
H. J. Bulthuis
On a weather‑worn platform that juts from his family’s modest home, a young voice watches the horizon where distant ships dissolve into mist. He hears his father’s patient explanations of steam‑powered vessels that glide without wind, and he wonders how such craft can rise from the endless blue. The sea around his island is a shifting puzzle of sandbars and hidden ledges, sometimes exposing a dark slab of earth that vanishes beneath a sudden swell, while a solitary lighthouse flickers its warning light for unseen mariners.
Through vivid observations and quiet humor, the narrator grapples with the gap between what he is told and what he sees, turning everyday moments into philosophical musings about faith, perseverance, and the invisible forces that shape our world. The story invites listeners to share his curiosity, feeling the wind of possibility even as he remains anchored to the familiar planks beneath his feet.
Language
eo
Duration
~14 hours (841K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Andrew Sly, Jeff G. and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-02-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1865–1945
A Dutch writer, translator, and early Esperanto champion, he helped build a literary life for the language through novels, stories, and many translations. His work reached far beyond his day job in customs, and one of his novels later earned a place on a notable Esperanto reading list.
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