Me and Them

by S G Read

  'Then what?' George asked, raising herself up.

  I thought for a moment.

  'Well the alternator is ready to try. I have to fix it to something and try to find a way of getting it to go round fast enough to charge the battery, then I can try to contact someone when I have cleaned the radio.

  Faces lit up, smiles returned, it was what they wanted to hear.

  'We can have a competition to design the thing which makes the thingy go round.' Tammy exclaimed.

  'Can we?' Alex asked.

  'I don’t see why not.' I replied. 'I suppose I am the judge and not allowed to enter?'

  'Of course,' Charley retorted, 'but you can help us out if we need it.'

  That caused a stir.

  'It wouldn’t be fair if you just helped one girl!' George exclaimed.

  'I agree,' I answered, 'I help all those who want it or none at all!'

  A quick confab and that was agreed, I had to help all those who wanted help.

  When we went in to sleep we were able to close the gate behind us to keep the boar and his family out, on this side anyway!

  Day 48 on the island.

  The competition started. As I could not go anywhere because I could be called upon to help at any time, I started cleaning the radio. The girls had paired up to design their method of driving the alternator. The first thing I found was a bullet in the tuner of the radio, I hoped it was repairable and dug it out with a knife. I said nothing to the girls about the bullet and helped them when I was called upon. Some ideas were usable but some were hopeless. Again I said nothing and we would try them. The one which worked best would be the winner. To make all four designs could be deemed a waste of resources but I felt I had to help make each one.

  By the end of the day, each method was ready for testing but I delayed the final test until the morning. With time on my hands I took two girls and went in search of another piece of wood for my new hunting aid. It was going to be a crossbow but I had kept it a secret in case it was a complete failure. We walked over to the flat area where all the trees had been flattened by nature to find my wood. We collected several pieces of wood and walked back with only Andrea as our protector but we did not see the boar or any supper. I started whittling again, shaping the wood and taking off any sharp edges. I drilled a hole through it to make the hole for the trigger and shaped the stock. I heard a whisper and knew they had worked out what I was making. I hoped it worked.

  Day 49 on the island.

  I set up the first effort to drive the alternator but we soon realised that we had no way to tell if it was going fast enough to do any good! We all walked to the boat, collected wire and as many bulbs as we could find with their holders and wire attached. Now we could test. All the machines were worked by the water flowing down the stream so we walked to where the water was fastest to try them out.

  The first one was Tammy and Alex's. It started well but fell apart before the bulb even glowed. The second was Andrea and Tabby's it worked well but failed to move the alternator. The third was Charley and Sarah's, a bit of a surprise for me that the two sisters were not working together. Their machine worked but the bulb did not light and their efforts to speed it up met with disaster. George and Natasha wheeled their effort forward and stood the paddle in the water. A pair of tights wrapped round the wooden spindle and the pulley on the alternator gave them friction and no one wanted to wear tights here. They pushed the paddle a little into the water and the alternator moved. They inched it in further and it moved faster. A glimmer appeared in the bulb and they moved it in further but it slipped in more than George wanted it to. The bulb lit up brightly and then went pop.

  'Oops, sorry.' George said meekly. 'It slipped.'

  'Well I think we have a winner,' I announced, 'but we have to make sure it does not slip again so everyone think of how we can make it easier to adjust!'

  As they all congratulated George and Natasha, I left them to it to carry on with my cross bow. Now the truth was out I wanted to make sure it at least fired. I had the stock now, with its hole for the trigger and the cross piece ready to screw in place. I thought I would try the root first as a string for the bow but now I had to make the little pivoting support which would make the trigger work. Again this had to be lignum vitae for strength and to make it last some time.

  The girls worked out together how to move the paddle further into the water gradually with control and built it. It consisted of a bamboo slide with a mini block and tackle made from off cuts from a log. I was impressed. It worked well and the second time they lowered it into the water the new bulb lit and stayed lit. I took the bulb away and wired the alternator to the battery to charge it before I continued with my whittling.

  As the boat was no longer viable as a way off the island, I planned to strip out all the wiring and use it to give us lights in the house but first I had a crossbow to make. I drilled the stock to fit the two pivots which would work the trigger and set it all up ready to use. I tied the root across the bow section and twanged it with my finger. I had no idea how much the root would take but we had not broken one this thick yet. I used the lever I had made to pull the root back and fitted it over the trigger. The tautness made it lock together and hold, I pulled the trigger and the root flew forward.

  'It works!' George cried and thrust an arrow in my direction.

  'That arrow is too long,' I informed her, 'and no, I will not cut it down to fit! I will make an arrow tomorrow!'

  'Oh pooh.' She exclaimed, then brightened up. 'Can I be the first one to try it?'

  'It's between you and Natasha as you won the contest.' I answered.

  'How do we choose?' Natasha asked.

  'Another competition?' Charley asked.

  'But how?' George asked. 'If it is anything which requires strength, Tash will win. If it is catching fish by hand I’ll win!'

  'Good idea.' I said with a smile. 'You will catch a fish with my rod and line and whosever’s is the biggest gets to choose.'

