Sunday Fiction - Chapter 10

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Bruce work up with a start; trying to gain his bearings and determine where he was. He heard some sort of bird screeching and he knew he was cold. Sitting up he saw his mother still asleep next to him and the what remained of the fire he had started the night before. It didn't take long for him to remember where he was and what was going on.

The first thing he did was create a large drawing that an airplane could see with the letters H-E-L-P. Doing that he figured if anyone was looking for them it would be spotted. He really had no idea where this island was located; and how far off course their boat had drifted. All he knew is that they had set out from the tip of Florida and had chartered a course for Bermuda.

Not wanting to leave his mother alone he scanned the surrounding area. There was a potion of thick jungle to one side and what appeared to be a rocky beach area in the other direction. Looking from his perspective he could see large cliffs overshadowing the rocky beach. He didn't think that he would find any provisions on the beach so he headed off to the jungle, but only as far as he could see his mother.

Gathering wood and leaves he looked around for any type of wild life. Seeing nothing he decided to go back to their area and see if he could build a shelter out of what he had gathered. That was when he determined that going to the beach area was a better idea as he could use the side of the cliff as a backdrop for their 'home'.

Trying to rouse his mother was useless.  He needed to find food and he needed to build shelter and he was all alone.  It took several hours for the shelter to be passable. He moved his mother inside and went off to find food and water.

Time has no meaning when you are alone. Nicole had not regained consciousness. Bruce was doing his best to get water into her, but he wasn’t sure it was working.  He had found some sort of fruit and mashed it against a rock to see if he could get some sustenance in her mouth. She seemed to accept it.

The days merged together as Bruce would cover the shelter in the mornings and go foraging for provisions. The wood pile had to be stocked, fresh water refilled and fruits and grains gathered. The routine had become easier and easier with each passing day. He had a pattern he followed, with the fresh water being gathered last. The extra time he discovered allowed exploration into new areas of the island.

“Nick?”

Bruce awoke with a start at the sound of his mother’s voice.  Again he heard her call out for his dad. “Mom?” he called out to her and crawled next to her. “Are you awake?”

“What?” She asked, “Where am I?”

The sun had just begun to creep in through the sides of the shelter and Bruce could begin to make out his mom’s shape in the dark. “We are stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“Where’s Nick? We were supposed to go to the movies tonight. Is he traveling again? I swear that man loves traveling more than he loves his family. I’m sure he’s keeping another family somewhere, do you know who they are?”

Bruce did not even know where to start. Was she delirious? Or was what she said the truth? It was obvious that she had no idea who she was talking to. He decided to try again. “Mom, it’s me, Bruce. How do you feel?”

“Bruce? Where are we?”

“Honestly Mom, I have no idea.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “What is the last thing you remember?”

She turned her head towards him and answered slowly. “I remember planning a trip for our anniversary. Aren’t we leaving soon?”

“You don’t remember anything after that?”

“My head is pounding, why are you asking me so many questions? Where is Nick and where are we Bruce?”