Marooned
By
Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2011

Alex was on a school band trip. But his flight was going to be slightly delayed..

I averted my eyes as Tamara Greenwood, the very cute girl sitting in the aisle opposite me turned to look in my direction. I’m sure she thought I was just another jerk, staring at her because she’s pretty. That was true enough that I looked at her because she was pretty, but I had another, and rather unusual, reason to stare at her. I would have given anything to be her. Or at least look like her.

It would probably surprise everyone on the plane who was from my high school, if they found out that for as far back as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a girl. All the pretty girls at school have caught me staring at them, but don’t know the real reason. That reason usually being that I’d love to be wearing their dress or skirt and annoyed that my make-up, when I get to wear some, never looked as wonderful as theirs. I keep my hair on the longish side. It helps hide my pierced ears, although these days, nobody really cares if a boy has his ears pierced.

The plane bumped again, jolting me from my thoughts. The turbulence was getting worse. I looked past Clay on my right to look out the window. It was growing dark outside. Lightning flashed in the storm below us.

I looked back over at Tamara, happily chatting with Zachary Carlisle and completely oblivious to the increasing roughness of the flight. They were the perfect couple. In fact, they had both been voted the “Best Couple” of our school, Timothy Leary High, two years in a row. I had to admit, the girl in me thought Zach was totally hot.

The plane suddenly lurched violently. The weather finally had gotten Tamara’s attention. She looked out the window as a bright flash of lightning arced through the sky. “Oh my God!” she squealed. She glanced quickly around the cabin and then asked, “Did you guys see that?” She looked out the window for a few more moments before turning back to Zach.

The speaker overhead crackled briefly before the pilot’s voice said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the turbulence we have been experiencing. We thought we were going to be able to fly above the storm below us, but it has been growing. We are going to divert our course to fly around it instead. This will delay our landing in Manila by about an hour. Please remain in your seats with the seat belts fastened. Thank you.”

The plane bounced again. I was starting to wish I had stayed at home. Our high school band had been invited, as part of an international cultural exchange, to the Music Festival they were having during the first week of June in Manila, the Philippines. It was all part of an overall band trip to Japan that we were all worried would be canceled at the last minute due to a lack of funds. Thankfully, a local business had donated the remaining funds.

Back home, or at least somewhere back in the States, Dad was at his annual summer camping spot where he and his buddies fish and hunt. The last few years I'd gone with him which was a big deal for me as this was always his “getaway”. There are other times when we have gone on family outings and Mom taught me how to scale and clean the fish Dad and I would catch, and cook it. And since Dad’s carpel tunnel surgeries, he lacked a lot of strength in his hands to do some tasks and his buddies usually had one too many beers to be useful, he started asking me to join him and his friends for a few days in the great outdoors with just “us guys.” Little did Dad know…

There was a sudden and exceptionally brilliant flash of lightning, and a peal of thunder exploded throughout the cabin of the plane. The interior lights blinked a couple of times, and then went dark. I could hear the turbines of the jet engines whining down. There was the unmistakable sensation of the plane starting to lose altitude. A sense of panic started to spread throughout the cabin.

A few seconds later, there was a noticeable sense of relief when the cabin lights blinked a couple of times before finally staying on. The steady, ascending whine of the turbines told us the plane was back on power. The overhead speaker crackled again and the voice of the pilot said, “Ah, ladies and gentlemen, it seems the aircraft has been struck across the nose and starboard wing by lightning. There is no need to be alarmed, but we are trying to locate a place to land in order…”

Before the pilot could finish speaking, the right engine suddenly began to belch black smoke and flame. The pilot must have cut the engine off because I could hear it start to whine down. However, it began to shudder and it continued to belch smoke. And then with a quick rip of metal and a lurch, the engine was gone. Some of the hydraulic system for the control surfaces went down with the engine. The seat belt dug into my gut as the plane made a sudden drop.

The left engine’s whine rose to a crescendo as it struggled to compensate for the missing engine. We began to lose altitude as the plane rocked and yawed. I could hear some of my fellow students, boy and girl alike, begin to cry. Most sat in their seats, wide-eyed, frozen with fear.

The view outside the windows of the plane disappeared in a dark swirl of clouds, punctuated by flashes of lightning. The pilot was obviously having trouble controlling the plane as we continued to lose altitude and flew directly into the storm.

The airliner bounced more violently and the pitch of the left engine’s whine rose and fell erratically as rain and hail brutally pelted the aircraft. There was still enough light to tell when the aircraft broke through the bottom of the clouds and into a very heavy rain. Everyone was then slammed into their seatbelts as the plane just fell as if the wings were no longer providing lift.

The whine of the remaining engine began to drop and even out as the nose of the aircraft noticeably dropped. The overhead speakers crackled again and the pilot made a terse announcement, “Flight crew, prepare for emergency water landing.”

I heard one of the flight attendants say, “Oh…my…God!”

Another flight attendant tried to stand as she announced over the speaker system, “We are going to make an emergency landing on the ocean. Please remain calm. Your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device. Those of you sitting next to the emergency exit doors — please open those doors the moment the aircraft stops moving. Everyone please take your seat cushion and exit the emergency doors as quickly and orderly as you can.”

Christ! We’re heading down. In the absolute middle of nowhere. There was no telling how far the plane had been blow off-course. A sense of complete powerlessness overwhelmed me. On an impulse, I grabbed the phone in the headrest in front of me. I wanted to call home, so my parents would know. But the phone was dead.

The plane continued to bounce around a lot and then quite ominously, the nose of the plane lifted slightly and the left engine began to roar. We could feel the plane start to slow down. And then the nose of the plane suddenly dropped and we were all slammed forward against our seatbelts as the aircraft impacted the water. I whacked my head against the seat in front of me

Pandemonium broke out as the interior of the plane went dark. There were shouts from the flight crew advising everyone not to panic. Three of folks sitting next to the emergency exits managed to pop the latches and push the doors away. The girl next to the forth exit just sat there and cried. The girl in the seat next to her reached over her and managed to get the door open. Someone picked up the terrified girl and tossed her through the exit.

