by Darrel Bird
with its volcanic boulders the size of cars.
He eventually crossed the very top of the Island and stood on a boulder to view the trees below. He soon spotted what he was looking for, some growth that was lighter in color than the normal green of the Island trees.
The spot was about a quarter mile away and he slowly scanned the horizon around him.
He looked carefully until he spotted a lone tree in line with the rock he was standing on then started walking down the gradual grade of the Island.
A half hour later he stood looking at a small pool at the bottom of a ravine, the bank of rocks was steep where he stood looking over.
Olivia stumbled up almost knocking him over the edge of the 15 foot drop.
“Why don’t you look where you are going? You are one useless bag of bones!”
“I’m sorry.”
He said nothing as he began circling the little cliff and down into the ravine. There was a little sandy beach where the water soaked back into the Island.
He cupped his hands in the water and tasted it, it was delicious and he drank feverishly of the fresh water until he had his fill. Olivia was still drinking when he turned to look at her.
He admired her well rounded form in her tight slacks; her white blouse was open at the top. She had numerous scratches on her arms from her stumble through the brush.
She looked nothing like the black suited figure of the girl in the office back in San Francisco, but this was the same woman that had spurned him and he was not about to forget it.
He began gathering palm fronds and made himself a bed on the little sandy beach.
“Would you make me one Billy?”
He looked up at her, “Who told you, you could stay here? This is my place, I found it.”
She looked aghast at him. “So you found it!”
“So it’s mine! You go find your own.”
“Billy, you would do that?”
“Yes, now go. Get the hell out of here and go find your own water!”
She turned slowly and began to walk down the grade, he picked up a little pebble and threw it, and the pebble hit her rump and bounced of.
“Ow!” She turned with eyes blazing and walked on.
As darkness fell Billy curled up on his bed and thought of her and wondered where she was.
The next morning he found a tall sapling and began to fashion it into a sharp spear, he had seen signs of pigs back in the bush and he was looking forward to a dinner of pork.
After he had done the best he could with the spear, he gathered dry bits of grass and bark and set about making a fire stick. He found a piece of dried wood and dug a slot in it for the fire stick then began twirling the fire stick against the wood with his hands.
His hands began to ache and burn as he twirled the stick doggedly between the palms of his hands and was soon rewarded with smoke. He gave the stick and even faster twirl until he saw a spark of hot wood at the end of the stick. He cupped the tender in his hands and blew gently until a very tiny flame lick up in the dried grass.
He laid the tender on the ground and gently piled small twigs on the fire. Soon he was able to drag larger pieces of deadwood for the fire and he stuck the sharp end of the spear into the flames. He alternately heated the wood then stuck it in water to cool it and the tip soon began to get hard from the treatment.
He tested the spear with his thumb and grinned. He piled a large log on the fire then headed off back up the hill toward where he had seen the pig sign.
Just before he got to where he had seen the sign he heard a snuffling in the under brush.
He poised on the rock to listen and the snuffling was coming toward him, he peered over the edge of the boulder and saw the pigs come out of the brush, he threw the spear and it went into the soft side of one of the pigs, the pig squealed as he jumped on onto the ground and plunged the spear deeper into the pigs side.
The pig weighed only about 25 pounds; the rest of the pigs he had seen weren’t much bigger so he didn’t think they grew very big.
He found a piece of sharp volcanic glass and slit the pigs throat to bleed it out, then slung the pig back over his shoulder and headed back down the hill with some shards of volcanic glass in his pockets.
He had the pig cooking when Olivia walked to the edge of the camp. She looked haggard and worn, her pants torn at the hip, her shoulder length hair tangled.
“You look like shit.”
“You are a shit.” She retorted.
“Yeah, but I’m a well fed shit. “
“Are you going to give me any of that?”
“No, its mine, I caught it, killed it and skinned it, its mine.”
“Please Billy! I’m hungry!”
“Well, I might if you say the right words.”
“And what might those be?”
“Please Billy.”
“I already said that.”
“Yes, but you weren’t on your knees.”
“I’ll be damned if I will bow to you Billy boy!”
“Yeah, and you’ll be damned hungry too!”
“Come back when you’re ready. “ Billy turned to tend the meat as the fat dripped into the fire sending a scent on the breeze toward her.
She got down on her knees, “Please Billy.”
“Hold your hands together when you speak to me.”
She hesitated, smelled the pig again and held her hands together, controlling her boiling anger she said in the smallest voice she could muster.
“Please Billy.”
“That’s better.” He reached over and cut her a piece of meat with the shard of volcanic glass.
“Oh, this is delicious!” She realized what she had said, and then said, “I mean its real good Billy.”
He grinned to himself then bit into a piece of the meat, “Do you want to stay here tonight?”
She remembered the shivering and shaking of the long night on the beach, “Yes, I would like to.”
“Then you can stay; cut you some material for bedding.”
“Can’t you help me Billy? I am so tired.”
“No, you have to get your own.”
She got up wearily to gather fronds for her bedding; the little beach was so small she had to place the fronds no more than a foot from where Billy had placed his.
