EZ Board is down

For all my fans from the Ez board, it would seem they are down at the moment and I am unable to post any updates.

I'll keep an eye on it for the time being and if you were able to come here, just add it to your favorites for now until I am able to post again.

I'll pause on the stories till tomorrow in the hope they can be up and running by then. If you want me to send you updates the old fashion way, shoot me an email. You can find it on the left under my profile.

Jason

Part 65: Two Pair

Cecil let the smoke drift from his lips. He closed his eyes, relishing in the burning feeling he had his lungs. He had been smoking since he was 23 and didn’t really plan on stopping, no matter what the consequences. The old man was thankful for the ache in his body. It let him know he was still alive.

He then proceeded to cough. The pain in his lungs increased briefly but then faded when it was over. Cecil took in a deep breath and coughed again, spitting out mucus. He wondered how much longer it would take. How much time did he have left? Deciding not to think about it, he took one more drag off his cigarette. Then his view of the ocean was blocked by a shadow of the only other old man on the beach. “Hey, Bernard, “ he smiled, continuing to smoke, “How’s ya mama and them?”

“More than likely, it is the smoking that is making you cough,” the black man pointed out.

“No kidding,” Cecil said sarcastically.

“You’re going to run out anyway. Why not save what you have?”

“Cause the rescue boat will be here soon.”

“Really? And exactly how would you know such a thing?”

“Did you come here for a reason, Bernard or was it just to annoy me?” Cecil asked angrily.

“I am trying to understand you, Cecil. I am trying to understand why you seem hell bent on making everybody in the beach hate you.”

Cecil then looked up at the old black man and smiled, “Do you hate me?”

Bernard grunted as he sat down into the sand in front of the old man. “I am incapable of hate,” he whispered, “Instead, you have my pity.”

“Well, don’t worry about that. You continue to hang around me enough and that pity will turn to hate, I promise you.”

“Again, you seek nothing but our hate. Why?”

“How about Why Not?” Cecil grunted, “You ever think of that, old man?”

“Why Not is not a good enough reason. How about we talk about Mandy?” Bernard pointed out.

“How about we don’t and pretend we did?”

“How old are you, Cecil? Fifty four?”

“Fifty seven.” Cecil corrected him.

“That girl is old enough to be your daughter. There is wrong and there is that.”

“Do I look like I give a rats ass?” The old man threw his cigarette away, “That girl wanted it. If she didn’t, then she should have pushed me away.”

“You should have been man enough to step away.” Bernard glared.

“You want to tangle with me, old man? Go right ahead. I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

“No but you have to justify yourself to God. He will remember that incident.”

Cecil then started laughing. Bernard was puzzled at his reaction. After he laughed for a few minutes, Cecil started coughing again. After he was done, he spit once again, and then said, “God, huh? Yeah, that’s rich.”

“I take it then, you don’t believe in God.” Bernard muttered.

“No, I do believe in God and I am sure he’ll remember that INCIDENT, as you describe it, along with a ton of others.”

“Others?” Bernard said, “Are you trying to say that you’ve done this sort of thing before?”

“Well, not this sort of thing but definitely stuff just as bad. I can’t change who I am, Bernard.”

“Then it is not too late to repent your sins. Confess them to God and he will guide you into Heaven.”

Cecil chuckled as he stood up, brushing the sand off of his jeans. He popped another cigarette out of his pack and looked down at the sitting black man. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Bernard, “ Cecil puffed away, “Not even the Pope can get me into Heaven.”

Bernard watched the old man disappear into the distance of the beach. He just shook his head, realizing that Cecil didn’t hear a word he just said. The old black man had seen this sort of thing before. There were some that did bad things and had no remorse for their actions. Bernard stood up as he watched Cecil continue to walk down to the beach in the setting sun. “May God be with you, Cecil,” he whispered, “Cause, clearly, no one on this beach will be.”


Natasha flipped another page of the Trivia Calendar. She then turned it back to the front and then back to the answer once again. “I didn’t know that.” She whispered.

“Didn’t know what?” John said.

Natasha leaned up to see John hanging outside her tent. She immediately noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She smiled and turned to look back at the trivia calendar. “What was the first movie to have an entirely computer generated character?” she asked.

John kneeled down. “Hmm,” he said, rubbing his stubble, “ Jurassic Park?”

“Much earlier than that.”

“Uh . .Tron?” he blinked.

“Young Sherlock Holmes.” Natasha smiled.

“Young Sherlock . . . .wait, that piece of crap movie? Oh, my God, “ John slapped his head, “I remember seeing that when I was a kid. It was one of those summer passes at the Theater. One movie, one coke, and popcorn, all for five dollars.”

“Wow,” Natasha giggled, “Nowadays, it’s more like all that for 20 dollars.”

“Yeah, how the time flies.” John said, sitting cross-legged.

“So, John, what brings you into my parlor?” she said, flickering her eyebrows.

“I heard about the incident between you and Yolanda. I was coming to make sure you’re okay.”

“How sweet, but I am fine. It was just a slap. Besides, I don’t want to lose my coconut rights.”

John chuckled, “Yeah, I heard about that. Tony is a master negotiator.”

“Oh, yes. He knows how to take control of a situation.” Natasha smiled, leaning forward and placing her hand on his knee, “But I don’t think that is what made you come over here.”

“Oh?” John smirked, “And why did I come over here?”

“You come to me shirtless, John. Did you not think that would make me aroused?”

John blushed slightly, “I was hot, Natasha. I took off my shirt to cool down and the ocean breeze is helping.”

Natasha leaned back and started brushing the area of her chest between her breasts, “Then are you ready to get hot again?”

John gritted his teeth, feeling his erection starting to bulge in his pants, “You’re not making it easy for me.”

“Well, that’s my intent, sweetie,” she giggled.

“I think . . .I think I better go take a dip in the COLD ocean, “ John said, standing up, “Good night, Natasha.”

“Oh, John?” she called.

The archer turned around. The sexy brunette then gently blew him a kiss. John smiled, acting as if he caught it. He kissed his fist and placed the “kiss” into his pocket. He turned around and began to walk toward the encampment where he slept. Natasha smiled as she leaned back into her makeshift bed.

Perhaps she was finally getting through to him?

Part 64: More Theories

With the clanking of the sheathed sword and the Kendo Stick, Seth and Brendon continued to practice, honing their skills. Seth had worked up a sweat, practicing all the moves his Asian friend taught him. Brendon was highly impressed at the rate Seth was learning. It was almost if he had a natural adapting ability. Seth then thrust down, while Brendon blocked it, turning around and landing the sword on the back of his neck. The young man froze, when realized had this been an actual fight, he would have had his head cut off. “Never over extended your blows.” Brendon taught him.

“Yes, sir.” Seth chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You are doing remarkably well, Seth. Had I not known better, I would have assumed you were a swordsman before.”

“Naw, like I said, you’re an excellent teacher.”

“And once again, I thank you.” He bowed before him.

As the two friends paused, they took their towels and wiped their sweat. Seth yawned, as he was growing tired. Brendon rested his sword on his shoulder. He decided to stop practice and show his friend a unique skill. “Seth, do you have any idea how old this sword is?” he commented.

“You said it’s been in your family for nine generations.” Seth sighed, “I ain’t sure how long that is.”

“Five hundred and four years to be exact.” Brendon smiled.

Seth whistled at that response.

“To maintain it’s sharpness and strength, the sword had to be worked on all that time. Swords makers would graft the metal, making it incredibly sharp. Here, I’ll show you.”

Brendon began walking toward the jungle with Seth in tow. The two friends walked along the sand until the reached of the outcroppings of trees. The Asian turned to his friend, finally unsheathing the sword. “Repeat after me, Seth, “ he smiled, “Kiai.”

“Key-ya?” Seth said, trying to pronounce it right.

“That’s it, Kiai.”

“Kiai,” the young man agreed, “Okay, what does that mean?”

“Kiai is a samurai spirit shout. Whenever you make your mightiest blows, you scream Kiai to let the spirits know, this is me. I am making this strike.”

“Interesting,” Seth approved.

“Watch.”

Brendon turned and placed the sword against one of the trees. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Quickly, he thrust his sword back over his head. “KIAI!” he screamed, as he swung it through the tree.

Seth blinked. He saw no wood splinters and he didn’t hear any wood breaking. After a few seconds, he then heard the cracking of the palm tree giving in under it’s own weight. It started to sway to the left, and then crash to the ground. The young man blinked as his Asian friend smiled, placing the sword back into the scabbard. Seth walked over to the newly created tree stump. He rubbed his head on the smoothness of the stump, plus it was warm. “Whoa, Brendon, “ Seth stuttered, “I . . I . . .I have no words for this. I am speechless.”

“One day, you will be able to make such a blow.” Brendon smiled.

“One day, maybe. But not for a few years.” Seth admitted.

The two friends then began to walk back toward the beach. It was slowly creeping into twilight as the sun was descending below the horizon. Shanna was still rocking to Seth’s tape player. Mia was combing her hair, sitting cross-legged on her blanket. Seth and Brendon came over, sitting down at their designated areas. Shanna leaned up from her sleeping bag, “How goes the sword play?”

“Seth is a remarkable learner.” Brendon patted him on the shoulder, “In time, I have no doubt that he will one day surpass me as a swordsman.”

“Dude, stop it, you’re making me blush,” Seth playfully pushed him.

Mia continued to comb her hair, getting all the tangles out. She was able to hear her friends talking but her thoughts were elsewhere. She thought of the body she and John had found. Not a single bit of it made sense. Why hang a man blindfolded? She wondered if he had any eyes. Was that why he was blindfolded? But Tony was the same way, due to his injuries during the crash. Was it coincidence that they find a dead man blindfolded and Tony is also blindfolded? No, it had to be coincidence. The most disturbing aspect of finding the body was the fact that he had a gun. Why killed an ARMED man? “MIA!” Seth screamed.

“Wha?” she said, turning abruptly.

“Geez, girl,” Shanna giggled, “What planet were you one just then?”

“Sometimes I wonder.” The Lakota girl replied.

“Oh, great. She’s wondering about the island again.”

“Don’t do that, Seth. Don’t fight me on this. How much more proof do you need that something is weird about this place?”

“How about something I can see with both my eyes? If I see it, then I’ll start believing it.”

“What about the guy that was at the waterfall?” she pointed out.

“WHAT GUY?? We didn’t see anything. All we heard was a few clicks and that could have been anything. The wind! Some animal we haven’t seen yet. You are reading too much into this, Mia.”

“Really?” she said, slightly angry, “Then how about this? John and I were discussing something strange about what happened to the dead people.”

“What about them?” asked Shanna.

