The Island

by Daya Daniels

  I stare at him completely bewildered and disgusted by his rudeness.

  It’s been a while since the wave. The island has bounced back but nothing is the same. We’d cleaned up what we could. I’d begun putting the garden back together, but it will be awhile before it looks as it once did. In the meantime, all three of us have been working on finishing the boat.

  It’s late afternoon.

  The sun is warm. The blue waters are calm. Everything is beautiful and perfect, except for Brooks’ mood.

  He’d given Kulon weeks to construct another hut, but he’s been slow to do so since he’s been having more problems with his leg which seemed to have healed already but is still cramping. I’ve had no issue with Kulon living here, but it’s clear that Brooks feels differently about our new guest.

  “Tenley, I’m not going to talk about this anymore.”

  My brows crash together. Reaching out, I grab him by the arm. “This man is here to help us, Brooks. Surely, we can let him stay here for a little while longer.”

  “I never said he couldn’t stay here, Tenley, on this island…” He gives me a winning smile. “I just said he can’t stay here…in this house.” He heads for the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  Placing a hand on the jamb, he stills and lets out a loud breath. “We’re going to do what I’ve been needing to do ever since we landed on this island, Tenley. We need to find out where we are. And the only way we’re going to do that is if we investigate the perimeter of this island. So, we’re taking the boat and going out past the reefs. Hopefully, we can figure out where we are.” He bounds down the stairs.

  “Oh.” I follow him. “Yes, that’s certainly a good idea.”

  Kulon stands at the bottom, smiling, his brown eyes low.

  I still when I make it to him. “I’m sorry, Kulon.”

  He shrugs. “It’s okay, Tenley. I understand Brooks. I’d feel the same way.” He smiles. “When we return, we’ll get to work on constructing a new hut for me to camp out in while I’m here.” He taps on his thigh. “Hopefully, my leg holds up while we’re at it.”

  I place a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” I grimace.

  He covers my hand with his own. “It’s fine, Tenley, really. You really have been kind enough.”

  Brooks has already set off in the direction of the boat and is pulling it toward the shoreline. He tosses the oars in then holds it in place as Kulon boards the boat and makes himself comfortable.

  I breathe in the salty air and look around. It’s soon confirmed that it’s the most perfect day. “I’ll be grilling snapper for dinner and shrimps.”

  “Ah, that’s my favorite, Tenley.” Kulon grins.

  I laugh. “Yeah, mine too.”

  Brooks only focuses on pushing the boat out to sea and then his gaze swings to mine. “Tenley, we’ll be back in a bit.” He nods in my direction, hops in the boat, and picks up an oar.

  Kulon smiles.

  “Okay then!” I push up on my tippy-toes and watch them carefully as they row out to sea.

  Hope fills every breath I exhale, and I smile because we’re a little closer, finally, to getting home.

  Brooks

  THE OPEN SEA…

  I stop rowing for a beat.

  Never thought I’d feel so good about being on it. I suck in the salty air and crane my neck up toward the blue sky. The sun warms my skin and the birds dip and dance high above. I shut my eyes for a moment allowing the sounds to slip into my ears. The cry of the birds. The soft breeze as it licks across my skin. The water as it sluices up against the sides of the boat.

  The small waves rock us gently, side to side and then an occasional roll comes our way from the motion of the ocean.

  My mind drifts I don’t know where, and just for a moment, I enjoy the peace.

  “Ever since I was a boy I’ve loved being out on the ocean.” Kulon’s voice fills my ears.

  My eyes pop open and I scan the vast sea—endless blue which goes on for miles each way. Slowly, the island slips from our view. My gaze narrows on the size of it from this vantage point. It’s smaller than I had thought, or maybe remembered, is more accurate.

  I exhale.

  “I’ve been a seaman my entire life, Brooks. There’s no better way to live.”

