The Journey from Tangerina to Wild Island
My Father's DragonThis flow emphasizes how Elmer’s route is shaped by distance, supplies, concealment, and the physical hazards between the two islands.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Landing at Cranberry

An Unusual Arrival
The disguise
Elmer hides inside a grain bag marked for Cranberry as the crew unloads wheat. A sailor mistakes him for dried corn and sends him ashore with the cargo.
The route opens
The accidental misidentification gives Elmer a landing without discovery. He waits until darkness to leave the sack and continue alone.
Fruit from the Trees

A Chance Provision
Finding food
A Tangerines fruit falls on Elmer as he wakes beneath a tree. He gathers as many as his knapsack can hold.
A practical consequence
The fruit lets him continue without immediately exhausting his ship supplies. Later, its peels become clues that expose his presence.
Searching the Shore

A Long Search
Looking for the crossing
Elmer walks along the shore asking about Wild Island. A fisherman’s terror confirms that the island is considered dangerous, but Elmer continues.
Resolve over warning
The fisherman’s fear cannot outweigh Elmer’s reason for going. The rescue gives him a destination stronger than the island’s reputation.
The Distant Green Patch

The Islands in View
A sign of land
Elmer sees Ocean Rocks extending into the water and a tiny green patch at their far end. He eats and prepares before continuing.
A measurable goal
The distant island makes the crossing visible but not easy. The landscape presents progress as a series of uncertain steps.
Seven Hours of Rocks

The Difficult Passage
Physical danger
Elmer walks for hours over high, wet, and sometimes widely separated rocks. He has to leap gaps while darkness hides the way ahead.
Arrival
At last he steps onto Wild Island before daylight. His journey from the port has become an entry into the very danger he was warned about.
the evening the wheat ship reaches port
the morning after his night on the shore
the day Elmer walks along Island of Tangerina
the clear day after his first night on the beach
the black night of the crossing