another island right over there. Can’t be ten miles away.”
Abby looked toward where h e was pointing. “What’s there?” she asked Robert.
“ I imagine there are a few folks over there, just like most of these places.”
“How do we get there?”
“I suppose you would have to build a boat, or swim, though I would not recommend either. There are some nasty currents around here.”
Abby spoke, “So you don’t know why we’re basically invisible to boats, why there’s a maniac tossing sacks over our heads, why we might be here in the first place, what’s on the only other piece of land in sight from here, or how we might get there. Is there anything that you do know?”
Robert did not skip a beat. “I know how to survive here. I know that. I have been doing it quite nicely for some time now. This is my home, and you seem like decent people, so I would like to help. But that is about all I can offer you: survival.”
Abby thought about that. “Don’t you worry about those people finding you?”
“Not too much. They have not been here all that long, and I know this place better than anyone. Besides, I rarely leave my little enclave, and there are only two ways to get up here. You either have to come in the way we did last night, or you have to scale a bare, twenty-yard cliff face that circles us about a quarter miles out in each direction.” He winked at her, “No one is coming up here to surprise me.”
They spent the afternoon with Robert. He showed them how to find some fruits and other things to eat. They also learned that locating water is easy on this side of the island, given the plentiful streams that flow down the mountainside. He gave Abby a water purification bag. It looked like it was just a clear plastic bag, but he explained it was a made of a special material. You fill the bag with water, even salt water, and let it sit in the sun. The material in the bag interacts with the water to purify it, removing toxins, or anything else they should not be drinking.
That evening , they enjoyed a big dinner. Robert grew potatoes, carrots, beans of all kinds, and salad greens. They indulged in it all to their hearts’ content. They also enjoyed some fresh rabbit that Robert taught Abby how to trap. She proclaimed it the “second best rabbit I’ve ever had.” Nothing could beat their first real meal in at least three days.
After dinner , they built a fire and sat in silence, enjoying the warm flickering firelight and the view of the setting sun over the island out in the distance. Abby and Eric had been watching the island on and off all day, hoping to see some signs of life. They had hoped to see some boats in the water, or anything else that might indicate it was a destination worth trying to reach. So far, they had not seen anything.
They sat for hours, enjoying their full stomachs, and the beauty of this place. They were also enjoying a very tasty wine that Robert said he made from wild blackberries growing all over the mountainside. It would never be served in a fine restaurant, but it was very fine for this occasion and their situation. It was fruity and very strong. Abby did not know much about wine, but she liked the warm feeling that the each sip of the deep purple drink gave her. Robert turned in not long after it was completely dark, leaving Abby and Eric on their own.
Eric was looking up . “I don’t remember the last time I saw stars like this.”
Abby admired the sky , as well. “I remember seeing them like this when I was a little girl. Our family used to camp up north. There were no big cities around for a hundred miles. It was beautiful.” She looked at him. He was a handsome man. He had a few days worth of beard growing in. She decided she liked the rugged look.
“Check that out,” he said, almost jumping to his feet. He pointed toward the island out at sea.
Standing, Abby looked into the
Abby looked toward where h e was pointing. “What’s there?” she asked Robert.
“ I imagine there are a few folks over there, just like most of these places.”
“How do we get there?”
“I suppose you would have to build a boat, or swim, though I would not recommend either. There are some nasty currents around here.”
Abby spoke, “So you don’t know why we’re basically invisible to boats, why there’s a maniac tossing sacks over our heads, why we might be here in the first place, what’s on the only other piece of land in sight from here, or how we might get there. Is there anything that you do know?”
Robert did not skip a beat. “I know how to survive here. I know that. I have been doing it quite nicely for some time now. This is my home, and you seem like decent people, so I would like to help. But that is about all I can offer you: survival.”
Abby thought about that. “Don’t you worry about those people finding you?”
“Not too much. They have not been here all that long, and I know this place better than anyone. Besides, I rarely leave my little enclave, and there are only two ways to get up here. You either have to come in the way we did last night, or you have to scale a bare, twenty-yard cliff face that circles us about a quarter miles out in each direction.” He winked at her, “No one is coming up here to surprise me.”
They spent the afternoon with Robert. He showed them how to find some fruits and other things to eat. They also learned that locating water is easy on this side of the island, given the plentiful streams that flow down the mountainside. He gave Abby a water purification bag. It looked like it was just a clear plastic bag, but he explained it was a made of a special material. You fill the bag with water, even salt water, and let it sit in the sun. The material in the bag interacts with the water to purify it, removing toxins, or anything else they should not be drinking.
That evening , they enjoyed a big dinner. Robert grew potatoes, carrots, beans of all kinds, and salad greens. They indulged in it all to their hearts’ content. They also enjoyed some fresh rabbit that Robert taught Abby how to trap. She proclaimed it the “second best rabbit I’ve ever had.” Nothing could beat their first real meal in at least three days.
After dinner , they built a fire and sat in silence, enjoying the warm flickering firelight and the view of the setting sun over the island out in the distance. Abby and Eric had been watching the island on and off all day, hoping to see some signs of life. They had hoped to see some boats in the water, or anything else that might indicate it was a destination worth trying to reach. So far, they had not seen anything.
They sat for hours, enjoying their full stomachs, and the beauty of this place. They were also enjoying a very tasty wine that Robert said he made from wild blackberries growing all over the mountainside. It would never be served in a fine restaurant, but it was very fine for this occasion and their situation. It was fruity and very strong. Abby did not know much about wine, but she liked the warm feeling that the each sip of the deep purple drink gave her. Robert turned in not long after it was completely dark, leaving Abby and Eric on their own.
Eric was looking up . “I don’t remember the last time I saw stars like this.”
Abby admired the sky , as well. “I remember seeing them like this when I was a little girl. Our family used to camp up north. There were no big cities around for a hundred miles. It was beautiful.” She looked at him. He was a handsome man. He had a few days worth of beard growing in. She decided she liked the rugged look.
“Check that out,” he said, almost jumping to his feet. He pointed toward the island out at sea.
Standing, Abby looked into the
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