“Sap,” he said weakly, “Sap and strong leaves…might soothe.”
I nodded and left him there, hating to leave him alone, but knowing that it was the only way to get him help. I stepped out into the sunshine again and surveyed my surroundings. Although I was on a deserted island, I had the distinct unsettling feeling that I wasn’t alone, and I didn’t mean Vincent. It felt as though there was a presence on t
his island, something deep and primal, something that had lasted millennia. I told myself that I was just thirsty and was suffering from shock and pushed the thought out of my mind, but as I stepped out of the cave, I thought I spotted something moving out of the corner of my eye in the sky. I glanced up, twisting my head so sharply that it hurt, and was disappointed that I saw nothing. I shook my head and told myself that I can’t hallucinate.
I walked up to where grass poked through the sandy surface and pushed through trees. I made sure to look at the ground and the branches in case there were any snakes. The last thing I wanted was to be bitten by something venomous. It would be an anticlimactic end after everything I had endured just to get here. But I was here, I was actually standing on Dragon Island and although I hadn’t gotten here the way I would have liked, it still filled me with awe to think that I was actually here. I had redeemed my parents and found the place they had been searching for. Now, I just had to figure out a way to get back to the real world.
I pushed aside heavy green leaves and entered the jungle. The air was humid, but the light was softer on my eyes as the sun was shaded by the thick trees. The area was filled with vibrant colors and vivid aromas. There were flowers that bloomed and stared at me, all colors of the rainbow, set against the emerald green of the leaves and vines, and the coarse brown of the tree trunks. I heard some rustling and darted my head down, ready to strike against a viper, only to see a small rodent. It looked at me inquisitively, twitched its nose, and then scurried away. I relaxed a little, hoping that everything else I encountered on this island would be as harmless.
Taking a moment to compose myself, I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the world. Dad always used to say that life was everywhere and that nature had a mind of its own. And that if it needed to, it would always find a way to talk to us. I tried to listen to what this world was telling me, hoping that some message would be whispered on the wind. As of yet, it seemed that Dragon Island was silent. Perhaps it didn’t want me there. Maybe I was living on borrowed time.
I carried on deeper into the jungle, figuring I might as well head into the heart of the island. I wished I had a knife on me to mark notches on trees so that I could keep track of where I had been, but since I was without one, I instead tore off leaves and formed patterns of them on the ground, so that if I came across them again I would know that I had been turned around in circles. I couldn’t help but wonder if my parents had walked these same tracks, and I looked down at the soil underneath my feet, hoping to see some kind of track left, but there was nothing. I might as well have been the first person to ever set foot in this place. If so, it would have been quite an accomplishment, but it was hollow without the adulation of the people at home. I took care not to get scratched by any thorns and eventually came to an opening, which I was led to after I heard the bubbling of a stream. The excitement was too much for me to bear and I ran in, despite knowing I should have been cautious. When I saw the stream before me, I fell down onto my knees and slurped water, knowing from the smell that it was clean to drink.
It was crystal clear and there were no fish swimming in it, in fact there were no particles at all. It looked as clear as glass and it tasted refreshing. I was a little reckless in gulping it down, and very fortunate not to suffer from dysentery, but at the time I couldn’t resist. I felt all the better for it. The water dripped down my chin and trickled in between my breasts. I pulled up handfuls of it and splashed it on my face, letting it run down the back of my neck and all the way down my body. I wasn’t going to bathe properly yet, but I made a note to come back here later to properly wash every part of my body. For the time being, I needed to get back to Vincent and bring him some water.
I looked around to see what I could use to carry the water, but there didn’t seem to be anything obvious. I told myself to think. It had been a long time since I had pushed myself to these lengths, but I was determined to meet the challenge. It reminded me of when I had been young and Mom and Dad had taken me to the woods and given me tasks to complete, testing my ability to improvise. I examined the different types of wildlife and flora around me and I saw a large flower head made of thick blue petals. I went up to it and inspected it, making sure that there were no insects lurking behind. The aroma was sweet and intoxicating, and it lingered after I ripped the head off. It was large enough for me to carry with two hands, and the petals were sturdy enough that I thought it could carry water. I placed it near the stream and then looked for something else, and for this I had to tilt my head up to the branches, where vines were draped over. I shimmied up a tree and pulled some vines down, using all my strength to rip them apart. I had to dig in with my nails, for the slender vines were surprisingly tough, until I managed to get a section open. Then, I used my hands to scoop water into the petal bowl until it was as filled as it was ever going to get and tied the top of the petals together with vines, creating a vessel like design to carry water. I was proud of my work, although it was going to be difficult to carry the water back without spilling it, and I still had to find sap.