“Have you noticed that the three dead people all had something in common? They were all not team players.”

“Explain,” Brendon said, getting interested.

“Poteet, Calhoon and Underwood. They were all disruptive in some way. Poteet was an alcoholic and wouldn’t share the Vodka with Tony, which could have cost him his life. Then Poteet dies by the hand of the monster. Calhoon was with holding food from the rest of us, then gets his head ripped off by a Polar Bear. Then Underwood, who did nothing but complain about his constipation and not help out around here. Then he just up and died from a brain affliction. They were all disruptive in some way.”

“You’re saying they died because they are not like the rest of us?” Shanna asked, “Because they didn’t band together like we did?”

“That is exactly what I am saying.” Mia pointed to her red headed friend.

“Assuming this is correct, Mia, there is a flaw in your theory,” Seth piped in.

“And what might that be, non-believer?”

“If those guys died because they were disruptive, then why isn’t Cecil dead?” he pointed behind him.

Mia looked over to the old man. He was resting on his suitcase pile, smoking a cigarette, which he paused to cough for a few seconds. Bernard walked over to talk to him and the Lakota girl could tell he was making jokes of some kind. She rubbed her cheek and whispered, “Maybe it’s not his time yet.”

“What does that mean?” asked Seth.

“Maybe . . .maybe he must face something before he can be allowed to died.”

Profiles Part 3

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Profiles Part 2

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Part 63: A Fist Full of Worries

Jenny moaned again. She shifted over in the makeshift bed. As felt of her chest, noticing her clothes were gone but replaced with looser fitting ones. The young girl moved over to her left to see another young woman near her. A brown haired girl was resting on a makeshift bed, with her foot elevated and bandage. She was reading a thick book that read The 505 Weirdest Online Stores. When she noticed Jenny was awake, she looked at her with a warm smile. “Hey,” she said.

“Hello, “ Jenny blinked, “Where you out there floating too?”

“No, I was attacked by a Sea Anemone. I have to keep my foot elevated so the swelling can go down. That is why I am here in the medical tent with you.”

“Medical tent?” Jenny tried to get up but a sharp stab in her brain kept her immobile.

“I don’t think you should move, Jenny. Dr. Tony left those for you,” Kristy pointed.

Jenny looked to her left and saw three bottles of water sticking out of the sand. She quickly grabbed one and began to chug it. After a few gulps, she gasped and stopped. After she wiped her mouth, she looked back to Kristy. “I didn’t catch your name.” she smiled.

“Kristy Loran,” She smiled, “Nice to meet you.”

“So, Kristy . . .all of you have been here for 11 days and no sign of rescue? No fly bys of planes or anything?”

“I’m afraid not.” Kristy sighed.

Jenny put her hand over her eyes, trying to stifle her tears. “Oh, my god,” she whispered, “My sister must think I am dead.”

“I worry about my family and what they must think as well. I can only hope we get out of here soon.” The model whispered.

“My poor sister . . .She had already gone through a divorce and now if she thinks I am dead, this might send her over the edge.”

“Where does your sister live?”

“California.” Jenny rubbed her forehead, “I was heading home to comfort her. I hope she’s okay.”

“Heading home?” Kristy blinked,” Wait . .you don’t live in Australia?”

“Oh, no. I was there . . .on a student exchange program. Been there a whole two years until this happened.”

“Student exchange program? That’s cool,” Kristy smiled, “Ah, high school. I remember those days. How old are you, Jenny?”

“I’m sixteen. You?”

“Twenty four. I should have stayed in college but I decided to go the glamorous route and become a model. I was in Australia for a photo shoot, when I got called back to LA.”

“I had hoped to stay, myself,” Jenny sighed, working on her second bottle, “I had helped my friends get to the finals in the Soccer tournament. I would have like to have seen them finish it out but family comes first.”

“Soccer, huh? That explains why you are so buff.” Kristy giggled.

“Buff?” Jenny giggled herself, then felt of her forehead,” Ow. I never heard it quite put that way.”

Jenny the looked to the side of the tent as a bald man walked in, holding a plate of something. “Hello, Jenny, “ he smiled, “My name is Barto McKay but you can call me McKay.”

“Hello,” Jenny leaned up.

“Here you go,” McKay said, handing her the plate of steaming fish.

“What is this?”

“Fish. What kind specifically, I couldn’t tell you.”

“I . . really don’t want to eat this.” She said, her stomach churning.

“Sorry, you have to. Doctor’s orders. Tony said that since these are salt water fish, they should have the right amount of sodium to help get you well.”

Jenny understood what he said and it all made sense. She took a handful of them and began to eat. Once she got it in her mouth and swallowed it, she started to each the rest with a heavy appetite. She didn’t know until that moment how hungry she really was. “I must admit, it does a chief proud to see someone liking his cooking.” McKay stood up.

“Thank you, McKay,” she said with a mouth full of fish, “And tell Tony I said thank you as well.”

“Will do, Luv,” he said, walking away, “You rest with Kristy and get better. We may be here for a while.”

Jenny paused for a second. Did the Australian speak the truth? He may be considering this group had been there for over 11 days and no rescue. It could mean they were going to be on this island for a while. Jenny didn’t think much about it at that moment. She was too busy being hungry.

Outside McKay walked up to the blind doctor who was talking to Marita, patting him on the back. “Jenny said thank you for helping her.” He smiled.

“It was a group effort.” Tony chuckled.

“Tony.” Marita smiled, “Can you take the credit for once? You had the knowledge and we only did what you told us to do.”

“I was so proud of everybody when they did that. No one hesitated, no one questioned me. Thank to that, Jenny will be okay.”

Marita walked over and slide her arm under his. “Everybody trusts you. We knew you’d tell us the right way.”

The blind doctor and the Latina made their way down to the water for a stroll. Elsewhere on the beach, John was practicing with his arrows. Mia watched closely as he did it. John fired his bow, striking the luggage in the distance. They had drawn a bulls-eye on it and he had struck it in the middle three times. He fired a fourth round, hitting the center target again. “Oh, John,” Mia sighed, “You should have gotten the gold.”

“I know,” he whispered, walking over to retrieve the arrows.

He grunting, yanking them out of the empty suitcase. After he was done he walked back over to where Mia was standing. He pulled back his string and was about to aim before Mia spoke. “John, are you sure you didn’t see anybody?” she asked.

“MIA.” John grunted, “For the fourth time, NO, I didn’t see anybody. I was watching the surrounding jungle the whole time. No one showed their face while McKay got the water.”

“He was there. I know he was.” She shivered.

“He? Don’t you mean she? The French girl Brendon and Seth saw?”

“No. He was one of three men. Three masked men, I’ve seen them in my dreams.”

John put back his arrow into his quiver and turned to look her directly in the eyes. “Mia, I will not let those men get near you,” he said deep into her gaze, “I promise.”

Mia knew he meant it. She leaned forward and embraced him. John held her cloth and gently stroked her soft jet black hair. After a few moments, she looked up at him and smiled. She patted him on the chest and started to walk away, back toward her Inner Circle of friends. John sighed, pulled out another bow and continued to practice.

Part 62: Water, Water

Seth blinked at the splashing water got into his eyes slightly. He held out the water bottle, filling it up as fast as he could. Once filled he, closed the cap and handed it to Brendon, who gave him another one. The Asian man then tossed it toward Mia who caught it, quickly placing it into her backpack. Shanna was guzzling down one bottle to regain her strength. She had never ran that fast in her life before. “I can’t believe that girl is still alive.” She gulped.

“I know. It’s amazing,” Mia commented.

“Freaking impossible is what it is!” Seth said, filling up another bottle.

“Just as impossible as us surviving that plane crash?” Brendon countered.

“Point taken,” he replied, handing him another bottle.

“Seth, here.” Shanna said, holding out the two plastic containers.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

“They are containers. They can hold water, DUH.” She scoffed.

“Oh, “Seth chuckled, “My bad. Damn good thinking, Shanna.”

Seth held out the containers while the water poured into them. After they collected into them at a certain level, Seth eased them down and began to seal them. Mia looked around, seeing as they had no more water bottles to fill up. She quickly hoisted up her backpack and turned around.

Then something moved in the bushes.

Mia froze. She looked into the distance of the jungle, staring at the branches, noticing that only two of them were moving. It was as if someone was just standing there, then moved away abruptly, causing the branches to sway. Brendon had seen it and pulled out his sword slightly by instinct. Seth had frozen as well. Shanna slowly walked up to her Lakota friend. “Mia?” she whimpered, “Who . .who was that?”

“Maybe it was that girl me and Brendon saw?” Seth mentioned.

“No,” Mia hissed, “We have to get out of here. NOW.”

No one argued and no one hesitated. They each stuffed their water bottles they had and placed on their backpacks. Brendon immediately pulled out his sword and ran into the jungle, slashing his way through the bushes to clear them a path. Shanna and Mia quickly ran behind him, while Seth brought up the rear. The young man turned one last time to make sure whoever that was, was not following them.

As they disappeared into the jungle, a lone figured stepped out into the opening. He was a young man, with slightly long black hair. He squinted his eyes, seeing them fade into the canopy of the jungle. Reaching up, he straightened the bandana around his mouth and began to walk back into the deeper parts of the jungle.


--------------------------------------------------------------,

Tony massaged the back of his neck. He had to take a break from helping the young girl. John was sitting outside in the outer part of the tent. He was cleaning his bow, plus he added Ramon’s arrows to his own. Tony felt around and then his friend took his wrist, guiding him down. “Thank you,” he moaned.

“You all right?” John asked.

“Just tired. I hope we got to this girl in time.”

“We know her name yet?”

“Not yet but soon, I suspect. The girl is in remarkable health.”

“Definitely some kind of athlete judging by her muscled arms and legs.”

“Besides your case, that is probably what saved her from being out there so long.”

“Hell, I can’t imagine it. The horror of being out there along, among floating debris. I would have snapped.” John confessed.

“At least she was smart enough to grab a floating bottle of Diet Coke.” Tony pointed out.

“When we get off this island, that’ll be one hell of a PR deal for that company.” The archer chuckled.

Tony laughed at his comment. He admitted it was a fun joke but it wasn’t what Tony was most concerned about. John said when they get off this island. The blind doctor was beginning to worry if it wasn’t a question of when but rather of an if. “Tony?” Yolanda called.

“Yeah?” he said, raising his head.

“We got all her clothes off and put her next to the fire in a blanket like you said.” The black stewardess pointed out.

“Why take her clothes off?” John questioned.

“She’s already fighting dehydration. She doesn’t need to be fighting hypothermia as well.” Tony said, using his friend’ shoulder to help him standing.

“Damn, I am glad you are here to think of this stuff, Tony,” the archer pointed out.