  The current takes the boat. It’s a fierce pull that I vividly recall from when we first arrived here. I purse my lips at the swirls in the water and the reminder of what lurks beneath these depths.

  “I’ve never been much of a fan.” I laugh.

  Kulon lets out a breath.

  “Have any idea where we are?” My eyes sweep the sea once more in every direction.

  There is nothing.

  No ships. No boats. No markings. Nothing but nothingness.

  The air grows cooler.

  “No.” Kulon’s lips press into a firm line. “Well, we’re in the Indian Ocean.” He laughs.

  I laugh too.

  Another breath leaves him. “I’d say maybe we’re right in the middle of it at the southern edge, possibly closer to Antarctica than we would like to believe or truly think is possible.”

  Nodding, I peer into the water, noting the direction and strength of the current.

  “We should row.” Kulon starts before I do. “We don’t want to drift too far.”

  I do the same and we keep rowing for a while.

  “The ocean is vast, my friend, big enough to swallow entire ships.” He sighs. “This is a place where I’d lost myself long ago and hoped then that a mermaid would find me out here.” He chuckles.

  I row. “Don’t you miss your family?”

  He smiles. “Yes, of course, but sometimes life gets in the way of happiness, Brooks.”

  The water splashes with the motion of the oars as they rip across the water pulling the boat in the direction we estimate that we need it to go in.

  “What do you mean?”

  Kulon groans.

  “You want to go home, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “This place, Brooks, this island you live on is perfect.” He exhales loudly. “I can’t understand why a person would want to go back to the world—the traffic, the bills, the chaos of what you see as a normal existence.” He smiles. “You have peace where you live.”

  “Maybe.” I don’t grace him with my unadulterated opinion because the truth is that Tenley and I live in anything but peace. Each day of this life is like maneuvering through a minefield. And other days it’s as if Tenley and I are playing catch with an unpinned grenade!

  How could living in such turmoil ever be peaceful?

  “You have everything you need on that island—an endless supply of food, shelter, a woman.”

  “I suppose you could say that.” I twist around, losing myself in the sight of the sun as it reflects against the water almost blinding me.

  “Tenley is a very nice lady, Brooks.” His voice is an echo in my mind.

  The water—so blue, so deep, so treacherous.

  “Yes, she’s wonderful.”

  Just barely, I register the shift, the rocking of the boat, the tilt of it as Kulon stands and his heavy footfalls come my way. “So, I can’t understand why a man like you would want to give up all the peace that you have living out here with her and go back to that doomed society and that despicable way of living.” His words are strained as if they leave him with effort.

  Something slices through the air.

  Smiling, I shift to look at Kulon, but I don’t find his usually pleasant expression. Instead, the side of my face meets the paddle of his oar!

  GODDAMN IT!

  Painnnnn. Ringing. Dizziness. The impact I’m assured has knocked my brain out of place.

  I blink hard, groaning at the agony, clutching my face, heart beating all sorts of wild in my chest. When I pull my hand away, it’s stained with crimson. A ragged breath leaves me as I examine the blood dripping from my face.

  My eyes flicker back up to Kulon as if to do
uble check that he’s trying to kill me.

  He is.

  He truly is.

  The jovial personality and pleasant face that I thought I’d come to know well is now venomous, murderous, ready to end me, prepared to make me fucking extinct.

  Kulon seems surprised that I’m still conscious.

  If he plans to knock me out, he’ll have to hit me much harder than he just had!

  I remain still, crouched low with oar-less hands since I’d let them go!

  The boat rocks with his movement as Kulon steadies himself to finish the job and the other oar he’s holding slips into the sea.

  Is this how it’s going to end?

  After everything I’ve been through, am I destined to die out on the high sea at the hands of a man who wants Tenley? Tenley…My heart rate kicks up about three billion notches when I think about her—protecting her—keeping this man from her.

  I plan to do all of that up until my very last breath!

  My chest heaves.

  Tenley. Sweet, perfect, beautiful Tenley.