The aircraft pitched and rolled on the rough sea, which made moving even more difficult. Water splashed through the open emergency doors. The flight crew was amazingly professional as they opened the main doors as well and quickly started herding passengers through the exits.

For a few moments, I was stuck in my seat as the aisle was blocked by bodies trying to exit the plane. I looked in horror towards the front of the plane. The door to the cockpit was open and water was pouring through the broken windscreen. The plane began to roll on its left side as the remaining engine weighed it down which caused everyone still in the plane to stumble to the left side, falling into the water.

Oddly, the sounds of screams, splashing and creaking of metal seemed to fade as my focus changed to just getting to the nearest emergency exit. The interior began to darken. Water starting pouring through the left side emergency exits. I saw arms reaching through those exit openings, grabbing people and pulling them through. Clutching my seat cushion with one arm and pulling myself towards the exit hatch I slowly made my way. The way the plane was taking on water, every desperate second counted.

Only a few of us were left inside the pitching aircraft as I climbed over the seats and reached up to the exit hatch. An arm reached through and I heard a voice shout, “Alex! Alex take my hand! Hurry!” I grabbed the hand and was jerked out onto the right wing, which was almost at a forty-five degree angle as the plane continued to roll onto its left side. The hand belonged to Zach. Without really looking at me, he let go, and reached back through the hatchway and shouted to someone else.

The wing was slippery and at an odd angle, and with the wind blowing, I fell off the wing and into the dark water where dozens of other kids were clinging to seat cushions and other floating debris or thrashing in the water trying to find something to cling to. The sky was black and the wind and rain relentless, drowning out the yells and cries of kids in the water. I held onto my seat cushion for dear life as I bobbed in the water, waves crashing over my head, choking me on sea water.

I suddenly heard the rending of sheet metal as the plane made a final pitch to its left side, the right wing almost straight up as the nose of the plane started to rapidly slide into the sea, tail section sticking out of the water. I saw Zach tossed like a doll onto the fuselage of the sinking plane. A lightning flash lit up Zach, lying on the side of the plane; help a flight attendant to escape. Zach slid off the plane and I saw no one else come out. The next instant, along with a loud burbling sound as the air rushed out, the plane slid under the surface of the sea.

In the growing darkness, I was panicked to see that I was drifting away from the others who were starting to group as best they could. I tried desperately to push myself over to the them, but it seemed impossible. The waves kept trying to force me off the cushion, but I somehow managed to hold on. The lightning flashes showed that I was getting further and further away from the group. I tried yelling, but no one could hear me. I cried, prayed and wished that I was back home.

* * *

I woke with a sudden start as sea water filled my mouth. I panicked, sputtered water out of my mouth and tried to force my head above the water and thrashed about wildly. I tried to mentally tell myself to calm down…that panicking would only get me drowned.

Gulping air, I managed to get to a less panicked state and treaded water and looked around. It was still overcast but the storm was gone and it was obviously day time. I was alone in the middle of an ocean. The seat cushion floated a few feet away from me and was slowly getting away from me. I swam over to it and grabbed it, pulling it close to me. The gray water and gray sky mingled and disoriented me. I terrified myself with thoughts of if I didn’t die of exposure, or lack of water, then the sharks would have a snack with me. I cried at the utter hopelessness of my situation.

* * *

Again I awoke sputtering water from my mouth. I lifted my head, and noticed something was different. I felt something gritty under me, the sun on my back. I could hear the sound of waves rushing in and then enveloping me, then rushing away from me. I raised myself on my arms and was shocked beyond belief that I was lying on a beach!

Water splashed around my arms as I looked around with a stupid grin on my face. A beach! I was saved! I started taking in my surroundings and saw the seat cushion lying a few yards from me on the beach.

As I sat up weakly and looked around, I saw just how lucky I was. The stretch of beach was rather narrow, about one to two hundred feet across, sandwiched in between sharp rocks that jutted out into the sea.

I unsteadily stood up and got a better look at where I had washed ashore. There was a rocky hill in front of me, plants, palm trees. And then I saw them. Going from the beach towards the interior were foot prints! I walked over to them and saw a small depression in the sand being washed away. Someone else had washed up on this beach!

Hurriedly, I followed the tracks that led to the interior of the island. I wondered who made the tracks. They had to be someone from the plane, right? I hesitated for a moment when it occurred to me that it could be someone washed off a ship during the same storm. It could be a complete stranger. The tracks stopped at a rocky hill.

The hill was part of a stony peak that rose all of fifty feet from the beach. As I climbed over the small hill, I hoped this island — I assumed it was an island, wasn’t one of those that occasionally disappear. From the amount of vegetation, it looked like it had been here a while.

As I walked through an area of dense brush, I could hear a sound coming from ahead of me. The closer I got to it, the more the sound seemed like someone crying. Finally, I cleared the brush and could see a ridge of rocks coming from the hill and a longer stretch of beach. Sitting on a rock was a person crying.

“Zach?” I asked quietly as the person’s features became more clear to me as I approached from behind him. A riot of emotions suddenly ran through my mind. It bothered me that I was elated to see that it was Zach who was stuck on this island with me. “Zach…is that you?”

Zach stopped sniffling and wiped his nose on the back of his hand as he turned to face me. “Oh, it’s you. Hey Alex. I’m glad you’re okay.” His eyes were red from crying. That surprised me as I, as well as just about everyone at school, though of Zach as one of stoic, macho guys.

He sat back down on the rocks and said with a humorless laugh, “I guess we won’t die here alone, huh.”

“I’m just glad someone else made it here! It’ll be easier with two of us.” I said, genuinely glad that I wasn’t alone.

Zach frowned at me. “Easier for what, squirt? In case you haven’t noticed, this fuckin’ island ain’t very big. There’s no McDonald’s here. And if we’re outside the normal shipping lanes, no one will ever notice us. We can’t drink ocean water and there’s no food here. We just extended our time, that’s all.”

“Dude, don’t talk like that! Look at those trees” I pointed. “Those are coconuts. Inside is water we can drink. We can scrape the insides to get something to eat. We can catch fish and I’m sure there’s other plants here we can eat. We might be able to live here for months. Or longer!”

Zach jumped up, angry, his eyes flashing. “And so what? Do you want to live on this fucking shit hole island for the rest of your life?”