I turned my attention to the trees and looked at them more closely. On most of the trees, the bark formed ridges and I was able to get purchase and bend the bark back, ripping it away. The bark dug into my skin and I winced under the pain, but it revealed slick, viscous sap. I let the bark fall to the ground and tore away some thick leaves, using them to scoop up the sap. I then folded these and placed them in my pocket, hoping that the sap wouldn’t seep out and stick onto my pants. With that accomplished I felt quite triumphant and picked up the flower bowl I had made. I could feel the water slosh inside and I knew that one wrong move would cause it all to leak out and spill. It was going to be tricky to get it all the way back to Vincent, but I was determined to not let him down. I kept thinking about what my parents would have done in the same circumstances, and I vowed to live up to the standards they had set.
Walking slowly, I breathed deeply and started to make my way back the way I had come, but as soon as I turned away from the stream and looked up, I gasped and dropped the flower head on the ground. It opened and the water splashed over my feet, but I wasn’t looking at that. I was looking at the man standing in front of me, for I was sure I had seen a ghost.
8
“Amber,” Thomas said. I stared at him incredulously. His clothes were torn and there was a bruise on the side of his head. His hair was disheveled, but he wore that same smug grin that had been present while on the plane.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s good to see you too. I’m glad you survived. I would have hoped the feeling was mutual.”
“Yes, but…but…how? Why? What are you doing here?” I repeated, completely lost for words. I had come to the conclusion that only Vincent and I had survived. It didn’t make sense to me that Thomas would be deep in the jungle like this. Thomas came forward and pressed his hand to mine, as if to convince me that he was real, or perhaps it was to convince him that I wasn’t a fantasy. His touch was gentle against my arm and I felt my breath catch it my throat as my head tilted back to look up at him. Somehow, despite all we’d been through, he had retained his good looks.
“When the plane went down, William and I were flung outwards. We tried to look for parachutes, but we didn’t manage to get any in time. I don’t know how we survived really. It was a miracle. We were dumped in the ocean and swam to shore, I figure the same must have happened to you. Did anyone else make it?”
“Vincent did. The others…no,” I said. Thomas gave me a solemn smile and nodded. “I didn’t see you…”
“We didn’t see you either. I was about to look into the sea when we saw the plane come down and land on a huge spike. The whole island seemed to shudder when it happened. Frankly, I didn’t think anyone else could have survived. Then we heard a noise from the jungle, at least, what we thought was a noise, and we figured we should come and explore. Then I heard some rustling and I thought it must have been a wild animal
, I was surprised it was you, and thrilled. I guess you made it to Dragon Island after all. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, but I won’t be accepting any awards until we head back. And I’ve just made a hash of things here,” I said, now looking down at the broken flower at my feet. Thomas asked me what I was trying to do, and I explained to him about Vincent.
“Oh, that’s no problem. William actually managed to grab a loose crate as we fell. It had food and water inside. We’ll head back to the shore and help Vincent with you,” he said. I nodded, but something about his story didn’t seem right.
“Wait a minute, if you landed on the beach surely there would have been a mark left? I didn’t see anything on the beach. It was like the sand had been untouched.”
“I guess the breeze must have blown the sand back. It was very soft. It seemed like it was being filled in the moment after we stepped away. The crate wasn’t a big one, so we carried that with us. I don’t really know what else to tell you I mean, the way this place is there definitely seems to be something strange going on. I don’t know how to explain that the storm is in the air but not here, for example. Anyway, I’m actually glad I ran into you because we found something and I think you’re really going to want to take a look.”
Something about him still put me on edge. I’d this nagging feeling that he and William had some hidden agenda, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what they’d still have to be lying about given the situation. As far as I was concerned, the more of us that survived the better.
“I’d love to Thomas, but do you think it can wait? Vincent isn’t in the best shape and if we wait too long to return, I think he’ll be worried that something happened to me, and I don’t think he’s the type of man to stay waiting in a cave for too long.”
“I totally understand, but I think you’re really going to want to see this. Trust me, it’ll be worth it, and Vincent will understand when we get back to him. Come on, it’s not that far, we’re just through here,” he said, pointing into the jungle. Since Thomas was used to getting his own way, I had the feeling that arguing with him was going to be an exercise in futility, and quite frankly I didn’t have the energy to go through all that, so I held my hands up in surrender and looked down forlornly at the broken flower. I had been so proud of my idea, and it had failed at the first surprise.
I stayed behind Thomas, still wary of the unexpected, but I followed him nonetheless. I wanted to get water back to Vincent anyway, and if they did have a crate then I wanted to make sure they were going to share it. Thomas I could just about trust, but William I had no idea how to feel. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to keep it all for himself.
Thomas led me through the lush undergrowth towards a huge tree, a tree that dwarfed every other tree I had seen. From one look of it I could tell that it was as old as time itself and it must have had its roots deep in the island. It loomed above me, and in its bark were etched twisting expressions of souls that had lived under its watchful eye. Its branches stretched out like long arms and seemed to reach into eternity. There was a huge hollow at its base, from which William emerged. His face darkened when he saw me.
“You found her,” he said.