After she was finished she laid down using her hands for a pillow.
“Didn’t get much sleep last night huh?”
“I got none at all and you knew I wouldn’t. Billy, why are you treating me this way?”
“Because I loved you and you offed me like I was some scum bag.” He decided to tell her the truth and more importantly, himself the truth.
She thought for a minute, “I didn’t know.”
Billy laid there looking up at the clear sky with its stars like a canopy. It feels good to be truthful. He thought about daddy and Momma Theroux, how they loved each other and wondered if he would ever find that. He marveled at the love and dedication to him to give him a good education, but without the basic things of life he knew that effort was wasted.
He had never heard of a divorce in the Theroux family, the Theroux men chose well. He nodded off to sleep, but long after he was asleep Olivia stared over at him and watched his chest rise and fall.
Olivia Beckman thought she knew a thing or two about life until now, when she realized she knew nothing, had never known anything but her small circle of well to do friends.
Looking back she knew her parents had given her the best the world had to offer, yet somehow she had missed the most important things life had to offer.
She had stepped on this man whom she knew nothing about, had not bothered to find out about. She brushed back a tear and turned over to her other side, her aching body succumbing to the night.
She awoke with the sun shining in her face and Billy was gone, panic welled up in her chest.
No, he’ll be back. And no more than the thought had gone thru her mind when she heard Billy’s footsteps.
He threw
a Coconut down at her feet.
“Breakfast.”
She picked the Coconut up in both hands, “How do we eat it?”
“Here, you do this.” He took the hard Coconut and struck it against a rock, then began peeling the tough husk off it.
He then took a small shard of the volcanic glass and bored a hole in one of the eyes of the Coconut, “Here, you can drink the milk inside, it’s good for you.”
She took the Coconut and let the delicious juice run into her mouth, took a swallow and handed it back to him, “No, you drink it all. I’ve already had some, that’s yours.”
“Billy Theroux, did you bring me a gift?”
“Don’t make big of it, I figure Ming Ho might give me a reward for keeping you alive.”
“Uhuh, right..Ming Ho.”
“Billy, how long do you think it will take them to find us?”
“It could be today, tomorrow or six months from now as far as I know, but we have to think as if rescue were never coming. Cruising sail boats prowl these Islands most of the year so sooner or later at least that.”
“But if we are up here, how will we know if and when they come near?”
“Well..we don’t even know from what direction they would come, so I suppose it’s a matter of luck.”
“My Mom and Dad will be so worried if they don’t hear from me; I promised I would call from China.”
“I know, it’s the same here, I talked to Daddy Theroux the day before we left and he will be expecting to hear from me. We can’t worry about that Olivia, we have to concentrate on staying alive and there is very little on this Island.”
“Look, I’m going hunting for whatever I can find, what I need you to do is tend the fire and don’t let it go out, it is very difficult to start a fire with a fire stick and if it rains and gets everything wet, it would be nearly impossible. Will you do that?”
“Ok, how long will you be gone?”
“I may be gone several hours, depending on what I find, remember the fire, its best to spend your time gathering wood than doing anything else.”
“Ok Billy.”
Billy reached for the spear and got up to go. “Billy?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”
“Like any other person, yes.” But he wasn’t so sure if he was telling either her or himself the truth.
Did he see disappointment in her eyes? Probably not, he thought as he picked up the spear and walked on.
After Billy left Olivia tidied up the camp area then headed off into the nearest thicket of tangled trees and vines, she was humming a little tune she used to like when she was a young child, all of a sudden she stopped humming and stood still, I just realized I am happy, I am on a deserted Island when a man I hate, a backwards southern backwoodsman and I’m happy, Olivia Beckman! Have you lost your mind?
Her head buzzed with thought as she continued to hum and break off the dead wood into some semblance of fire wood that could be carried back to the camp.
She turned and looked back down the hill and she couldn’t see the camp, better not go too far or I will get lost.
She turned to start back down the hill when she felt something hit her leg right above the ankle and then she felt the sting. She thought she had stumbled into a thorn bush, but when she looked down she saw the snake slither into the thick brush.
“Oh my God, I’ve been bitten by a snake!”
Panic well up in her chest and her mind raced, Where is Billy? I have to get back to camp!
She began racing and falling in the thick brush, she fell and hit her head against a large rock. Her stomach gave a shudder, she felt sick, everything went gray and then blackness moved in and enveloped her.
Her mind was still working in the soft blackness, I’ve got to get up, I’ve got to move.
She couldn’t seem to move, it began to grow light again, her face was against the ground and blood was dripping off her nose. Euphoria came on a high from somewhere and she giggled, Now aren’t you in a mess and you’re going to miss the prom.
Slowly her mind cleared and she realized the dire situation. I panicked and I’ve got to keep my head, I may die, but I have to think clearly or I will surely die here.
She managed to pull herself up by grabbing hold of a protruding limb and she tried to steady herself. I’ve got to get to the camp. She looked again for the camp, but her vision was foggy and her eyes didn’t focus right.
