by S G Read
The rest sorted out what was left in the cave and we decided it would be the last day we kept watch up on the ledge and the lower plateau. If they came they had to land or at least make a noise, we just hoped we would see them but we had to have food. I was not about to have one look out, for if George was alone on lookout, we would be burying her now! I did not intend to lose anyone, not now! We cooked the last of the meat and fish while George lay in the sun and rested. Several times she offered to help and in the end I showed her what a trigger looked like for the crossbow and she started to make it from a bit of wood. She was not as strong as I was but anything she was able to do saved me work.
The girls came back earlier than normal, thoroughly bored. No more watching, it was pointless. We needed to make a better signal but that had to wait until George was fit this time.
George did what she could to the trigger; I showed her another piece and let her start on it. I drilled out the trigger and started making it fit where I wanted it to fit while she whittled the second piece I gave her.
It certainly took her mind off having to lay on the platform all day.
I carried the battery up and turned the lights on when it grew dark but we stayed outside by the fire after George had gone in as she went to sleep almost immediately. We talked about our lives before we landed on the island. Charley ran through her daily routine as a princess, before she managed to get out of it and go to school. Her father the king helped there. Natasha was an army major’s daughter who was sent to the same school as Charley when they thought she was starting to go native where they lived. Although they went to the same school they never met as they moved in different circles. Now they might just be horrified at what she did and how she was dressed! Sarah was a general’s daughter who wanted school rather than live in the middle of nowhere with people she did not know. Alex's mother remarried and it was her new step father who masterminded her going abroad to school. The story for all the girls was mainly the same, either they did not want to be where they were or they weren't wanted there by one of the parents.
'And what about you Walter?' Natasha asked.
'Me. Well mine is a sad story. I am a writer and I have written several books but not found a publisher to publish them or even an agent to promote them. Then out of the blue I get a very good offer from a big publishing house for two of my books.'
'What happened?' She asked.
'You know very well what happened!' I replied. 'The plane crashed and I landed on this island with eight girls.'
'Only because you took the trouble to save us.' Sarah pointed out.
'Yes, it must have been awful swimming about in that sea, it was very rough!' Alex added.
I looked round all the faces with the flames reflecting on them.
'I’d do it again in an instant but I do wonder if it would have been better to go past this island, we might be home now!'
'And you might be a famous author.' Charley declared. 'Are you going to write about this?'
'Do you think I should?'
'Of course.' She answered. 'But you will have to put all our names down, George and me. Well at least once! Just for mother!'
'I can manage that. Anyone not want to be in my book?'
No one answered and I took that to mean that they all wanted a mention.
'Warts and all though!' Andrea declared.
'Yes let them know just what it was like!' Tabby cried.
'But not taking out an appendix under conditions like this!' I protested. 'Who would believe it?'
'You did it.' Charley replied. 'And you have George as proof!'
'It’s a shame I haven’t any paper to make notes.' I complained my memory is not what it used to be.'
'Paper!' Tammy cried. 'I just remembered there is some in that case!' She walked over to a case full of women’s clothes, fat women’s clothes and rummaged. 'Here it is!' She walked back and held it into the light of the fire.
'That’s toilet paper!' Andrea declared. 'I’ve been using moss and leaves when there’s toilet paper here?'
'One roll is only going to cause a problem.' I comforted. 'As soon as you get used to it again it will run out and you will end up using what you do now!'
'So you want to write on it then!' She accused.
'Hardly.' I retorted. 'It’s too soft!'
'Oh don’t!' Charley complained. 'It’s bad enough having to use leaves but to have some soft toilet paper here makes it even harder!'
'We could use it on George that would help!' I suggested.
Andrea opened her mouth to speak immediately, paused then said.
'That’s a good idea! She has been through a lot. Does everyone agree?'
They all nodded or mumbled agreement.
'Put it inside Tammy, near the platform but try not to wake her.' I said quietly. 'And remember you lot, it’s for the sick, who just so happens to be George at the moment but it might be you before long, you never know! No sneaking a piece or two or it won’t last very long!'
The meeting broke up and we all made our way indoors and up to bed, tomorrow would be a fairly normal day now.
Day 72 on the island.
The hunters left to hunt and I went fishing, George was looking well enough but I still let them know where I would be in case of problems. I left her some more wood to shape before we left. I fished with my two girls watching my back in case the boar showed his face. We collected fruit on the way back and put everything into the cave, barring the fish, we decided to eat them today. When I walked down to where they were waiting to cook the food, they took the fish to prepare it. I checked on George who was busy working the wood and mainly ignored me as I checked her stitches.
It was boring for everyone to have her laid up but I was not going to be talked into letting her up early! While the food cooked I sat next to her and finished the trigger. The rest was easy. I drilled where I needed to drill and assembled it. When I strung the wire she looked at it with pride.
'I helped make that!' She said proudly.
'Do you want to shoot it?' I asked.
She nodded. I loaded it and turned the platform round by lifting one end.
'Girls. George is shooting so can you come over here to be safe.' I shouted.