Tony just patting home the shoulder and walked back into the inners of the tent. Yolanda took his hand, guiding him back. Tony kneeled down next to the girl as she was in a blanket. Marita was still feeding her. They moved from water to coconut milk. “She’s onto the coconuts now, Tony,” she mentioned.

“Good. That will hopefully get some vitamins in her.” The blind doctor, said feeling of her forehead, “Her head is still warm. She’s probably going to have a headache for while. Is the Advil ready?”

“Almost, Tony,” Mandy responded.

Tony knew the woman needed to have some sort of medication in her but was worried her throat was so dry it might be slightly closed up. He needed someone to crush the Advil and place it into water for her to drink. Mandy and Taylor were kind enough to respond to the challenge. In fact, it made the blind doctor proud how everybody pitched in and helped with the girl, no matter what Tony asked of them. “MMmm.” The girl moaned, as she stopped sipping on the coconut milk.

“Hey, “Marita smiled, “You still with us?”

“Yeah,” the girl groaned, “Where am I?”

“You’re on a island,” Tony mentioned, “We don’t exactly know where.”

The girl slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the doctor. She immediately noticed the obvious. “Why are you blindfolded?” she asked.

“I was struck blind in the crash,” Tony smiled, “I am Dr. Tony Largo. Mind telling me your name?”

“Jenny,” she groaned, massing her face, “Oh. . .oh, my head.”

“You’re incredibly dehydrated, Jenny,” Tony turned toward Mandy and then felt her put a cup into his hand, “Here. This should help.”

Jenny began to drink the Advil laced water. She took three gulps and gagged slightly. She coughed and Tony held up the cup. “I know this is hurting your stomach, Jenny,” Tony said, “But don’t worry. We got food coming. In the meantime, you need to get hydrated.”

“How long was I out there?” she asked.

“Since you crashed we us, it looks like ten days.” Marita told her.

“Ten Days?” Jenny said, in disbelief.

“You were in the back of the plane with us. Most of her emerged from the water. How is it you did not?” Tony curiously asked.

Jenny blinked, trying to remember. Then it all came back to her. “I was stuck,” Jenny blinked, “Stuck in the bathroom. The plane lurched and I blacked out. Next thing I know, I was inside the bathroom while it filled up with water.”

“Oh, my god,” Taylor gasped.

“You managed to get free?” Tony asked.

“The door wouldn’t budge till the whole bathroom filled with water. Then I got out and swam up to the surface. I grabbed . . .a . . .green cased and used it to float. I was waiting, hoping that I would be found.”

Tony helped her drink some more water. He was glad she managed to get free and John was right, Jenny couldn’t have done that unless she was physically able. John then poked his head through the tent entrance. “Tony, Mia and the others are back.” The archer said, “We’ll grab these empty bottles and fill up the rest.”

“Thank you, John,” Tony approved.

John walked over to McKay who was already filling up the backpack with the other empty bottles. Mia, Seth, Brendon and Shanna were collapsed on the beach, gasping for air. The archer grabbed two of their bottles, leaving it for them. As the two friends got ready to head out, Mia leaned up. “John, wait!” she called.

“Mia, that girl still needs water. We all do. You did good but rest, we’ll be back soon.” He told her.

“Please be careful,” she whispered, “Someone is out there.”

The two friends paused at what she said. John looked to McKay, then ran back to the camp. He quickly placed on his quiver, full of arrows. Swiftly, he placed on his one glove over his right hand. Then grabbed the compound bow with his left hand. He motioned for the Australian to lead the way. The two friends then disappeared into the jungle to retrieve more water.

Part 61: Day Eleven

Tony slowly rose awake. He massaged his face, adjusting the blindfold as it became twisted during the night. He felt inside of the blindfold, rubbing the outer section of his eyeball. The doctor knew he should probably give it a decent cleaning as the wound had been permanently sealed. Marita was asleep by his side. Tony smiled as he enjoyed the sound of her soft breathing. He then reached over and felt to see Eddie was still there. The young boy moaned, gripping tighter on his Kangaroo friend. The blind man gently felt of the blanket and pulled it over Eddie a little more. He gently stroked his hair, and gave him a fatherly kiss on the head.

Tony slowly stood up and stretched, feeling the ache in his bones. His body was growing accustomed to sleeping on the soft sand. He longed for an actual bed. Tony bent down and found his cane. He gently made his way past the other sleeping survivors and past the campfire. He felt of it’s heat, knowing how to avoid it. Smiling, he was proud of himself as he was getting better at using his other senses.

Tony jabbed the cane in the ground as he made his way toward the water. It felt a little weird using the bathroom on the ocean but any type of toilet they could salvage went down with the ship. In the end, if they had to urinate, the ocean was the best thing for it anyway. Tony stopped once he felt the wet sand and ocean caress his bare feet. He sighed as he opened his pants and used the bathroom.

The sun was coming up over the horizon. Tony knew this cause he could feel the sun light hitting his face. Day after day he was becoming comfortable with his handicap. He wished above all else he had his eyes still but he wasn’t about to fall victim to despair. He had overcome his blindness to succeed in other areas and he would succeed still. Yesterday’s argument between Natasha and Yolanda just made him realize how much he was truly needed in the little community they were building. After he was done urinating, he zipped up his pants and turned around to head back to the encampment. Then an abnormal sound gave him pause.

Tony stopped and turned as he listened. The sound was as if something plastic had come in from the water and touched the sand. Almost sounded like a canoe or raft. Tony tapped his cane toward the sound and he struck something. He slowly kneeled down and felt of the object before him. It felt like a case of some kind. It had multiple ridges and it was wide like a trunk. Tony scoffed in amusement as he stood up, wondering what the odds were that a piece of luggage would float toward the island after all this time? Then a new sound cause his attention and the change in air pressure made his arm hairs stand up.

It sounded liked someone walking toward him.

Tony’s hear then stopped for a second as someone grabbed him. “JESUS!” he screamed, collapsing onto the sand.

Tony tried to catch his breath as the body rested on him, rather limp. Whoever it was, they were small and were soaking wet. “Help . . .me,” the person whispered.

Tony then grabbed the body and shifted over, immediately placing his left ear onto their chest. As his cheeks caressed a seat of breasts, it was easy to realize he was dealing with a girl. He quickly pulled his head back up and felt of her neck. There was a pulse but it was weak. The blind doctor felt of her face and was amazed that she was still breathing. “Mia? Taylor? Mandy? Shanna?” Tony quickly rattled off the names of the young girls on the beach but the person laying before him said nothing.

He then knew he had no choice. He needed a pair of eyes and quickly. Tony leaned forward and scooped up the girl in his arms. As he did, he felt something bump his chest. It felt like the girl was holding onto something, like a bottle perhaps. The blind doctor immediately ran up the beach, holding onto her. It was a struggle but he had to get her back to the camp if he was going to help her. “HEY!” he screamed, “HHHEEEEYYYYY!!!!”


McKay gently woke up to the odd sound. He rubbed his eyes, looking around for the source of the screaming. Taylor massaged her face as she woke up with him. “Who’s screaming?” she moaned.

“It . . .it looks like Tony,” McKay said in disbelief.

“Who is he carrying?” the blonde said, in confusion.

McKay didn’t know. He immediately got to his feet and he ran toward his friend. He called to him as he got closer, stopping abruptly in the sand. “McKay!” Tony held up the girl for him to see, “Who is this?”

“I . .I don’t know who she is.” The Australian confessed, in mild shock.

“Mother of God, I was afraid of that.” Tony grunting walking past him, “Guide me toward my tent.”

“Tony, what is going on?” McKay helped him walk, “Where the hell did that Sheila come from?”

“I think . . .I think she came from the ocean.” He chuckled, hardly believing what he was saying.

McKay blinked at the very idea of Tony was suggesting. Another survivor from the flight 815, floating out in the ocean this whole time. The commotion had now woken up everybody else. They began to gather around Tony as he came into his tent, sitting down the young girl. Everybody watched as the doctor checked the young lady for vitals and making sure he could determine what was wrong with her. It was the first bit of excitement they had had in 2 weeks. A new arrival on the beach. What were the odds of this happening? “Marita?” Tony called.

“I’m here, Tony,” she said, sitting opposite him.

“I need you to describe her. Tell me everything you see about her, spare me nothing,”

“Where should I start?” she asked, getting nervous.

“What color is her skin?”

“Pale, she’s very pale,” Marita pointed out.

“Anything else?” Tony asked, feeling over the girls arm.

Marita then blinked as she looked at the girls face. She reached over and felt of the strange substance around her mouth. “Her lips are cracked,” Marita said, rubbing the substance on her fingers, “And there is a white foam around her lower lips. It feels kinds grainy.”

“She’s dehydrated.” Tony turned, “Please bring all the water we have and any coconut milk still remaining.”

Taylor, Mandy and Bernard started to grab their collection of water bottles, bringing it to Tony. He held out his hand, and Bernard placed one into it. He opened it up and gently tilted the girl’s head, allowing him to pour it into her lips. She started to drink, gagging slightly. “Easy, easy, “ Tony whispered, “Your throat is parched. You need water but it has to wet your throat first.”

The girl continued to drink best she could. John looked over the girl, in utter amazement. “If what Tony said is true, then this chick has been out in the ocean for ten days!” the archer gasped, “How the hell is she not dead?”

McKay pointed, “Marita, what is she holding?”

The Latina looked at the girl’s right hand and saw an empty bottle. She gently pried open her fingers and pulled the bottle out of her hand. Marita gasped at what she saw, handing it to McKay. “It’s a empty bottle of diet Coke.”

McKay examined it. The bottle has a microscopic amount of soda left sealed inside. The label was barely readable, probably because it had been soaking in the salty ocean for nearly two weeks. “She must have found this floating among the debris. In order to survive the way she did, she would have had to drink this only when she needed to.” McKay muttered, “Damn lucky, she is.”

“How many bottles of water do we have?” Tony asked, already giving the girl a second one.

“We got . .uh . .”Taylor quickly counted them, “Twelve bottles with water in them.”

“That won’t be enough,” the blind doctor pointed out, “Whoever is able, I need you to head to the waterfall now and fill up the other empty bottles.”

“I’m on it!” Seth said, grabbing a backpack and quickly putting on his shoes.

Mia swiftly put on her tennis shoes, then started to collect the empty bottles into her backpack. Brendon put on his boots and picked up his sword, waiting for Seth. Shanna then grabbed her backup, putting in the two plastic containers they found, which could also haul water back. Within seconds, the four friends then disappeared into the jungle, running as fast as they could toward the waterfall.

