The Mumbling Loudspeaker

Jude worked at the shipyard after school. It was a small yard at the edge of the bay. It had a long shed. Old boats sat on wooden stands.

His job was easy. He swept the floor, carried tools and brought coffee to the workers. On quiet evenings he sat on a box. He read his English book. He wanted to pass the big exam in June.

The yard also had a loudspeaker. It hung on a pole by the front gate. The boss pressed a button and spoke into a small microphone. Then the loudspeaker spoke to the whole yard. But it had a problem. It mumbled.

"Dorfor," it said now. "Op'n. Heerm tide."

"What did it say?" asked a worker.

"Dock four is open. The tide is high now," said Jude. He knew the words well. He heard them every day.

The workers went home at eight. The boss left at nine, and Jude stayed to lock the gate. He turned off the lights in the long shed. Then he heard an engine out on the water.

It was a weak, coughing sound. Jude walked to the end of the dock. He looked into the dark. A small white sailboat came into the bay. It had one light on the boat. It moved slowly, and it moved in a strange line.

Then the engine stopped.

The boat did not move. Jude could see a person on the deck, waving both arms. A voice called out in a language he did not know. Then it called again, in English.

"Hello? Please! Where is the port?"

"Here!" Jude shouted. "This is the port! Wait there!"

The person did not answer. Perhaps she could not hear him over the water. Jude ran back along the dock. He pressed the button on the wall. He spoke into the small microphone. "Dock four! Come to dock four!" The loudspeaker clicked.

"Dorfor. Gate ent. Mmm wait," it said.

Jude put his hand on his head. Nobody could understand that. He tried the button again, and again it only mumbled.

He took a deep breath. He grabbed the big hand lamp from the hook. He ran to the small rowing boat tied below the dock. It belonged to the yard. Workers used it to look at the boats.

He climbed in and untied the rope. His arms were not strong. But he pulled hard on the oars. The little boat went across the dark water.

It was not far, but it felt long. The tide pulled the boat to the left. Jude had to fight it. Water splashed on his knees. His hands burned. He kept the lamp between his feet. He aimed the light at the white sail.

"Hello!" he called.

"I am here!" said the voice.

The sailboat was close now. A young woman stood at the side. She was about his age. She had short dark hair and a heavy jacket. Her face was tired, but her eyes were bright.

"My engine is dead," she said slowly. "I sail alone. I come from the north, three days. The radio is broken."

"Do not worry," said Jude. "I will take your rope."

She threw him a thick rope. He tied it to the back of his rowing boat. Then he began to pull. The sailboat was heavy, and the oars bent. For a long time they did not move at all.

"Stop," the young woman said. "It is too much for one person. I can help."

She jumped into the rowing boat. It rocked, and Jude almost fell. She laughed and sat next to him. She took one oar, and he took the other.

"On three," she said. "One, two, three."

They pulled together. Slowly, the sailboat followed them across the water.

"I am Roxana," she said between breaths.

"I am Jude."

"Where do I put my boat, Jude?"

"Dock four," he said. "It is the one with the green light. The tide is high now. We can reach it."

"Dock four," she repeated. She frowned. "I heard a word from the pole, I think. It sounded strange. Dorfor."

Jude laughed so hard that he almost lost his oar. "That is the loudspeaker. It always sounds like that."

"I thought it was your name for a place."

"No. The boss never fixes it."

Roxana laughed too. They kept rowing, and it was easier now.

At last they reached dock four. Jude jumped onto the wooden steps. He tied the rope to a thick post. Roxana climbed after him. For a moment she just stood still and breathed.

"Thank you," she said. "I was very afraid. I could not see the port in the dark."

"I could not do it alone," Jude said. "You were a good rower."

"My father has a boat. I row since I am small."

Jude brought her a blanket from the shed. He brought hot water too. She sat on a box and held the cup with both hands. Behind her, the white boat floated safely.

"I will call my cousin in the morning," she said. "He knows a man who fixes engines."

"There is also a man here who fixes engines," said Jude. "He starts at seven."

"Maybe I stay one week."

"Then I can show you the town."

She smiled. Then she looked up at the pole by the gate.

"Jude," she said, "what does that loudspeaker really say?"