“Describe the cove to me. We’ll track from there.”
We’ve taken shelter under a fallen tree and are waiting for the rain to let up and for the first time in a long time I’m actually hopeful. I mean, now that we’re with Alu, our chances of finding our parents and getting off this island alive are a whole lot better and thank goodness for that because the alternative isn’t so desirable.
WYATT
11:43 AM
It had stopped raining and we were about to continue our trek when we spotted something moving through the forest below. Looking through the binoculars, our worst fear was realized. It was the gunmen!
Before we had time to react, one of the men saw us, put his rifle to his shoulder, and fired. A bullet cut through the trees overhead. We took cover and the men started up the hill after us. Our only option was to climb higher, away from the gunmen. We scrambled around the fallen trees and continued moving up the mountain until we reached a granite cliff face. We would need ropes to climb any higher and the gunmen were gaining on us.
“What do we do?” Gannon asked in a panic.
There was only one thing we could do.
“We have to get across this cliff,” I said.
“I agree,” Alu said. “Otherwise, we’ll be captured.”
“I don’t think we can make it,” Gannon said.
“We have to try.”
There was a large split in the rock, about four-feet high and three-feet deep, where the mountain had fractured. It formed a small ledge that ran the length of the cliff face. Alu thought that we could escape the gunmen by crawling along this ledge to the other side where there was a much gentler slope. It would be risky, but we had no other choice.
“That’s a long way to fall,” Gannon said, looking down.
“Don’t look down,” Alu said. “Stay focused.”
Below the ledge was a smooth and sheer slab of granite that eventually fell so steeply it dropped completely out of sight. A river ran through the valley about 300-vertical feet from where we stood.
“We have to go,” Alu said, frantically. “They’re getting closer!”
She led the way, moving along the ledge like a mountain goat. I followed, wedging myself as deeply into the rock as I could, knowing that one simple misstep might send me plummeting to my death. I was so afraid I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to move.
“You okay, Wyatt?” Gannon asked.
“I think so,” I said, “I just need a minute.”
“Try to relax,” Alu yelled from up ahead. “The ledge actually gets wider as you go. Crawl forward slowly. Stay focused and we’ll all make it.”
I tried, but it was impossible to keep from looking down. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the granite slope falling sharply into the valley below. The wide river looked like a tiny stream from that height. My heart raced. My palms were damp. I looked down at the cold, gray rock underneath my hands and could not move. Sweat dripped steadily from my nose. I took deep breaths, trying to settle my nerves and keep from shaking. Finally, I was able to put one hand forward and begin moving across the cliff.
Gannon followed.
Cautiously, we crawled across the ledge, making slow progress toward the other side. The gunmen gave up on the climb when they saw us traversing the rock face. They were far below and stopped to watch, probably thinking we would never make it to the other side.
The sound of sliding dirt and gravel jolted me to a stop. When I turned around, I saw my brother lying on his stomach, his legs hanging over the ledge. Underneath him, several rocks tumbled down the slope and disappeared over the cliff. His arms were spread out, his palms pressed against the rock. There was nothing for him to hold on to.
“Stay still, Gannon!” I yelled. “I’m coming!”
Carefully, I reversed my direction and began crawling toward him.
There wasn’t enough friction between Gannon and the rock to hold him steady. Too much loose gravel and dirt. He began to slip.
“Wyatt,” he said, terrified, “please, help me.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Hang on, Gannon!” Alu yelled. “You can do it!”
Gannon was trying with all his might to brace himself. His body was shaking, almost convulsing at the effort. Despite this, he kept inching lower.
“I can’t hang on much longer,” he said.
“Yes you can!” Alu shouted.
“Just give me another few seconds,” I said, scrambling across the ledge as quickly as I could.
“I’m slipping!” he yelled.
I lunged and grabbed his jacket. Gannon stopped sliding. I had him.
For a moment, I lay flat on the rock, not wanting to make any movement that might weaken my grip. Then, slowly, I moved to my knees. Once I had my legs under me, I was able to pull him higher.
But Gannon’s weight proved too much for the jacket to support. Before I could pull him safely onto the ledge, his zipper broke and the jacket opened. He was about to come out of it completely.
“Quick!” I said, “Grab my hand!”
Gannon reached up and took my hand. Both of our palms were sweaty. It was hard to get a grip. No matter how hard I pulled, Gannon kept slipping.
“Be strong, Gannon!” Alu yelled, crawling back across the ledge toward us.
“Don’t let go of me, Wyatt,” Gannon pleaded.
“I won’t, Gannon. You’re not going to fall. I’ve got you.”
I thought I was going to bust a blood vessel in my head, I was pulling so hard. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t about to let my brother fall to his death.
Truth is, gravity was winning the battle.
Gannon’s hand continued to slip through mine. I tried to tighten my grip, but his hand only slipped further.
Gannon lifted his head, stared at me, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
“Don’t let me fall,” he whispered. “Please.”
“You won’t fall,” I said, staring back at him. “I’ve got you!”
It was a promise.
A promise I could not keep.
My grip was giving way.