Tony then tossed away the second bottle, while John handed him the third. The girl was starting to breathe a little easier. John looked to his Australian friend. “I’m still in shock,” he whispered, “How the hell could this girl have survived? Is anybody capable of wading through the water for ten days?”

“She wasn’t wading, “ Tony said, overhearing him, “She was using some sort of plastic suitcase as a float.”

“What the hell kinda suitcase floats?” McKay turned.

John and McKay then walked toward the beach to see what the girl was using as a float. The two friends walked a little ways and then spotted the object. It was still floating in the shallows. It wasn’t hard to miss.

It was bright green.

“WHOA, GOD!” John screamed, as he ran toward the case.

Martin saw this and decided to join the friends. McKay was confused as the archer laughed, diving into the water. He waded over and quickly grabbed the case. He giggled like a young schoolboy as he dragged the case in from the water and flopped it onto the beach. He then started to undo the locks on the side, then popped open the lid. He gently pulled out a compound bow with the American Flag painted on the hilt. He smiled, gently kissing it. “Hey, baby,” he cooed, “Did you miss me?”

“Mr. Riggs?” asked Martin, “Is that yours?”

“I thought my bow was lost forever.” John smiled, placing on his own quiver,” I guess Miracles do still happen.”

“In more ways than one, “McKay smiled, arms crossed, “Do you realize what just happened, Mate?”

“Yeah, this girl delivered my pride and joy back to me.”

“No, John. YOU . . .saved her life.”

John smirked at what his friend was saying. He did admit it could be seen in that fashion. McKay, John and Martin then began to walk up the beach, toward the camp. This girl was a new addition to their little beach community.

They hoped she lived through the day.

Part 60: Confessions

The sun was slowly beginning to set. McKay and John had gotten finished with the project that Tony had suggested. They collected enough wood, and wrapped clothing around them as tight as possible, creating torches. They gently placed them into the sand along the outer lining of the jungle entrance. This way, if anything approached during the night, John would have a better chance of spotting their shadows. He was, after all, the only one with decent target vision.

Tony jabbed his cane in the sand as he made his way to the wreckage they called the General Store. Once he felt it in front of him, he tapped it along and discovered the entrance. As he walked in, he could already tell someone was in there. “Hello?” he asked.

“Hello, Tony,” Bernard whispered, “Is there something I can find for you?”

“What are you doing in here, Bernie?”

“I was folding clothes. I had washed them and once they dried, I placed them in here.”

“It’s funny. I never would have thought we’d have to worry about clean clothes this long in crashing.”

“No one ever does, I am sure.” Bernard felt of his beard and then looked at the blind man, “You were in the military, right Tony?”

“Yeah, I was.” The blind doctor told him.

“Then you know something about rescue operations?”

“Some what.”

“Tell me, please in all honest, man to man. What really are our chances?”

Tony lowered his head, rubbing his cane. He took in a deep breath then exhaled. “Not good.” He confessed.

“I was afraid you’d say that.” The old black man said, sitting in one of the chairs.

“We’re ten days out here, Bernard. That just means they are having a real problem finding us. Which would suggest they might not know where the plane crashed. Hell, we could have gotten off course or something. We don’t know where the pilot is, so we don’t know.”

“What are you saying?”

“If we are here by at least 30 days . . . .then I would hazard to guess they won’t be coming.”

“Are you certain?” Bernard said, losing hope.

“I’m sorry, Bernard. I can’t think of any operation out there who would continue to look for a crashed ship in a months time. Who would waste that kind of money?”

Bernard stood up, and tried to stifle his tears. He leaned against one of the many counters they constructed in the General Store. “I’m sorry if I upset you.” Tony whispered.

“No, I . .I asked for your honesty and you gave it. I thank you. I was just . .thinking of my children.”

“I know what it’s like to want to see someone again. We still have hope, Bernard. I am just taking guesses here.”

The black man smiled at the doctor, glad he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. After Bernard collected himself, he rubbed his hands on his shirt. “Did you come in here for a reason, Tony?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah, “he scratched his head, “You hear about the gun John found?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Well, I might be able to use it but it needs to be cleaned. I was coming in here, hoping to find some kind of alcoholic derivative, like maybe . . .mouthwash or cologne.”

“There is a cologne pile back here,” Bernard said, turning around, “At least your gun will smell good.”

“Yeah, “Tony chuckled.

“Any kind you want?”

“Naw, any kind will do.”

“Okay, here we go, “ Bernard handed him a bottle of the cologne, “At little Old Spice for Mr. Gun.”

“Thank you.” Tony said, turning around.

The blind doctor walked a little ways, then stopped. He smirked, turning back around. “Say, Bernard,” he grinned, “Back there in that cologne pile, does there happen to be any Stetson?”

“Uhm . . .YES, a small bottle. It appears to be full.”

Tony held out his hand, smiling. “I’ll take that one too.”


----------------------------------------------------------------,

McKay huffed as he was finished with the torches. He walked down to the beach where the water met the land. He walked slightly into the ocean and scooped up some water, splashing it on his face. After he was cooled down, he saw Mandy and Taylor walking toward him. He smiled at both of them. “How are my favorite ladies this evening?” he asked.

“Right as rain, mate,” Taylor said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Mandy, you okay?”

“I’m fine, McKay,” she smiled.

There was a slight pause between them. McKay pulled his rolled up shirt out of his back pocket and leisurely placed it on. He could tell there was something on their minds, just by the way they were looking at each. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

Taylor walked up and took Mandy’s hand. The young blonde tried to refrain from crying. Her best friend gently rubbed her arm, coaxing her to do what she wanted to do. “McKay, Mandy has something she wanted to tell you.” Taylor said.

McKay walked up to the blonde and stood before her. “It’s okay, Mandy. You don’t have to cry. What do you want to tell me?”

“McKay, . .I like you. You’ve been kind to both of us and I consider you a friend.” She said, wiping her tears.

“Thank you, Mandy. I consider you a friend too.”

“The other day when Cecil was touching me . .the reason I didn’t back. .him off was because. . .it excited me.”

“Oh, God, Mandy, why?” McKay said, feeling sick.

“Because it’s been one of my fantasies to have a man . . . just . . .take me.”

“Luv, there is a difference between having fantasies and the reality. A man like Cecil could have-“

“McKay, please let her finish,” Taylor said.

McKay stopped talking and shook his head. He waited for Mandy to continue speaking. “The reason I thought . . .Cecil was coming onto me . . .” Mandy sniffed, “Was because . . .I thought he might have known me.”

“Known you?” McKay blinked, “Where could he have known you from?”

Mandy closed her eyes, letting her tears travel down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and said, “From the porn video I did 7 years ago.”

“Oh, darlin,” McKay whisper, amazed at what he was hearing.

“It was . . .a mistake, and it seems like I am forced to carry it around with me for the rest of my life. When my parents found out, they didn’t disown me but they didn’t speak to me for three months. I wanted to tell you . . because . . I didn’t want you to think I was a whore, just dying to give it up to the first man who touched me.”

McKay sighed. He then held out his arms. Mandy quickly approached him and embraced him. She finally started crying full tears into his chest. He gently stroked her hair to comfort her. “I don’t think you are a whore,” the Australian whispered, “I don’t judge people on the mistakes of their past. Lord knows I’ve made a few myself.”

He gently parted her back. She sniffed and wiped her tears. McKay leaned downward a bit and one of her eyes, looking at her at eye level. “Don’t you let this bring you down. You are a good person, I can see that.” McKay said, giving her a warm smile, “And I thank you for having the courage to tell me. I promise I won’t tell anybody else. Your secret is safe with me.”

Mandy smiled at what she heard. She was glad she finally buckled and listened to Taylor to tell McKay about what happened. It only made their friendship stronger. Then he even promised that he wouldn’t tell anybody else. She knew he could be trusted. “Awesome.” She whispered.

McKay took one girl by the arm and guided them back up the beach. Taylor rested her head on the Australian’s shoulder. As they walked up the beach, the Australian could hear her whisper a quiet Thank you.

Part 59: Bullets and Breath

The majority of the core group sat in the main tent. John had just gotten finished telling the story of what they found out in the jungle. Tony listened carefully to every detail he mentioned. What disturbed him the most was the fact that the dead man was blindfolded. It was too similar to his own predicament. Marita was highly disturbed over the fact that the body looked like it was dead for more than twenty years. McKay rubbed his stubble on his head, not sure what to make of any of this. John rubbed his eyebrow and then asked, “Did you guys hear anything last night?”

“Hear what?” asked McKay.

“Anything that sounded like explosions or thunder?”

“No, we didn’t hear anything like that,” Tony said.

“You thought you heard explosions?” asked Marita.

“It was hard to tell,” Mia whispered, “It sounded like loud pops, almost like fireworks. But we didn’t see anything.”

“Maybe it was thunder then.” McKay said.

“Yeah, maybe,” John rubbed his chin, still not convinced.

John then pointed to Mia’s backpack. She took the suggestion and reached over, getting it. She was aware of what the archer wanted. The young woman opened her backpack and pulled the gun wrapped in a dark shirt. She handed it to John. “One more thing,” he said to his crew, “The corpse was armed.”

“Armed?” McKay said, leaning up.

“Here, Tony, “John said, placing the gun in his lap, “You’re the military man, so I know you’d know how to use it.”

Tony felt of the item in his lap. He then began to unwrap the shirt and felt of the gun before him. He held it up and immediately made sure it was on safety. Marita gasped, never even seeing a gun close up like that. Tony then pulled out the clip and disengaged the bullet inside the barrel. He set the gun to the side and began to click out each bullet, counting them as he went. “Hmm. Eleven rounds,” the blind doctor whispered, “This gun was fully loaded.”

“Yeah,” John sighed.

“Why would a dead man have a fully loaded gun?” asked McKay.

“We’ll never know cause he’s dead, “ Tony then began to reload the clip, one bullet at a time.

“This island creeps me out more and more,” Marita whispered, rubbing her forehead.

Tony then began to dissemble the gun. He took all the slides and bolts out with the skill of a mechanic. He then felt alongside the inner bolt of the gun. “This feels slightly rusted.” He commented.

“Considering how long it’s been out there, probably true,” John pointed out.

“I can probably clean it off with something and get it working again.”

“How the hell are you taking that apart anyway, mate?” McKay said, amazed by his skill.

Tony smirked, “One of the basics you learn in training is now to assemble and dissemble guns. In the advanced classes, you learn how to do it one handed or even . . blind.”

“Whoa,” Mia whispered, “Talk about irony.”

“Indeed.” Tony laughed.

“Well, watching him take that thing apart convinces me. Tony is the best man to handle the gun.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Marita protested, “Why does Tony need a gun?”

