Village E3: Survival of the Human Spirit

by James Holler

  "Did you hear that?" he asked. "Do you hear Katie?" asked Hailey. "No, it sounds like water," said John, standing to his feet. "Let's go," he said, walking straight into the trees. Excited by what he heard, John was moving quickly. "Slow down a little," pleaded Hailey. John heard her, but didn't comply with her request. The terrain went from flat, to sloping downward. John stopped and said, "Come on, come here," as he motioned with his arm for Hailey to come.

  When Hailey got to where John was standing, she saw it too. In front of them was a clear stream of moving water, with a rocky bottom. The water looked clean enough to drink, but they knew they shouldn't. As they put their feet in, they were standing in shallow, swift water. Looking just downstream, they could see it flowing into a deep pool where just below, the water was faster and shallower again and had lots of fish.

  There were small frogs all along the edge of the water, in different shades of green and brown that reminded John of the cricket frogs he used to catch when he spent the summers with his grandparents. They started walking downstream, along the edge of the water. The persistent sunshine that they had been trying to avoid all day was interrupted by some unexpected clouds. They both looked to the sky behind them. "We better head back, in case it rains," said John, turning toward where they came from.

  As soon as they got out of the trees, they started across the clearing. Without having to worry about staying out of the sun, their concern now was getting back as quickly as they could. In spite of their thirst and fatigue, they walked at a fast clip through the thick, tall grass, throwing it to the side with their hands as they went forward. They walked at a fast clip, in spite of their thirst and fatigue. The grass they had to walk through was thick and tall. Each of them checked the clouds from time to time. Once across the clearing, they moved steadily, pausing only briefly to holler out Katie's name and whistle for her.

  In what seemed like a fourth of the time the trip out took, they found the area they recognized as home. "I hope Katie made it back while we were gone," said Hailey. "Yep, me too," said John. However, Katie was nowhere to be seen around the fire pit or the pool area. They both walked directly to their hut, hoping to see her. They reached the doorway together, and found that Katie wasn't there. "Damn it, I hope she doesn't get caught out in the rain," said John, remembering that miserable night many months ago he had spent in the rain.

  Hailey and John had one thing on their minds now; they needed water. Without saying another word, they walked straight to it. John picked up the container and Hailey picked up the cup, which John filled for her. As she was drinking, John poured water directly from the container into his mouth. He refilled Hailey's cup when it was empty, and they continued to drink until half the water was gone. "It might be a waste of time to start a fire now. We've got enough water to last till tomorrow, and if it rains, we will have plenty more anyway," said John, looking up at the sky.

  He was hoping that they would be back in time to catch some fish for supper, but that would have to wait. Having nothing better to do, and both being extremely tired, they walked to the hut. Hailey walked to their pile of leaves on the floor, and quickly found a soft spot to settle into. John followed her, and lay down right beside her as the sky outside began to darken. They had spent so much energy today that neither of them felt like talking.

  In no time, Hailey's breathing told John that she was asleep. Seeing her there beside him, he felt a contradiction of emotions. He genuinely felt bad for her that she was stuck here with him, but at the same time, he couldn't imagine life without her now. He wasn't sure if what he felt was love, but he knew that the feeling grew stronger every day. As John was looking at Hailey, his thoughts drifted to Katie, out there somewhere alone. He wasn't completely convinced she was out there in the jungle though. He hadn't discussed it with Hailey, but he thought there might be another explanation, other than her wandering off and getting lost.

  A loud clap of thunder nearby startled him and woke Hailey. John put up the door and secured it, and before he could get back in bed, the rain started. After he lay down, John listened intently for leaks. He kept a supply of small sticks in one corner of the hut, to mark any leaks for repair later. Fumbling around in the dim light, he located them and placed them where he could easily find them. Good, no leaks yet, he thought. Hailey quickly went back to sleep, and in minutes, John was out too.