“No!” I yelled back at him. “But you know they’re looking for us. It’s probably just a matter of days before we’re picked up.”

Zach pointed towards the sea. “Look dumb-ass. Just look at that ocean out there. They don’t know where to look for us. We don’t know how far the plane was blown off course! We don’t know how far we drifted or even what direction. And…and…just over the horizon could be fucking Hawaii for all we know and we’d never see it.”

“Just calm down. Let’s not write us off yet. We just have to make sure we live long enough to be found. We can do it.” I hope I sounded like I had conviction.

Looking at the rocky hill, the most prominent feature of the island I asked, “Have you been to the top yet? We might be able to see something.”

Zach shook his head, pointed to the northern section of the island and said, “No. I just managed to walk down there and back before you showed up.”

“Let’s climb it,” I suggested. Zach just shrugged and followed me up the rough face of the hill.

I couldn’t see it from where we were, but as we stumbled our way up the steep rocky hill, I pointed and shouted, “Look! A cave! And there’s water trickling out down the cliff side to that small lagoon. Let’s take a look.”

It wasn’t easy making our way across to the cave. There was a rough path to it, but the side of the hill with the cave became a sheer drop. After stepping into the cave, we at first couldn’t see anything. When our eyes adjusted, we were not prepared for what we saw.

Inside the small cave were the remains of a rotting cot, a rusty shelf with tins of rations, a desk with a radio and what appeared to be a heap of old cloth near the desk along with other odds and ends.

Zach’s eyes went wide as he scanned the objects in the cave. “Oh my God! Look at this stuff! This has to be World War Two shit. I bet this was an observation post.” He moved to the desk and said, “I wonder if this radio still works?”

The face of the radio was still readable, if you could read Japanese. We fiddled with the knobs and switches, clicking them back and forth, but nothing happened. Zach turned the radio around, and found the back was open. The inside, especially the batteries were corroded.

“I didn’t think it would work. That’d be too easy,” Zach said sarcastically. He then bent down and picked up something that had fallen behind the shelves. “Cool! It’s an Arisaka Type 99 Rifle! Looks just like it does in the games. I bet this is worth something!”

While Zach looked over the rifle, I looked around for anything we could use. I was excited to find a cooking pot that was still usable, a few knives and a couple of mess kits still in good condition. I also found water tricking through a crack in the cave floor. With spring water available to us, our survivability was looking up. Later we’d discover mangos, kiwi and something I couldn’t identify growing on the island.

I turned around and saw Zach, wearing a Japanese helmet and holding the rifle making shooting sounds. I said, “Zach, can you help me find stuff we can use?” He nodded, made a couple more shooting sounds before setting the rifle down. He wandered back to the desk and then over to the pile of cloth.

Zach’s sudden yell made me hit my head against the cave wall as I jerked up to see what was going on. Pointing at the cloth, Zach said, “Holy shit! Look at that!”

When I looked closer at the pile of cloth, I found that it was more than that. It was a skeleton wearing a Japanese army uniform lying in a crumpled heap. The pistol lying under the desk told the rest of the story. “He must have committed suicide after hearing of the surrender.”

“Or when he realized nobody was going to find him.”

Laughing, I said, “Don’t be so melodramatic! Look what I just found!” I swung a case I had just opened to where Zach could see it. “A pair of binoculars! And a box that’s hermetically sealed. Look! A flare pistol and six flares.”

Zach grabbed the pistol and one of the flares. “Let’s see if they still work!” He quickly left the cave and began scrambling to the peak of the small hill.

It was a great view if you enjoyed looking at nothing but unbroken views of ocean. No where was any other patch of land that could be seen.

“Shouldn’t we save those?” I asked.

“We need to know if they work. We still have five others.” Zach loaded the flare gun and lifted it over his head.

“What if it explodes?”

Zach moved his hand as far as he could from his face and aimed it slightly at an angle. He closed his eyes and grimaced as he pulled the trigger. There was a crack followed by a fizzy sound as the flare skittered across the sky and a pop as it exploded in a brilliant ball of light that slowly glided earthward.

“The fuckin’ thing works!” exclaimed Zach as he watched the flare float down to the sea. “We might get off this rock after all!”

* * *

We spent the rest of the day building our shelter. We set up our camp just around the corner from where the cave was, hoping the hill would give us protection against the wind and rains. We thought the floor of the cave would just be too hard and cold to try sleeping on. There were a couple of blankets that were still usable in the cave. Using ropes we found, along with sticks and palm fronds, we constructed a lean-to. It wasn’t too bad and we could always add to it later. We made sure we weren’t going to be flooded during high tide.

We gathered rocks and made a fire pit. All we needed was some flint and dry wood. In the cave, we found that our Japanese friend left us flint and steel to start a fire. I joked with Zach that the only way it could get any easier for us would be for a cruise ship to arrive.

And speaking of Zach, seeing him walk around shirtless, his muscles gleaming from sweat was almost too much for me to take. He’d glare at me if he caught me staring at him. For the millionth time I cursed the fates that made me male.

* * *

“That’s a gorgeous sunset,” I said from my seat of sand and palm leaves, as the sun sank below the horizon.

“After five or ten years, you’ll be used to it,” said Zach sitting next to me. “We should try to catch some fish tomorrow. If I knew how to clean and gut them. That fruit will only go so far.”

“No problem there. I know how.” I said smiling at Zach.

He got up and stepped into our lean-to and started to lie down. “I knew you were going to say that. I’m tired. ‘Night.” He was instantly asleep.

I stayed up for a while, watching the sky grow dark, then ablaze with stars. I watched Zach sleep.

* * *

A thunderstorm came up abruptly during the night waking me with a jolt. The lightning was very bright and quite frightening. Rain pelted our lean-to and the winds managed to whistle around us. The thunder pounded and crackled across the sky.

I wanted so bad for Zach to hold me…to comfort me during the storm. He didn’t even wake up.

* * *

The next day, there were more coconuts on the ground and palm leaves scattered about. When I started tidying up around our camp, Zach just laughed, picked up the binoculars and said he was going to the top of the hill to watch for ships.