“No,” I said, through clinched teeth. “Nooooo!”
Gannon’s hand slipped from mine.
I reached again for his jacket but missed. He was sliding, trying desperately to grab hold of anything that might stop him. He dug his fingers into the rock, but nothing would break his fall.
Our eyes met one last time.
A horrific scream erupted from his lungs as he slid over the cliff, out of sight.
His scream trailed off.
There was silence.
My brother was gone.
I’m not sure how I functioned after Gannon’s fall. Alu must have taken over. I was overcome with grief. Completely lost. All I could see were Gannon’s eyes just before his hand slipped from mine. All I heard was the terror in his voice. It echoed inside my head, repeated itself over and over. I had the chance to save him and I failed.
Awful thoughts plagued me every step of the way. How will I tell Mom and Dad? How will they react? That is, if we ever find them. They could be dead, too!
I was living a nightmare.
I tried to think practically. We needed to find Gannon’s body. We needed to get him back to the ship. How we were going to do it, I had no idea, but I wasn’t about to leave him in the forest. I would carry him on my back if I had to.
Alu guided us down the mountain to the river. We combed the shoreline that ran along the base of the cliff, looking in and around the rocks and trees.
I was devastated, shattered. My body numb. Hands trembling. I questioned every decision we had made since leaving the ship. Every single move. All of our missteps.
I looked up the cliff to see if I could locate the spot from which he had fallen, but a dense forest grew along the lower part of the mountain, obscuring my view.
The cliff face
We pushed further down the river and came to a massive set of boulders grouped a
long the shore. Climbing the largest of these boulders gave us a good, high view of the area.
That’s when we found him.
The sight of his body was shocking. My heart fell into my stomach. A lump rose up in my throat, nearly choking off my air. I tried my best to hold it together. The tears came anyway.
There he was, my twin brother, lying on his stomach in a shallow pool near the river’s edge. His face was impacted in the mud. Rapids washed up and over the rocks that separated the river from the pool. Any more rain would bring the water up higher and carry him away.
I closed my eyes and cried.
“You did everything you could,” Alu said, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. “Gannon knows that.”
I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
As we moved down the bank toward Gannon’s body, I glanced up at him and could have sworn I saw his arm move ever so slightly. I rubbed my eyes and then locked them on Gannon, desperate to see him move again.
Had it really happened?
Suddenly, Gannon lifted his head from the mud. He looked around and put his head back down.
“Did you see that?” I yelled to Alu. “Please tell me you saw that!”
“I did!” she said. “He’s alive!”
He was alive! He lifted his head again. This time he looked in our direction. I saw his face. It was bruised and swollen at the eye. Blood poured from a gash on his forehead.
“We’re coming, Gannon!” I yelled. “Hang in there! We’re coming!”
Gannon wasn’t out of danger. Far from it. I was afraid he might be paralyzed or bleeding internally. We had no way of knowing the extent of his injuries. Assuming he was disoriented from the fall, I was also afraid he’d roll over and be swept away by the rapids. We had to get to him right away.
I was climbing as fast as I could up and over the boulders that lined the shore, when I felt something tugging on my jacket.
“Wyatt!” Alu yelled. “Stop!”
“What’s the matter?” I said, impatiently.
“Look!” she said, pointing down the river, not far from Gannon.
There, moving in his direction, was a pack of wolves.
“What should we do?” I asked.
As they came nearer to Gannon, the wolves, six in total, worked themselves into a frenzy.
“These wolves will attack if we get in their way,” Alu said.
“But we can’t just stand here! They’ll tear my brother to pieces! We have to do something!”
I picked up a rock and threw it at them, but we were too far away.
“Let’s get closer and try to run them off,” I said.
“Be careful,” Alu warned. “They won’t be scared away easily, and they could spring on us in an instant.”
I tried to stay hidden behind the fallen tree trunks as we moved down the bank. The wolves continued to close in on Gannon. I picked up a rock the size of a baseball and threw it at the smallest of the wolves. The rock missed. I immediately picked up another and threw this one even harder. The rock found its target, hitting the thin male on the shoulder of his hind leg. Startled, the wolf yelped and turned to us. Half of the pack responded to the wolf ’s cry and began moving in our direction. The wolf I’d hit with the rock led the pack, hobbling slightly. The remaining wolves were nearly on top of Gannon.
An angry wolf closes in
My intent had been to scare them off, but I had only made the situation worse. There was nothing left to do but defend ourselves. Alu and I threw as many rocks as we could, one after another. Ignoring this hail of stones, the wolves moved closer. They were snarling. Howling. Just ripping mad. Their fangs like razors.
We were facing a gruesome end. There was no way to back them down. I looked around frantically for anything I could use as a weapon, when all of a sudden, something in the forest caught the packs’ attention. The wolves’ ferocious howls turned to whimpers and they started to back away, cowering as they moved lower along the bank of the river. There was something coming through the trees above us, and whatever it was terrified the wolves. Alu and I looked up the hill to see what had them so scared. Standing atop a boulder, like the king of the rainforest, was a bear. A beautiful, white bear. So rare are sightings, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Nevertheless, there it was.