“Think about, luv,” McKay said, agreeing with John, “We’ve seen boars, polar bears and things about this island that are beyond weird. John is the only one with an offensive weapon. Now Tony has one. Plus, John is right. Obviously he knows how to work it.”

“Yes, I understand that but he’s . . .he’s . . .”

“Blind?” Tony said, turning his head toward her, “Marita, I care you for deeply. But you are gonna have to trust me. You need to trust me like John and McKay do. I already know now they will be my friends for life, you know why?”

“Why, Tony?” she sniffed.

“Even though I am blind, they don’t treat me as such. We are all on equal ground. For that, they have earned my friendship and respect. Now, please. I can use this weapon but I can’t see. Can I trust on you to be with me, when in the event I need to shoot something, you can tell me where to shoot?”

Marita sniffed. She was upset but she knew Tony wasn’t that mad at her. He just didn’t want to be treated like a cripple. “You can trust me, Tony.” She cried.

“Thank you, sweetie,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

“It’s settled then,” McKay replied, “is there anybody on this beach that might argue Tony is not the right choice to carry the gun?”

“Cecil would be my first guess,” John quickly mentioned.

“Don’t worry about that sixty year old turd. I’ll deal with him.” The Australian pointed out.

“Thank you for telling us about this, John,” Tony said, assembling the gun and wrapping it backup, “Now you and Mia should probably get some rest.”

“Yeah, I wanted to check on Shanna and the others.” Mia smiled.

Mia turned around and gently touched John’s shoulder, stepping over the luggage they were sitting on and walking out of the tent. John turned to watch her leave and when he turned back around, he found McKay grinning. The Australian was obviously getting ideas about John and Mia. He enjoyed playing with John about it, cause the archer was harassing him about female companionship not a few days ago. McKay raised his eyebrows twice in a fluid motion. John replied by sticking his tongue out at him.

After their mutual chuckle, John got up and walked deeper into the tent. He found his sleeping area and collapsed, eager to take a nap.


Mia arrived at her little encampment where her three good friends were resting. Brendon was in his familiar mediation stance. Shanna was working on her tan, wearing nothing but a light brown Henley t-shirt and her dark blue panties. Seth was reading the Time Magazine he found plus his tape player was singing the tune of David Bowie’s Modern Love. “Hey, guys,” Mia smiled.

“Hey, Mia,” Seth smiled, putting down his magazine, “Get done with your debriefing of the Colonels?”

“Very funny, Seth,” she said, sitting down her in spot.

“Is it true, Mia?” Shanna asked, “Did you and John find a dead body?”

“Fraid so. Judging by the decomposition of his body, we took a guess that he had been dead for over twenty years or more.”

“Interesting.” Brendon whispered.

“I seriously wished we knew where we are, “ Seth mentioned, “Then maybe some of this might make sense.”

“Anyway, on a brighter note, we found one more suitcase. I brought each of you presents, donated by a Mr. Arzt.”

“Presents?” laughed Shanna.

“For Seth and Brendon, two pair of new shirts.” Mia handed them out from her backpack.

“Thanks, Mia,” Seth said, taking the shirt and holding it up to his chest, “Hmm. This guy was bigger than me but hey, who gives a crap?”

“Indeed. We can still use them. Thank you, Mia,” Brendon mentioned.

“And for you, Shanna, a little bit of mobility.” The Lakota girl giggled as she handed her redheaded friend two pair of boxer shorts.

“Hey, wait a minute, why does SHE get the boxer shorts?” Seth pointed out.

“Because to you they are boxer shorts, “Shanna stood up, putting on the dark blue garment, “But for me, they are just shorts. Thanks, Mia.”

“And for everybody, it seemed this guy had an obsession about a particular treat.” Mia said, dipping both hands into her backpack.

“What treat?” asked Seth.

Mia then held up her hands, filled with small boxes of Cool Rush Trident White. “GUM!” Shanna screamed.

Each of her friends took one box, despite the fact that Mia had over twenty. Seth popped out two of the little pieces of gum and immediately started chewing them. He moaned in delight as he felt on his back. Shanna had to pop in three capsules into her mouth. Brendon gently chewed his, with a big smile on his face. “Oh, man, I am tempted to eat this stuff.” Seth moaned.

“I know what you mean, “ Shanna said, hugging Mia, “Oh, my mouth already feels clean. Thank you, Mia. You are the best.”

“Nothing is too good for my friends.” She smiled.

The group of friends enjoyed their gum tasting as they talked and laughed. Brendon mentioned it was indeed an obsession for this Mr. Arzt to have such a large stack of gum. Seth said the man was probably some kinda Casanova, and he wanted to make sure he had fresh breath when he picked up the ladies.

It brought an uproar to the little crew of friends.

Part 58: Musically Inclined

The Kendo stick struck the sheathed sword with quick force. Brendon and Seth passed each other, then twirled and struck again. Seth quickly took his stance in the sand, just like his friend had taught him. Brendon paused again, and twirled his sword, bringing it to the side of his head. The Asian man turned and twisted again. He noticed his friend attention was swaying slightly. “No, do not watch my hands,” he ordered Seth, “Watch my arms. The attack will be coming from there.”

Seth nodded his head in agreement. Brendon then thrust at him and his friend blocked it. The Asian twisted and Seth blocked it again. Brendon tried one more time and his opponent missed, it as he struck him on the collarbone. “Ow!” Seth grunted as he fell on his butt in the sand.

Shanna was down the beach, listening to Seth’s music tape. When she saw what happened, she paused to laugh. Seth playfully threw sand at her, even though it had no chance of reaching her. Brendon walked over and held out his hand to his friend. As he helped him up, he patted him on the arm. “Good job, Seth,” the Asian man smiled, “You are a fast learner. You’ve already covered the basis. In three days I suspect, you’ll know the finer arts.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” Seth bowed.

“Come.” Brendon motioned him back toward their pile of belongings,” That is enough for today. I’ll start to show you the finer points tomorrow.”

The two friends walked up to their suitcase piles. Seth took a small towel and wiped his sweat. Brendon placed back on his shirt, and then opened up a bottled water. As he drank a gulp, he then handed it to his friend. Seth drank a little and then handed it back. “You’re one hell of a teacher, man,” he said.

Brendon took the bottle and then grinned from ear to ear. Seth chuckled at the sight of his face. “What did I say, dude?” he laughed, “Not that it isn’t great to see you smiling.”

“You said I am one hell of a teacher,” the Asian smiled, “Since I don’t consider myself worthy enough to be one, the fact that you would say that . . .it means more to me than you’ll ever know. Thank you, Seth.”

“Do Itashinimashite,” the young man bowed.

“How . . .how did you know to say you’re welcome in Japanese?” Brendon asked, surprised.

“I saw Rising Sun,” he confessed, “One of Sean Connery’s better films, actually.”

Brendon playfully pushed him and laughed that his language knowledge came from movies. Seth picked up his t-shirt that he tore the sleeve off of and put it on. He smirked, as it seemed sleeveless shirts were in the IN-thing on this island. The young man then began to walk toward Shanna. She had borrowed his tape-player and he needed to listen to it, to judge the battery strength.

He smirked, seeing Shanna rocking out to The English Beat’s Mirror in the Bathroom song. She had her eyes closed and was playing air drums listening to the music. Seth then paused as he watched her. She had her hands shaped as if she was holding drumsticks and taping her knees to the music. What made him look twice was the fact of how she was holding her hands and how perfectly in tune to the rhythm it was. He knew musical talent when he saw it. “Shanna!” he exclaimed, “You can play the drums?”

The redhead paused, and quickly blushed, laughing. Seth sat down next to her, turning off the tape player. After she rubbed her cheeks, she smiled and whispered, “Yeah, I can play the drums.”

“That’s wicked.” Seth smiled, “I’ve never met a girl who-“

“Play the drums?” she finished for him, “Yeah, I get that a lot. It’s almost like women and golf. Even when you are good at it, no one takes you seriously.”

“Hell, I would. If anything, I appreciate musical talent.”

“Thank you, Seth,” she said, accepting his compliment.

“Do you have your own band?”

“Just garage stuff. We’ve played a few gigs at local Carnivals and such.”

“What the name of your band?” asked Seth.

“OH, NO,” she giggled, “I am not telling you that.”

“C’mon, c’mon, spill it!” he said, playfully trying to tickle her.

“Okay, Okay!” she said, laughing, “First off, I want you to know I didn’t make up this name.”

“Yeah, sure. C’mon, tell me.”

“Patty Come Lately.” She confessed.

Seth then burst out laughing, falling on his back. Shanna teasingly hit him the stomach. After he stopped laughing, he leaned up and took a deep breath. “That is a great name.” he admitted.

“What?” Shanna giggled, “Then why did you laugh?”

“I laughed because it was a great name. You got a bright future ahead of you, Shanna.”

“It’s funny you should mention that. I was actually getting out of the band.”

“Really? Why?” asked Seth.

“The lead singer, Rorry, she was getting too much into heavy metal. Personally, I’ve been listening to that crap for 15 years and it still sucks.”

“What kind of music do you want to play?”

“The pop stuff. The feel good music. Music that makes you want to dance, you know what I am saying?”

“I do, actually,” he grinned.

“What kind of music do you like, Seth?”

“Oh . . .I like all kinds. I am an admirer of all forms.”

“You’re a funny man, Seth,” Shanna said, tying back her long red hair, “So, now that you know something about me, tell me something about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Tell me something about Tanya. What is she like? Where did you meet her?”

“Tanya, okay,” Seth smiled, “She’s a blonde. She works at same bookstore that I do. She is . . .creative. Loves all kinds of music too. She is very patient.”

“With you as a boyfriend, she’d have to be,” Shanna giggled, “So where did you and her meet?”

“We met in the mall actually. I was looking for some CDs and so was she. When I went to go get something in the Eatery, she was there at the same place too. Then when we went to the bus stop to go to our homes, she was there as well. I don’t know why but something had her looking depressed. Her tears were starting to swell up in her eyes and I walked over to her and asked her why she was following me? She then burst out laughing.”

“Awww. You cheered her up.” Shanna smiled.

“Right. That made her start talking. I think in the end she needed someone to talk to. I sat with her on the bus back to our town and as a weird coincidence would have it, she leaved just four blocks down from my subdivision. I walked her home and she gave me her phone number. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“That’s really sweet, Seth. Honestly, I never would have pictured you as a romantic.”

“Only when I am around Tanya. I’ve dated her for over four years. I pretty sure when I get home, I will ask her to marry me.”

“Really?” the redhead giggled.

“Yeah, being trapped on this island and away from her, made me appreciate her all the more. I just hope we make it home before she believes I am dead and moves on.”

“You’ll get to her way before that, Seth.”