Other than watching Zach flounder around in the shallow lagoon trying to catch a fish trapped there not much happened during the day. The following day was more of the same. It has only been a few days and already they were starting to blur together. We were existing and not much else. And Zach never caught that fish.

The morning of our fourth day, I was making my normal walk around the island, I spotted some boxes of some sort had washed up on the beach where we had. Excitedly, I ran over to them.

I was surprised to see that it was luggage. Expensive luggage at that. There was a soaked tag on the handle of one of the pieces of luggage. It was smeared, but I could make out the name “Tamara Greenwood”. It was Zach’s girlfriend’s luggage and that could only mean one thing. They weren’t locked and I popped them open.

My heart leaped when I saw bras, panties, dresses, skirts and her make-up kit, all protected by the luggage’s tight seal. This was almost better than a yacht waiting to pick us up. Her clothes were always so nice.

I took a quick look over my shoulder. Zach was no where to be seen as he usually spent the day at the top of the hill under a makeshift umbrella we made to protect him from the sun. Quickly, I pulled off my t-shirt and jeans and found a sexy, lacy pair of red nylon panties. I slipped them on and was instantly in heaven. I found the matching bra. Her clothes weren’t an exact fit, but it was close. There was a pretty, floral print sundress that I just had to try on. There were several pairs of shoes and I put on a pair of high heeled sandals.

I rummaged through the make-up and found a nice rose pink lipstick that I put on immediately. I don’t know what I looked like, but I felt gorgeous! It was a little hard with the heels on, but I managed to start dancing with my eyes closed and shaking my butt.

“What the fuck are you doing??!” asked an incredulous Zach from somewhere behind me with his mouth hanging open.

Foolishly, I tried to hide the luggage with my skinny body. “What?” I said stupidly as I turned around.

Zach pointed at me angrily and shouted, “That! That girl shit! What the fuck are you doing?” He stepped up close to me and jabbed his finger at my face and growled, “I had you pegged for a twinkie from the start. I ought to…hey! That’s Tamara’s shit. Where did you get that? And why are you in it?”

Nervously I said, “It…it must have washed up on the beach last night.” Fingering the neckline of the sundress I continued, “And. And…and…y’know. I was bored.” I shrugged.

“Bored? What kind of stupid answer is that?” lashed out Zach. “Nobody puts on a dress because they’re bored! And get out of Tamara’s clothes before you ruin them!”

“I’m just having some fun. Not like there’s a lot to do here!” I said trying to sound reasonable.

Zach suddenly scowled and shouted, “Look! I don’t want to share this island with some transceptual or whatever. Get off my island!”

“Your island?” I said incredulously. “And just where do you expect me to go?”

Zach frowned a bit harder and then said, “Ok. Well then, you stay on the east side of the island and I’ll stay on the west.”

“Fine!” I shouted. “I don’t want to share this island with a gender bigot!”

Zach jabbed a finger at me and shouted, “You better not come crawling back to me twink-boy, begging me to take you back in. Starving or not, I’ll kick your ass!”

As I closed up Tamara’s luggage and hefted it up to move it more into the east side of the island I shouted, “Fine! And I hope your side of the island sinks!” And with that, I stormed off, headed for the east side of the island.

* * *

Needless to say, I was furious with Zach. How could he banish me to one side of the island? He saw me as a girl and rejected me. Well, maybe to him, he didn’t see me as a girl, with my longish hair greasy, matted, tangled and lying limp on my head, my face, legs and arms smeared with dirt and I didn’t use a mirror to apply my lipstick so I’m sure I looked like a mess.

Still.

Calling me names and wanting to vote me off the island because I was wearing a dress was ridiculous. I had no idea Zach was such an asshole. Well, he can just rot on his side of the island for all I cared!

* * *

Zach graciously allowed me to get water from the cave spring, but only if I wore pants to do so. First order of business was to wash that matted mop on my head and do a general clean up. I found a nice spot where I could set up a shelter and enough loose rocks to build a fire pit. For an afternoon’s work, I think I got a fairly comfortable camp set up.

He might have thought he was punishing me, and while I did miss seeing Zach for the next several days, I was in heaven, if you don’t count the rocks under the thin layer of sand where I made my bed, the bugs, the thunderstorms, being chased out of my camp by crabs and having my camp flooded by high tide. No, Zach wasn’t punishing me at all. I couldn’t wait to pull everything out of Tamara’s luggage.

I tried on everything in Tamara’s luggage I could squeeze myself into. I practiced with her make-up until I think I got it down pretty good. I painted my toenails and played with my hair, trying out different styles. I put on a bikini and went swimming in the ocean. And even though the hair was light, I shaved my legs and underarms. Thank God she packed a safety razor. Thankfully I don’t have much facial hair, but what I have, I got rid of daily.

When I wasn’t being girly, I was gathering various fruits and discovered an area of the beach where I dug up a clam or two. I went to a clam bake once on a California vacation. Hopefully I could remember how to cook them. I also found a few spots where the sand on the beach had been recently disturbed. I dug through the sand and discovered a pile of sea turtle eggs. Just the thought of scrambled eggs made my mouth water. I shook my head and covered the eggs back up.

My life was hardly exciting. I played dress up, lay on my back eating fruit and looking at shapes in the clouds and always kept an eye out on the ocean for a possible passing ship. To avoid Zach, I’d usually wait until dark to get spring water.

* * *

I was stretched out on the beach wearing a tank top, and a short denim skirt along with make-up, a bra and panties of course, lying in the cool shade of a palm tree, when I saw Zach approach. It’d been a week since I was banished from his side of the island and almost that long since I’d seen him last. He was looking a little gaunt, a little sunburned and even though he was starting to grow a beard, he was still gorgeous. Did I say that?

I stood up and stepped towards him as he got near. I shook my hair to get it to move out of my face as it cascaded about my shoulders. He looked at me with a funny look on his face. He was wearing the Japanese army helmet.

He stopped a few feet from me and after a moment said, “Wow. You look..um..you look, um…nice.” He swallowed, and then continued, “You look very nice.” He fell silent and just stared at me.

“Thank you, Zach.” I looked at him with a questioning expression, my head tilted to one side. “Did you come all the way over here just say that?”

