DER TRAUM

Dream: My brother and I have decided that we, as a two-person team, will paddle a canoe from the U.S. to Europe. 

The canoe is small and made of aluminium, and we have no provisions, protective gear or compass. 

It is night and the waves are enormous. We are dramatically thrown about by the water's giant crests and deep troughs – meters high we climb and then down we go, almost vertically, only to be pulled up again by the next wave.

By some miracle we are not thrown out of the canoe, and eventually the water becomes calm.

In the darkness I see small islands around us. It appears we are approaching land,  perhaps Cuba or Puerto Rico. 

We decide to stop for provisions. 

As we shop I ask my brother if he really wants to continue with the journey, given how dangerous it has proven to be so far. 

"Yes, of course. We can't stop now," he tells me, so I agree. 

"OK, we will keep going then. But let's get some life jackets, a compass, and some rope to tether ourselves to the canoe."