  I blink hard.

  My best friend’s wife…My wife’s best friend…Myyyyy Tenley…

  THIS IS SO FUCKED UP!

  Searching Kulon’s eyes, I want to punch myself in the face because of what I see in them!

  Of courrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrse he wants her…

  How could I not have seen this coming?

  As of lately, this man’s been all over Tenley—making her laugh, spending time on the beach with her and Peni, swimming and shit, engaging in deep conversations with her about God knows what. Being sooooo fucking friendly. I was a fool to think his intentions were innocent. So was Tenley!

  This man is POLLUTION!

  Rage infects my veins and sanity now seems like an old friend who hasn’t visited in a while.

  Kulon readies to swing once more.

  With a strength I summon right from the blackest pits of my soul, I grab the pole of the oar coming my way with one hand destroying its journey toward my skull for the second time. I propel upward in a flash and plant the blade of the axe I’d forgotten I even had on me right in the middle of his glistening forehead.

  CRACK.

  It splits right down the middle.

  Metal against bone.

  Steel wins…

  His skull collapses.

  I breathe so fucking hard and my lungs fill with so much air they feel as if they’re about to blow!

  Fuck, what have I done?

  Time stills and my thoughts wander…

  Why couldn’t the fog have been low the very day this man was seeking land and shelter? Why didn’t I know that he’d come here, to my home, with the intent to rape and pillage and with carnage on his mind?

  Kulon’s eyes go wide and his features are frozen with shock.

  Blood drips—his and mine. Only mine is redder, hotter and now completely devoid of remorse.

  DID THIS MAN REALLY THINK I’D LET HIM KILL ME!

  I’m crazier than I look, more fed up than I’ve ever let on and pissed the fuck off at the universe for the predicament I’ve found myself in. I am, in this moment, two thousand percent NUTS!

  I have too much to live for, too much to fight for, too much to protect.

  Tenley, Tenley, Tenley…

  A high-pitched sound leaves me as I peer into Kulon’s eyes, feeling like a maniac. “You stupid bastard.” My saliva lands on his sweaty cheeks as I spit the words out.

  Kulon falls. The weight of him as his body descends almost tips the boat over when he lands in an awkward position against the side of it. Yanking the axe from his skull, I back away and he collapses gracelessly to the floor of the boat with a thump. Quickly, without even questioning my actions, I grab one of his legs—the one I’m assured isn’t injured any longer!—and flip the large piece of shit over the side of the boat.

  SP-LUNK.

  It doesn’t take long for Kulon’s lifeless body to sink like a stone. The current takes it away along with this boat.

  I drop to my knees, rest on my back and stare up at the burning, blinding sun, depleted.

  The waves. The birds. The pull of the current. It’s so perfect.

  I shut my eyes and allow the wetness to cover my cheeks which rains down from them making no attempt to wipe it away.

  I hide my bloody hands from myself, pretending they aren’t there, hoping I can forget this.

  Could I ever forget this?

  Who am I?

  An executioner skilled in the art of body disposal?

  Do I have any clue about who the man is I’ve become?

  I exhale the biggest breath on this side of the world.

  This island has turned me into a motherfucking SAVAGE!

  Tenley

  STANDING AT THE SHORELINE, I peer out at the black ocean, just breathing.

  I’ve been waiting here in this exact spot for what feels like forever.

  They still haven’t returned.

  I wipe the wetness away from my cheeks and try to keep my tears under control because my worry had gotten away from me long ago.

  The moon is waning tonight so there is little light. No wind blows. No sounds except for the soft lap of the water against the shoreline. They left in ample time to get back before the sun dipped beneath the horizon.

  I’ve been calling their names for hours. In response, I only got a whisper of the breeze back. I try again anyways. “Brooks! Kulon! Brooks! Kulon.” I huff, eyes burning with tears, and heart as heavy as a rock in my chest. “BROOKS! KULON! BROOKS! KULON!” I’m heaving for breath when I’m done screaming and listening to the echo of my voice as it bounces off the massive rocks which loom over a section of the beach.

