And Then It Was All Over

Sophie’s eyes burned as she stepped back out onto the sandy white beach her legs nearly giving out beneath her. She stumbled across the shoreline, looking out at the churning ocean. Eventually she reached the flimsy hut she had put up a few days-or was it weeks?-ago. The hut was really just a tarp from their lifeboat wedged between some big rocks. On one side, Sophie had stuck some saplings into the ground, in an attempt to block out at least some of the wind. She paused outside of the tent and promised herself she would make a new one. She bent down and crawled inside, her legs screaming with pain. Inside, Carie sat drawing in the sand. Carie was blind and deaf but her drawings still managed to be better than Sophie’s. Of course, they weren’t the regular things that people draw-such as cars and people-but they were a different kind of beautiful. Suddenly, Sophie remembered why she had gone into the forest in the first place. Untying the canteen at her waist, she grabbed Carie’s hand and then put the canteen into it. Carrie said nothing. She hardly ever did-there was no point. Even if Carrie had a question, Sophie couldn’t respond-or, she could, but Carrie wouldn’t be able to tell. Pangs of hunger in Sophie’s stomach brought her back to focus. She would have to try and find food. The food that had been on the lifeboat had long since run out, and it was hard work finding things to eat. It would be another long walk to reach any kind of food. This time, however, she felt a sudden urge to bring Carrie along with her. Sophie reaches out and grabbed the girls hand. They had been together long enough that Carrie had taught her some of the blind/deaf alphabet. Carefully she tapped out we go look eat she couldn’t remember any more than that-but Carrie seemed to understand the message, and, with Sophie leading her, crawled out of the tent. Once outside, Carrie stretched and held out her hand so she could be led along by Sophie. Sophie took her hand and chose a direction to walk. Instead of going into the jungle as she did when she went for water, Sophie decided to walk around the edge of the island. Their progress was slow, as Sophie often had to stop to try and lead Carrie over obstacles, which could be a very difficult task. They were climbing over a particularly large piece of rock and where practically at the top when Cariie lurched over the edge, tumbling down the steep other side, her screams echoing into the vast ocean. Sophie scrambled down after, her body numb. They had been at least twenty, twenty-five feet off the ground. At the bottom, Carrie’s  lay limp, her body facing away from Sophie. Sophie pushed off the rocky wall she clung to, falling down about ten feet to the ground. Her knees buckled, forcing her to her to the ground. She whimpered, but crawled towards Carrie. Carrie sat up, and it was then Sophie noticed the long gash on Carrie’s leg, her blood flowing onto the ground. Then everything went black. Sophie woke a few minutes later to see a figure leaning over her. 

“Who are you?” She gasped squinting at the person. 

“Sophie? Do you remember me? I was on the cruise ship with you,” said the figure. Sophie sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was then she noticed she was laing in a poorly made hut only a bit nicer than her own. Carrie sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the “room”. 

“Is she okay?” Shophie asked, looking over Carrie. “Is her leg fine?” The boy nodded.

“I bandaged it up with some of the sail from my lifeboat,” he said, “but how about you? Are you all right?”

“Yes,” said Sophie, “but what about you? How long have you been here?” She paused, “what’s your name?” She added, noticing that he did indeed look very familiar. 

“I’m Michel. I’m not sure, but I think I’ve been here for about a month, maybe more,” replied Michel. Sophie nodded. And so it was, for days and nights the three stayed together, fighting for each and every hour of their lives. Early one morning Sophie awakened to an odd noise. She shook the other two awake (Carrie couldn’t hear it, but it didn’t matter), and together they went outside of the “house”. Outside, there was a rowboat on the shore. And off the coast, a motorboat. Two men climbed out of the row boat. And then it was all over.
 

gagnona

VT

18 years old

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