"Abraham L. Derickson’s visit to Provincetown"

"Abraham L. Derickson's visit to Provincetown."

The county of Barnstable, Massachusetts hosts the popular waters of the world-famous destination for beaches, food, and entertainment in lovely “Cape Cod, Massachusetts.”Because of the abundance of cod fish, Bartholomew Gosnold gave Cape Cod its name in 1602. After the arrival of the “Mayflower” in Provincetown the Wampanoag Indian inhabitants of the land, originally, fought desperately to preserve the islands and waters from the vehement destiny of modern civilization. Rumors still alive today have most people believing that the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Rock, but the truth is the early settlers first landed in Provincetown. The “Pilgrims’ First Landing Park” still exists and can be found after carefully searching among densely grown briar and trees in Provincetown. The ocean beaches were known as the “backshore” and are now known as the “National Seashore”. These shores were protected and untouched by the Wampanoag Indians until Ross Moffett orchestrated the deed to the "National Seashore" in 1962. When the original Pilgrims traveled to American shores in 1620, they first arrived in Provincetown, and created, and signed the “Mayflower Compact”. This historical document was the first to allow Pilgrims that separated from the legal church in England to remain as a Pilgrim yet branch out to new territory. These new settlers had to obtain permission from the then, King of England, to settle in other areas of the fabulous New England water district. The Hudson River, approximately 285 miles away, in New York City, became the next choice for these new settlers and the Mayflower Compact was signed as an attempt by England royalty to control the new society and make it all legal. The pioneering of these early settlers afforded the opportunity and furtherance of establishing American culture.

Since the 1800’s Provincetown, or more commonly referred to as “P Town” has grown in population and has become known as a favorite place hosting colorful events such as the “Spooky Bear” weekend. The Spooky Bear weekend is a gathering of gay, bisexual, and transgender people celebrating Halloween but nowadays invite all people. The events held in P Town have become a haven to celebrate individuality and freedom of expression for all groups. Every year during the weekend of Halloween, P Town celebrates the “Spooky Bear” weekend in hopes to share the message of inclusion for all people by a non-profit group.

Once such visitor to P Town was 19-year-old, “Abraham L. Derickson.”He visited P Town because of his family’s encouragement to see the opportunistic beauty and culture of the islands. He traveled extensively from the western part of the United States by train. The train trip was expensive and took days to finally rest. When he arrived at “The Long Wharf North Station” by the Boston Harbor, in Boston, he was exhausted and missing his family terribly. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the summer weather peaked his interests considering the separation from his family and the long train ride. His parents gladly paid for the train ride and encouraged Abraham to consider settling in Boston, to continue his education. Abraham was eager to embark on this newfound journey and he wanted to experience Boston for all its rich culture, education, and beauty. He was torn with leaving his family out West behind, but the promise of his future was at stake, and he wanted to someday ingratiate his family back home with all his newfound wisdom. At his first glance of the Boston Harbor, he instantly fell in love with the city.

P Town is such a fascinating place to visit. The alluring crystal waters that surround P Town can be described as clear water dunes beneath the surface of sun bitten grandeur. Several islands surround the Boston Harbor where you would begin your breathtaking journey to P Town by ferry. Whales, seals, dolphins, sharks, and an abundance of live sea creatures inhabit the coasts of P Town as well as assorted feathered creature wildlife. The beautiful landscape of the ocean waters and heavenly sky capture the city of Boston, Massachusetts’s serene and noble history of American acculturation.

Upon his arrival, Abraham L. Derickson quickly secured living space in the “Eastie” area of Boston. East Boston, or “Eastie” is not far from the Boston Harbor. Because he wanted to ration his funds for the most optimal Boston Harbor experience, he chose “Eastie”, to begin his new home. He wanted to be within walking distance to the New England waters, to investigate, admire and enjoy the entrancing experience. After he became familiar with his new living abode, he set out to discover the excitement and intricacies of his new life. He made sure his apartment door was locked and began his first walk to the harbor in hopes to catch a ferry ride to P Town. The city walk for Abraham, was pleasant and colorfully vibrant. He noticed, many retailers, museums, restaurants, and people. When he arrived at Atlantic Avenue, he felt like such a small fish in a big pond. Boston was a new and completely different way of life for Abraham. The ferry terminals were loaded with all kinds of people and tourists and there were lines for tickets for the “Boston Harbor Cruises.” He waited in the warm sunshine for his turn to buy his ticket and observed the cultural differences of Bostonian's, and tourist's. Alone, Abraham maintained his bravery and commitment to learning all he could learn about Boston.

