Part 48: The Midnight Discussion
The entire group was gathered at Tony and John’s camp. The moon was in it’s full zenith and a few chirping bugs echoed from the jungle. The waves made their peaceful noise as the group continued their discussion. Seth had told them what they saw and showed them the Time Magazine they found. Cecil looked it over and then tossed it aside. “That doesn’t mean anything.” He grunted.
“Okay, Cecil, how did a sixteen year old magazine get on this island?” Seth demanded.
“Maybe it washed up here from the ocean. You ever think of that?”
“Okay. That’s possible but it would still have had to come from somewhere. Where do think?”
“How about an ocean liner? Some stuck up millionaire is reading about the fall of the Berlin wall and in disgust, throws it over the side. Magazine washes up here.”
“A stuck up Millionaire?” John smirked, “Tell me, Cecil; would this have involved a skipper, a first mate, a professor-“
“Laugh it up, Jackass!” Cecil pointed to him.
“That’s enough,” Tony said, stopping the argument, “This is getting us nowhere. We should focus on what we do know. And that is the fact that a young girl is living on this island. How did she get here?”
“Maybe she was on an exploration vessel, like in King Kong?” asked Seth.
“That’s a good theory but it doesn’t change the fact that you said she looked around 18 to 19. What would she be doing on such a craft?” asked the Blind doctor.
“Then maybe she was left here as a kid, like in Blue Lagoon?”
Shanna giggled, “Do you always compare everything to a movie?”
“Why not? It’s the perfect point of reference.” He defended himself.
“What I want to know is, why didn’t you jackanapes go and talk to her?” asked Cecil.
“Because we didn’t know enough about the situation,” Brendon pointed out, “She might have been alone. She might have been with other people. We didn’t know how long she had been here, nor whether she could be trusted. Besides, our first duty was to bring water to the camp.”
“All perfect reasons, Brendon and in the end, you did the right thing, “ Tony pointed, “We don’t know enough on how to react to what is happening. What we need to do is come up with a plan to find this girl and ask her why she is here.”
“How do we do that, Tony?” asked McKay.
“There are two possible reasons she was at the waterfall: she was passing by and needed a bath. Or she was using it for a bath because she lived closed by.”
“If she lived closed by, we could probably find her.” Mandy piped in.
“Exactly. We find her and we get some answers.”
“What else did you see about her, guys?” Martin asked.
“She had one hell of a body.” Seth mentioned.
Mia hit him on the arm. “Ow!” the young man grunted, “What the hell? He asked, didn’t he?”
“She was singing.” Brendon mentioned.
“What was she singing?” asked Bernard.
“We don’t know. The song was in French. I recognized one or two words cause Tanya speaks French,” Seth mentioned.
“You remember which ones?” asked McKay.
“Not really. I done forgot.” Seth motioned by tapping his head.
“Hmm. Then this girl might actually be French herself.” The Australian said, rubbing his chin.
“Why would you think that?” asked Taylor.
“Think about it, luv. What are the odds that someone would sing a French song if they weren’t French?”
“He’s got a point.” Tony mentioned.
“All this speculation is giving me a headache.” Cecil moaned, “I am going to bed.”
“For once this old fart is right, “John said, “Its late and we should get some sleep. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”
The group began to disburse and find their designated spots to sleep. Marita led Tony back to the inner tent where Eddie was already fast asleep. She gently helped him find his spot and then she kneeled down with him. John took up his space next to the fire, along with McKay, Taylor and Mandy. The others began to walk toward their own encampment. John stabbed the fire a little to make it burn. Casusally he looked over to see Mia walking with Shanna, Seth and Brendon back to their little camp. Mia must have known he was looking at her; she turned her head and looked back to him. She gave him a warm smile and a wave. The archer politely waved back. He must admit, there was something special about Mia. Being around her made him feel comfortable with himself, like Tony, he didn’t expect her to judge him.
As the other four friends walked back to the came, Mia hit Seth on the arm again. “hey, I got something for you,” she laughed.
“Like what?” he said, massaging his arm.
Mia walked over to the pile of luggage they found. She quickly pulled up the red duffle bag and showed Seth. The young man went wild-eyed at the sight of his property. “Where the hell did you find that?”
“In a large clearing up on the ridge leading to the mountain. You’re welcome by the way.” Mia giggled.
“Thank you, Mia.” He hugged her and took the bag.
As they sat down, Seth quickly opened the bag and checked for his stuff. He quickly then took off his shoes and his socks. He grabbed the rolled up pair in the bag and put them on. Relaxing back, he held up his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, which produced a round of laughs from his friends. “I never knew fresh socks was that pleasurable.” Brendon chuckled.
“Don’t knock it till you try it.” Seth laughed, putting his shoes on.
Seth then pulled out his journal and removed the rubber band. “I saw that,” Mia pointed, “That is how I knew the bag was yours. I didn’t read your journal.”
