The Island

[Alatáriel]

This was inspired by the movie, Cast Away

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Chapter One

Kyla walked along the road, on her way home from school. The autumn leaves crunching under her tennis shoes. The day was dark and dim; it looked as if it were about to rain. You had that strange feeling, the feeling you get the moment before a storm. Kyla could feel it, too.

She looked down as she walked. Her yellow scarf swayed in the wind. At last she stopped. There was a house, stood alone; the yard was clean, yet bare. She sighed and walked up the drive.

Kyla took out her key and slid it into the keyhole. Right when she began to turn the key, the door whipped open. And there stood her mother.

'Kyla, you are home, finally... Now, go up to your room and pack,' the woman said.

'Mom, do I really have to go? I don't want to go to Dad's, I don’t think I’m ready,' Kyla said, taking off her coat and scarf.

'Honey, I know the divorce has been hard on you, but...' her voice trailed off.

'Yes, yes, I know...' Kyla mumbled, as she walked up the stairs.

In her room, she sat down on the bed. Her room had several Travis posters on the wall. She loved Scotland, and didn’t want to leave. Why would she want to go back to the US? She loved it there in Scotland. Yet, she wanted to see her father... even though she hated both her parents at the moment. Didn’t they love each other? Why did they want to separate? Kyla wondered.

She sighed and packed her backpack with only a few little things. Her glasses, a few pairs of clothes, an extra pair of tennis shoes, her pocket knife, which she always carried with her, and her toothbrush.

'Kyla, are you ready?' her mom asked, poking her head into the door.

'As I shall ever be,' she said, sighing. She put on the backpack and walked to the car.

***

At the airport, Kyla said her goodbyes to her mother, and got onto the plane. She set the carry-on onto her lap and waited. The stewardess made sure everyone was okay, and they took off.

The plane ride was going smoothly. Kyla didn’t eat anything. She dint feel like eating much of anything these days. Her seat was next to the window, so she spent her time looking out it. It was fairly dark, despite it being in the middle of the day, and the clouds were black. There was going to be a storm.

[Alatáriel]

Kyla felt the plane make a turn. It wasn’t noticeable, but Kyla had always been a bit odd… something nagged at the back of her mind. Something was about to happen, she could feel it. The stewardess walked by, and Kyla waved for her to stop.

‘Is there any way the plane could crash?’ Kyla asked, a bit worried.

‘There are possibilities, but we are very safe here, and have taken all the safety measurements to assure all possible safety,’ the stewardess replied.

‘Is there any… erm… life jackets, or books on what to do if the plane does crash?’ Kyla asked, her mind still worrying.

‘There are life jackets in that pocket over there,’ she said, pointing to a small pocket filled with several objects, ‘and, there are safety books up there in that compartment, along with other magazines to read if one were to get bored…’

‘Ah, thank’ee. I think that will be all,’ Kyla said, the nagging feeling still in the back of her head, only this time, growing worse.

The stewardess walked away, and Kyla quickly got out the book. It read: Guide to Everything You Need to Know and Do in an Emergency on a Plane. Kyla opened and began to read. She flipped to What to do if your plane crashes in the water and read the chapter.

‘You worried?’ the person next to her asked. ‘This must be your first time on a plane…’

‘Actually, it’s not… I just have a nagging feeling… please, don’t mind me…’ Kyla said, a bit annoyed by the person. She turned her attention back to the book.

Lightning began to pop outside. The lights suddenly went out, making everyone gasp. The stewardess’ voice could be heard yelling, ‘Please remain calm. Everything is under control.’ Kyla grabbed the life jacket and held it close. The plane made a sudden jerk. Lighting popped one end, sending a hole in one part of the plane. A few fell out, and the everyone tried to reach for the air masks. Only a few of them worked, and many passed out. Kyla was thankful that hers did and tried to calm down, the life jacket still clasped in her hands.

She looked around, it was pitch black. She got out from her seat and crawled near the hole of the plane, life jacket in hand. If the plane was going to crash and sink in the water, she wanted to have a quick escape.

She clasped onto a seat. She noticed a stewardess passed out in front of her, an inflatable life boat next to her. It was deflated, of course, so Kyla grabbed it from her. She went to the stewardess, gave her some air, and then taking some back for herself, then back to the stewardess. The stewardess never awoke.

The plane was now rapidly falling. There were only about five people with gas masks on, and they all looked terrified. They did not know about the spare life jackets in the side pockets. All of the stewardess’ had passed out, so how could they know?

Kyla turned to look out of the hole in the plane. The water was so near, so she decided to just jump. The plane would go farther and lessen her changes of being sucked down with it. She carefully made her way to the hole, hanging onto the seats, and made a flying leap.

She tried to pull the lever on the life boat, but was falling so rapidly, she couldn’t get it. Finally, SPLASH! She had reached the water. The life boat was so heavy, she was sinking. She hadn’t been able to put on the life jacket, and it wouldn’t help anyway, the boat being so heavy.

She sunk lower and lower into the water, fiddling with the lever. Finally she got it and shot up quickly.

Inside the boat, she looked around. A fire was in the distance. The plane had crashed. It was hopeless for any that remained inside it. They were all gone. Dead.