  As Hailey woke up the next morning, she could see the sunlight coming through the cracks around the door dimly lighting the inside of the hut. The rain had stopped hours ago, and it was quiet outside. It was the first time since she had been here that it had rained so hard. The unusual silence this morning was a welcome relief from the usual sounds she heard. The unfamiliar noises of the jungle was the thing that was hardest for her to get used to. Another thing she disliked, was having no modern conveniences. I hope Katie is OK, she thought.

  She looked at John as he slept, and thought of how close they were becoming. When she looked at him now, she saw past the scrubby appearance of a castaway. Now she saw a man who was slim, but muscular, and had attractive facial features that were camouflaged by his shaggy beard, and wild, uncombed hair. She reached out her hand and started to wake him, but changed her mind.

  Being as quiet as she could, Hailey placed the door to one side, and stepped out on the wet grass. It was eerily calm, and reminded her of a camping trip she and her parents went on when she was a small girl. Her dad loved to fish, and camping was an extension of that love. Her mom endured it, for the love of her husband and family, rather than the love of the great outdoors. Thinking of her mom made her wish that she could tell them that she was all right. It made her sad to think that they were probably in pain because she was gone.

  Hailey looked all around her, as though she expected to see Katie waiting for her. She missed her, even though Katie's depression hadn't allowed them to become real friends yet. They had a bond that only sharing a bizarre life-changing experience can create. They woke up together on the beach in this strange place afraid and confused. She thought of how they had been walking along, when John jumped out and grabbed Katie, and was proud of how they had fought. I hope she found a dry spot to spend the night, she thought.

  Realizing she was allowing herself to think too much about things that made her sad, Hailey directed her thoughts to daily chores. She decided to try to get the fire going while John slept a while longer. She slipped back into the hut and gathered some fire starting material that they kept there for such an occasion. Showering the ball of plant fibers with sparks from the fire starter, Hailey soon had some heavy smoke. Holding the fibers carefully with her fingers to the side, she blew on the hot spot. Drawing a full breath, she blew again, slowly, but steadily, until the small area that was producing heavy smoke, burst into flames.

  She skillfully placed it in the fire pit, and began adding some of the small dry sticks that she brought from the hut. With the small fire going well, it was just a matter of adding gradually larger sticks, until the fire was hot enough to burn wetter wood.

  John's voice suddenly shattered the early morning silence. "Morning," he said, as he stood right behind her. "Don't do that," said Hailey, noticeably startled. "You scared the crap out of me." "Well what's the plan for today?" asked John. "Why don't we check down by the beach? We haven't checked there yet," said Hailey. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe we can take a dip and wash up while we are down there," said John.

  The evening before, they had left the pot, pan, and their cup out to catch rain. Hailey picked up the cooking pot, which was half full, and drank about half the water in it. She then handed it to John. Boiled water from the pool was safe to drink, but the taste was awful compared to rain water. "Man, that's good," said John, after finishing off what was left in the pot.

  After completing their daily chores, they set out for the beach. The day was warming up quickly, and with the added humidity from the rain, they both were sweating before they were even half way to the beach. "Judging by my sme
ll, I'm about a day overdue for a dip in the ocean," John joked. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything," said Hailey, playing off of his quip. "OK," said John, pretending to be offended.

  They finally reached the beach and sat in the shade of a tree, before going on. "We could probably cover more ground if we split up and go both directions at once," said John, pointing with his fingers. "OK, but let's not get out of each other's sight. Hopefully we can find some of Katie's footprints if she made it this far," said Hailey. After catching their breath, they headed down the edge of the beach, in opposite directions, both inspecting the sand for any sign that Katie had been there.

  As they walked away from each other, John and Hailey each checked over their shoulder often to make sure the other was still in sight. John occasionally went out to the middle of the beach, just to make sure he wasn't missing anything. As time slipped by, the distance between them kept growing and they couldn't go much farther without going out of sight from each other. John was thinking about turning back, when he looked back for Hailey, and realized that he couldn't see her. He felt as much panic as he felt on his first day here.