I know the camp is down hill so I have to go down hill. But down hill was hard for her to ascertain, she pulled herself along by grasping the brush as she went where she thought was down hill. Before she went very far her legs began to go numb and she was having trouble walking, the air swam in front of her. Her stomach rebelled at her loss of equilibrium and she began to vomit. She tried to wipe her face but her arms didn’t want to obey her, they felt so heavy.
Her skin began to burn as she staggered like a drunk, one faltering step at a time through the brush. Eventually she literally fell out of the brush onto the sand at the edge of the camp. He mouth filled with the loose sand and she tried to roll over, but nothing would work, she vomited again and lay still.
It seemed like hours later her eyes opened again and as if observing from afar she saw the ants crawling in the vomit. The ants went about their business of removing the small chunks of food in the vomit mixed with blood.
She felt the bite of ants on her face, she tried to raise her head but she couldn’t move a muscle.
I’m going to die and I haven’t lived. Why didn’t I live while I had the chance?
Now she was no longer on the sand with ants eating her, she was outside her home where she had fallen and gotten her dress muddy.
“Olivia Susan Beckman, where have you been?” Her mother stood looking sternly down at her, “I was playing with the kids down the street, and I fell Mommy.”
“I told you not to play with those kids, they are poor and they are always dirty, now go inside and change.”
She tried to find the front door, but she couldn’t find it, she looked around and her mother was gone. She sat down on the steps and cried.
A shadow moved across her eyes, “Olivia? Olivia?” She felt a hand on her face, “I’ve got you.” And she felt herself being moved.
She felt cool water on her face then on her cracked lips. “Can you swallow?” “Can you talk to me? What happened?
She tried to speak, “Sna..”
“What? Tell me again.”
“Sna..snate.”
“Snake? Where were you bitten?”
“Le..”
“Leg?”
“Uhhhh…”
“Ok, just lay still, I’ve got you. I’m going to have to lift your shirt to listen to your heart. Ok?”
“Uhhh…”
“Your heart sounds strong, but I’m going to have to get some water down you.”
“I’m going to set you up just a little bit, I want you to try to swallow some water.”
He poured a little bit of water in her mouth, but it drained right back out on her chest. She couldn’t swallow. She couldn’t even close her mouth and her throat felt tight as iron.
“Ok, if you can’t swallow I am going to have to put you in the water a minute.”
She felt him pick her up under the back and legs and she felt herself being gently lowered into the water, the water felt like fire on her skin and she tried to scream, but she had no voice. The water on her skin was like living fire and it was by far the most excruciating pain she had ever felt.
He lifted her out immediately and as he moved her the gray returned, then the blackness enveloped her again. She seemed to be drifting among the stars, she would speed up until the stars were a blur then she would slow down again.
She opened her eyes to a bright light that settled down to a dull thud in her forehead. Her arm obeyed her when she moved her hand to her face.
Her face felt hot and swollen. Billy was sitting by the f
ire tending some meat.
“Billy?”
“Oh, I see you are awake.”
“Can you set me up? I can’t sit up.”
“I’d rather you didn’t, I thought I was going to lose you last night. I can find something to put under your head though. I’m catching some of the juice from a pig and maybe you can swallow it.”
He took the little sheet he had put over their lean too shelter and folded it until he had a small pillow then he gently lifted her head and slid it under.
She sat watching him as he caught the drippings from the pig into a rusted tin can.
“Where did you find the can?”
“Found it on the beach, I sanded it out and its fairly clean, anyhow it’s all we got for now and I need to get some kind of liquid down you. Think you can swallow some water?”
“I think I can.”
He folded a banana leaf and dipped into the little pond, then brought it over too her and raised her head a little more.
She swallowed a tiny bit of the water, coughed and swallowed some more; he walked over to the fire and came back with the can of greasy liquid.
He dipped his fingers in the can and smeared it on her cracked lips ever so gently and she took note of that right away.
“Billy, you hate me?”
“No, I don’t hate you.”
“I’m so sorry for the way I treated you.”
“You need to get some more rest now.”
She closed her eyes and slept, Billy tended the fire and the meat, he figured it would last at least three days and he hoped that rescue would come. He stared at Olivia while she slept. Billy Theroux, you are a damned fool and you know nothing about women. Thoughts swam around in his head as he thought about his outlook on life and people.
She awoke again about noon and sat up, “Thirsty.”
Billy got up from where he was making some kind of basket looking thing and took the tin can and filled it with water and brought it over to her.
He gently held her head a little forward and she drank all that was in the can.
“I’ll get you another one in an hour, I can’t give you too much right now.”
“Ok Billy, thank you.” She lay back down as she was still weak.
By the evening she was stirring around and she got up to walk a little, Billy grabbed hold of her arm to help her.
“I’m ok.”
“You may very well be, but I am going to take care of you for the rest of your life if you will have me.”
She stood leaning against him, “Billy, are you purposing to me?”
“We Cajun’s don’t purpose, we drag our women off to the swamps and impregnate them, then tie a rope to their ankles and stake them to the kitchen.”
“You’re