A New World Awaits

It was a hot summer day. Dad said we had to go before the last boat left. There were other people on it, but I didn't know where they were going. My father said the new world awaited us. The people were talking in words I didn't understand. Some were happy, some were somber. I would learn later on they were sad to be leaving their families. A few children on the beach with buckets of sand waved goodbye to us as we pulled away from the dock. I didn't know a long journey would ensue.
"Dad, how long until we reach the new world?"
"We will be in America soon," he said and patted my head.
We never made it there. We hit a rain storm that threw the boat over. People screamed, then their heads went under the water and silence. My dad had me hold onto a piece of wood that broke off the boat. There wasn't enough room for him and he slipped under the sea never to be seen again. I was chilled, hungry and stunned. Was my father really gone? My hands shook from the cold, but I held on tight to the wood for support. I did as my father told me before he disappeared into the deep ocean. After what seemed like an eternity, a ship picked up what remaining survivors were left and took us back to our hometown. Relatives who I didn't recall, took care of me and said my father was a heroic man. That was all I remembered of that time.