“I hope so.”

“Hey, Look!” Shanna pointed in the distance, “John and Mia.”

Seth turned and saw his Lakota friend plus the archer walking down the long end of the beach. They must have appeared at another end of the beach down the other way. As they were walking, Mia could see her two friends in the distance and she waved at them. Shanna and Seth got up to go and greet them. They were all curious about what they found out in the jungle.

Part 57: Coconut Rights

Tony sipped on his coconut milk, and then grunted. He rubbed his stomach, feeling the pain of the antibiotic eating away at his stomach. Marita then came over with a plastic plate of fish that she chopped up for him. “McKay just got finished with them, Tony,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thank you,” he said, gently putting the plate on his lap, “I was starting to cramp up in the stomach. I have to get food in me or this powerful antibiotic will make me feel worse.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Could you check on Kristy for me?” he asked, beginning to eat.

Marita turned and went into the back of the tent where Kristy was resting. The model was still sleeping, with her foot elevated. The Latina kneeled down and checked her foot. It was already started to decrease in it’s swelling. She gently raised up her leg and removed the shirt/bandage. She then poured salt water onto another one and began to wrap it back up. “Morning,” Kristy moaned.

“Sorry to wake you,” Marita smiled, “But I had to change the bandage.”

“Thank you, Marita,” the model sighed, “When we leave this island, Tony should make you an official nurse.”

“I am pretty sure I have to past some kind of test for that,” she giggled, “How are you feeling?”

“Much better than yesterday.” Kristy said, leaning up, “But it still hurts.”

“If Tony is right, you’ll be okay in a few days. Just keep taking the Benadryl.”

“Great. I’ll be asleep when the rescue party arrives.”

“We won’t leave without you. I promise,” Marita smiled.

Tony continued to munch on his fish. Eddie got one of the bananas and walked to the blind doctor, sitting down next to him. The older man could feel the boy next to him. He reached over and patted him on the back. Eddie responded by patting him on the leg. It was a quiet moment, something that might have been shared by a father and son. Tony felt guilty about replacing Eddie’s father but until he was able to discover the man’s true fate, he had to be there for Eddie. It was the human thing to do. The blind doctor munched on his fish, until he heard a loud noise of two people arguing. “Eddie, who is yelling?” asked Tony.

“Aunt Yolanda and Miss Natasha.” Eddie, looking to his right.

“Yolanda?” Marita said, confused, overhear them.

The Latina left the wounded model and walked up past the tent wall. She peered over to the other part of the beach. Yolanda was yelling at Natasha, pointing a finger at her. The brunette didn’t back down and was screaming right back at her. Marita knew that Yolanda didn’t like Natasha but what was worth arguing about? Why did her good friend have a mean on toward the brunette woman? The two ladies argued a little bit more, then the discussion became a fight. Yolanda slapped the spit out of Natasha, sending her spinning. The brunette was shocked at the assault, then tackled the black stewardess. Natasha grabbed her hair, and started to shove her head into the sand. Marita then immediately ran to separate them. “CATFIGHT!” Cecil screamed.

“Damn it,” Tony stood up, “Eddie, take me to them.”

The little boy grabbed his friend’s hand and started to lead him toward the fight. Yolanda tilted up, grabbing Natasha’s hair and pulling her back. They then started to rip of each other’s shirts. This of course, made Cecil cheer for joy even more. Marita grabbed Yolanda and began to pull her back. Her black friend kept fighting and screaming. Natasha made a move for her, but was soon caught by McKay. The Australian held onto the sassy brunette as she continued screaming, wanting another piece of Yolanda. “Yolanda, calm down!” Marita held her, struggling.

“I’m going to bury that bitch!” Yolanda screamed.

“I’ll kill you, hag!” Natasha screamed back.

“STOP THIS NOW!” Tony screamed at the top of his lungs.

The two women finally stopped fighting, hanging onto the people that had them. Yolanda finally stopped moving, and then shook the sand out of her hair. Natasha stopped as well, rubbing her cheek where the stewardess slapped her. McKay still stayed near her, not certain if she would attack again. Cecil flew up his hands in disgust and began to walk away. “Dang it. Best show I had seen in days.” He grunted.

“Now, Ladies,” Tony said, calmly, “You might telling us what this is about?”

“She’s a damn thief, Tony!” Yolanda pointed at her.

“What?” Natasha gasped, “What exactly did I steal?”

“She’s got your and Marita’s trivia calendar, Tony.” The black woman sighed, “I saw her reading it.”

“The . .the calendar?” Marita stammered, “Oh, no, Yolanda, I gave that to her.”

“What?” the stewardess gasped, “Since when?”

“Early this morning,” Natasha coughed, “I was getting board reading my Magazine. So I saw Marita reading it yesterday and asked her if I could take a look at it. I was fully planning on giving it back when I done.”

“Marita, is this true?” the blind doctor.

“Yeah, she asked me this morning, “Marita sighed, then looking toward Yolanda, “I am sorry, Landa. She asked me when you were asleep.”

“Oh, geez,” the black woman grunted, realizing the mistake she made.

“Okay, then it’s true then. Yolanda, apologize to Natasha for what just happened.”

“I ain’t apologizing to that bitch.” She immediately replied.

“Yes, you are. Let’s get this over with. You made the mistake, now own up to it.”

The black stewardess didn’t want to apologize. She hated Natasha for what she did to her. She gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride for the briefest of moments. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” Natasha scoffed.

“Now, Natasha, your turn.” Tony replied.

“My turn to do what?”

“Apologize.”

“What the hell do I have to apologize for?” screamed Natasha.

“Whatever it is you did to Yolanda.”

“What makes you think I did anything to her?”

“Well, as I have spoke with Yolanda off and on, I don’t think she is the type of person that judges someone based on skin color, society class, or job or whatever. I can only conclude that you did something to her instead. So I ask again, please apologize for whatever you did.”

Natasha gritted her teeth. The blind doctor was smarted than she realized. Yolanda glared at her, waiting for the apology. The brunette could only assume it was what happened on the plane, when Yolanda brought her the wrong drink. “I apologize for calling you . . .an incompetent bitch.” She sighed.

“Say it like you mean, whore!” Yolanda screamed back.

“Oh, screw you!” Natasha screamed back.

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!” Tony screamed, “From here on out, Yolanda and Natasha are not allowed to talk to each other. You ladies break that rule, you forfeit your coconut rights.”

“What?” gasped Natasha.

“Tony, c’mon, we’re not in High School.” Yolanda whispered.

“Well, if you two insist on acting like High School kids, I am going to start making High School rules! You backing me on this, McKay?”

“Yeah, sure, why not?” the Australian smiled, thinking off of this was funny.

“All right, it’s settled then. You two apologized to each other, it’s over. Go back to whatever it was you were doing.”

Tony held out his hand and Eddie immediately took it. The little boy led the blind doctor back to the camp. Yolanda lowered her head and walked away. Natasha grunted, walking back to her own little camp. Marita watched her friend leave while McKay joined her. He couldn’t stop laughing at what just happened.

Even blind, Tony was still solving problems.

Part 56: Day Ten

Mia smiled, as she awoke. She had to admit she had never slept more comfortably while on the island. The grass was a welcome change from the beach. She opened her eyes, rubbing her face. Mia wondered if she might be able to tear up some of the grass and carry it back to the beach, making a bed with it. She leaned up and twisted over to warm her hands by the fire. She blinked when she realized John was gone.

The young Lakota girl immediately stood up, seeing as she was all alone in the grassy field. There was no sign of John anywhere. She found herself not breathing. Mia gripped her arms, feeling her heard swell up with terror. Where was John? Why did he leave her alone? “John,” she whispered.

The fire flickered before her. No other sounds were in the immediate area. Mia’s eyes swelled up with tears. She never felt more scared in her life. “JOOOHHNNNN!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She heard no reply. She immediately grabbed her backpack, and started stuffing her items she found in the suitcase yesterday. Mia tried to keep her wits about her. If she ran in the next few minutes, then whatever took John might not get her. She quickly put on her backpack and started running toward the woods where they came in. “MIIIAA!” John called to her.

The young woman turned around, seeing John coming from the other side of the woods. He had on his bow and quiver, jogging towards her. Mia then broke down, crying and collapsed. The archer finally arrived at her, scooping her up in his arms. She cried profusely, holding onto him. John stroked her hair, doing his best comfort her. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “You’re all right?”

“Where were you?” she cried.

“I was in the woods, looking for us some breakfast. I found some by the way.” He smiled, handing her two bananas.

She took them, trying to stifle her crying. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb. I am so sorry, Mia. I was only gone 15 minutes.”

Mia took a deep breath, and finally managed to calm down. She wiped her tears one last time, then peeled her banana and took a bite. As she munched on it, she looked up to see John’s smiling face. “Considering everything that has happened,” Mia whispered,” When I saw you gone, I assumed the worst.”

“Considering what I found in the woods, it’s understandable.” John pointed behind him.

“What do you mean?” asked Mia.

“While I found the bananas, I found something else very strange.” John paused, then laughed, “I am using the word strange too much. What is another word for strange?”

“Weird?” asked the Lakota girl.

“How about bizarre? Yeah, that’ll work, I found something bizarre over there.”

“Shall we go see?” Mia said.

John helped her up and began to walk through the grassy clearing. The fire was still going but it was so small, it wasn’t going to spread. After a few seconds, they made their way toward the entrance of the other woods. John pushed pass the bushes. He walked a few ways while Mia followed him. He gently turned back to her and whispered, “Brace yourself.”

Mia shook her head, ready to see whatever he was going to show her. John then walked a few ways and turned, looking up. The young Lakota girl looked up and saw what he saw. He cupped her mouth with hand backing up.

In the trees was a dead man, who had obviously been hanged.

Mia looked closer at him. He was a male, with green army fatigues. He was missing one of his combat boots. His skin was a dark purple, like he had been dead for sometime. Mia squinted her eyes onto the name batch on his jacket. It read Porter. John then pointed up toward the dead man’s face. “He’s blindfolded.” He mentioned.

“Why would someone hang a blind folded man?” Mia whispered, “He knew he was about to die, why bother to not see it coming?”

“I’m gonna get him down,” John said, walking over to the other side of the tree.

Mia paused while she heard John untying the rope from the base of the tree. She looked up again at the hanging corpse. By the color of his skin, she took a guess that this man was probably dead ten, maybe twenty years. The fact that people had been on this island, not only now but in the past was amazing. Then the body dropped abruptly as the rope cave way. The rotten corpse collided with the ground, then making a metal thud. “What was that?” asked John.

Mia looked at the object that fell from the body as it hit the ground. It was an all too familiar weapon. “John, he has a gun.” She pointed.