The four girls came over and stood on the far side of George, just in case of a ricochet. It was a long shot to the target but the way the others went right through the first target should mean it would reach. We lifted one end to enable her to aim and waited. The bolt flew straight into the bull from where we were and stuck in up to the flights.
'Wow! Great shot George!' Tammy cried. 'I’ll get it for you.'
I let her shoot twice more and she hit the bull once and the outer once, good shooting under the conditions.
'I have to say you still pass the marksgirlship needed to carry this lethal weapon.' I said with pride but the shooting can wait now until you are fit enough.'
The hunters returned with a pig and it was prepared for the cave.
'Did you see Mr. Pig?' Tammy asked.
'Yes.' Andrea replied. 'He ran about strutting his stuff but we just kept out of the way up a tree and borrowed one of his family.'
'Borrowed?' Tabby asked.
'He can have the bits back we don’t want.' She explained.
'I’d bet he’d eat it too.' Sarah declared.
'Probably.' Charley replied.
The cooks served the fish and we ate in almost silence. It was followed by fruit and then fruit juice.
'The wine was better.' George said when she tried the fruit juice. 'When do I get proper food?'
'What was wrong with the fish soup?' I asked.
'Do you want a list?' She asked in return.
'You need to; you know what, before you eat solids.' I answered.
'Let me walk about then, it will soon come out then!' She declared.
'No!' I replied firmly.
'In that case, where is the next bit of wood?' She asked.
I put the parts of the nex
t crossbow near her and she started work. I sat and worked with her. Later we carried the platform over to the fire and sat talking with her there as well. I was starting to think she would soon be well enough to get up.
Night fell and we retreated inside and closed the door. We felt safe in here and with our little compound sealed off from unwanted visitors things could not be better.
Charley still slept down with George but Andrea and Natasha chose to sleep in their own bed for comfort.
Day 73 on the island.
I woke when light shone through the windows and I stretched. I was comfortable and wanted to stay there but I knew I was going to get up anyway, I always did. Suddenly it grew dark. I lay there, my eyes on the nearest window but it stayed darker. I stood up and walked over to it but it was designed to let light in and not for the view. Both windows were on sides where the weather was least hostile. I climbed down the ladder but it was so dark downstairs I had to turn a light on to walk across to the door. When I opened the door I knew what the trouble was. The same dark clouds which had soaked us to the skin in the past were coming our way fast.
I hurried back up the ladder.
'Time to get up girls.' I yelled. 'If you want to eat today that is!'
Eyes opened but there was no reaction.
'Rise and shine.' I called. 'We need to get things ready as a big storm is about to blow in.'
'We’re in the right place then!' Sarah declared and snuggled down into her bed.
'We need food from the cave or we have to either go hungry or go and get it in the storm!' I replied, loud enough for them all to hear.
Natasha stood up.
'We need meat and to protect the fire from the storm!' She cried to get others moving. 'I for one do not intend to go hungry!'
Andrea stood up but they were the only two. Still, it made a threesome and we hurried up to the cave. We collected meat and fruit to carry back. We made it inside just as it started to rain. When it rained it rained hard. To go out and try to save the fire was a waste of time and would only soak us. We closed the door and laid the meat in the shower, the fruit was in two baskets, to make sure there was enough to go round.
That was it, we could only eat fruit or raw meat until the storm blew itself out! A loud clap of thunder shook the house but no rain came in. I climbed the ladder to check the roof. The girls were now huddling in their beds instead of being snugly comfortable.
'To late for the fire but we have some fruit. If there is any left when we have eaten you might get some!' I chided.
I knew there was enough for everyone anyway but I still said it. There was no reply. The roof was not leaking so I climbed back down the ladder to see if George was frightened. She was still asleep but Charley was wide awake.
'What was that bang?' She asked, not really able to see me.
'Lightning struck something but I don’t know what or where!' I answered. 'It certainly wasn’t the house though!'
Outside it poured harder and harder. It thundered after brilliant flashes of lightning which lit up the downstairs through the windows above. George woke after the second clap of thunder and we eventually played eye spy but it was not taxing as we could only see things near to the only bulb we had on. Without a charged battery we had to conserve what energy there was. While we played I thought.
A fire inside would give light and we could cook with it should this happen again and this would have been the second time if the house had been finished when it rained last time. We could not make anything without light and that made it even more boring. There was not enough wire to run a lead from the alternator up to the house and if we did we would have to make sure the alternator did not get rained on. It had a cover over it now but it was not working now so it was easy to cover as long as the wind did not blow the cover off! If the alternator was halfway into the stream with the paddle going round it would be a lot more difficult to cover and keep the cover on during this sort of storm! It was something to think about, the alternator in its own little shed but I still had to find enough wire to get the power from there to here or the shed had to big enough for someone to shelter in while they connected the battery and retrieved it. That would probably be me!
Up stairs there was more light and you could watch the storm if you were so inclined.
'Can’t I go up there?' George asked pitifully, pointing to the stairs.