Kyla watched the scene from her boat, wishing she could have helped some. She realized she had her pack, but what use was it now? Nothing in there could help her…

***

Kyla drifted for days. The plane had disappeared from view and she was left to drift now. She sat, wearily, and watched about. Nothing could be seen, not even a bird. She was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, no way to ever get back.

She turned on her side, trying to get comfortable. No success. She turned over and there it was. Kyla gasped at the sight. It was an island, and had come out of nowhere.

Kyla was a little hesitant, but let her life boat drift to the beach. There, she got out and looked around.

[Alatáriel]

Chapter Two

Kyla looked around. The island had a bare beach and then went into a deep thick forest. She knew her best chances were by the beach, but she might be on an island inhabited by people... or maybe it wasn’t an island at all... She kept her bag on her back. Making a giant K in the sand with her feet, so she would know if she had circled around the whole island or not, she made her way around the island.

At last she came back to the K again... partially faded from the waves. There were a few rocky parts on the island that she had to wade a bit to get around, but she was now certain it was an island.

She had spotted a few animals. Mainly crabs, but every once in a while an iguana or snake or something. Kyla decided to venture deeper into the island, maybe she could find some fresh water there. She was thirsty, being on the ocean that whole time.

She picked up a sturdy stick she found where the forest began. Walking in, she noticed that what looked like thickness was only right there at the front and ended five steps in. From there it was pretty nice. The ground was soft and all the underbrush had died out. At first, it made Kyla wonder, but she shrugged it off and continued towards the center of the island.

She came across a towering waterfall. It was a beautiful sight. There was what looked like a cave behind it. It could be a perfect home, or hideout. She was already begining to think ahead. Yet, she needed to stay close to the coast, if a ship were to come. Surely they would send out a search party...

The waterfall made Kyla so thirsty; she jumped in and drank merrily. Bathing off the saltwater, and quenching her thirst at the same time, she waded in the water. She noticed some small fish swimming around. Then she saw a deeper spot filled with bigger fish. They would make a perfect meal. Kyla's mouth began to water at the thought of those fish, fried over an open fire.

Kyla sat down on a rock by the pool. She took off her scarf and coat and laid them down neatly on a rock next to her. She then changed into a dry pair of clothes and tennis shoes. Deciding to take a look at what was behind the waterfall while it was still daylight, she walked over to it. The water didn't fall down as hard as one might guess. Yet it covered the whole entrance. Kyla made a flying leap for it. She jumped past the water and landed flat on her butt, slipping as she did. Her shoes didn’t have much traction on the wet floor.

She stood up, trying to maintain balance. Her eyes began to adjust to the dim light of the cave. She spotted something in the corner.

'Hullo?' she said, her voice a little shaky. The shadow didn’t move. Kyla walked closer to it. 'Hullo?'

[Alatáriel]

Kyla walked closer to the shadowy thing in the corner. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw a body. From her point of view she couldn’t tell if they were alive. Moving closer, she gasped, turned, and ran out of the cave. Forgetting there was water on the other side; she fell right in, causing a huge splash. The site of a dead corpse would drive anyone away in fright.

There was something odd about the corpse. It looked fresh, like if it had only died about a few days ago, yet it was dressed as if it had lived a hundred years in the past. It sent hope and fear through Kyla. Were there others on the island? Were they evile? Would they hurt her? Or help her?

She had a whole new sense of fear, yet wonder, in her. She went back to where her clothes and backpack was. Her other clothes were still wet, yet dryer than the ones she wore, so she changed into them. She put on her driest tennis shoes, took a sip of water, and began roaming through the rest of the island.

[Alatáriel]

It sure was an island. A good sized one, too. She spotted an animal here and there. Maybe a snake or a lizard. Once she thought she even saw a wild boar, which wasn’t a real good sight. Yes, if you can catch it, you'd have some food, but wild boars can be dangerous.
Kyla still wondered about the corpse. The person seemed as if they lived so long ago, yet the corpse looked only a few days old. It was dressed as an Englishman from the 1700's.

What was she to do now? She had to find a way to signal any ships. She had to find a way to survive if one never came. She took her jacket and began to gather a few edible-looking fruits that she had saw around the island.

[Alatáriel]

Chapter 3

Kyla found a nice spot right near the beach. It was under three big palms. Shady 'twas. She carried her sweater, bulging with edible looking fruits she had found on the island. They all were very exotic looking, none of which Kyla had seen before. One was very purple, and was shaped like a mix between a pineapple and a kiwi. Another was a bright-blinding red and was a cross between a strawberry and a grape.

Kyla was starving. She sniffed the fruit: they had no odor. She suddenly bit into the strawberry-grape one and chewed merrily. It had a sweet flavour, not exactly as it looked, but still good. Kyla ate until she was content, and then relaxed a bit.

'Now time for shelter...' Kyla said to herself. She looked around. What in the world could she make a shelter out of? She couldn't do this all on her own. It was a lot of work for one person. She sighed, munching on a strange orange-purple-ish fruit, and contemplated on what she should do.

[Istawen Aeros]

Since this has been closed for six months, I'm closing it. Please tell me if you have a problem with that, Alatariel.