Abraham boarded one of the many ferry's in the Boston Harbor district and fell in love with the perfect weather and scenery. As he enjoyed the ferry ride, he engaged with the other passengers politely and kept his sights on the natural landscape of the ferry ride. To the left of the ferry ride he awed at the massive “whales” that crept up from the deep waters as if they were welcoming Abraham to the area. The whales created giant splashes of sea water and "sang". Long, deep sounding “howells” of bellowing mamillian grunts from the massive whales filled the listener’s ears with intrigue. Rising to the edge of the sea filled “basin” and the whales torpedoing through the salty air was truly magnificent to witness. The warm sunshine and cool water splashing onto the ferry gave Abraham a new reason to feel. Because of the numbness he felt for leaving his family out West, the people and the wildlife he encountered gave Abraham a shimmering light of hope for his future. Abraham excitedly craved more. He was smitten with the vast body of sea water and creatures and couldn’t wait to enter the waters himself and test them out. As the natural, magnificent panorama view of seagulls, seals, dolphins, and habitat engulfed Abrahams mind, the ferry arrived in P Town.

Abraham disembarked the ferry and began his walk throughout P Town alone and unafraid. He admired the many vendors friendliness and charity along the streets of P Town. A few of the vendors offered free materials to help navigate the island of P Town and encourage a memorable visit. He continued to walk Commercial Street enjoying the opportunities to take advantage of the quaint shops and games of fun. Abraham eventually found his way to the infamous “Lobster Pot” eatery that is the most delectable spot for fresh seafood and cocktails. He decided to enjoy what Bostonian’s rave about to the rest of the world, namely the seafood dishes, including lobster, scallops, oysters, and clams. He eyed the fancy cocktails and their affordable price for such a large mixed drink, but declined the offer and settled for a Shirley Temple cocktail instead, made from grape juice. After his gratifying meal he paid the price and continued to research the free map of P Town given to him by a local vendor. He continued his walk to the “First Pilgrims Park” and was proud that he achieved making it that far. Abraham’s thirst to learn and experience history by visiting historical landmarks in P Town enriched his curiosity. His ultimate goal was to reach the “National Seashore” and hopefully take a dip into the water.

Abraham continued the walk to the beaches of P Town. Still in awe of the majestic surroundings and wildlife, Abrahams anticipation of reaching the “National Seashore”, clouded his perception of the possibilities and dangers that lie ahead. The afternoon was turning to evening and he marveled at the sunset with other travelers observing the same. He chose a spot on the beach and set up a temporary camp for himself. The sand was white and soft under his feet and he took off his outer layer of clothing until he was comfortable in his shorts and bare feet. He lied down on his blanket in the sand and relaxed, gazing at the deep crystal waters and heavenly sunset. Abraham wanted to settle in for a bit, before he tested the temperature of the sea and enjoyed his swim.

The beachcombers were ending their day at the National Seashore and packing up their belongings to leave. Before long Abraham was alone on the magnificent shoreline watching the sunset as he was hypnotized by the alluring call from the deep to join in the soothing waves of peace and serenity. As the sun was ending its captivating show, and the darkness overcame the light, Abraham built a fire to warm himself after his swim. He squished the sand between his toes and feet as he made his way to the waters edge. The water was rushing to him in crashing waves yet calmly captivating his peaked interest. He walked out into the sea until it was deep enough to swim. He paddled his way deeper into the sea and basked in the dark warm ocean. The salty sea water felt so amazing. He closed his eyes and he continued to float on his back farther and farther out. The sea water was so charming and addicting he failed to recognize any susceptibility of danger.