  He turned and began to run as fast as he could, and in less than a hundred yards, he was out of breath. His side was hurting, but he continued to run, while focusing on the last area he had seen her. His greatest fear now wasn't the fact that he was here, but it was being here without Hailey. He thought of his high school years, when he could run for miles and not rest. Now, he was in pain after a short run, but his fear was stronger than the physical discomfort that he felt. He pressed on despite the pain, and just when he thought his heart would burst, Hailey appeared. She stepped into sight from out of the trees, looked up, and saw that John was running, so she began walking in his direction.

  John felt a similar feeling now that he felt the day he sighted Hailey and Katie. He stopped in his tracks, put his hands on his knees, and struggled to breathe. Not sure what was going on, Hailey began to jog towards him. Seeing her running, he lifted one hand to signal her not to run. They were a great distance apart still. As John began to catch his breath, he started walking toward Hailey and couldn't take his eyes off of her now. As they got close enough to hear each other, Hailey yelled, "What's wrong?" "I couldn't see you. You scared the hell out of me," said John.

  "I had to pee," said Hailey. When they finally reached each other, John walked directly up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She was surprised at first, but then joined him in the embrace. "I couldn't live without you now," said John. Not saying anything, Hailey squeezed John a little tighter. "I'm serious. I didn't realize it until I couldn't see you. I thought I was going to die," said John, not wanting to relax his hold.

  "I think you're pretty much stuck with me now. Let's wash up, and go home," said Hailey, gently pushing away. As they walked toward the water, Hailey reached out and took John's hand. It was just the kind of gesture that he was looking for. He wasn't sure how Hailey felt, but now he knew she felt something more than just friendship. This time, washing up was more of a chore than leisure, and they quickly finished cleaning and washing their clothes. "We need to catch some fish today. I'm starving for some protein," said John, after they had a short rest in the shallows. "Sounds good to me," said Hailey, as they both started toward home.

  Chapter 5

  John had learned to appreciate the wide variety of plant and animal in place. The walks he took with Hailey were something that he looked forward to, since she too appreciated nature. As they walked, they each liked to point out things that they thought were interesting, sometimes stopping to take a closer look at an exceptional flower, a butterfly, or any creature that caught their eye. There was no shortage of new things to look at here, but on this walk they didn't talk much because they were both too tired and hungry.

  "Oh my gosh, there she is," Hailey shrieked as she looked back at John. Katie was seated by the fire. Hearing Hailey, Katie looked up and smiled as they approached. Hailey was too excited to notice the oddity of her smile, but John noticed it. Neither of them had seen her smile since she had been here. "Where have you been? You scared us to death," said Hailey, as she walked up and hugged Katie around the neck.

  "Oh, I guess I overslept today. I know I've been a little lazy, so I thought I would fix some lunch," said Katie, pointing to the fire. "Wow, you caught some fish. Man, those look good," said John, looking at the two fish that were skewered on sticks and cooking over hot coals. "Where did you spend the night last night, Katie?" asked Hailey. "What do you mean?" Katie asked, looking confused by the question.

  Hailey looked up at John, to see what his reaction to Katie's strange behavior was. Trying to make sure Katie didn't notice, John shook his head slightly to signal Hailey not to continue with her line of questioning. "Uh, the thunder and lightning woke John and me up last night, but I guess you slept through it," said Hailey. "I guess so. I didn't hear a thing," said Katie.

  Katie reached out and turned the fish over, so they could cook on the other side. "I hope you don't mind that I used your fishing pole," said Katie, looking up at John. "It's OK, as long as you don't lose a hook. We only have a couple of them, and there obviously aren't any stores nearby," said John. As Katie moved the fish, and adjusted their position over the fire, Hailey and John exchanged glances, trying not to let Katie notice. John tilted his head toward the hut. "I'll be right back," he said.