'No way!' I replied immediately. 'Nothing would give me more pleasure than saying yes so that we could all go up there where there is at least a bit more light but I can’t let you climb in case you do more damage than I have already inflicted upon you! I can help by getting a few more bulbs going but when they go out we will be in total darkness down here.'
George thought about that for a few seconds.
'No don’t bother. I know we can’t open the door for light but how about carrying the platform over to the light bulb, we might see more things for eye spy, especially upstairs!'
We did what she wanted and a new game of eye spy began but the only person to beat everyone was George with eye spy something beginning with D.
It turned out to be darkness! Where we had just moved from! Such was the level of entertainment. We moved on to charades with the person acting standing by the bulb. This drew everyone down from above and they soon forgot the storm.
Above us the room grew darker as the day was driven away, the storm still raged outside and we were safe and dry inside. There were a few wet patches to avoid but there was enough room to avoid them so they were forgotten as well. We ate fruit and played charades until the only bulb we had on started to dim, then we went to bed. We never cooked the meat, it would have to do for tomorrow, at least it had been cooler today or it would have been thrown away, not something we did lightly. We even cut or bit out bad places in the fruit we ate and ate the rest, we wasted nothing if we could avoid it.
Day 74 on the island.
The day dawned with the storm still raging. I looked out of the window toward the monolith, our bamboo pipe was down and water was gushing out but there was nothing I could do about it. The shower would no longer work and nor would the toilet but there was no way I could stop them going to the toilet and there was no way they were going outside in this. We had no light downstairs so it was a case of feel your way to the toilet, later it ended up, smell your way to the toilet. It was day nine after the operation and I relented.
'Charley tie a rope round your sister, then you go up to make sure she does not fall and I will follow her up the ladder so that she does not fall.' I ordered.
George gave a little squeal, as if she had won some prize. I helped her to stand up and she swayed precariously. I held her upright while Charley tied the rope round her. Then Charley and Natasha climbed up to the floor above with the rope. Step by step I helped George walk to the ladder. She moved slowly and awkwardly.
'You’d think I’d never walked before!' She complained.
'Did you expect to run the marathon when you got out of bed?' I asked.
'No! But then I never wanted to even think about running a marathon,' She answered in her usual way, 'but I used to be able to walk along!'
She stepped onto the ladder and I boosted her up so she was on the first rung. At the same time as I boosted her Charley and Natasha took up the slack on the rope.
'Maybe I should stay down there for a little longer!' George said with her foot trembling on the first step.
'Keep going.' I ordered.
I did not want to spend any longer in the semi gloom down stairs. I knew I would have do something to give light down there and we had to have means to cook food as well. There was little fruit left which meant, if we wanted to eat someone would have to go up and get some. It would be me of course as I would not let the girls go on their own in this weather but I would need two girls to help me. George put the next foot on the ladder and we quickly lifted her up onto it. She moved the bottom one and we lifted her again. Halfway up she stopped to rest.
'I’m getting the hang of it now.' She said proudly.
She started again. As soon as she was near the top, many willing hands helped her up with my warning ringing in their ears.
'Don’t pull her about too much, mind the stitches!'
I followed her up and after she settled on to her bed I checked her wound. No blood was coming out; in fact it looked quite good.
'Well doctor?' She asked.
'You’ll live.' I answered. 'My not very patient patient!'
'Very funny.' She replied lightly.
With light coming through the windows the charades started again. I tried to keep an eye on the time and the weather but it did not let up. During the afternoon I went downstairs with Natasha and Andrea. We donned blankets as the raincoats from the suitcases were part of the roof and working very well. We fought the storm and made our way to the cave. We took the meat back in hopes of saving it for tomorrow and collected enough fruit to keep us going but this time I brought the light back with me. Now at least we had a light to see with where it was dark although the light was a bit smelly when it was alight.
We played more charades and ate until the storm finally blew itself out. The sun came out but it was too late to do anything about anything tonight so we carried on with the charades until we went to bed. All of us upstairs, mainly to keep away from the very smelly toilet.
Day 75 on the island.
I woke early and took the spare bucket out to catch some of the water coming out of the bamboo pipe. I flushed the toilet several times to make it smell a little better. I surveyed the damage. One of the towers holding up our water pipe had fallen, tearing the connection apart. I could see no other problems near the house, so what the lightning hit I did not know.
The sun shone once more and I found enough dry wood to start a fire. I lay wet wood close by the fire to dry and we carried the meat down. I used the water coming out of the bamboo pipe to wash it then smelled it. It smelled good enough so I prepared it for cooking. I built the fire up and as I did so girls appeared from the house. They had to go to the stream to wash but at least they could use the toilet. The girls took over building up the fire as we needed a lot of embers to cook all we needed and I took two girls to investigate. We walked to the gate leading to the horseshoe inlet and saw the effect of a lightning strike on the lignum vitae. Another branch was hanging down but this one was our side of the wall and did not affect the opening of the gate. We opened the gate, closed it behind us and walked to the inlet. There was no sign of anything.