“I know that,” he smiled, “Thank you again. Check it out, Brendon. This is Tanya.”
The young Asian man took the photo and looked at the picture of the girl Seth spoke of often. They were obviously at some sort of bar with people in the background. “Very Pretty,” he smiled, handing the photo to Shanna.
The red head took the photo and leaned back on her sleeping bag. “Wow, very nice, Seth,” she giggled, “What the hell does this girl see in you?”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Seth smiled, “Who wants tunes?”
Seth pressed play on his tape recorder. Soon Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe started to play. Shanna practically leaped for joy at the sound of the music. She got on her knees and started to sway to the rhythm. Mia couldn’t help but laugh. Brendon just smiled the display of dancing ability. Then he looked over to the other pile of luggage they had brought back. He then recognized a certain case with a combination lock. Swiftly he got up and walked over to it. “Brendon?” Mia asked, wondering what he was doing.
He grabbed the case and walked it back. “Good job, Mia. Not only did you retrieve Seth’s bag but you retrieved my suitcase as well.”
“Hey, that rocks,” Seth laughed.
“Why do you have a combination lock on your suitcase?” Mia wondered.
“So no one could steal it’s precious contents, “Brendon then started to unlock it, whispering the combination code, “Eight-One-Five.”
He gently popped the lock and unhooked it. Opening the case, he breathed a sigh of relief at the contents. He reached in and pulled out a Japanese sword. “Whoa.” Shanna paused.
“I told you!” Seth laughed, “I told you he was a Ronin!”
“I am thankful it was not damaged in the fall,” Brendon said, examining the blade.
“Why do you have such a weapon?”
“It’s been in my family for several generations.”
“Dude, I thought you said you have no more family?” Seth asked.
“I don’t. This is all I have left of them.”
“I’m sorry, Brendon.” Shanna whispered.
“It’s all right, Shanna. I have been coming to grips with it over the years. It’s still something hard to accept. That’s why I was heading back home. My uncle passed away. His lawyer contacted me and said he left me his antique shop.”
“I’m sorry, man,” Seth said, patting him on the shoulder.
“I thank you all for your kindness, but I am fine. Really.” Brendon shifted over in his makeshift bed, “Good night.”
The other friends turned around and got into their sleeping positions. Shanna tucked into her sleeping bag. Mia curled up in the blanket she discovered earlier today. Brendon gently laid down, holding onto his sword in his left hand. Seth took one last look at the photo of him and Tanya, then tucked it back into his journal. He then placed the tape recorder to his ear and rewound it back a little bit. Then he pressed play and turned up the volume for everybody to hear.
Soon they were being sung to sleep by Kenny Wayne Shepard’s Blue On Black.
“Okay, Cecil, how did a sixteen year old magazine get on this island?” Seth demanded.
“Maybe it washed up here from the ocean. You ever think of that?”
“Okay. That’s possible but it would still have had to come from somewhere. Where do think?”
“How about an ocean liner? Some stuck up millionaire is reading about the fall of the Berlin wall and in disgust, throws it over the side. Magazine washes up here.”
“A stuck up Millionaire?” John smirked, “Tell me, Cecil; would this have involved a skipper, a first mate, a professor-“
“Laugh it up, Jackass!” Cecil pointed to him.
“That’s enough,” Tony said, stopping the argument, “This is getting us nowhere. We should focus on what we do know. And that is the fact that a young girl is living on this island. How did she get here?”
“Maybe she was on an exploration vessel, like in King Kong?” asked Seth.
“That’s a good theory but it doesn’t change the fact that you said she looked around 18 to 19. What would she be doing on such a craft?” asked the Blind doctor.
“Then maybe she was left here as a kid, like in Blue Lagoon?”
Shanna giggled, “Do you always compare everything to a movie?”
“Why not? It’s the perfect point of reference.” He defended himself.
“What I want to know is, why didn’t you jackanapes go and talk to her?” asked Cecil.
“Because we didn’t know enough about the situation,” Brendon pointed out, “She might have been alone. She might have been with other people. We didn’t know how long she had been here, nor whether she could be trusted. Besides, our first duty was to bring water to the camp.”
“All perfect reasons, Brendon and in the end, you did the right thing, “ Tony pointed, “We don’t know enough on how to react to what is happening. What we need to do is come up with a plan to find this girl and ask her why she is here.”
“How do we do that, Tony?” asked McKay.
“There are two possible reasons she was at the waterfall: she was passing by and needed a bath. Or she was using it for a bath because she lived closed by.”
“If she lived closed by, we could probably find her.” Mandy piped in.
“Exactly. We find her and we get some answers.”
“What else did you see about her, guys?” Martin asked.
“She had one hell of a body.” Seth mentioned.
Mia hit him on the arm. “Ow!” the young man grunted, “What the hell? He asked, didn’t he?”
“She was singing.” Brendon mentioned.
“What was she singing?” asked Bernard.
“We don’t know. The song was in French. I recognized one or two words cause Tanya speaks French,” Seth mentioned.
