I'm not sure what occurred that night, how the skiff avoided the Maelstrom's terrifying eddies, or how Ned Land, Conseil, and I got out of that vortex. But when I came to, I was laying in a fisherman's cottage on one of the Lofoten Islands. There were seven other people there, all Norwegian fishermen who had gone to bed after their day's work but were awakened by the noise of our arrival. We had come across the sea from northern Europe to the Arctic Ocean in a small wooden boat called a skiff. When we left it was morning, but when we arrived at its destination it was still dark. We had been traveling for several days with no food or water when they brought us some hot soup and tea. Then they told us about the storm and the damage done to their house. A few of them went back to sleep again, but most stayed up watching over us while we slept. The next day, a local fisherman took us to Oslo where we met up with my employer, a man named Dr. Larsen. He invited us to stay with him and his family until I could find other work. I stayed with them for about a month while I looked for another position. During that time, Dr. Larsen bought me some clothes and paid for my travel expenses so I could get back home.