The plane does another sharp jolt downward, and I’m vaguely aware of a hand pushing my head between my knees. I see a flash of light and hear a loud blasting sound…then everything goes black.
3
The Island
“Mmm, mwaw,” I yawn drowsily.
A good night of sleep was just what I needed. I feel so much more relaxed now. What better way to wake up than having my newly wedded husband caress my hair as the sunlight gently grazes my skin? Before opening my eyes, I inhale the smell of exotic flowers, tropical fruits, and the scent of the sea. I listen to the birds’ musical tweets and relish the light breeze brushing over my face. Liam must have opened the window to let in the fresh air. This is more like it! I had this bad dream where we were on the plane and everything was going wrong. There was that horrible man, then the perfect storm, the explosion…I was caught in this nightmare where the plane crashed. How silly!
I feel a heavy tug at my scalp.
“That’s a bit too harsh, honey…AAARRRRGHHHH!” I scream as I open my eyes and see a hairy muzzle inches away from my face.
“Eek, eek!” The monkey bares its teeth at me before climbing on a taller branch, protesting loudly. “Ook. Hoo, hoo, hoo.”
A monkey? What is a monkey doing in my hotel room? Did it break in? Isn’t this the five star resort? Where am I?
I try to move my neck. Ouch! It hurts. My neck and shoulders, along with every other muscle in my body, feel sore. My head is throbbing; I can feel the blood pounding against my skull. My face is trapped under something plastic-y and yellow. Did I buy a sleep mask? You know, one of those things you put in the fridge before you wear them, that are supposed to regenerate your skin as you sleep? Because I don’t find it very comfortable.
I remove the offending plastic thingy from around my neck, but the effort is too much for my sore shoulders and I collapse backwards again. Despite the pain, I turn my head to the right—tropical jungle. Then to the left—jungle again. And, finally, upward—my legs are stretched above me, clad in my military green cargo pants—my favorite to travel—and I can see the points of my white sneakers. I look at my arms and see I’m still wearing the lilac cotton t-shirt with three-quarter sleeves from yesterday. Why did I go to bed with my clothes on? But I’m not really in bed, am I? No, I’m sitting in some sort of reclining armchair stuck in between tall coconut palms. That’s odd!
I try to dismount, but something holds me firmly in place. I look down at my lap and see a light-blue seatbelt tightly fastened around my body. Seatbelt, plane, crash! It wasn’t a dream!
I unfasten the belt and wiggle sideways to land clumsily on the moist, fern-covered earth about four feet below. My seat, the ogre’s seat, and what looks like a chunk of the plane are wedged in between thick tropical vegetation above me. I inspect the ground around the wreckage to see if somebody else is here. I rummage in this tangle of equatorial bushes, but I don’t accomplish anything besides adding some scratches to my hands and forearms. I’m glad at least I’m wearing long pants.
It looks like no one else is here; this entire area seems deserted. My heart drops. Where is Liam? What happened to him? I have to find him. I frenziedly search through the underbrush, as if I could find Liam hiding underneath, but after a few minutes I’m exhausted and have to stop. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, and my body feels emotionally and physically worn-out.
I try to calm myself. I spin in a full circle one way, then back around the other way, but I can’t see anything or anyone. It’s just rainforest all around. Despair gnaws at me. My heart feels like it’s about to explode from fear and agitation. This jungle is oppressive and I need to get out of here. I spot a small gap among the trees and decide to move in that direction. I fight my way through the waist-high vegetation, and finally reach a clearing.
As I emerge from the jungle, the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen unfolds before my eyes. I’m standing on an immaculate white beach made of fine, dusty sand. And I have to shade my eyes from the bouncing light of the sun reflecting off the electric blue-green of the ocean.
The island—I’m guessing I’m on an island—is teeming with wildlife. From various birds pecking at the sand—seagulls and some other black and brown feathered kinds I can’t name—to small birds chirping happily in the jungle, to an entire colony of brownish monkeys that come in all sizes.
I could dote on this unadulterated, beautifully wild panorama forever. If not for the tiny drawback of the desolation that comes from the lack of any human contamination in this place. I think that right now one of those ugly concrete resort monsters, which I usually despise, would warm my heart to the core.
What should I do? I’m hungry, thirsty, and I don’t have the slightest idea how to survive in the wilderness. Okay, let’s stay calm here. The first thing I should do is check if I’m really alone. I mean, the plane had hundreds of passengers. There must be someone else around. Let’s not be overdramatic. Liam is probably just waiting for me around a group of palm trees.
As I move down the beach in search of someone—anyone—I suddenly hear loud crackling noises that don’t sound natural. I quicken my pace, excited, and run in that direction. My pulse quickens as I spot the silhouette of a man sitting on the sand. Could it be Liam?
4
Mr. Ogre
Unfortunately, as I come closer it becomes clear that the man is not Liam, but the ogre from the plane. He’s hunched over a pile of coconuts, and seems pretty intent on fumbling with some wooden sticks to open them.
“Heeyyy! Heeeeyyyy!” I call, running towards him, hope fluttering in my chest. I have never been happier to see another human being, or even troll in this case, in my entire life.