After Abraham pondered his thoughts and imagined his future life in Boston, he felt it was time to swim back to shore and make the trip back to Eastie. He began the long swim back to shore. He paddled his arms and kicked his feet in an effort to quickly make it back to shore. Almost immediately after he began the return swim, he felt a strange "brush" against his legs and torso. He became confused and curious as to what this communication was from the deep. He thought nothing of the “brush” and dismissed it as a possible bump into a large fish or maybe algae. He continued paddling the water and felt another “brush” against his skin. This “brush” felt like a much larger presence this time and he felt a tear of his skin on his legs and chest from the contact. He realized he was bleeding now and began to panic. In the darkness as the moon began to light the waters, Abraham desperately quickened his efforts to make it to shore. He paddled much faster and kicked his feet and legs as powerfully as he could. As the moments passed and with each stroke towards shore, Abraham began to tire and bleed more profusely. He no longer gazed at the moon and began to feel fear of the beautiful National Seashore waters. He focused on the fire he built on the beach earlier, glowing in the distance, and continued to paddle. He thought, “Just a little bit longer and I’ll make it to shore.” He mustered the last bit of strength within and prayed he would reach the shore. In the moments that followed, Abraham felt the “brush” against his body again and the humongous sea creature responsible revealed himself. Abraham was then attacked by the sea creature. It was a Great White shark. The Great White attempted to bite Abraham in the torso. Abraham completely traumatized and experiencing the force and trauma of the Great White shark fought back by punching the shark in the eye. He punched that shark so hard in the eye the Great White shark retreated and swam away. Abraham continued to desperately swim to safety. He was moments from shallower water and grew weaker and weaker. Astonishingly, the shark returned and tried a second time to victimize Abraham. As the Great White shark approached Abraham with his jaws open ready to eat Abraham, Abraham punched that shark again in the other eye as hard as he could muster. The Great White ceased to threaten Abraham with his rows of vicious teeth, retreated once again, and swam away.

By this time Abraham was closer to the shore. He swam and kicked his way to the shallow water. Bloody, exhausted and traumatized, Abraham crawled to shore from the shallow waters. He forced himself to continue crawling on the sand to the culminating fire. He dropped himself onto the blanket gasping for breath and begging for rest. What seemed like an eternity from the shark attack had actually been a short period of time. He lay there on his blanket near the dying fire trying to process in his mind what had just happened. He wondered if the fact that he reeked of seafood from his meal at the "Lobster Pot" may have attracted the Great White. The moon continued to light the beach and the ocean waves continued crashing into the shore. Abraham, although bloody by the attack sustained minor abrasive cuts and scrapes to his body. He was able to find the “Stop the Bleed” first aid kit for shark bites near the area where he was camping. He administered first aid for the cuts and scrapes to stop the bleeding. He was physically exhausted from the battle with the Great White shark but eventually dressed himself and walked back to the city of P Town. An official happened to be patrolling the area and Abraham somehow flagged her down to alert him of the attack. The P Town official quickly acted to assist Abraham providing Abraham with the resources to report the attack, take photos of Abraham and praised Abraham for his bravery and survival. He was also accompanied by the P Town official back to the ferry and stayed with Abraham for the ferry ride returning to the harbor.

When Abraham and the official arrived to the harbor, first responders and news reporters were waiting. He was quickly rushed to the "Massachusetts General Hospital." The news reporters followed the ambulance transporting Abraham to the hospital and insisted on an interview about his near fatal shark attack experience. After the medical staff administered the appropriate aid for Abrahams injuries, he was admitted for continued care and Abraham gave a brief interview from his hospital bed. Abraham reported the vicious attack by the Great White shark, how he prevailed in the attack by punching that shark in the eyes, and about the help he received from the P Town official.

In the days that followed, Abraham returned to his new home in "Eastie", and his new neighbors hearing of the attack reached out to Abraham and offered their friendship and support. Abraham, was hailed a “hero” for surviving the attack and the method he used during the battle alerted national news. Because of Abraham’s battle with this Great White shark, and surviving, all people and tourist visiting oceans now have a recourse when attacked by a shark. Abraham’s family out West heard about the attack of their son on the national news and rushed to Boston by plane within hours to comfort and applaud their son, Abraham L. Derickson, and they thanked the Universe for his survival.