Spoiler! :
...“There.” Edwin said in a sigh, “One-thousand, four-hundred and seventy days.” He had just put the last tally on the piece of wood we used as a guide to tell us how long we had been on the island. One-thousand, four-hundred and seventy. “That’s… four years and ten days!” He said, writing the calculation in the wet sand.
We were sitting on the edge of the beach, where the ocean’s water came forth and wet our bottoms, and back- wiping any footprint we had left in its way. Its blue colour made Ed’s eyes glisten in the same shade: a pure crystal-blue. I watched them as his were gazing far across the horizon, as if something were to emerge from it; I felt the sorrow from his heart reflecting into his eyes. He was home-sick- just like I was.
“Do you still think that there is a possibility that they find us? After four years, if they haven’t found us, surely it means they can’t.” I had to admit what I had refused to admit for so long: that we would never be found. That we’d have to find a way to survive on such an island for the rest of our existence or…
“We should try to get away!” He had been repeating the same thing for a while. I actually thought he was going crazy because we had tried that idea but didn’t succeed to even make it to sea. I had soon lost hope, but he remained strangely optimistic about the matter.
“Ed, we have tried many times! I think it’s time we gave up on trying to save ourselves. They will come one day, I’m sure of it!” That was the last thing said on the subject. However, in my mind I wondered of what life would have been like at home- with the preparations for my fifteenth birthday only four days away, with my mother fussing about how much of a woman I had become. The tears rolled down my cheeks by themselves, by their own will. But my mouth curled into a smile, though I did not feel like smiling, thus the falling tears fell off my cheeks instead of rolling all the way down to my chin. Four years. I showed many common features of feminine maturity, yet I did not know how to control my emotions. Worse yet! I did not even know what emotion was going through me. Sadness? Happiness? Maybe a hodgepodge of many. I knew I was being silly and wiped off the useless tears from my face. I got up from the spot that I had been sitting on for a couple of hours, turned on my heels and headed for the forest.
“I’m going for a walk. I’ll probably get something for us to eat. Could you go fishing for me, please?” As I walked away, I had to speak louder for him to hear, but I felt as if no words were coming out. Only was I satisfied that I was not deaf when I heard him respond.
No more tripping when I walked through the forest. I was now used to the large tree roots that couldn’t find enough space under ground so decided to invade the land, the creatures scampering here and there did not bother me at all and the trail was perfectly common to me. I was heading for the secret place I went to when I wanted to be left alone. I know being only two on an island could make it easy for me to have my private place, but the place was special to me. It cheered me up and made me forget about going back home. Also it had a river that came from the high water fall on the other side of the island and ended up in the sea so it was a perfect place for me to bathe without Edwin seeing me naked.
I had never been so embarrassed of him seeing me in the nude, but every time he looked at me when I was in such a state, I felt my whole body go red all over! That was what caused me to find my secret place actually. I was probably twelve years old when it happened. Yes, yes, I was twelve. I don’t know what went through his mind, but as I undressed one day to go and bathe by the water-fall, Edwin followed me. I was alright with that because at the time I was not so embarrassed when he saw me naked. But he too got undressed and approached me. I wasn’t afraid or anything, I just thought he’d want to give me more swimming lessons after such a long time. Instead he touched me. I won’t say where- you already have a clue, I’m guessing. I felt awfully uncomfortable and I moved away. He took hold of me around my waist and muttered close to my face:
“Just let me do it, I promise I won’t hurt you.” He leaned forward to kiss me but I managed to get out of his grip and I ran. I just ran to where my legs would take me. I promised myself never to return to where what had happened, happened. And never to return to the hut. That was when I found the place. My ‘sanctuary’ and shelter. I stayed there for two days, until Edwin came searching for me with a worried voice.
He didn’t make it to my place, but I could hear his voice calling for me in the distance, but not so far away from where I was hiding.
“Luna! Luna!” He cried. I didn’t answer or go to him. I wanted him to talk first. “I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. It’s just…it’s just being so isolated from the world, away from Ellie…you do understand, don’t you? I’m sorry and I’ll never do it again…I promise. Luna? Where are you? Please come out. Please, please don’t be dead! I can’t be left…I can’t be…left alone! Please! Luna?” He sounded as if he was on the verge of crying, either that or he was already crying. I felt my heart twist in pity and sorrow for him. I had to forgive him. I had to. Before he could make it to where I was, I walked down another path to meet him. Arms wide opened, we both ran towards each other and sobbed. I forgave him.
But that was all in the past and never had he done anything as stupid-minded as that. He kept his promise, but in case he had another uncontrollable moment, I continued bathing in my secret place. I sat there looking down at the river which had a different colour to the ocean’s one. I preferred this one for it glistened less, yet it flowed with great personality. Its source being the top of the waterfall and its end being any sea in the world.
Night soon fell. On Cartora- the island (we had named it after our fathers: Carter and Aurora), we often lose all sense of time and I had forgotten about the food I was supposed to be fetching. In the end, because of the poor light, I could only get a basket full of a fruit we named ‘Strapple’- a fruit which resembled an apple but had the sweet taste of a strawberry.
The fire put its orange light on us and what was in its perimeter. We ate fish and fruit in the silence. Well, I couldn’t describe it as silence- this was only coming from us, but the island was illuminated by the sounds of the night and ‘the man on the moon’ had decided to switch it on and the stars around it. It was a bright night. Yet another night on Cartora.
“We are not in so much distress, are we?” That was all I said that night, apart from the goodnight greeting I gave Ed just before going to sleep. Indeed, we were not living a bad life. If we ever did get away, we would definitely miss our island and isolated life.
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