J. Aldridge “The Last Inch” wrote in his characteristic style. The author believed that the main thing for the creator of a work is to reveal how a person is formed, to catch the moment when children turn into girls and boys. And he succeeded. In his narrative, he not only caught the moment of growing up guy, which coincided with a difficult test, but also showed how a twelve-year-old boy surprisingly adopted the strengths of his father's character.
J. Aldridge, The Last Inch. Summary: first lesson
A twelve-year-old boy, Davy, landed on a small plane with his father, who was once a pilot, on an uninhabited Egyptian coast. Ben was left without work, but since his wife was accustomed to a prosperous life, it was necessary to pay for an apartment in Cairo and many other services, he had to stop at a profitable, but dangerous business - shooting sharks under water. Landing the plane, the father at the same time gave his son the first lessons of this skill. He taught that when landing, the distance to the ground should be exactly six inches, no more, no less. In fact, Ben did not even imagine that this lesson would be very useful to his son.
J. Aldridge, The Last Inch. Summary: injuring father
Ben was preparing a movie camera for filming and scuba gear. He was worried about whether he could remove the big bracken and cat shark. Ben took the horsemeat bait with him and tied the meat to a coral reef. Sharks, of course, attacked her, and a successful shooting was obtained. And only now Ben noticed that with blood from the meat he stained his hands and chest. But it was too late: a cat shark was swimming right at him. She grabbed his right hand, and walked on his left. Miraculously, Ben managed to kick the predator with his feet and get out onto the sand. On the shore, he lost consciousness.
J. Aldridge, The Last Inch. Summary: helm in the hands of a child
Ben came to his senses and asked the boy to break his shirt and bandage his hands: the right one was hanging out, and the left one was like a piece of meat. Bleeding and legs. Consciousness of the father constantly fell into unconsciousness. He concentrated his remaining strength on saving Davy as best he could. The boy carried out his father's commands, not yet suspecting that he himself would have to sit at the helm. Ben asks his son to pull him on a towel to the plane, pile stones at the right door and pull him into the cockpit. Then only suspicion crept into Davy's soul: why the father did not sit down on the pilot's side. Ben told the boy that he would have to fly the plane on his own only after they both climbed into it. He gives his son instructions on how to raise the plane. A strong wind greatly complicated their position. The plane was swinging, his father had to scream. The boy's eyes were wide open with horror, but the will of his father, his courage passed on to his son: he did not let go of the helm.
J. Aldridge, The Last Inch. Summary: landing aircraft
When they got to the flight path, it was almost dark. The landing site was occupied, but they were lucky - a large plane immediately started. Dodging him, Davy lost speed. It was very dangerous. The last inch separating death and life was approaching. At this moment, the father could not stand it and cried, losing his composure. But the boy managed to successfully land the plane. Ben calmed down and felt that he would live.
Short retelling: Aldridge, Last Inch. Father's recovery
Thanks to physical strength, the will to live and the ability of Egyptian doctors, Ben was on the mend. Davy came to visit his father, and he asked if it was great. The boy could only nod in response. In fact, he had not thought about it yet; he was still not left with horror from the experience. But Ben knew that when Davy grew up, he would be proud of his own deed and would feel more confident for the rest of his life.