He paused for a moment, looked thoughtfully at the ground and then back at me as he said, “No…no. I uh, I came to apologize to you Alex. I was wrong. I’m lonely, and I’m starving.” He spread his arms in a gesture of disbelief as he continued, “And look at you. You’re…you’re..really ho…um…really, um really nice.”

I smiled at him. I looked at Zach, asking me to return, standing there shirtless, hair unkempt, a stubbly face and wearing a Japanese helmet. I never had a stronger desire for a camera in my life. I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

His expression dropped to one of disappointment and his shoulders slumped. I quickly said, “Sorry. I wasn’t laughing at your apology or offer to take me back. I really would like to come back and we can share all of the island. Just one condition though.”

He frowned and said, “What?”

“That I can keep dressing like this without any rude comments from you.” I stood there with my hands on my hips.

Zach smiled and said, “Oh, no problem there. In fact, I insist.”

* * *

I almost felt like I had returned home. It was great to be back in our camp again. Everything looked the same, which it should since I was only gone a week. Still, it did need some tidying up.

For my “homecoming”, I thought I’d make something special for dinner as now I knew where to find clams and I desperately wanted to get revenge on some crabs. Even before the banishment, Zach had nominated me as chief cook and bottle washer. And now, I was officially the maid as well. As long as he doesn’t think of me as his Mom…

Zach was going to be on look-out duty most of the day. We took turns scanning the sea. Anyway, I had plenty of time on my hands and I gathered up the necessary rocks, dug the pit to bake the clams in, and then lined the pit with the rocks and started the fire to heat the rocks. We were going to be missing a number of ingredients, but it’s a long walk to the store.

I had a terrible time chasing the crabs around the beach. And when I caught one, I hated holding them. I don’t know how many times I slipped and fell on the beach chasing crabs and watching the crabs skitter away to freedom as I lifted myself up off the beach.

I had removed the fire and put the clams into the pit to start cooking, and the crabs where boiling in a pot left over from World War Two when I noticed the position of the sun. I had to hurry as Zach would be climbing down from his perch at the top of the hill before too much longer. I hurried to Tamara’s luggage and dug out her slinky black dress. I know it sounds goofy, but I wanted to look special for Zach for this special dinner. I felt like I was inviting my boyfriend over for dinner.

I laid the dress out on the floor of our lean to, along with black lacy panties and matching bra. I even slipped into a pair of pantyhose so my legs would look good. I didn’t bother with heels as it just made walking in the loose sand rather difficult. With the make-up, I went for my “evening” look, with smoky eye shadow and black eye-liner. Checking a compact’s mirror, I had to admit to myself that I looked like any typical teen-age girl.

I hurried back to the fire pits and laid out a blanket like a table cloth, complete with mess kits in place of the fine china. I was just checking on the crabs when Zach returned to the camp. He stopped a short distance away and just stared. Not sure if he was looking at me or the food.

He walked up to stand right next to me and said, “Holy shit, Alex! This is great! It must have taken you all day to prepare this.”

I dismissed his comment with a wave of my hand as I said, “It’s just something I tossed together. I hope you like it.”

In the slanting rays of the sinking sun, we sat next to each other on the blanket. We laughed and giggled as I hand fed Zach crab meat and fruit. Everything tasted great considering what I had to work with and my limited domestic experience. I caught Zach studying me a few times. I’d smile and he’d smile back.

“That’s a beautiful sunset.” I said, as the sun started to slide below the horizon. We were sitting by the campfire feeling comfortable and dreamy from finally having our hunger satisfied.

Zach didn’t say anything for a moment. He just looked at me, our faces reddened by the fading rays of the setting sun. He reached up and touched my cheek, then slid a finger down the side of my face, brushing strands of hair out of the way. “You’re a beautiful girl, Alex. No, seriously.”

I smiled at him as he ran his fingers down through my hair. “Thank you, Zach,” I said as a chill ran down my spine. I found myself moving a bit closer to him.

Zach put one arm around my shoulders and leaned in a bit. “I was crazy not to see it before. I mean, just look at you! You’re gorgeous, you’re a great cook. You’re smart. You’re funny…” He paused a moment as he just smiled at me. He ran a finger down the bridge of my nose.

And then, before I could even react, his lips pressed into mine. He pulled me closer to him as his tongue slid into my mouth. He kissed me with a pent up passion that almost overwhelmed me. I put my arms around his neck as we slid from a sitting position, to lying in the sand. The desire for each other became insatiable. We kissed and writhed in the sand and before I knew it, I was down to my bra and panties. Zach was pressing his raging hard-on into my panties.

He rolled me over and quickly removed my panties. And in one, unfortunately painful thrust, I gladly gave my virginity to Zach.

* * *

I saw Zach start to stir as I fought to keep breakfast from sliding off the make-shift grill I’d made from a sheet of scrap metal from the cave. My ass still hurt, but I didn’t mind. I smiled at the thought of last night.

“Wake up, sleepy head!” I called. “Time for breakfast!”

Zach snorted, looked up with one eye barely open and grunted out “Huh?”

The sun was already climbing into the sky. I walked over to where he was sleeping and nudged him with my toe. “I said, time for breakfast.”

He raised his head and mumbled, “Breakfast?” He sniffed the air and then started to raise himself. “What is that?”

He stood up and walked over to where I was just about to finish cooking. “Are those eggs? Where? How?” He frowned and said, “Are those…?”

I started scraping off the largest portion into Zach’s mess kit. I said, “Yes, they’re sea turtle eggs.”

Zach shook his head and said, “Mr. Ramos is going to kill you when we get back.” Mr. Ramos was the environmental science teacher that Zach and I had had together this past semester.

I handed Zach his mess kit and said, “Mr. Ramos isn’t stranded on a speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He can just go fuck himself.”

Zach wolfed down the eggs so quickly, I wonder if he even tasted them. I said, “I only took a few and I we can’t have these every day. I’m not sure when they start to turn into little turtles.”

Zach just shrugged and said, “Well, we have to live too. That was great Honey. Who knew you were such a great cook. Wonderful dinner last night, and breakfast this morning.”

I laughed and said, “Well, my Dad always kept trying to make me an outdoorsm…um…woman. He gets some credit.” Did Zach just call me “Honey”?

