Abel's Island

Abel and Amanda huddle inside the cave along with several mice, toads, and an anxious weasel as the fearsome storm blows outside. A gust of wind blows Amanda’s scarf out of the cave, and Abel jumps to catch it despite Amanda’s protests. Abel captures the scarf, but the wind batters his tiny body and he becomes disoriented in the gale. Seeing a board with a protruding nail, Abel grabs it and holds on for dear life. As the stream rises, the board becomes a boat on the flooding creek, carrying Abel helplessly through the woods, and he compares the situation to “one’s very worst dreams” (10). The board tips over a waterfall and Abel must cling to the nail to avoid drowning. The board abruptly stops, and Abel is thankful to be momentarily safe. He falls asleep from exhaustion thinking of Amanda and hoping for her safety.

The next morning, the storm has subsided leaving behind a clear blue sky. Abel sees that his boat is lodged in a downed tree, stranding him on an island below a waterfall in the middle of the swollen river, and escape isn’t possible until the water recedes. Abel doesn’t panic and assumes someone has formed a search party and will rescue him soon. He wishes only for clean, dry clothes and something to eat. Nibbling on a cherry birch branch temporarily satisfies his hunger, and he drifts back to sleep.

The next morning Abel gets a better look at the island and sees that the water has receded, but he will still need a boat to escape. He climbs down the tree that saved his life and thinks of all the stories he will tell Amanda and others of his bravery during the adventure. Realizing that no one will know where to look for him, Abel decides to use the board with the nail as a boat. Abel uses his knife and his teeth to build a rudder from sticks and confidently shoves off into the water. However, the current proves too strong for his hastily made rudder, and the boat tips, sending Abel overboard. Abel grasps a branch and pulls himself to safety.

Abel evaluates his needs and determines to craft a sailboat using driftwood for the base, grass for lashings, and his jacket as a sail. Having never done manual labor before, Abel feels deeply satisfied by his creation and wishes someone else was there to see it. He sets sail into the breeze, but the current pushes the boat into a rock, smashing it to pieces, and Abel must crawl back to the island. Abel realizes that he can’t fight the current with a rudder and must create a catamaran that he can paddle. Confident in his design, he once again sets to work and even adds a flag made from his handkerchief for flourish. Unfortunately, the current is too strong and rips the oars from Abel’s hands. He exhaustedly climbs on a rock and back to his island as he worries how he will ever be reunited with Amanda. 

Abel carefully considers all his options for escaping the island, including tunneling under it and building a bridge. However, he fears the tunnel will collapse, so he opts for the bridge. Before he begins construction, Abel surveys the landscape of the island and estimates it “to be about 12,000 tails long, 5,000 wide” (28). Though the flora and fauna of the island intrigue Abel, he knows he doesn’t belong there. He wishes he were in dry clothes at home, where he could enjoy the comforts of his house with Amanda. While eating a dinner of foraged carrots, Abel takes stock of his supplies: his clothes, his house keys, a knife, and Amanda’s scarf.

The birch tree has become Abel’s safe place, and he returns there to rest for the night. A certain star has always been a comfort to him, and he stares up at the night sky, wondering if the star has an answer to his problem. While sleeping, he dreams of Amanda and that he is falling; he awakens to realize that he is falling from the tree.

Abel considers his condition and wonders what unseen forces conspired to put him in such peril. He wonders to himself, “Was he being singled out for some reason; was he being tested? If so, why?” (34). This line of thinking leads him to wonder why Amanda chooses to love him, and he questions his worth as a mouse. He concludes that the river isn’t at fault for his being marooned. Abel returns to the idea of making a bridge and decides that he can fashion a rope to toss to the opposite bank and pull himself across. Using grass, Abel carefully weaves a rope to make it strong enough for the job. As he works, he thinks of Amanda and wonders how far they searched for him near the cave. After finishing the rope, Abel makes a new shelter for himself inside a downed tree trunk. Once inside, he barricades the entrance with rocks and feels much safer than he did in the exposed tree limb. Abel, satisfied with his work, falls asleep thinking about using the rope the next day.

Early the next morning, Abel uses his suspenders to slingshot a rock tied to the rope over to the other side of the river. However, the rock falls short each time he tries, and he gives up. Abel has a new idea to use rocks as stepping stones across the river, and he works most of the day to haul the rocks into the water. It appears Abel’s plan will work, but the water soon washes away the rocks. Abel can’t navigate the deepest part of the river without putting his life in danger.

After almost a month on the island, Abel makes himself more comfortable by discovering new food sources and fashioning a hammock from grass. Though he still uses the birch tree as a lookout, Abel enjoys the restfulness of swinging in the hammock. Despite feeling more at home, Abel still thinks of Amanda often. He wonders what she is doing and if she has resolved that he is dead. He wears her scarf always to keep her memory close.