  'And we get to eat the fish!' Tammy cried.

  'We do!' I agreed. 'No time limit but the first fish is the one which counts! Now I want two girls to come with me to find wood for little arrows. Who is volunteering?'

  They all came. We walked out on to the area where the trees had been flattened and cut some young growth from trees which would not die and walked back to the camp. Trotter prints and pig pooh told us we had a visitor at the camp site so we stopped walking. There was no sound so we walked back and round the monolith to the gate on the other side. We watched the boar from a distance as he strutted round the camp site, but the door did not yield to his nudges and he decided to take his brood and go. Andrea had other ideas and we had pig for supper, not the tough old boar but a nice sized piglet!

  'We’ll start on that wall to keep Mr. Pig out tomorrow.' Charley said as she lay there rubbing her exposed stomach. 'I think I ate too much though.'

  That night we slept tight, knowing we were safe from any attackers who did not have a ladder!

  Day 50 on the island.

  We were up early; everyone washed and ate some fruit for breakfast before we walked through the new path to the beach. Then we walked on toward the coral beach; inspecting the old shelter on the way through. I was glad to see it had stood the test of a boar attack, maybe he would not bother again. I set up the rod and made Natasha bait the hook herself, not that she liked doing it. Then she tried to cast.

  It was half an hour before she managed to get the baited hook where she wanted to fish. Then we waited. Everyone was impatient, including Natasha who reeled in after ten minutes when nothing had happened. The bait was still there and she had to struggle to cast it out again. I explained again that you had to wait until a fish took the bait.

  An hour after she started, she had a bite and found herself fighting with the fish on the end of the fishing line. I did not help but told her what to do and she finally beached her fish. We gutted it ready for cooking and weighing and then George tried.


  The process was just the same as Natasha but when she pulled it in after half an hour, something took the bait on the way in and she found herself fighting to land a fish. I could tell by the way the rod bent that it was a small fish but suddenly the rod was nearly pulled out of her hand. She fought well; this fish was not going to get away! In the end she beached two fish. One on the hook and one with its teeth round the other fish, still not willing to let go!

  'I win!' She cried.

  'We’ll see.' I answered and used a priest to disable the larger fish.

  I unhooked the smaller fish with the teeth marks in it and balanced it against the obviously larger fish of Natasha.

  'What about that one?' George asked.

  I pointed to the little fish.

  'First fish.'

  Then I pointed to the larger fish.

  'Second fish!'

  'But that’s not fair.' Charley cried.

  'Rules is rules.' I declared. 'Natasha is the winner.'

  'Do I have to shoot it or can I choose someone?' Natasha asked.

  'You are the winner, you get to choose.' I replied.

  'Good! I wanted to win, I always want to win but I think George deserves to shoot it first.' Natasha declared.

  George threw her arms round Natasha in a rare show of emotion.

  'Thank you Tash.'

  We walked back carrying the two fish, the little one was thrown back to feed the crabs as it was well mangled.

  I sat while the fish were cooked and made a bolt for the crossbow. I knew how to make arrows now, although this one was a lot shorter than the normal arrows I made.

  'Crossbow arrows are called bolts.' I explained as I worked.

  I glued to feathers on to it when it was ready and stuck the tip into the embers to harden it. I pulled it out now and then to look at it, then when I was satisfied I laid it to one side to cool. We ate in silence but I could see no one was eating slowly. I ate at my speed and was still eating when Natasha walked away to set up the target. It was double thickness now as I expected the bolt to go faster than the bow.

  I stood up and walked over to the crossbow.

  'Ready?' I asked.

  George nodded.

  I gave her the crossbow with the root loaded ready. She fitted the arrow and aimed at the target. We all gathered behind her, ready to run if there was a problem. She put the stock to her shoulder and fired. Straw flew out of the back of the target and the bolt smashed against the rocks behind it.

  'Wow!' Natasha cried.

  George turned with tears in her eyes.

  'I’m sorry, I broke the bow.'

  I looked where she was looking and the root had broken.

  'Just needs something stronger,' I answered with a smile, 'but I think we can call that a successful test.'

  Charley walked back with the broken bolt.

  'Did you see how fast it went?' She exclaimed and held it up for inspection. 'When Walter fixes it for you, you can go hunting!'

  I nodded but I still had to fix it. I took George and Natasha with me and walked to the beached boat to search it in case there was something there I could use. In the engine compartment I found a steel wire, multi stranded, attached to some sort of safety device. It was thin enough but was it strong enough? There was enough there to make several crossbows if it was good enough. I carefully disconnected it and we walked back to the camp site via the new gate.

  I tried several ways to fit the wire and all failed, by the time the last girl was asleep I was still trying. I thought there must be a way of doing it. I had tools to shape and fix it with and kept trying until I succeeded, it was well into the night by the time I had the wire in place and the bow set. I climbed up, pulled the ladder up after me and went to bed.

  Day 51 on the island.

  I awoke to the sound of a thud as a bolt from the crossbow hit the target. I turned over.