Zach stepped up to me, put his arms around my neck and said, “You’re Dad isn’t here so you get all of it.” He bent his head and gave me a long, deep kiss. “I think I can we make a go of it here,” he said after he pulled away. He then picked up his helmet, a couple of coconuts for something to drink and started climbing back up to his perch on the hill top.

* * *

The next few days, or was it years? Who knew for sure? But it’s pure heaven. We had sex every day it seemed. It no longer hurt. We ate well, but tried not to over indulge as the island could only give us so much. The days blurred and I felt my crush on Zach turning into love that only grew so much deeper every day.

I pampered Zach as much as I could, massaging his feet, giving him baths, bringing him fruit while he was on look-out duty on the hill top. And though we missed movies, T.V., computer games and hanging out at the mall, we didn’t crave them like I thought we would. Sure, it got boring at times, but otherwise our lives seemed so perfect that sometimes I hoped we wouldn’t be rescued. In fact, one night on the beach, when I could tell Zach was almost about to release, I thought I saw a light on the horizon. It might have been a ship. But I didn’t want to spoil the moment, so I said nothing…

* * *

We laid on the beach, feeling satisfied and looking at the stars. I could never get over just how bright the night sky was on our little rock in the ocean. Zach had caught a fish in the shallow lagoon and we had it for dinner. Life had become routine for us on the island. And even though I’m sure it had only been at most two months, our old lives seemed as remote as if they had been on Mars.

“We’re incredibly lucky. “ Zach said matter-of-factly. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Oh, most definitely,” I agreed. “Just landing on the island at all was luck. The island having enough dirt on it to support palm trees and other plants was luck. And the island being a Japanese outpost was luck.”

Zach laughed, “And you knowing how to cook is the biggest luck of all! If any of those pieces were missing, we’d be up shit creek. In a way, we’re lucky it’s you who are here and not Tamara. I don’t have to worry about you getting pregnant. I can fuck you all I want with no worries.” He chuckled.

I jumped up, suddenly incensed. “What did you say? Am I just a fuck toy? Are you only happy I’m here so your precious Tamara won’t get pregnant? I thought maybe we were having sex because you loved me!”

Zach sat up just as suddenly, a look of cluelessness stretched across his star-lit face. “Babe! Of course I love you! I enjoy sex with you. It isn’t exactly like we’re up to our armpits in real girls here, you know. You do have a great ass and all, and what’s wrong with pointing out that as a bonus, you can’t get pregnant?”

In shock, I start random screaming, “What are you talking about? No real girls? I make love to you almost every night. I give you my heart, and all I am to you is a convenient fuck?”

Zach laughed as he said, “You think you’re a real girl? Are you serious? You must be out in the sun too much. Do real girls have a pussy? Yes. Do you have a pussy? No. I think that ends the discussion!”

“Get out!” I screamed. “Get away from me. Just get out of here!”

“We’re on an island, twink-boy,” laughed Zach. “You’re about as dumb as a real girl!” He reached out towards me.

Tears streaming down my face, I took a step backwards and shouted, “Don’t touch me! Stay away from me! Just get away from me! I don’t care where you go, just go!” I stood there, pointing in some random direction. I was so upset I was shaking.

“Okay, bitch! But I should be kicking you out of my camp.” As Zach picked up his blanket and started to walk away in the darkness, he said, “I honest-to-God wish it had been Tamara, and not you that washed up on the beach that day!”

I just stood there crying, my whole body wracking with sobs.

* * *

The sun was already quite high in the sky when I awoke. I was laying in an awkward position. I don’t even remember laying down. I finally rolled over and saw Zach leaning against a palm tree and staring at me.

“I thought I told you to get lost,” I said, not having enough strength to yell.

“You can’t get lost on this island.” He took a step towards me and said, “Look. I want to apologize for last night. I said a lot of really stupid things and I’m terribly sorry.”

I stood up and sounding really bitchy, I said, “You’re right. You did say a lot of stupid things. And you should be sorry. But this is now officially a no-fuck zone. So you need to go away.” I folded my arms.

Zach frowned and said, “I really am very sorry. I didn’t mean anything I said last night. It’s just the frustration of being stuck on this island. Yes, all our basic needs are met right now. But for how long? And don’t you ever yearn for something more? We might be on this island for the rest of our lives! That’s scary, even when you’re with some one love very deeply.”

“Nice speech. Now get lost.” I tapped my foot.

Zach gestured with his arm. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

“Can’t you bring it here?”

“No. Come with me, please.” Zach pleaded. “I just want you to see something.”

I shrugged, rolled my eyes and said, “Fine!”

He led me to a group of trees near the cave. In front of me was a large coconut, stuck on a stick and the coconut was wearing the Japanese helmet. Another stick had been tied across the first one to resemble arms. Palm leaves had been wrapped around the sticks to seem as if there was someone wearing a leafy jacket. There were two short rows of coconuts on the ground.

I pointed at it and asked, “What the crap is this?”

“Now give me your hand,” I hesitated and he pleaded, “Please?”

Frowning, I let him take my hand. He then started speaking in a strange voice I guessed was supposed to be the coconut with the helmet talking. “My friends, we are gathered here to day to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony…”

I pulled my hand away and said, “Are you nuts? What do you think you’re doing?”

“Just hear me out, okay?” He took my hand again.

In the strange voice he continued, “Zachary, do you promise to love and cherish Alex for as long as you both shall live on this island?”

“I do.”

In the strange voice he said, “Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me. With this ring I do wed.”

“With this ring, I do wed.” Zach slid an O-ring from some equipment in the cave onto my finger. He placed another O-ring into my hand.

Again using the weird voice he said, “And do you Alex, promise to love and cherish Zachary for as long as you both shall live on this island?”

I hesitated. I looked into Zach’s eyes. He was looking at me so earnestly. He seemed to be taking this all very seriously. I smiled at him. He’d gone to a lot of trouble for this. I stood there in the dirty wrinkled dress I was wearing last night, my hair disheveled. I said, “I do.”

“Place this ring on his finger and repeat after me. With this ring I do wed.”

“With this ring, I do wed. I slid the O-ring onto Zach’s finger.

