The Iron Quest 7 by João Coelho
One for all, all for one
As the sun began to rise, the heavy wooden boat was pushed out to sea once again. After a lifetime of fishing, the boat is now used by fearless men who defy the currents and waves by pulling heavy pieces of iron from shipwrecks in this bay. The old, tired boat has little time left before it is finally abandoned to corrode slowly in the salt and wind. Today, however, everyone is pinning their hopes on it, hoping that it will bravely fulfil yet another mission because it will play a decisive role in the story these men are about to tell.
After removing the sand and making the vessel float, the men take turns rowing with heavy wooden oars and using a makeshift bucket to remove the water seeping through the weather-beaten wood that is constantly flooding the hull. They move toward one of the sunken ships' wrecks. A massive block, which was once part of a cargo ship's engine, remains on the surface as if to proclaim its invincibility. The men discovered a treasure to salvage here. Its weight and depth made it impossible to drag it along the seafloor to the beach as they usually do.
After countless dives, they managed to secure the enormous piece with a semi-torn strap. They used the strap to pull the piece from the boat and slowly drag it along the seabed to the beach. It was a titanic effort that seemed to have no effect. The boat stubbornly remained in the same place. The sound of the waves hitting the boat's hull is now replaced by the noise of heavy oars hitting the water and the commanding voice of one of the men urging everyone to pull in time with him. Those who row obey the same command as if they were soldiers marching in an orderly fashion to the sound of a patriotic anthem.
The effort everyone puts into pulling causes more and more water to enter the fragile boat, which is now in danger of sinking. To lighten the load, some men focus on removing the water that is already covering their legs. The weight of the water makes rowing increasingly complex, and the beach seems nowhere in sight.
It took more than six hours to tow the heavy iron piece to shallower waters. But the struggle does not end there. After beaching the boat, everyone must pull the seemingly surrendered monster onto the sand. They plant their feet on the seafloor and pull the boat onto the sand by its straps, fighting the waves that form as the tide rises. With one last effort, they manage to lift the huge piece and beach it on the shore.
On this day, they all fought together with courage and determination that seemed to know no bounds. Only in this way did they accomplish what seemed impossible. They know that the reward will be meagre, but it will be enough to feed their families until tomorrow. This is what matters to them and dictates their lives, because tomorrow they will have to return to this beach to perform another episode of the Iron Quest saga.
PS: “One for all, all for one” originates from the Latin phrase “Unus pro Omnibus, Omnes pro Uno.”. This motto signifies unity, solidarity, and mutual support, where individuals act for the benefit of the group and the group supports the individual. A French version, “Un pour tous, tous pour un”, was made famous by Alexandre Dumas in the 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.