  When I finally climbed down the ladder, all was quiet. Two girls were cleaning round the camp site and obviously making a big fire to cook the food on it. I washed and made myself feel human before I slid the paddle out of the water. I tried a bulb across the terminals and it lit brightly, the battery was charged and what’s more the paddle had stood the test of time. I carried the battery back and wired the radio to it. The light in the radio came on and I pushed the button on it. I heard nothing. It suddenly dawned on me that I had not brought a speaker from the boat. Without a speaker I would hear nothing. I disconnected the radio to save the battery. Until the others came back I could not really go anywhere so I relaxed and thought about my next task, making another cross bow! I looked in the corner, it was gone. They were obviously trying it out. I saw my fermenting grape juice and sniffed each bottle, it certainly smelt the part.

  'We are going up to get some pork.' Tammy called in the door.

  It was my cue to go with them.

  I picked up a spear and walked with them, not that I expected any trouble walking up to the cave and back. On the way back they carried the spear and I carried the pork which we cut up and put in to cook. We still wrapped the pork in leaves and covered the leaves with mud before the girls pushed it into the ashes at the bottom of the fire.

  I started on the next crossbow. I knew how to do it now and I was willing to make everyone a bow if they were willing to use it and if I had enough wire!

  The girls came back carrying a piglet and Charley. The boar had caught her leg as it charged.

  'Bring me the two first aid kits.' I ordered and looked at the wound. A flap of skin lay open. I washed the wound and laid it back into place.

  'This will hurt a bit.' I warned.

  I had to stitch the wound up while the rest held her leg still. Charley screamed and cursed in her native tongue before she passed out. I finished stitched it and bandaged it up for her.

  'Bring me the platform.'

  The girls carried the platform over.

  'Put it inside. She will have to sleep downstairs until she is allowed to climb the ladder again.'

  They did as I ordered.

  George went up the ladder and brought both Charley's and her bed down. She was obviously going to sleep down stairs with her sister. Natasha and Andrea did the same. I said nothing but I would make sure I firmly bolted the door when I went up to bed.

  'Now I need to go to the boat.' I announced.

  Andrea and Natasha stood up immediately. George gave Natasha the crossbow and two bolts. They had obviously made at least two more bolts.

  We walked to the boat and I took every bit of wire I could get and the speakers from the boat, then we walked back. Before it grew too dark I slid the paddle into the water so that it lit up the bulb again but not brightly lit up, just enough to give some light. I ran the wiring, joining it where I had to by twisting it together and covering it with tape. It reached up to the house and just indoors. The bulb lit the inside up enough to see what we were doing and I left it at that. Later I could add more bulbs and make the paddle go faster!

  Charley woke up, complaining about her leg and she kept complaining until I gave her a painkiller. I waited until we were ready to go to bed before I gave it to her in hopes she would sleep a while longer but I heard her, George, Andrea and Natasha talking until I fell asleep. Her moans woke me during the night and I climbed down to give her another painkiller but she was moaning in her sleep and the other three were asleep, so I crept back up to bed.

  Day 52 on the island.

  I woke early to check on Charley, only to find her outside sitting in the sunshine.

  'Good morning doctor.' She said when I walked out of the door.

  'Good morning patient.' I replied. 'Who said you could get out of bed?'

  'Call that a bed?' She retorted. 'Anyway I had to go. It’s not too bad now.' She added and I knew what was coming next.

  'You are confined to the camp until I say otherwise.' I said sternly.

  'Oh pooh.' Charley said, obviously hoping for better.

  'Did you all hear that?' I as
ked. 'Charley is confined to camp until I say she can go out.'

  There was no reply so I repeated it louder.

  'Yes we heard.' A ragged reply came from those who were already out there.

  'Well make sure everyone knows, including Charley!' I declared looking directly at her. 'The less patching up I have to do, the longer the things in the first aid boxes will last!'

  I undid the bandage and looked at her wound, it was looking surprisingly good. I wrapped a clean bandage round it to keep the flies off it.

  'So far so good, use it as little as possible until I say you can, do otherwise or it might get infected and then I might have to cut it off!' I said for effect. 'And I don’t want to have to do that without an anaesthetic.'

  She looked at me and smiled.

  'Good try,' She said quietly, 'but I’ll be a good girl just don’t make it too long though.' She lay back on her improvised sun bed to sunbathe and closed her eyes.

  She was certainly different now, than she had been when she arrived on the island. I wondered what the reaction would be when I finally got her home!

  From sugary princess who could do nothing, to a young Amazon!

  I left her to it and walked down to the stream to wash and to wash the bandage. George followed me, took the bandage and washed it for me. Another changed princess, now they could be called real princesses.

  'Thank you princess.' I said as I dried my face.

  'That was another life!' She answered and walked away carrying the bandage.

  'One you will have to return to.' I called after her.

  'Only if we are found.' She called back. 'Then I’ll start thinking like a princess again but I’m never going to be that princess again!'

  I washed the towel and laid it out to dry before I walked back to the house. As I walked up I looked at it. It was amazing what we had achieved and I wondered what the first storm would bring.

  'What are we doing today Walter?' Natasha asked.

  'I am making more crossbows and as you lot made the last bolts you can make some more.' I answered.