Refugees arrive in boats on European shores. Ben White/ CAFOD. Flickr. Some rights reserved.I stand alone on the warm, dark beach under a vast, starry sky. Gazing into the black ocean, I wait to see which of the distant lights emerging from the darkness are boats full of people. It is my first night shift doing night watch for refugee arrivals on the island of Kos.
Not long after 1am, I hear the sounds of people; their shouts cut through the night at the waterfront. I go towards the noise, trying to be quiet so as not to startle anyone. I begin to see silhouettes and phones lighting the ground, highlighting legs and feet stumbling out of the water and over rocks. When I’m near the group, I say, “Hello, is everyone OK?”
Big startled eyes turn towards me. “Yes, yes” surprised answers reply. As a man hauls a little girl out of the boat, I get into the water and grab her rucksack. I see several more small children landing on the beach as adults pull them out one by one. I take one little boy’s hands in mine, and his wild eyes gaze back at me. He is soaked to the bone, silently shivering.
