“Yeah. What did you think it was?”
Nodding her head and smiling , she said, “It was actually the best rabbit I’ve ever had.”
Robert came ou t of the trees. “She is alive!” He chuckled. “I have never seen anyone sleep quite so soundly.”
Abby was a bit startled and did not recognize Robert at first, until she realized that she was seeing him for the first time in the daylight. Last night in the trees and in the cave, he was visible only by the moonlight and dim firelight. His longish hair and short trimmed beard had been obvious in the shadowy light, but otherwise she would not have recognized him. In the daylight, after a fine rabbit stew and some strong coffee, she finally had a good look at their savior.
He was a tall man, just a bit shorter than Eric, but probably twenty years older. She would guess him to be somewhere in his fifties. His light brown hair hanging just below his ears may have made him look younger, if not for the white hair around his temples and throughout his beard. He had a rugged-yet-distinguished look about him, and given his deep tan, spent a good deal of time outdoors. He walked with confidence when he approached her, and his easy smile dissolved any anxiety she may have had from waking up and remembering her situation. There was only one way to describe his smile. He was genuinely happy to see her, as if meeting up with an old friend.
“Well , I appreciate the bed, and the breakfast. Pretty nice place you have here. Great view, too. What’s your nightly rate?”
“You a re welcome to stay as long as you like. It is nice to have company.” He went inside and emerged a few minutes later with a mug of his own, and sat down next to her.
She nudged him with her mug . “So you seem pretty comfortable. How long have you been here?”
“Oh, I ha ve been here for quite awhile,” he said, looking out past the trees, toward the water in the distance.
“How long is quite awhile?”
“I stopped counting after a few years.”
E ric whistled. “Man… and you don’t know how you wound up here either?”
“Oh no, I know exactly how I got here. It was on purpose, not to worry. I had the money, and basically just said I want to get away from everything, and everyone. I had taken holiday at an island a few hours from here and fell in love with the geography.”
“So you bought this island?” she asked.
“No, it is not mine. I made friends with some of the locals and started wondering if I could live on one of these islands. There are literally thousands of them. Would anyone know, or bother to care? The answer was, probably not. So I put together what I needed, the basic stuff you see around here, some seeds, and other essential supplies so I could grow and trap my food. I chartered a boat to drop me off.” He winked at her. “Been here ever since.”
“Well, that’s certainly one way to get away from it all,” Eric observed.
They sat in silence for a bit before Abby said, “Why don’t the boats turn around?”
“What i s that?” Robert seemed confused.
“Yesterday, we lit that signal fire. The guy with the beard said he’s lit a bunch of fires, but no one ever turns around, and no one ever comes for help. Why is that?”
Robert thought about it. “Wh o is to say anyone needs help? If a boat went to the rescue every time they saw smoke coming from one of these seven thousand islands, they would spend all their time hopping from island to island.”
“I guess it makes sense when you put it that way.” Abby paused, “What’s with that guy anyway, or all of them for that matter? What’s their story?”
“ I cannot say that I know, but they certainly do not seem friendly. I have managed to stay out of their way to this point, and I am planning to keep it that way.”
“You’re tellin’ me,” Eric said.
“So how do we get off this rock?”
“Yeah,” Eric chimed in. “There’s
Nodding her head and smiling , she said, “It was actually the best rabbit I’ve ever had.”
Robert came ou t of the trees. “She is alive!” He chuckled. “I have never seen anyone sleep quite so soundly.”
Abby was a bit startled and did not recognize Robert at first, until she realized that she was seeing him for the first time in the daylight. Last night in the trees and in the cave, he was visible only by the moonlight and dim firelight. His longish hair and short trimmed beard had been obvious in the shadowy light, but otherwise she would not have recognized him. In the daylight, after a fine rabbit stew and some strong coffee, she finally had a good look at their savior.
He was a tall man, just a bit shorter than Eric, but probably twenty years older. She would guess him to be somewhere in his fifties. His light brown hair hanging just below his ears may have made him look younger, if not for the white hair around his temples and throughout his beard. He had a rugged-yet-distinguished look about him, and given his deep tan, spent a good deal of time outdoors. He walked with confidence when he approached her, and his easy smile dissolved any anxiety she may have had from waking up and remembering her situation. There was only one way to describe his smile. He was genuinely happy to see her, as if meeting up with an old friend.
“Well , I appreciate the bed, and the breakfast. Pretty nice place you have here. Great view, too. What’s your nightly rate?”
“You a re welcome to stay as long as you like. It is nice to have company.” He went inside and emerged a few minutes later with a mug of his own, and sat down next to her.
She nudged him with her mug . “So you seem pretty comfortable. How long have you been here?”
“Oh, I ha ve been here for quite awhile,” he said, looking out past the trees, toward the water in the distance.
“How long is quite awhile?”
“I stopped counting after a few years.”
E ric whistled. “Man… and you don’t know how you wound up here either?”
“Oh no, I know exactly how I got here. It was on purpose, not to worry. I had the money, and basically just said I want to get away from everything, and everyone. I had taken holiday at an island a few hours from here and fell in love with the geography.”
“So you bought this island?” she asked.
“No, it is not mine. I made friends with some of the locals and started wondering if I could live on one of these islands. There are literally thousands of them. Would anyone know, or bother to care? The answer was, probably not. So I put together what I needed, the basic stuff you see around here, some seeds, and other essential supplies so I could grow and trap my food. I chartered a boat to drop me off.” He winked at her. “Been here ever since.”
“Well, that’s certainly one way to get away from it all,” Eric observed.
They sat in silence for a bit before Abby said, “Why don’t the boats turn around?”
“What i s that?” Robert seemed confused.
“Yesterday, we lit that signal fire. The guy with the beard said he’s lit a bunch of fires, but no one ever turns around, and no one ever comes for help. Why is that?”
Robert thought about it. “Wh o is to say anyone needs help? If a boat went to the rescue every time they saw smoke coming from one of these seven thousand islands, they would spend all their time hopping from island to island.”
“I guess it makes sense when you put it that way.” Abby paused, “What’s with that guy anyway, or all of them for that matter? What’s their story?”
“ I cannot say that I know, but they certainly do not seem friendly. I have managed to stay out of their way to this point, and I am planning to keep it that way.”
“You’re tellin’ me,” Eric said.
“So how do we get off this rock?”
“Yeah,” Eric chimed in. “There’s
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