Man In The Island

About Adora

"Stop and stay there!" Adora shouted when she saw Eric intending to approach her.

Eric raised both hands, then sat back down on his bed which was just a pile of dry leaves.

Adora let out a long breath, then squatted in front of the hut's open door. She tried to cover it with the woven coconut leaves she had made earlier, but the result was far from neat. The leaves just fell off one by one every time she tried to tuck them into the side of the wooden support.

Eric, who had been watching behind her, finally chuckled. "Do you need help?"

Adora glanced at him sharply. "Better not come any closer if your brain is still thinking about annoying things."

Eric raised his eyebrows. "Do I look like I'm thinking things?"

Adora snorted. "You always look like that."

Eric shrugged without taking offense. He stepped closer and grabbed the woven coconut leaves from Adora's hand. Deftly, he began smoothing out the tangled edges of the leaves and tying them tighter.

Adora watched her with a crease on her forehead. "How come you can do it so easily?"

"Because I've seen tutorials on YouTube about making crafts like this. I may not be good at it, but at least I'm better than you." Eric replied as he slipped the last plait between the door frame.

Adora snorted in annoyance. "Speak again, and I'll tear those leaves off."

Eric chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up."

After a few minutes, the makeshift door was finally standing fairly firmly. It wasn't perfect, but at least it could block the night breeze and give them a little privacy.

They went back inside the hut, sitting in their respective places. In their midst, a small campfire burned dimly, providing a little light and warmth in the growing cold night.

Adora pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the fire blankly. Eric, who was leaning against the wall of the hut, glanced at her before finally asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Adora sighed softly. "I'm just remembering my life before all this happened."

"What kind of life?"

Adora smiled faintly. "I was a model as well as a celebrity. I built my career from scratch, from promoting small products to working with big brands."

Eric raised his eyebrows. "So you live in a world of filters and edits?"

Adora gave him a sharp glance. "It's not like that. I worked hard to get where I am. But, yeah ... that world isn't as beautiful as people think it is."

After a few minutes, the makeshift door finally stood firmly enough. It wasn't perfect, but it would at least block the night breeze and give them some privacy.

They went back inside the hut, sitting in their respective places. In their midst, a small campfire burned dimly, providing a little light and warmth in the growing cold night.

Adora pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the fire blankly. Eric, who was leaning against the wall of the hut, glanced at her before finally asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Adora sighed softly. "I'm just remembering my life before all this happened."

"What kind of life?"

Adora smiled faintly. "I was a model as well as a celebrity. I built my career from scratch, from promoting small products to working with big brands."

Eric raised his eyebrows. "So you live in a world of filters and edits?"

Adora gave him a sharp glance. "It's not like that. I worked hard to get where I am. But, yeah ... that world isn't as beautiful as people think it is."

Eric looked at her with an interested expression. "What do you mean?"

"People only see the end result, the perfect pictures, the nice-looking life. They don't know that there's a lot of hard work, pressure, and demands behind it all," Adora said quietly.

Eric was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly. "So, now that it's all gone, how do you feel?"

Adora didn't answer right away. Her eyes remained glued to the dwindling campfire. "I don't know. Maybe, i feel empty. Everything I've built up is useless here."

Eric nodded slowly. "In this place, only one thing matters-survival."

Adora sighed. "Yeah, and it makes me wonder, does everything I've done so far really matter?"

Eric gave her a long look before finally saying, "It depends. If you enjoy it, then it's meaningful. But if you're just doing it to fulfill other people's expectations, maybe this is an opportunity to find something more valuable."

Adora turned to him, slightly surprised by his answer. She didn't expect to get that kind of thought from Eric.

"Why?" Eric asked.

Adora shook her head. She then took the leaves that Eric had collected to make her bed. "I asked for some of these leaves."

Eric nodded.

Adora patted the pile of dried leaves that she had neatly arranged in the corner of their small hut. The leaves served as bedding, while on top of them, she placed some clothes that Eric had previously found in a suitcase that had washed up on the shore. Although it wasn't as comfortable as a mattress at home, at least it was enough to alleviate the chill from the ground.

Eric, who was on the other side of the room, did the same. His bed was made similarly, attached to the wall of the hut made of twigs and leaves. He straightened the clothes he was going to use as a base, then sat on it with a sigh.

"At least it's better than sleeping directly on the ground," Eric said while observing his bed.

Adora gave him a glance. "Yeah, but don't expect to sleep well."

Eric leaned his back against the wall of the hut. "After a day of exhaustion, I think I can still sleep, no matter how comfortable the place is."

Adora did not respond. She lay down slowly, trying to feel if the bed was decent enough.

Eric looked up at the ceiling of their hut which was also made of woven leaves and twigs. "It feels strange. Normally, nights on like this I'd be, relaxing in my room, watching something, or maybe playing with my phone. Now? There's nothing but darkness and the sounds of nature."

Adora pulled out her emergency blanket-a thick jacket that Eric had also found from the suitcase-and muttered, "Maybe this is the first time you've felt what it's like to be away from all that comfort."

Eric chuckled. "Maybe. And I'm not going to lie, I miss a proper bed."

The atmosphere returned to silence for a moment. There was only the sound of the wind blowing slowly through the cracks of their hut. The small campfire in the center of the room still burned dimly, providing just enough light to make them feel a little safer.

Adora looked up at the roof before saying softly, "We don't know how long we'll be here."

Eric turned to her. "Yeah, I thought about that too. But for now, we can only survive and do our best."

Adora let out a long breath. "I hope tomorrow we find something more useful. Maybe food, or something that can help us survive longer."

Eric nodded. "We'll look further tomorrow. For now, we'd better get some sleep."

Adora didn't answer, but she closed her eyes slowly, trying to ignore all the anxiety that was still swirling in her mind. Eric also lay down, staring at the ceiling for a while before finally closing his eyes.

"Good night, Eric!" said Adora.

"Night. If you get cold later, you can come here and hug me," Eric said with a chuckle.

"In your dreams! Instead of hugging you, I'd rather hug you often."

"Alright. Just watch out if you take that back!"

"I won't! Never mind, now sleep!"

Eric sighed. "Adora, do you have a boyfriend?"