“You remember which ones?” asked McKay.
“Not really. I done forgot.” Seth motioned by tapping his head.
“Hmm. Then this girl might actually be French herself.” The Australian said, rubbing his chin.
“Why would you think that?” asked Taylor.
“Think about it, luv. What are the odds that someone would sing a French song if they weren’t French?”
“He’s got a point.” Tony mentioned.
“All this speculation is giving me a headache.” Cecil moaned, “I am going to bed.”
“For once this old fart is right, “John said, “Its late and we should get some sleep. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”
The group began to disburse and find their designated spots to sleep. Marita led Tony back to the inner tent where Eddie was already fast asleep. She gently helped him find his spot and then she kneeled down with him. John took up his space next to the fire, along with McKay, Taylor and Mandy. The others began to walk toward their own encampment. John stabbed the fire a little to make it burn. Casusally he looked over to see Mia walking with Shanna, Seth and Brendon back to their little camp. Mia must have known he was looking at her; she turned her head and looked back to him. She gave him a warm smile and a wave. The archer politely waved back. He must admit, there was something special about Mia. Being around her made him feel comfortable with himself, like Tony, he didn’t expect her to judge him.
As the other four friends walked back to the came, Mia hit Seth on the arm again. “hey, I got something for you,” she laughed.
“Like what?” he said, massaging his arm.
Mia walked over to the pile of luggage they found. She quickly pulled up the red duffle bag and showed Seth. The young man went wild-eyed at the sight of his property. “Where the hell did you find that?”
“In a large clearing up on the ridge leading to the mountain. You’re welcome by the way.” Mia giggled.
“Thank you, Mia.” He hugged her and took the bag.
As they sat down, Seth quickly opened the bag and checked for his stuff. He quickly then took off his shoes and his socks. He grabbed the rolled up pair in the bag and put them on. Relaxing back, he held up his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, which produced a round of laughs from his friends. “I never knew fresh socks was that pleasurable.” Brendon chuckled.
“Don’t knock it till you try it.” Seth laughed, putting his shoes on.
Seth then pulled out his journal and removed the rubber band. “I saw that,” Mia pointed, “That is how I knew the bag was yours. I didn’t read your journal.”
“I know that,” he smiled, “Thank you again. Check it out, Brendon. This is Tanya.”
The young Asian man took the photo and looked at the picture of the girl Seth spoke of often. They were obviously at some sort of bar with people in the background. “Very Pretty,” he smiled, handing the photo to Shanna.
The red head took the photo and leaned back on her sleeping bag. “Wow, very nice, Seth,” she giggled, “What the hell does this girl see in you?”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Seth smiled, “Who wants tunes?”
Seth pressed play on his tape recorder. Soon Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe started to play. Shanna practically leaped for joy at the sound of the music. She got on her knees and started to sway to the rhythm. Mia couldn’t help but laugh. Brendon just smiled the display of dancing ability. Then he looked over to the other pile of luggage they had brought back. He then recognized a certain case with a combination lock. Swiftly he got up and walked over to it. “Brendon?” Mia asked, wondering what he was doing.
He grabbed the case and walked it back. “Good job, Mia. Not only did you retrieve Seth’s bag but you retrieved my suitcase as well.”
“Hey, that rocks,” Seth laughed.
“Why do you have a combination lock on your suitcase?” Mia wondered.
“So no one could steal it’s precious contents, “Brendon then started to unlock it, whispering the combination code, “Eight-One-Five.”
He gently popped the lock and unhooked it. Opening the case, he breathed a sigh of relief at the contents. He reached in and pulled out a Japanese sword. “Whoa.” Shanna paused.
“I told you!” Seth laughed, “I told you he was a Ronin!”
“I am thankful it was not damaged in the fall,” Brendon said, examining the blade.
“Why do you have such a weapon?”
“It’s been in my family for several generations.”
“Dude, I thought you said you have no more family?” Seth asked.
“I don’t. This is all I have left of them.”
“I’m sorry, Brendon.” Shanna whispered.
“It’s all right, Shanna. I have been coming to grips with it over the years. It’s still something hard to accept. That’s why I was heading back home. My uncle passed away. His lawyer contacted me and said he left me his antique shop.”
“I’m sorry, man,” Seth said, patting him on the shoulder.
“I thank you all for your kindness, but I am fine. Really.” Brendon shifted over in his makeshift bed, “Good night.”
The other friends turned around and got into their sleeping positions. Shanna tucked into her sleeping bag. Mia curled up in the blanket she discovered earlier today. Brendon gently laid down, holding onto his sword in his left hand. Seth took one last look at the photo of him and Tanya, then tucked it back into his journal. He then placed the tape recorder to his ear and rewound it back a little bit. Then he pressed play and turned up the volume for everybody to hear.
Soon they were being sung to sleep by Kenny Wayne Shepard’s Blue On Black.
posted by Jason | 7:19 AM
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