Chapter 7
The Letter

David got up and pulled Richard onto the land.
"Does anyone know where Richard lives?" David asked.
"I do!" a man replied.
"Who are you?" David asked.
"My name is Carl. Me and Richard go way back. The last time I saw him is when he was standing next to a sheriff and the sheriff told me to go home. We were best friends 'till then. In fact, I am the one who shot the gator off his back. That's when I found out that he was working on the canal too."
"Carl," David interrupted. "I asked where he lived."
"Oh right," Carl said. "He lives in the same house that he lived in when he was a kid. At eighteen his parents died and he owned the house. At twenty-two he married a girl named Rachel. They haven't moved since. Why do you need the address anyway?"
"Just give me the stupid address!" David yelled. Carl gave it to him and David left. David wrote a letter to Rachel and it went like this:
Dear Mrs. Rachel,
I'm afraid I have some terrible news for you. We had to blow a hole through the middle of a mountain to make a path through it for boats. We dug a five-foot hole to put the dynamite in and Richard was the one to do it. When he turned around to leave, he smacked his head on the rock. I managed to pull him out of the hole, but it still wasn't far enough. The explosion made him fly backwards along with me. I am terribly sorry for your loss, but I just would like you to know that Richard was the hardest worker there was; and the toughest. One time an alligator grabbed his foot and pulled him right into the water. He was getting twirled around faster than a tornado. He was able to hold his breath and fight off the gator. We came and a man named Carl shot at the gator but hit Richard right on the back. Richard was still alive and Carl shot again and finally hit the alligator. Richard was able to swim up and get on our boat. I'm surprised he didn't survive the mountain crash. Once again I'm terribly sorry for your loss.
Sincerely,
David Du Bose Gaillard
David put the letter and all of Richard's pay in the envelope and sent it in the mail.