“Oh, I see her royal highness is awake,” Mr. Ogre says, getting up and watching me run towards him.
“You mean you knew I was here?” I stop dead in my tracks.
“Affirmative.”
“And you left me there alone in the middle of the tropical jungle!”
“It’s barely some bushes.” The troll shrugs noncommittally.
“You let a monkey pick the fleas off my hair!” I accuse him, indignant.
“You have many?” he shoots back with an infuriating smirk, looking at me from under his brows.
“You know what I mean.”
“Unfortunately, I do. You’re right. I should have warned the poor fella of what he was getting into.”
“Ah, ah. Very funny,” I retort, sarcastic. “You left me there hanging upside-down. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to stay like that for too long?”
“Also gives the brain a little extra boost. You look like the type who could use it.”
“That’s offensive, superficial, and you’re the most horrible man I’ve ever met,” I yelp, not able to control the strident pitch in my voice. “Why didn’t you wake me? I could have been dead.”
“You were snoring louder than a running tractor, and I checked your pulse just to make sure. Anyway, I wanted to do a reconnaissance of the island before I had to deal with you as well.”
“For your information, I don’t snore. And what do you mean ‘before having to deal with me as well’?”
“You do snore, and if somebody has told you differently they were lying to you. A truck driver with sinusitis would not be as loud as you. And by dealing with you, I meant exactly this—having a hysterical bimbo screaming at me for no good reason!”
“Who says bimbo? Nobody says bimbo anymore, it’s so sexist!”
“Still true.” He shrugs.
“I hate you,” I caterwaul.
“Very mature. Thank you for proving me wrong,” Mr. Ogre says, arching one teasing eyebrow.
I cross my arms and pout. Why am I behaving like a three-year old?
“Hopefully we won’t have to share each other’s company much longer,” Mr. Ogre continues.
Right, why am I even losing time with this troll?
“Liam. Liiiaaaaamm. Liiiaaaaamm,” I scream at ra
ndom.
“Eek, eek! Eeeeeek. Ook. Hoo, hoo, hoo.” Only the monkeys seem interested in giving me a response.
“Stop screaming, you idiot. You will have the monkeys come down and attack us to protect their territory.”
“Oh, so now you worry about the monkeys. I thought you would get along well with your similars. Liiiaaam. Liiiaaaaamm.”
“He’s not here. Stop screaming! It’s just you and me.” He’s shouting, too.
“Eek. Eek! Eeeeeek. Eeeeeek. Ook. Hoo, hoo, hoo. Eek, eek!” The monkeys are getting dangerously worked up by all this yelling.
I ignore them and keep calling.
“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve said he’s not here,” the troll repeats, dropping his work instruments and moving menacingly towards me.
“But that’s impossible, he has to be somewhere around here. Liiiaaam.”
“Do you see a plane lying around?” he roars. “As I said, it’s just you and me!”
I take a good look at the surroundings. On one side there’s the ocean. On the other, thick tropical vegetation with some hills visible in the background. And we’re standing on the beach in between. We really are on what looks like the perfect desert island from a movie.
“This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.” I pace in circles in the sand, fear gripping my stomach with a painful tug. Where is Liam? What happened to him?
“How long have we been here?” I ask in a soft, polite voice. I don’t have time to waste arguing with this caveman. I have to find Liam.
He checks his watch. “I think the plane crashed at around three or four a.m. I woke up at six with the first light, and now it’s about eight.”
“Good, we haven’t been here long then. Well, it was nice meeting you—I hope I will never see you again.” I turn around and march towards the trees.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The caveman follows me and forcefully grabs my left wrist to hold me back.
“Let go of me!” I command. “I need to find my husband. He could be injured. He may need my help. I have to go find him. Let me go.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” he announces with finality. He also grabs my other wrist for good measure.
“You have no authority to say what I can or can’t do!” I protest, trying to break free, but it’s no good. He is so much stronger than I am. I’d have a better chance trying to break free of real metal handcuffs.
“Look around yourself,” he hisses, seething with suppressed anger. “I don’t particularly care for you, but I don’t want to be responsible for your death either. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re on a desert island full of wild animals. You have no idea what could await you inside that jungle. And I have a feeling you wouldn’t be so good at surviving on your own.”
“If the jungle was so dangerous, why did you leave me there for two hours?”
“You were asleep and harmless. But if you go around screaming you could get some of the beasts angry or scare them, and scared animals have a way of protecting themselves.”
“But my husband,” I wail, struggling to get free. “He could be dead.” As I say the words, a stone of fear plants itself in my chest. “I have to find him. I have to know.” I utter those last words between body-shaking sobs.
“Listen—” He eases the grip on my wrists but doesn’t let go. “I understand that you’re worried for your husband, but the best thing you can do for him right now is to stay alive. And going into the jungle on your own would be counterproductive.”
“Then come with me,” I plead.
“I don’t think so. Rescue teams are more likely to find us if we stay here.”
“You selfish bastard…you…” I don’t finish. I just cry.