John walked over and found the gun sitting in the dirt. He kneeled down and picked it up, examining it. “Hmm,” he muttered, “Standard 1911, .45 Calibur gun.”

John clicked off the switch and pulled up the clip to the automatic pistol. He looked it over a few times, then stared down the spine. “Wow,” he whispered, “I think it’s full.”

“Wait a second, it’s full?” Mia was growing confused, “Why would a man who was gonna commit suicide hang himself if he had a loaded gun? It would be have quicker to shoot himself.”

“Maybe if he didn’t commit suicide?” John speculated.

“If that was the case, then who hanged him? And why leave him with a loaded gun?”

“Just another mystery to add onto our pile,” John reloaded the gun and handed it to Mia, “You know how to use that?”

“Not really. And I kinda don’t want to.” The Lakota girl confessed.

“Then put it in your backpack. We’ll give it to Tony when we get back.”

“Tony?” Mia gasped, “John, I hate to remind you of this, but. . he’s blind.”

“True but he was also in the military. If there is anybody on the beach that knows about guns, it’ll be him.”

Mia placed the gun into her backpack, and placed it back on. John smiled, then motioned for her to follow him. He proceeded to walk back into the clearing, but Mia paused. That wasn’t the plan. “John, we should be going this way.” Mia pointed, “If we are to find the thin grass.”

“Sorry, Mia but we’ve run out of time.” John said, tapping his watch, “I promised McKay we’d be back by the afternoon. If we leave now, we can arrive in a decent amount of time, so he won’t be looking for us. I couldn’t keep it on my conscious if he got lost while you and I were back on the beach.”

Mia silently grunted. He had a valid point. She didn’t like it but it was a valid point. The Lakota girl began to follow him through the clearing, back the way they came toward the beach. She knew the whole key to understanding this place would be to find the Hatch. The bald man was counting on her, she knew it. Then Mia had a fleeting thought. The bald man was in her thoughts, guiding her toward the hatch and defending her from the three masked men.

Did that mean he was on the plane as well?

Part 55: Mia's Story

“Well, “Mia smiled, “I was born on an Indian Reservation. I know I am supposed to say Native American but it just doesn’t sound right. Anyhow, I have one brother, two sisters and we were all raised by my father. I only knew my mother for a few years; she left us when I was 7.”

“Any idea why?” asked John.

“Not really. Dad doesn’t like to talk about it.” The young girl continued, “So, I continued to grow up, mostly in the care of my grandmother. She taught me the ways of the Lakota tribe, and how we were back before all the Cowboy junk.”

“What did she teach you?”

“Mostly everything. She taught me about our Native American mysticism. She even taught me how to make Dream Catchers.” Mia said, proudly, “But I suppose the greatest thing she ever taught me was to be loyal to the family, no matter how bad things got.”

“That’s sweet, Mia.” John smiled.

“I loved my grandmother. I miss her still. She died when I was 13. My dad raised me from then on until . . .until he died too.”

“Geez, Mia, really?” the archer was feeling sorry for her.

“He died when . . .he was carjacked. Those . .bastards, they had a shot gun and they shot him in the face. We . . couldn’t even give him a decent burial, it had to be a close casket. My brother Erik took it real hard.”

“When did this happen?”

“Last year.” She said, wiping her tears.

“Mia, I am so sorry this all happened to you.”

“It’s okay, John. But you want to know why I came to Australia? Because of all this happening, I had lost my faith. I was so angry, so sad. I was thinking, how could God do this to me? So, since I was getting nothing on the religion I was raised on, I started to explore any other type of mysticism I could find. Buddhism, Catholicism, Judaism, Wicca Beliefs, I tried them all. Then I read a story about what the Aborigines did.”

“What did they do?” John said, getting interested in her story.

“They have in their culture what is known as Dreamtime. It’s where it is a sort of sleeping state where you can how the cosmos came to be, how the humans were created and what God intended Man to do on Earth. This Dreamtime can be found in certain places, called Guruwari, or the Seed Power, where the activity was deposited into the Earth.”

“Fascinating,” John said, “Go on.”

“The Aborigines called this potency of a place, the "Dreaming", and this Dreaming constitutes the sacredness of the earth. Only in extraordinary states of consciousness can one be aware of, or attuned to, the inner dreaming of the Earth. Since my Lakota people consider the Earth sacred as well, I thought I could feel some sort of connection back to the Mother Earth again through this Dreaming state, but. . .”

“But what?” asked the archer.

“I never got there on time. I was lost in the city and by the time I got to the place where they take you to the walkabout tours, they were already gone. The guy at the building said I was twenty minutes too late so there was no way to catch up to them.”

“Bummer. Then what did you do?”

“I was out of money at that time. I had to use the rest to come back. I bought a plane ticket home and . . . “

Mia then froze, slapping her mouth. She looked around and John could hear her mutter OH MY GOD under her breath. “Mia, what is it?” he asked.

“THAT’S WHERE I SAW HIM!” she screamed, “The man in my dreams, that is where I saw him.”

“What man?” asked John.

“The bald man! He was at the Walkabout Station. He was outside in a wheelchair, looking very pissed. He was waiting on a taxi cab. I didn’t speak with him but that’s where I remember him from!”

“This bald man is in your dreams?” John said, royally confused.

“Yeah, he’s appeared twice in my dreams.” Mia sighed, “Since he appeared twice, I was beginning to wonder if these weren’t dreams but visions. Visions were common in my people’s past.”

“Maybe you better tell me about these visions.”

Mia began the story of the dreams she had. Every little detail about the bald man, his scar, the thin grass, the hatch and the three men with bandanas over their mouths. She remembered other details, like her father’s overcoat and the smell it gave. She also mentioned about the feeling of being trapped, and inside darkness. She thought it was the hatch but now she wasn’t so sure. John leaned back, taking all this end. “What’s in the hatch?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I think the bald man might know. I remember the hatch is in a rocky outlining, near the thin grass.”

“What do you think the helicopter represents?” asked John.

“I am not sure of that either,”

“So we’re out here . . .chasing your dream?”

Mia said, playing with her hair slightly. “Does sound kinda corny, doesn’t it?”

“You tell me. Do think if we find this hatch and the grass, that this will help you regain your faith?”

“It’ll mean that my visions are real, yes, my faith will be restored. But I have to find out, John.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” He smiled.

“It means a lot that you came out here with me, John.” Mia said gladly.

“Hey, what are friends for?” he shrugged with a grin.

Then there was a sound in the distance like a loud pop, followed by an echo of a possible explosion. Mia was concerned. What could that sound have been? “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“Yeah, dang it,” John said, leaning up, “Thunder. We might want to move into the woods for protection from the rain.”

“But there is hardly any clouds up there,” Mia pointed, “If that is thunder, shouldn’t we be at least-“

Mia paused when they heard it a second time. The same thunderous pop, followed by a deep echo. John looked into the distance, for the clouds. He only saw a few but they didn’t look like they could cause rain. The archer tried to train his eyes to see if he could see anything. He heard the thunderous pop one more time, then something happened out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a fading black haze across the horizon. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked again. There was nothing. “John?” Mia pondered, “Did you see something?”

“I don’t think so,” John sighed, “Just the horizon playing tricks on my eyes.”

“What did it look like?”

“A small explosion. Almost like a firework but it’s got to be thunder. I mean, who would be launching fireworks on this island?”

The two got a laugh at the little hallucination John saw. They both then began to pack up their belongings and find a place in the woods before the storm hit. Mia looked around, waiting to hear to more thunder but she heard nothing.

What other mysteries were on this island?

Part 54: The Ties that Bind Part 2

John paused for a second, looking around. He checked the branches and then checked the ground. He was certain they came through here before. The canopy let only a small amount of sunlight through the giants leaves above. It all looked strangely familiar but possibly not. “I think we’re still okay,” John whispered, “I think.”

“We should have marked these trees like McKay did.” Mia replied.

“No. I think we’re still in the right direction.” John pointed up ahead, “That dead polar bear should be over here.”

John led the way again. Mia straightened up her backpack and continued to follow him. She smiled, placing her hand over her mouth. She was trying to behave but it wasn’t easy. She had been following John all morning and of course, staring at his butt. Mia suppressed her desire to pinch it. She wondered how he would react if she did that? She concluded she wasn’t quite yet brave enough. “Mia?” John asked.

“Huh?” she said, straightening up.

“You want to tell me why we are out here?” John said, moving forward.

“I wanted to explore the upper ridge. That’s all.”

“It seems like it’s more than that.” The archer said, looking at her briefly, and then looking forward again, “I can hear it in your tone of voice. It sounds like you are looking for something?”

“Yeah, kinda,” she confessed, “I am looking for a place in the valley where the grass grows thinner.”

“Why?” asked the archer.

“I think there is something important in that part of valley. I really can’t explain it.”

“Try.” John ordered.

“I don’t know, John. I am pretty sure you won’t believe me. Hell, I barely believe it.”

“You’d be surprised at what I believe.” John said, not stopping, “You want to know what I find unusual about this whole crash business?”

“Sure, “she said, glad he was doing the talking.

“I am amazed that we even survived. I mean, how could we? We were so many feet above the clouds, I would assume. Then the tail section rips off and we plummet into the ocean. I don’t remember it happening, mind you. I blacked out on the way down. How about you? Do you remember falling into the ocean?”

“No, I blacked out too.” Mia told him.

“My point, exactly. I mean, what are the odds that we could have survived? But yet, here we all are. Plus, I noticed that the people who are with us on the beach?”

“Yeah?” the young Lakota woman listened. This was getting interesting.

“I noticed that most of us seem broken in some way. We’ve had a part of lives that have hurt us and yet, by coming together, we have been healed in some way. Like me, for example. I had, what I thought, was my best friend Ramon Vega but he wasn’t even my friend. I have him the gold medal when I purposely lost the tournament and he only kept me around cause I was the only one stupid enough to do so. Then when I reach this island, Ramon dies and he is replaced with Tony. A blind doctor who doesn’t judge me or ask things of me. Our friendship is on equal grounds and I realized I have sought that my whole life.”

“Wow, John, “Mia whispered, “That’s profound.”

“Tell me about it. So it got me thinking; is this all coincidences? Or is it happening now, just because we are on this island?”

“It’s funny you should mention that. It’s kinda been what my dreams were about.”

“Dreams? What Dreams-HOLY CRAP!” John screamed.

Mia stopped abruptly at John’s outburst. The archer was frozen but not moving, nor drawing his bow as if they were attacked. He slowly advanced forward as they came to a small clearing as they did before. There was the familiar cracked tree, and the ground covered in blood.

But no polar bear.

