BY THE TIME LIGHT SHONE AROUND HIS DRAPES, ALEC had already started to fill his kit. He knew they would call for the little ships that day. The captain would agree to go; Alec was sure of that. He would need to pack lightly; there wouldn't be much room.
Stuffing a jersey and an extra pair of trousers into his pack, he looked around for his knife and his cap. He stepped to his closet and pulled out his journal. Then he stopped. What was he doing? This would be no holiday; there'd be no time for writing on the ship. So he opened its pages and scribbled a few lines:
25 May 1940. Today I'll find out what war is really like. Already I know that it's worse than I ever thought. The injured man in the castle proved that. But I have needed this day to come. It will be my chance to do something right. Father doesn't want to believe I can do it. But Will and Thomas are in trouble. Other blokes, too. They need our help. I've got to go. I've got to make it right for Georgie. I'm a seaman now. The captain will want my help. Closing his journal, he started to return it to his closet. Then he realized that if he didn't come back, his mum would need to know why. So he opened the nightstand drawer and placed it inside. With a bit of searching, she would find it.
Looking around his room, he wondered about the days to come. The uncertainty almost kept him from going. But then he thought of Thomas and Will and knew that his choice had already been made.
Aga didn't see him stash his kit just outside the back door. Stepping up next to her, he patted her arm. "Good morning, Aga," he said, trying to hide his eagerness to leave. "Same as always?"
"Aye, Alec boy. Set the table as usual. Be sure to put the jellies and jams out. We've got toast today, with eggs and beans."
"Aye, Aga. I'll do it now."
"It's a good lad who is so eager to go to his work. The captain must be proud to have such a loyal mate."
Alec laughed. "I don't know about that, but he does like the tea I brew."
Working quietly, Alec acted as if nothing unusual was going on. Thankfully, his father did not join the other guests that morning. Alec was hoping to get away before he had to face him again. As quickly as he could, he finished his chores—and left for the docks.
He was still uneasy as he made his way to the Britannia. Though he wanted to help with the rescue, he was haunted by the soldiers' words about the relentless bombing by the Luftwaffe. Not that he was afraid for himself. He worried about the soldiers. His hands shook as he carried his kit to the ship. He couldn't stop thinking about the injured man in the castle, his stump resting on his chest. Alec was afraid he would be sick—the Channel was squally this time of the year. And the death he knew he'd see—he thought it would be too much for him. He might freeze up and not be able to help anyone. Yet he was more afraid of staying behind and doing nothing. He just needed to get on with it.
At the docks, he saw that the call for ships had already gone out. Sailors bustled about, storing jugs of water and food. Blankets were piled on the docks, waiting to be loaded. Drums of petrol were being pushed along the planks. The seamen worked furiously. No one noticed Alec as he walked to where the Britannia was moored. The ship looked deserted at first. Then he saw the captain coming up from the galley with two long guns in his hands. He stopped when he spotted Alec.
"Aye, sonny. We won't be doing much hauling for the next few days. We've got a special assignment that Douglas and I will handle alone."
"What assignment?" Alec asked.
"It's no job for a young boy, that's for sure."
Alec stood on the dock, wondering what to do. The captain darted about the ship, stashing chunks of dried meat and jugs of water. He didn't seem to notice that Alec was still standing there, staring at him.
"I've been good to have on the ship," Alec protested. "You've told me so. Who is going to fix the tea—and scrub the deck?"
"We'll worry about scrubbing it down when we're back. Go on home, lad. Go home to your folks. They thought it was too rough when Badger broke his leg. They won't want you along on this trip."
Alec lowered his head and stared through the planks at the water rolling under the dock. He had not planned on this setback. He had believed that the captain and Douglas would need his help.
The docks were alive with activity now as each captain went to work readying his ship for its journey. Alec was frustrated watching the other sailors scramble over ropes and on and off decks, storing blankets and water, unloading anything that wouldn't be needed for crossing the Channel. Fishing poles and lines, nets and oyster bins were discarded on the docks to wait until they could be used again. Stacks and stacks of ropes and food stood waiting to be loaded on any ship that could store them. This was the moment he had waited for—the moment he could finally do something to help Thomas and Will. And the captain was sending him away like one of the children. It wasn't fair.
But it was no use arguing with Captain Cairns. And when Douglas arrived, Alec knew it would be no better. Douglas had told him before that he didn't think Alec was a seaman. Even now, he felt himself pushed aside by the other sailors as they scurried to be part of the fleet of ships.
Letting his kit drag at his feet, Alec turned slowly and started home. He wanted to protest more, but the captain was set on keeping the news from him. So if Alec slipped and let on that he knew about the little ships, he could be in trouble. Everyone would want to know how he had found out. No one, especially not a kid, needed to be sneaking around, taking risks that could endanger the soldiers. Alec couldn't know before the rest of Dover, and the crews of the little ships were not saying anything.
He had gone two blocks toward home when he thought about Eva. The night before, he had told her he would let her know what he'd discovered in the castle. Certain that no one was expecting him back at the Shaftbury just yet, he walked down Eva's street and climbed her steps.
Her aunt surprised him by opening the door before he knocked.
"Why, Alec!" She smiled. "What are you doing standing on my stoop so early?"