“Calm down, will you?” he says after a while, his tone slightly softer than before.
“How can you tell me to calm down when you won’t help me find Liam?”
“He isn’t here.”
“How can you say that?” I challenge him.
“I don’t know how much you remember about the crash, but at one point there was an explosion that smashed the plane open right beneath us. Our seats were sucked away. I think we survived only because the winds were so strong they carried us around until the tornado or whatever it was spat us out here on this forsaken island. We were lucky the vegetation is so thick it slowed our fall. Anyway, there are no signs of an explosion around us or anywhere nearby. I think we were separated from the rest of the plane altogether. The pilot was trying to pull off an emergency landing before the fuselage ripped. Chances are your husband is with the wreckage of the cabin somewhere else.”
At this point I collapse on my knees and let my torso bob up and down with heavy sobs. My arms are suspended over my head, as the troll still has a firm grip on my wrists.
“If I let you go, do you promise you won’t try anything foolish?” he asks gently.
I nod.
“All right.” He lets go, and I collapse completely on the sand.
I don’t move. Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the strength to do it. I hear some other distant sounds of wood being smashed, and five minutes later the caveman is back with me. He hands me an open coconut shell.
“Drink the juice inside,” he orders. “It’s nutritious, and you won’t risk dehydration. Then you can eat the pulp.”
“If I didn’t know better, I would say you were being nice to me,” I tease, summoning some of my usual witty spirit from the depths of my derelict―literally―soul.
“Don’t get used to it,” Mr. Ogre retorts sharply. “When you’re done eating I need you to get your act together.” He squats down to look me in the eyes. “The situation is not the best, and I don’t want to be stuck on this island with you any more than you do, but if we want to survive we have to work together. So get whatever it is you have to get out of your system, and come join me when you’re over it. We have a lot to do before it gets dark.”
I’m tempted to reply “Aye, aye, sir!” but I’m not sure he would appreciate the humor. He doesn’t leave me the time to say it anyway. As soon as he’s done speaking he gets up, turns away from me, and goes back to his makeshift workbench, leaving me alone to deal with my demons.
Oh Liam! I hope you’re safe.
5
Day 1
“I think we started off on the wrong foot,” I announce.
After Mr. Ogre left me alone to finish the coconut and deal with my emotional breakdown, I took about half an hour to have a good cry and let some of the tension ease out of me. Now I feel a bit calmer, or at least I’m trying to stay on the positive side of things, and I’ve joined him in the shade at the edge of the jungle. He’s knuckling down on some other coconuts with a makeshift axe.
“Let’s start fresh,” I continue. “If we’re stuck on this island together, we might as well be friendly with each other.”
Mr. Ogre barely lifts his gaze to look at me and keeps working on the coconuts. He’s peeling away the outer shell of the nuts, amassing the fibrous straw on one side and the inner, ready-to-be-opened-and-drunk shells on another heap. His sole acknowledgment of my presence is a single grunt.
I choose to ignore his hostile attitude and keep my friendly one. “I’m Joanna Price, by the way, but everyone calls me Joan or Jo. Nice to meet you.”
“Do you mind if I go with Anna instead?”
That’s a weird question. “Um…no, I guess,” I say, a bit taken aback.
“I’m Connor Duffield. Nice to meet you.”
Mmm, Connor Duffield the caveman.
“That’s useful,” I comment, pointing at the axe. It’s made with a sharp metal sheet—from the plane, I assume—and a piece of driftwood. He bound the two together with a brownish vine.
“Yeah, we need to re-use everything we can find. Coconuts are good for now, but we need to find a fresh water source if we want to make it.”
Fear bites again.
“Do you think we will have to stay here for long?” I ask.
/> “I have no way of knowing that, do I?” He lifts his gaze toward me again, and throws me a look I can’t read.
“But surely the rescue teams will be looking for us…”
He gives me that look again, and adds a shrug afterward.
“What? Why are you shrugging?”
“I don’t want to lie to you—our odds aren’t good,” Connor states grimly.
“Explain to me why. Please?” I sit next to him while he keeps working.
“We were sucked out of a plane in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The chances of survival are basically zero—”
“But we’re here. We’re alive.”
“Yeah, but nobody knows that. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of nowhere. If they arrange a search team—and that’s a big if, considering the circumstances—the probability they will find us are again close to nothing. We are the classic needle in the haystack.”
“So why do you even bother to try to survive if that’s what you think?” I’m on the verge of tears again.
“Because I hope sooner or later a ship or the yacht of some rich vacationer will pass by this island and find us.”
“Liam will not give up on me. He will find me.” I refuse to think I will die on this island with this man as my sole human company for the rest of my days. I have to be strong and wait for Liam. He will come for me. That is, if he’s not just on the other side of the island. I haven’t given up on the idea that the rest of the plane could be somewhere not too far away.
“So do you think we will find it?” I ask.
“Find what?” Connor repeats, perplexed.
“The water.”
“Ah.” He pauses. “The monkeys are here, and that’s a good sign. If they can survive, it means there’s fresh water on the island.”