ralph was still sitting on the ground, too shaken to get up, and was shivering in shock.

I turned around in a blind panic and have been trying to find a place to land when I re-realized I could maybe land on a lake. I was not thinking clearly. My wife and daughter are probably…dead!

Gary, needing time to think and get his mind around all this shocking news, went to fetch a blanket from his camp, came back, and wrapped it around Ralph's shoulders. Sitting down next to him, he just held him tight while he himself kept trying to grasp what he had just been told.

Don't give up hope on your family, sir. The advanced warning systems no doubt got thousands of folks to high ground.

You're right! I forgot about that! I've got to get some fuel and get back! They will be needing me!

Gary never felt much of the earthquakes but shared with him about the wildlife going berserk and the lake being disturbed to the point of its murky appearance. The muddy bottom has been greatly stirred up.

Then Ralph told him about the news on the radio in his plane.

C-California? My s-son! He's down there in the military. I hope he survived, said Gary with a new surge of sudden pain shooting through his chest and finding it very hard to breathe.

The Knights, friends of mine here on the island, have been saying this was going to happen someday. They didn't know what, just something powerful enough to get folks to repent and come back to God! They are very religious.

"Not if, but when."

I sure hope Meg and her family are somewhere safe. Come to think of it, if they are, I may know just where to roughly find them. Somewhere within a mile or two of the Control Lake intersection.

It will take a couple of weeks to close out my camp here and finish tanning these hides. After that, we can head down the mountain.

Two weeks? I can't wait that long! exclaimed Ralph. I'm afraid I don't have any supplies on me, except maybe a sleeping bag. I need to find a way to check on my family! Oh, God, where are they? I need fuel for my plane!

Let's take this one day at a time. I have plenty of food to spare and an extra sleeping bag. With your help, maybe we can leave sooner.

Thank you very much, sir! I'll see if I can raise news on the radio in the morning. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of mankind, I can tell you that!

Well, come over here and find yourself a spot in the shelter here. There's still heavy frost every morning, and it's extremely cold. You might want to scour up a heavy layer of moss beneath you for warmth and comfort. Here is a piece of old tarp to put on the moss. Nothing stays too clean around here, but I try. Have some of this rice and fish and then get a good night's sleep. Rest, my friend. Up here, you need it.

Where do I find the moss?

The best is right here, he said, pointing at the nearby rocks and ground. Gary showed him how as he got started gathering some up.

Looks like the easy life might not be so easy, Ralph said, laughing.

Toe Jam, move over here, make room for company!

Having something to do helped Ralph to calm down a bit. They spent a few hours getting to know one another around the campfire and speculating the damage done. However, throughout the night, Ralph was haunted by nightmares. He would never be the same man. Unknown at the time, a new form of trade to survive was about to begin.

3

Day 2

We know all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

Meanwhile, back at the rock pit, Meg had pulled the truck back around by the campsite and slept in it. The kids slept out on the ground in the crude tent. It was better than having died. It will probably be weeks before we get news of what all happened. Until we know what is happening, we don't want anyone to know we survived, as a matter of our safety. Better to be presumed dead. Many that saw us leave town will assume we went to the other house in South Thorne Bay.

A proper shelter and inventory of supplies was crucial. Organize the week one day at a time. The plan was to build a rock home against the back part of the rock pit that had been picked out two years ago. There is a valley in the proximity of the bottom of the hill. Not at sea level, but at least lower than Control Lake.

That morning, Pearl built a small rock firepit and got a cook fire going. Chan fetched a bucket of cold water from the small stream that fed into the lake, and soon, there was water for tea.

Meg had suggested to Paul that he fall about six large trees, somewhat close by and far enough apart to prevent forming a clearing. Let's get the firewood drying for next winter. Her hope was to keep him extra busy to help keep his mind off back home. She could see the shock and pain of his heart on his face.

"I'll leave the branches on like Dad taught us.