“This is impossible,” John muttered under his hand as it covered his mouth, “He was dead. I know he was dead.”

“Maybe he wasn’t?” Mia shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe he was just sleeping?”

“I ripped the arrow out of his rip cage, Mia!” the archer exhaled, “If he was asleep, he’s a pretty sound sleeper.”

“Then maybe . .the Polliwog took him?”

“The Polliwog,” John sighed, standing up, “There is another thing right there. We are stuck on an island with an invisible monster. And yet, as long as we stay on the beach, it doesn’t show it’s face. Where the hell did we crash, Mia?”

Mia said nothing. She didn’t have any better answer than what John could have thought of. The archer just shrugged his arms, and then motioned for Mia to follow him. They continued to walk, trekking through the dense foliage of the jungle.


After a few hours, they finally arrived at the clearing where they found the luggage yesterday. John blew up his lip, knocking the sweat off that he was getting below his nose. Mia breathed deeply, feeling very tired. John looked around, seeing if there was anything around. The clearing was clear just like it was yesterday. “We’ll camp here for tonight,” he pointed, “We’ll stay in the middle.”

“Why the middle?” she asked.

“So if anything decides to rush us, I’ll have enough distance to take them out with a clear shot.”

“Good thinking,” she sighed.



Mia gently piled up the twigs and debris into a fire pit. She tug a small hole in the ground, and pulled out the match book she had in her jean jacket. Igniting a match, she gently placed the fire into the debris, lighting it up immediately. Mia slowly piled on more debris, creating their campfire. She looked at the matchbook that she retrieved from the Sydney Marriot. What made her concerned about the little item was the fact that she doesn’t smoke. Was it instinct that made her take the matchbook or was it something else, like what John was suggesting?

John finally came back to her, with firewood in one hand and another suitcase. Her eyes lit up at the finding of a new item. “Was that in the woods?” she asked.

“Seems that way,” the archer said, putting the firewood down and placing the suitcase near Mia, “I’m beginning to wonder if this whole island isn’t filled with loose suitcases.”

Mia opened it up immediately. It turned out it was a man’s suitcase. It had the usual stuff; clothes, socks, underwear and one pair of dress shoes. Inside the lining, she found some amenities. She smiled, taking out the deodorant, and handing it to the archer. “Oh, thank, God,” John laughing, grabbing it from her and immediately using it.

Mia continuing looking, then noticed a bulge in the lower lining. She felt of it, seeing it was a false side pocket. She opened it up and gasped, finding a stack of one hundred dollar bills. “Whoa, “John smirked, “Reserved funds.”

Mia quickly counted it, “There is over one thousand dollars here.”

“Good job, Mia. You won the lottery.” John laughed.

“Oh, John. I can’t take this money.”

“Why not? More than likely the owner of that suitcase is dead. Right of salvage, finder’s keepers, whatever you want to call it.”

Mia felt around and saw the luggage tag. It looked like it had been ripped halfway off, probably in the fall. “I can’t make out the first name, “she whispered, looking at it closely, “Half of it is gone. It looks like the last name is . . .Arzt?”

“Arts?” countered John.

“No, Arzt.”

“I don’t understand what you are saying.” John shook his head.

“Arzt, with a Z. A-R-Z-T. Arzt.” Mia giggled.

“Damn. Poor bastard has a strange name.” John said, leaning back.

“Well, I’ll donate his money somewhere. That way I won’t feel bad about taking the money.”

“Whatever floats your boat, Mia.” John laughed.

John then leaned over, looking at her. Mia gently placed the money in her jean jacket pocket, then noticed the archer was staring at her. They both shared a comfortable silence for a minute. John scratched his nose and said, “Well, are you gonna start talking or what?”

“About what?” she confessed.

“You said, you’d tell me about why you came to Australia, remember.? Plus I’d like to hear about these dreams you are having.”

“Okay,” she smiled, “I am not much of a story teller like my grandma was but I’ll give it my best shot.”

Part 53: The Ties that Bind Part 1

Mandy sat by herself near the water. The waves gently brushed up against her bare feet, then left as quickly as it arrived. She felt ashamed. She wanted to be alone but she was also smart enough to know, there was no way she could really be alone. She learned forward, hugging her legs, and resting her head on her knees. Closing her eyes, she wished she was far away from this island. Back in California, with Taylor and her other college friends. Mandy knew that wasn’t going to happen yet.

Then she paused in her thinking as she heard the shifting of the sand behind her. Mandy smiled as she knew it could only be one person who would check on her. “Are you all right?” Taylor asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Mandy whispered.

Taylor walked over and sat next to her best friend. They huddled together against the wind created by the ocean waves. Taylor waited to hear what her friend was going to say, if anything. Mandy looked out into the ocean, marveling at how far she was able to see and what she couldn’t see. Taylor finally broke the silence, “Mandy, why didn’t you push him away or cry out for help?”

The blonde sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. “It. . . .it excited me.” She confessed.

“Oh, God, Mandy,” Taylor sighed, “I know you have your fantasties but this . .”

“I know, I know, “ she said, wiping her tears, “It took me a while to calm down. I thought . . .I never thought that Cecil would be just another dirty old man. I thought . . .he was coming onto me . . .for what I did.”

“No, Mandy,” Taylor said, placing her arm around her friend, “That was a long time ago. There is no way in hell he would know. You were young and naïve. You’re smarter now and I know you’ll never make that same mistake again.”

“Of course I won’t.” she cried, leaning into her friend, “ But why . ..why must I always be punished for that one thing?”

“Stop this. You are not being punished. It was a one time deal, nothing more.”

Mandy sniffed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “You’ll never tell anyone, will you, Taylor?”

“I promised you, didn’t I?”

“Not even McKay?”

Taylor paused for a second and gently rubbed her friend’s hair. “No, I won’t tell, McKay but I think you should.”

Mandy gasped, “Why?”

“Because he is a good man and there should be no secrets between us.”

“NO!” Mandy covered her face in her hands, “I can’t tell him! He’ll think I am a whore!”

“Oh, c’mon. I don’t think McKay would think that,” Taylor smiled, “Mandy? After all I went through with my last relationship, do you think I was hook again with another scumbag?”

Mandy stopped crying and then laughed through her tears. She knew her friend all too well. She wouldn’t even be talking to McKay if she didn’t think he held the ideals she wanted in a man. The blonde sniffed again, then leaned back into her friend’s arms. Taylor started rocking side to side, holding her friend and humming a tune as the waves continued to crash against the beach.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------,

Inside the main tent, Eddie was playing with his Kangaroo pal. Tony was sipping on water, trying to stay hydrated. His stomach felt a little queasy due to the strong antibiotic he was taking but the coconut milk he drank earlier should even it out. Marita was reading through another item they found in the Nerd Box, as everybody was calling it. It was a trivia desk calendar, the one with tear off pages. Marita and Tony were using it to pass the time away. After she got done, she would rip off the page and toss it into the fire. “What bird has the greatest number of feathers?” she asked.

“Hmm,” Tony rubbed his chin, “A peacock?”

“Yeah, a peacock!” Eddie laughed.

“Actually, it says it’s the Whistling Swan, with more than 25,000 in winter.”

“That’s interesting,” Tony smiled, “I never even knew there was more than one type of swan.”

“Okay, try this;” Marita laughed, “Which of the main characters on the TV sitcom Seinfield was not in the original script for the show but was added at the behest of the network executives?”

“I would have to say . . .the Julia Dreyfus character, Elaine.”

Marita ripped off the page and looked at the answer. “Hey, good job, Tony! Did you know or where you guessing?”

“Just guessing. What is the next question?”

“How do diamonds, which are deep inside the earth, get up to the surface?” Marita asked.

“I would assume that would be volcanos.” Tony smirked.

“It says volcano eruptions,” the Latina giggled.

“It practically gave it away when it said deep inside the Earth’s core.”

“Tony?” Eddie came up to him.

“Yeah, buddy?” he said, turning toward the sound of his voice.

“Is it okay if I go play by the water?” he asked.

“Sure but do you remember what I said about the ocean water?”

“Don’t drink it.” Eddie said proudly.

“And what happens if a boar shows up?” Tony grinned.

“Run toward you and don’t stop screaming.”

“Good boy, “ Tony said, patting him on the arm, “Go have fun.”

Eddie laughed in joy as he and Mr. Kangaroo ran off to have fun near the water. Marita leaned up, bracing her head on her hand. She watched the little boy run through the sand toward the ocean. She leaned over, gently rubbing Tony’s knee. “You’ll make a good father some day, Tony.” She whispered.

Tony took her hand and held it, “I only hope I am not completely blind by that time.”

“You’ll be okay. We’ll get off this island and you’ll have the surgery you need.”

“God, I hope so.” Tony sighed, “You gonna come live with me?”

Marita blushed, “Are you seriously asking me to come live with you?”

“You didn’t think I was serious last time?” the blind doctor laughed.

“Tony, you were near dying. I thought you were just delierious or something.”

“Oh, I was. But I was still serious.”

She then got up and sat next to him. She interlocked her arm with his, and rested her head on his shoulder. “I would love to come live with you, Tony.” She confessed.

“We’ve come a long way in a short time, you and me.” He whispered.

“You had mentioned the other day, that John needed a friend and here you are,” she said, rubbing his hand, “I think . ..I needed you too.”

“I guess I needed you as well,” he said, kissing her head.

“Tony, tell me something,” she giggled.

“Tell you what?” He chuckled, wondering about such an opened ended question.

“Anything. Just . .something I don’t know about you.”

“Okay, let me think,” He said, holding his chin, “Okay, I know. You know how in the military, sooner or later, everybody gets a nickname?”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “Did you have one?”

“Yeah. The boys called me Key Man.” He said proudly.

“Key Man?” she giggled, “Where you the designated driver all the time or something?”

“Not something as trusting,” he laughed, “No, think of that nickname and my last name, and you’ll understand.”

“Your last . .” Marita then laughed, hitting his arm, “KEY LARGO! I get it now.”

Tony laughed, glad it made her smile. “Now it’s my turn, “ he said, coyly,” Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

“Okay,” she said, lowering her head, “I don’t know what it is about it but Stetson drives me wild.”

“Stetson?” Tony smiled, “The cologne?”

“OH, yeah. My last boyfriend, I met him in a bar and when he asked me to dance, holding me close. I smelled the Stetson and just melted. I immediately asked for his phone number after we were done dancing.”

“Hmmm,” The blind doctor grinned, “Stetson . .I’ll have to remember that.”

She playfully slapped him in the chest, “Hey, Tony. Behave. I was just telling you this. You better not have a Stetson bottle somewhere.”

“Darling, nothing up my sleeves, I swear.” He said, holding out his wrists.