The conversation turned to the crew as they took off, the landscape below them quickly shrinking. One of the pilots turned and caught Peter’s eye. “We were already searching the area,” he explained, shouting above the noise. “After the store owner raised the alarm and you disappeared, everyone feared the worst. The police looked for you, and when they couldn’t find you, we took to the air, hoping to see something on the iceberg.”
Another crew member said, “And there it was, the beacon you had made. Without it, who knows…” His voice dropped away, leaving the sentence hanging in the air, a testament to the thin line between despair and hope they had all walked. Peter nodded, taking in the words. The realization of how close they had come to a terrible fate penetrated him, mixed with gratitude for the series of events that had led to their rescue. “Thank you,” he said simply, his voice full of emotion, in recognition of the crew’s role in their incredible story of survival.