Introduktion
Finally, daylight! The sun blazed overhead, and the ocean's rhythmic undulations had mellowed to a soothing hush.

The past twelve hours had been a harrowing ordeal, with the cacophony of wailing infants, impassioned debates, and bouts of seasickness making the night seem interminable.

Utdrag
I vividly recall the day Papa informed me that we had to abandon our home in Afghanistan. "We're embarking on an incredibly perilous journey across one of the world's most treacherous seas.

Begin packing; we depart tomorrow." I saw the fear etched in his eyes as he spoke those words. The distant drone of a powerboat grew louder, rousing me from my reverie. A palpable tension gripped our fellow travelers, dissipating any semblance of tranquility.

The occupants of the approaching vessel appeared to be law enforcement, their amplified voices crackling through a loudspeaker, demanding that we halt. After a brief, tense standoff, the strangers transferred some passengers from our boat to theirs.