“By the Power of Gray Skull, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Um, you may kiss the bride.”

“I love you, baby.” Zach put his hands on either side of my head, tilted his head towards me and gave me a long, deep, passionate kiss.

* * *

Things went back to normal after our “wedding” with the exception that Zach said “I love you” more often and meant it sincerely. He never mentioned Tamara again and started treating me more like a woman.

Over the weeks, our relationship grew deeper. We still had disagreements, but they were usually resolved quickly after I pointed out to Zach that he was wrong.

Even though our lives had fallen into a routine, we were doing more than just existing and we were happy. The island had become a home. Our lean-to had grown to a somewhat more elaborate shelter. And slowly but surely, we learned to manage the resources of our island. We could easily live here for the rest of our lives.

* * *

“Come here, you!” Zach laughed as he reached out to grab me while chasing me in the water at the northern beach. I let out a short scream as I lost my footing and fell onto the sand in the shallow water. Zach leaped on top of me and shouted, “Ah-ha! I got you!”

I pretended to fight him off as he pulled down my black bikini bottoms and tossed up onto the dry sand. “Get away from me, you beast!” I giggled as he tried to kiss me.

I finally surrendered to his desires as he slid his tongue deep into my mouth. We laid there, kissing and fondling each other as the ocean waves rolled up the beach and slid back into the sea. It was mid-morning and instead of going to his look out spot on top of the hill, he had been feeling a bit frisky.

A wave splashed over our heads, causing us to gasp and sputter, so we decided to move up under the palm trees. As we laid there in the shade, I massaged his hardness through his pants, soaked through from playing in the ocean. I pulled open his pants and grabbed his cock as I bent over and took him into my mouth…

* * *

“You are wonderful,” Zach said after I had retrieved my bikini bottoms and we started walking to the hill, hand in hand. “I love you so much.” He bent down slightly and gave me a quick kiss.

We walked silently to the hill, each deep in our own thoughts. Zach started to climb up. I watched him go about halfway when he suddenly stopped. He shouted “Oh my God! Alex! Up here quick!” He stared out into the ocean for a few moments and then shouted as he scurried to the top, “Get the flare gun out of the cave!”

My heart stopped and I swallowed hard. What had he seen that I couldn’t from sea level? I hurried up to the cave, scraping my bare legs on the rocks. Once inside the cave, I panicked as I couldn’t remember where the flare gun case was. I found it under the desk and hurried back out and started climbing up to the top.

Excitedly, Zach pointed off to the horizon. I shielded my eyes from the glare of the sun and looked out. Right on the horizon, about to disappear below it were two ships. I couldn’t tell what they were. Zach was looking with the binoculars. He said, “They look like military. Hand me the flare gun!”

I fumbled with the case, too excited to function properly. I pulled out the flare gun and loaded a flare into it and handed the gun to Zach.

As he raised the gun high, he said, “Oh God, please see this! Please see this!” He pulled the trigger and there was just a click. Nothing happened. The ships were sinking further down the horizon.

“It’s a dud! Fuck! Hand me another one!”

I pulled another flare from the case and handed it to Zach. He raised the gun again and pulled the trigger. Again, a click, but along with a fizzing sound. I yelled, “Unload that flare, quick!”

He pulled it out and tossed it over the side of the hill where it burst into flames and then just popped.

A look of anguish flashed across Zach’s face. “Oh my God. Did we use the only good one for the test shot? Hand me another one.”

There were only two left in the box. I handed him the next one. Zach loaded it, raises the gun high, closed his eyes and said, “Oh God please work…” He pulled the trigger.

There was a loud crack and a fizzle sound as the flare shot high into the air and a bright dot suddenly appeared in the sky and then began to drift slowly down.

We both had stopped breathing as we watched the flare soar into the air. Now our attention was turned towards the ships as they were about to disappear.

Zach started muttering, “Please see it! Please see it! Please, please, please.”

I held onto Zach’s hand tightly. I was visibly shaking. This might be our only chance ever to get off our island. The whole gamut of emotions rushed through my body. I prayed that we were about to be rescued, and fearful that Zach wouldn’t be mine any more.

We kept staring at the ships. I’m not sure what we expected to see. But suddenly a flare shot up from the direction of the ships. Zach started jumping up and down and shouting, “They saw us!”

We grabbed each other and started jumping up and down on the top of the hill. Zach gave me a long passionate kiss. “Oh my God, Honey, we’re finally getting off this island!” I laughed and hugged him tightly.

Then suddenly Zach stiffened. He pushed me gently away. He said, “Go find the clothes you wore when you washed ashore that day. Get out of that bikini.” He pulled a bikini strap back and said, “Ah shit, you have tan lines and nail polish. Nothing we can do about that I guess. Go change, hurry.”

I just stood there a moment, dazed by Zach’s sudden change and anger when we should be celebrating by hugging and kissing. In fact, I tried to put my arms around his neck and kiss him. “Zach. This should be the happiest day of our lives if we’re actually rescued. My love for you doesn’t need an island to hold my heart. I’ll love you anywhere.” I brought my lips close to his.

Coldly, he pulled my arms away from him and he took a step back. He then pointed aggressively at me with his finger. “Listen, you ever breathe a word of what happened here between you and me, and you will be in a world of hurt. That’s a promise.”

Tears started flowing as I looked up at Zach. “Zach? I..I love you…”

Angrily he shouted, “Go!” I started to protest and just pointed down towards the camp and said, “Go.”

I cried all the way down the hill towards the camp. Why was he treating me this way? Just minutes before I was making love to him and now he completely rejects my love. I collapsed in our shelter and cried with heaving sobs. I suddenly and irrationally hated those ships. We were happy! We could have been happy forever on our island! And now that happiness was being destroyed.

I pulled my jeans and t-shirt out of Tamara’s luggage where I had stored them. I just stood there in my bikini for a few minutes, looking around our camp…our home for past few months. To think that at first, we both wanted nothing more than to get off this rock in the middle of an ocean and now I was sad looking around at it, probably for the very last time.

Halfway to the top of the hill, I could see a Navy helicopter heading towards us. Zach leaned over the cliff edge and called to me, “Are you coming? They’re sending a chopper for us!”