  Peni yanks on my hand and mewls out a sad sound, her big blue eyes as worried as mine.

  I fold my arms across my chest and press my toes in the sand.

  This can’t be happening.

  Kulon has become a friend for sure, but Brooks, Brooks is my…

  What the hell is he to me?

  Right now, does it even matter?

  I just know I can’t lose him.

  I just can’t.

  I gasp for air, but I can barely breathe. “Brooks!” I call his name once more then collapse to the sand.

  Where are they?

  Could something awful have happened?

  I allow the worst thought of all to skitter its way through the front of my mind…

  Had they decided to leave me here?

  A sharp gasp slips from me, then I shake my head vigorously.

  No, no, no. Brooks would never do that…

  I allow myself to sob for a little while. Just the thought of being left here completely alone makes me want to die right here on the spot. I cry more. And then I pull my shit together, stand, and move farther out in the water. “Brooooooks!” I call his name over and over again hoping for a response. But there is nothing.

  I cover my face with my hands ignoring the sick feeling churning around in my gut.

  I pray. I pray so fucking hard…Then, I glance out at the calm sea.

  They’re out there. I know Brooks is out there…somewhere, breathing, heart still beating strong, trying to find his way back home. Something deep within me, maybe hope, tells me he’s still out there. He has to be.

  Shoving my hair back and away from my sweaty face, I think.

  I gaze up at the dark cloudy sky and the twinkling stars which can barely be seen. “No light.” I suck in a breath. “There is no light.” After inhaling all the oxygen I can manage, I set off sprinting toward the cliffs.

  Come back to me, Brooks.

  Just come back to me…

  Brooks

  “FUCKKKKK!” A BREATH SLIPS out from between my gritted teeth.

  The splash of the water.

  The force of the current as it fights against the one fucking oar I’m working with. I’ve been out here paddling for what I know is likely hours. The waves are now bigger. The current is
stronger, but still, I keep paddling.

  High-pitched breaths leave me and my eyes flicker around in the blackness.

  I stop, just for a moment, gathering strength.

  Right now, I’m a man with no bearings and without any direction. It’s dark, so dark out here.

  I wipe the wetness from my cheeks.

  I can handle my own demise, but Tenley…

  She must be worried out of her mind!

  I can’t leave her.

  Not like this…

  A thick cloud floats overhead which I can barely see and blots out the little light coming from the moon. The boat rocks. The mist from the water splashing against the side of the boat hits me in the face.

  It wakes me the fuck up!

  With a growl, I start paddling once more but I shudder because I have no direction.

  I’m a blind man right now, a sitting duck with a paddle in the middle of the sea.

  A frustrated breath slips from me.

  My eyes search.

  I’d passed out for I don’t know how long after I’d dumped Kulon’s body overboard. I woke to waves rocking the boat and to a honeyed intonation while I was asleep that was telling me to wake—Tenley’s voice. And when my eyes flickered open, the sun was gone and somehow the boat was out of the path of the current, but still, it had drifted.

  How far? In what direction? Am I now an entire ocean away from the island?

  Fuck knows!

  The questions wrap around my heart and squeeze.

  While I hold on to the oar, the boat drifts.

  Would Tenley lose all respect for me if I gave up right now?

  Would anyone understand?

  Would Joy ever forgive me?

  Would James hate me forever for leaving Tenley to fend for herself?

  I’m tired right now. So fucking tired. Every bone and muscle in my body have melded together making me feel like an immovable hunk of lead. Heavy. Clunky. Destined to sink.

  If there is a God up there, I need him to come down here right the fuck now and HELP ME!

  I sob into my salty wet palm, heaving for breath, fighting the waves which splash me. I rough a hand over my face and stare up at the sky and then my gaze lowers while I pray, pray, pray.