Rio was used to his routine by now, and he refused to let anything break its flow. He ate only two meals a day to conserve his food—if it ran out, there would be no more. He couldn’t rely on catching fish every day in this frozen wasteland. Most of his stashed food was beginning to expire, but that didn’t stop him from eating it. He couldn’t afford to waste anything. Still, he knew he would have to find another source of nutrition soon. Every day, he searched the landscape, racking his brain for ways to survive.

One day, while out searching, Rio spotted something emerging from the water on the horizon. It was large, metallic. A submarine. His heart pounded as he watched two men and a woman step out, bundled in heavy coats and carrying shovels and tools.

Hope surged through him. A rescue. He could escape.

Without hesitation, Rio sprinted back to his shelter to grab Timmy. In his excitement, he failed to notice the massive paw prints in the snow.

Then, he saw it.

A polar bear.

It was the first living animal he had encountered in four months. Panic gripped him—he knew he stood no chance against it. His tiny knives were useless against a beast like this. If he fought, he would die. His only hope was distraction.

The bear lunged.

Rio slashed wildly at its face, his blade carving a deep wound into its flesh. The beast roared in pain. Wasting no time, Rio turned and ran for his life, veering off course before looping back toward his shelter. He burst inside, snatched up Timmy, and dashed right back outside. He had no time to grab anything else. He had to reach them before they left.

But he was too late.

By the time Rio arrived, the scientists were already retreating to their submarine. Their work was done. They were leaving.

Desperation flooded him. This was his only way out. He couldn’t let them go.

He sprinted at full speed, his legs burning. He tried to shout, but after months of near silence, only weak, broken sounds escaped his throat.

The submarine door sealed shut. The engine roared to life.

“No,” Rio thought. “They can’t leave without me.”

The vessel began to edge away. He was too far for them to see, but he could see them—his only escape—disappearing.

He refused to give up.

Rio ran faster, pushing his body to the limit. But the submarine was already sinking beneath the surface. He reached the water’s edge and, without thinking, plunged in.

Agony.

The icy water stabbed into his skin like a thousand needles. His body seized up instantly. He had avoided the water all these months, knowing it would kill him with hypothermia in minutes. But now, it was his only chance.

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With one arm—his other clutching Timmy—he thrashed against the current, kicking as hard as he could. But the submarine was too far. All he could see now was its periscope, slowly vanishing beneath the waves.

Rio wailed in frustration, but no sound came out.

He had failed.

Shivering violently, he turned back to the ice and crawled onto the frozen land. He was freezing, his limbs barely responding. If not for the polar bear… if only he had arrived sooner…

Shaking, he lit the gasoline stove, setting Timmy beside it. As the small flame flickered, they huddled close, drying their frozen bodies.

The rescue had come.

And it had left him behind.

Rio was once again consumed by despair. He felt as though he had already endured more than enough for a lifetime. Yet, in the midst of it all, one thing had emerged from this ordeal—determination. Rio glanced at his stash of food. It was almost over.

“So what if no one helps me? I can rescue myself,” he muttered under his breath.

With newfound resolve, Rio decided he would build a raft and escape. He knew drifting aimlessly wouldn’t work, so he began to carefully plan his route.

For the next few days, Rio focused on this. He reasoned that he must have wrecked somewhere in the Arctic, near Canada. If he headed straight across the ocean, he should reach Canada, but it was too far and would take too much effort. Instead, he decided to sail toward the Beaufort Gyre current, which he remembered learning about in Geography class. This current would carry him to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago—an area of islands in northern Canada. From there, he could ask for help.

With his plan in place, Rio set to work crafting his raft. He knew it was impossible to journey the see with his float. So, he made his way to the abandoned shipping boat to gather materials. He had to dig through layers of snow with his walrus tusk, but soon he managed to break down all the doors on the boat and collected them. He found a spare oar, a compass, and a few barrels that probably stored fish. Next, he ventured into the boat’s bathroom, where he removed a small cabinet and tore down the bath curtain. He also found a few bathroom mats in a closet, taking two with him.

In the boat's storage area, he found the toolbox he had hoped for. Lastly, he went to the deck, which was buried in snow, but after some searching, he found the sun sheet that was covering the boat’s wheel. He would use it as a sail. However, to support the sail, he needed beams, so Rio scoured the ship for fishing poles.

Finally, with all his materials gathered, Rio dragged everything back to his shelter to begin assembling his escape raft.

He began by nailing four doors together horizontally to form the surface. Beneath it, he nailed down every piece of wood he could find, making the raft thick to help it float. He then built walls around the raft using smaller pieces of wood. Rio secured three barrels to the bottom of the raft with string from the fishing poles. The barrels trapped air, providing buoyancy.

Next, he attached the cabinet to one corner of the raft, where he would store his belongings to keep them dry. He lined the inside with rubber bathroom mats, just in case water seeped in.

Rio then focused on constructing the sail. He couldn’t row the entire way, so he extended a fishing pole and attached another one for stability. He then fixed the sun sheet to the rod with thread from the fishing pole and added ropes to control the sail. His only reference was his memory of a documentary on Netflix and a few YouTube videos. He hoped it would be enough.

After attaching the sail to the raft by wedging it into a gap and securing it with nails and string, Rio dismantled his shelter, removing the float, which he would use as a bed. Though he doubted he would be able to sleep, he tied the float next to the sail in the center of the raft.

His raft was ready. Rio had a clear route in mind, and all the necessary tools at his disposal. He decided to set sail the following morning, knowing he would need all his energy and rest for the journey ahead. Despite the cold, he spent the night outside, his excitement at the prospect of leaving shielding him from the chill.

“We’ll soon be out of here,” he whispered to Timmy, as he drifted off to sleep.