"I've come to see Eva for a minute. Is she awake?"
"Yes, yes. Come in. She's out in the kitchen. Go on back. I'm off to market for a quick bit of shopping."
Alec ducked through the dark hallway, passed the drawing and dining rooms, and entered the kitchen just as Eva was sitting down to breakfast.
"Alec, so early—you're here so early? Was ist los? You are tired, ja?"
"Tired, yes. And upset. That's why I've come. To tell you what I found out last night."
"What? What is it? They are coming, aren't they?"
"There's a hospital in the castle, Eva. I saw an injured man there being cared for by a nurse. And while I was spying, two soldiers came into the room and started talking—about the war, about France. The Nazis have taken over France, Eva. They're pushing our boys to the sea."
Eva's face turned pale. "Oh, Alec, I told you. Ja, just like mein Haus and Germany and Poland. The Nazis—they'll destroy us. We cannot win. They are too powerful. They took the business of mein Papa. They took meine Familie. They will ruin you, too."
"No, Eva. I've just come from the docks. All the captains in Dover, anyone with an able ship, they're all making ready to cross the Channel and rescue the British army. The call has gone out up and down the coast to vessels everywhere. Other towns are doing the same. We're not beaten. We must believe there's hope. For the lads left over there, we must believe the little ships can help.
"I only wish I could go along." Alec sat down. "But they've got too much to do. They've no time for a boy."
The two friends remained silent. They were out of schemes, and they both were in places where they didn't want to be. One longed to be with family again, to have things as they were before. The other couldn't wait to be on his own, finding his own way, leaving his past behind.
Just then, the front door flew open, and Eva's aunt rushed into the kitchen. "There's terrible news at market," she gasped. "The British army, all of our lads, they're stranded on the coast of France, up by Dunkirk. Hitler has them trapped. We've not enough navy ships to get them off. The Admiralty in London, they want every ship that can, to go over. To rescue the lads. They're to leave before midnight."
Alec and Eva tried to act surprised as Eva kept her aunt talking. "The soldiers—for how long will the ships go?"
"I don't know, Eva." Her aunt moaned. "Oh, we're in for a terrible time."
Alec sat quietly, only half listening to them. He was thinking of something Eva's aunt had said. "They're to leave before midnight."
That night. After dark.
"I've got to run," Alec said, jumping up and snatching his pack.
"So soon, lad?" Eva's aunt asked. "I thought you and Eva might go back out—to the post office. You'll find more news there, don't you think?"
"Oh—I mustn't just now," Alec stammered. "Mum—Mum will be beside herself with the news. I need to be going."
Eva frowned. "Alec, you'll be here. For market?"
"Yes, yes, maybe market—tomorrow. I'll stop by when I go."
"I'll walk to the door mit—with you," Eva said, following him.
At the door, she turned to him. "If Ich—I—if I could have helped meine Mutter und mein papa, I would have. You, Alec, you have a chance to help someone, ja? You must do what you can."
Alec nodded and squeezed her hand before hurrying out the door and down the steps. He could hardly keep himself from running home, but he needed to think. If all of Dover was now finding out about the evacuation, then his parents would know as well. If he didn't go home, they would look for him at the Britannia and be sure to keep him home. Somehow, he had to get on that ship.
At the inn, he found Aga weeping, her head buried in her apron.
"Lad, have you heard the news? The Admiralty—they've called for ships—as many as can go—to be off to France and lift our troops from the coast. These are bad times, lad. Bad times indeed."
"Yes, I heard the news on the way from the docks," he said, twisting the truth a bit. "Where did you hear?"
"The BBC. Your father had the radio on this morning, and the news broke then. Oh, what will we do if Hitler captures our lads? Or worse, kills them all? It's a grim day for England, lad."
"Hitler won't win, Aga. I've been down by the docks. Hundreds of ships of every kind, from ferries to pleasure boats to tugs—they're all making ready to leave. We've got a chance. We can't give up."
Just then, his mum pushed through the swinging door and found Alec standing there. "Oh, Alec," she said. "I was so afraid you'd gone off. When we heard it on the radio, I was sure you'd already left with the Britannia. Thank goodness you're here," she said, hugging him close.
Feeling his mother's arms around him, he knew he could not look at her, or he would break from his plan. So he patted her shoulder and turned quickly toward the larder. "The best plan for us is to keep doing what we've been doing. Hitler would like to have everyone stop for him. But we won't."
"Alec." His mother stepped between him and the larder. "Tell me that you will not go with them."
"Captain Cairns made that decision for me, Mum." He was careful to use the captain's words to avoid a lie. "He said it's no job for a lad like me. He sent me home."
"I know you don't agree, Alec, but the captain's right. You shouldn't go this time." She placed her hand lightly on his cheek and then stepped back, leaving him to his work.
Except for meals, Alec worked the rest of the day away from the others. He stumbled around upstairs in the guest rooms, knowing what he had to do. If the captain would not give him permission to go, he would find another way. This was not just an adventure; it was his chance to do something that mattered. He imagined Will and Thomas calling for help from across the Channel, just as Georgie had pleaded for someone to save him. The sound was deafening. He wanted to shout, "We're corning! Have hope.... I'm coming."