  "I'm going to go see what John is doing," said Hailey, after waiting a minute or two. "She doesn't even have a clue that she was gone," said Hailey, in a loud whisper, as soon as she set foot in the hut. "I don't think it would even do any good to tell her. What do you think?" asked John. "Promise me one thing though. If they ever take me like that, tell me. I want to know," said Hailey. "OK, you do the same for me," said John.

  "We better get back out there. Besides, I'm really hungry," said Hailey, taking John by the arm. She gently released her grip, and slid her finger tips down John's arm, and squeezed his hand in hers. Placing her other hand on his chest, she leaned toward him. John bent his head down to meet her, and they kissed, slowly at first, then the passion built.

  This moment was something they both wanted, and it was safer for Hailey, since Katie was back. Katie's presence would keep them from going too far, too fast. Placing his hand on the small of Hailey's back, John pulled her close to him. She could feel that he was excited. She wanted more too, but now wasn't the time. "Come on, we better get back," said Hailey, breaking away. She slowly walked out of the hut. John stayed behind, needing to calm down. Wearing just his boxers, it was impossible to hide his desire for her. He couldn't walk out looking like he looked now.

  "You look like you are feeling pretty good today," said Hailey, as she walked up behind Katie. "Yes, I do feel pretty good. The fish is just about ready," said Katie. "John and I found a stream that has a bunch of fish in it," said Hailey. "That's good, because we are going to catch all the fish in our pool, sooner or later," said Katie, repeating what John had said several times before. Katie turned one of the fish over, and then took it from the fire.

  "I think it's ready to eat," said Katie, peeling back the skin from the fish, exposing the flaky white flesh. Talking to Katie felt strange to Hailey, because they hadn't had a real conversation, since they woke up on the beach together. Katie had been so sad, that she never spoke more than a sentence or two each day. Now she acted like her depression was a distant memory, if it was a memory at all.

  As Katie took the second fish from the fire, John stepped from the hut. "The fish is ready," Hailey shouted at him. "Good," said John, "I'm starving." Katie passed one of the fish to John, as he sat next to her and Hailey. He tore away a large chunk and began to eat. He then handed the fish to Hailey, and she also picked off a large piece of meat, and put it in her mouth.

  While Hailey and John shared one fish, Katie started on the other. Eating was a serious activity, since they never seemed to have enough to eat, so none of them spoke. After consuming a little more than half of
hers, Katie handed what remained, to Hailey. By then, she and John had finished their fish, and John was picking tiny bits of meat from the bones.

  After they finished what remained of the second fish, John chewed away at the skin covering the head, then removed one of the fins and crunched away at it. "I'm still hungry," said John. He and Hailey had been spending so much time looking for Katie, that they both had neglected eating. "I'm going to catch some more fish," said John, as he stood to his feet. "Now that we have another place to fish, I'm not going to worry about catching all the fish in the pool," he said, as he walked toward the hut to get his fishing pole. After a nice meal, he had a little more life in his step.

  In no time, John had his pole and was gathering insects to use for bait. He found that hunger was a great motivator. Catching fish from the pool had always been easy and now that they had another source for fish, he wouldn't have to ration them. Each time he fished, he always checked his line for weak spots by slowly running the line between his fingers, like his dad had taught him. This simple act was more important than ever, because he couldn't afford to lose a hook.

  Satisfied that the line was ok, he baited the hook and dropped it in the water. He liked to keep the bait in sight so he could pull it away from any large fish. Within seconds he had his first fish and tossed it on the ground behind him. He watched it flop about on the ground, working its gills and struggling to breathe.

  As he looked at the tiny fish, he was a little surprised that he was feeling sympathy for this little creature. Putting his pole on the ground, he took the fish in one hand, and using the back of his knife, he whacked it in the head. His need for food required him to kill, but he felt differently about it than he once did.