A spirit bear!
The wolves finally scampered off into the forest, and we ran to Gannon’s aid. He had rolled over on his own power and was semi-conscious when we got to him, but he still managed a smile when he saw my face. Seeing his smile changed everything for me.
We’ve moved Gannon away from the river and are waiting for him to come to. Once he’s alert, we need to do a more thorough assessment of his injuries. In the meantime, I think I’ll go ahead and collapse.
GANNON
How I survived that fall, I’ll never know. I guess someone was looking after me. The spirits of the rainforest maybe. At least that’s what I like to think. I mean, the last thing I remember was sliding off that huge cliff and crashing through a bunch of trees and after that my mind pretty much went blank. Maybe the trees broke my fall or maybe it was the water and mud where I landed that softened the impact. Who knows? It’s all a total blur. What I remember most clearly is the sound of the wolves howling. How it got louder and louder as they came closer. The other thing I remember is the white light coming through the trees. It started out small and then got bigger, intensifying until all I could see was this beaming white light—like some kind of passage to the afterlife. There was no question in my mind: I was dead! On my way to that far-off place in the sky! Good-bye, world! Then, next thing I know, I’m lying next to a campfire all wrapped up in a wool blanket with Wyatt and Alu standing over me.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“Princess Royal Island.”
“Still?”
“Yes,” Wyatt said with a smile. “Still.”
Trying to figure out how badly I was injured, Wyatt and Alu asked all kinds of questions and I went about describing what hurt and how bad. I felt kind of dizzy, but I wanted to get up to see how well I could move around, and asked Wyatt and Alu to help. They supported my back and neck as I sat up, and this crazy pain shot through my ribs like a lightning bolt and my entire body seized up, making even the slightest movement so painful I could hardly stand it. The only thing that didn’t hurt was my left arm and that’s because I couldn’t feel it at all. It was all wrapped up below the elbow in some sort of makeshift tourniquet.
“You think it’s broken?” I asked.
“It was bent between the elbow and the wrist,” Wyatt said. “I’m no physician, but yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s broken.”
I didn’t need to hear anymore.
Needless to say, the fall banged me up pretty good. There is positive news, though. I can walk. I mean, I need lots of help to do it, but I can walk. My right leg is really sore and I think it might be fractured below the knee because I can’t really handle much weight on it, but my legs work, they move, and that’s no small miracle.
Wyatt and Alu’s examination took awhile and totally wore me out and throughout the whole thing their voices seemed to get louder and louder and all of a sudden the pounding in my head got so bad it felt like someone was hammering on my skull with a pickax.
“I have a splitting headache,” I said.
“Probably has something to do with the gash on the side of your forehead,” Wyatt said. “We patched it up the best we could with a butterfly bandage.”
“How big is it?”
“Three, maybe three-and-a-half inches across. And deep. It’ll definitely need proper stitches as soon as we can get you to a doctor.”
The thought of stitches made me lightheaded. I hate needles, especially when they’re being stuck into my skin.
“I need to rest for a minute,” I said, my head woozy.
While Alu piled up wood for a fire, Wyatt put the blanket back over me and propped my head under a rolled up fleece and I closed my eyes and took long, deep bre
aths and the pain in my head eased up a little and I was actually able to relax. When I opened my eyes there were flames coming off the wood and Alu added some more sticks and the flames grew big and hot and felt really good as they warmed my cold, aching body.
“How’d you get this fire going when everything is so wet?” I asked Alu. “Did you bring fire starters?”
“No,” she said, showing off that beautiful smile of hers. “There are other ways. I’ll teach you sometime.”
“I would love that,” I said, almost blushing.
“But for now, you must rest.”
Alu cooked a salmon she’d grabbed from the river and passed steaming chucks of pink meat to us, while Wyatt told the crazy story of my rescue and how a spirit bear had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saved my life.
“That explains the white light I remember seeing,” I said.
“Here’s what I don’t understand,” Wyatt said. “A spirit bear, no matter how big, is no match for a pack of wolves.”
“That’s true,” Alu said.
“So why did the wolves back away when the spirit bear appeared?”
“I can’t say for sure. Some people believe the spirit bear is the guardian of the forest. A protector of all things good and righteous in the Great Bear. Maybe it is true.”
Wyatt quietly pondered what Alu had said.
A spirit bear, up close and personal
Now, my brother is the kind of person who needs a scientific explanation for everything. Fact is, a pack of wolves could kill a spirit bear, so why didn’t they? Here’s the problem: mythical explanations, like Alu’s, can’t really be proven, scientifically speaking, so Wyatt’s always quick to dismiss this kind of stuff as untrue. That’s why it’s so strange that he didn’t. With his own eyes, he’d seen something unexplainable, something magical. Crazy as it sounds, I think for the first time in his life my brother could be open to the possibility that some things might just be greater than science.
WYATT
2:37 PM
The FIFTH LAW OF EXPLORATION is the most important of all the laws. It states, simply: Live to explore another day.
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