Zach glanced at me and winced. “Sheesh. You still look like a girl. People are going to talk.” He kept shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

I frowned as I said, “You’re secret is safe with me. I love you. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

He put his hands on his head in a frustrated gesture and said through clenched teeth, “Will you please stop saying that!?”

My nostrils flaring, I just said, “Fine!”

We both waved our arms in the air as the large gray helicopter approached. We could see from the marking that it was an American Navy helicopter. It turned out the two ships we saw were the tail end of a carrier group. As it got near, our hair and the grass on top of the hill started blowing around wildly. From a P.A. system on the helicopter a voice said, “There’s no place on the island for us to land. We’re sending someone down with a cable.”

A few minutes later, someone hooked themselves to a cable and he was lowered down to us. The helicopter was very loud and the prop-wash continued to blow dirt and other debris in our faces. A moment later, a man was on the ground and though he unhooked himself from the cable, he continued to hold the slack cable which I could now see had a harness on the end. We ran up to him.

Zach cried out, “Thank God you’re here!”

The helmeted man still had his visor down so it was hard to see his face. He shouted over the din of the helicopter, “I’m Petty Officer Owens. What is your situation?”

Zach shouted back, “We’re so glad to see you!” Then Zach tried to sound all official in saying, “I’m Zachary Carlisle and we’re American high school students. Our plane crashed in the ocean in June. We washed up on this island.” Petty Officer Owens nodded. Zach shouted a few more details to Owens.

Owens touched the side of his helmet for a moment then talked to someone apparently on the radio. “Yes sir. Two American teens.” He paused a moment to look at both of us and continued, “About seventeen or eighteen. One male, one female. Survivors of the Transworld crash last June. Both appear in good health. Yes sir.”

Zach made no attempt to correct Owens on my gender. Owens gestured to me to get into the harness. “We’re going to take you up one at a time using this harness. Ladies first.” I smiled at him as he helped me with the harness. Owens made a gesture at the helicopter and with a sudden jerk in my underarms, I was lifted from the surface of the hill and started swaying back and forth as I was reeled up to the helicopter.

After I was free of the harness, they started lowering it back down to get Zach. I was shaking. It was all just too much for me. I was totally dazed. Overjoyed at finally going home and heartbroken at Zach’s sudden behavior.

One of the helicopter’ s crew held out a blanket towards me and said, “Would you like a blanket, miss?” I nodded and wrapped it around my shoulders. I hoped the crew of the ship that rescued us wouldn’t make a fuss when they discovered I wasn’t quite a real girl. I decided I didn’t care. I was going home.

* * *

“I need you all to squeeze in just a little bit more.”

There was some giggling as we all pressed closer into each other. All the survivors of the crash, including the flight crew, were having our picture taken at the reunion party. One year ago, we all had experienced unspeakable terror together.

In front of us so it could be included in the picture, was a table with photographs of the five students who didn’t survive, two of which were never found. There were also pictures of the pilots whose last act was to push a flight attendant out the emergency hatch just before the plane disappeared beneath the waves. They were never found. Also on the table was a surprise. A picture of the Japanese soldier we’d found sent to us from a grateful family. Zach got to keep the helmet.

The Navy also recovered Tamara’s luggage. I was surprised when they sent it to me. What Tamara doesn’t know won’t hurt her.

Zach would barely look at me at the party. My hair was still long, but I was dressed like most of the other guys. It was a semi-formal party with a big dinner and dance and was held at the fanciest hotel in town. I listened to Zach exaggerate and well, outright lie about his exploits on the island. He made no mention of those nights when we made passionate love to one another under the blazing night sky. Or us getting married. But I doubt being married by a coconut would be recognized by most states.

I needed some air, so I quietly moved to one of the doors that opened onto the wide veranda overlooking the city below. No one was out there and I walked over to the edge of the veranda and watched the city lights. My reverie was broken by the sound of footsteps approaching. I turned to see Zach walking towards me.

He stepped next to be at the edge of the veranda and took in the view for a moment before saying, “I hoped I could talk to you alone sometime tonight.”

I shrugged and said, “I’m being good Zach. I’ve told no one about our relationship on the island.”

He smiled nervously and said, “Well, that’s what I want to talk about.” I looked at him curiously and he continued, “I never got to say good-bye and properly thank the one person who made those months on the island bearable.”

He stepped closer to me, plucked a flower from one of the planters lining the edge of the veranda, and placed it in my hair over my ear. He said, “Again, I was stupid and didn’t take the opportunity to say a proper good-bye to my wife and lover.”

He shocked me by bending his head towards me and parted his lips and closed his eyes. I put my arms around his neck, closed my eyes and felt the breeze coming over the veranda blow playfully through my hair. Once again we stood on that island as his lips pressed into mine. Our tongues caressed each other as he kissed me deeply.

He slowly pulled away and looked intently into my eyes. “Thank you so much, for being my wife and for being a real girl for me.”

I fought back tears as I said, “You’re welcome Zach. I would have been happy with you on that island forever.” I reached up and gave him another kiss.

He took a step back and we just looked at each other for a few moments. Suddenly we heard the door to the veranda open and a feminine voice call out, “Oh, there you are!”

I quickly reached up and pulled the flower from my hair. Zach turned around and said, “Oh, hi Tamara.”

Smiling her clueless smile, Tamara asked, “What are you two doing out here?” She looked at Zach and said, “They’re about to start the dancing.”

Zach smiled broadly and slipped his arm around Tamara’s waist and said, “Oh, we were just talking about the island and how hellish it was there.” He turned and winked at me.

Tamara frowned at her hair being tossed around and said, “It’s too breezy out here. Let’s go back inside.”

Zach smiled and said, “Sure.” Tamara took his arm and they walked back inside. I just stood there for several minutes after the door closed.

I picked the flower up from the veranda floor that Zach had put in my hair. I lifted it to my nose and deeply inhaled its delicate fragrance as I closed my eyes and felt the breeze stir my hair. I could almost see the sun setting on an endless ocean and hear the waves lap against the beach and feel the soft kiss of my lover as we lay in the sand.

I stood there on the veranda for a long time, and smiled.

* * *

The End