Man In The Island

The Map

"Adora, please get me my clothes!" Eric shouted for the umpteenth time.

There was no answer; instead, Adora ran further and further away.

The sea breeze blew softly, fluttering the dry leaves that made up the roof of the simple shelter. Adora sat inside, hiding behind a pile of twigs arranged neatly as walls. From a small gap between the leaves, she peered at Eric's figure in the sea.

The man looked tired but remained alert. His sharp eyes occasionally glanced around, making sure there was no danger. He dived for a while, then resurfaced, breathing heavily. When he had had enough, Eric shouted, "Adora! Bring me my clothes!"

Adora stiffened. She didn't answer and stayed in her hiding place.

Eric frowned. There was no answer. There was no sound of footsteps in the sand. He glanced around but found no sign of Adora.

"She left?"

Eric had no other choice. With his hands covering his sensitive parts, he got out of the sea, with wet sand sticking to his feet. He moved quickly, running towards his clothes that were lying on the beach. After putting on his worn pants and t-shirt, he grabbed the black suitcase that he always kept tightly protected.

With a heavy sigh, Eric walked towards his small hut. Once inside, he stopped in his tracks.

Adora was there.

The girl sat leaning against the wall of the hut, covering her face with both hands. Her shoulders trembled slightly, either from holding back laughter or from embarrassment.

Eric looked at her expressionlessly. "Are you staying here?" He asked flatly.

Adora peeked out from between her fingers. "I don't see anything," she said quickly, as if to emphasize.

Eric snorted, tossing his black suitcase into the corner of the hut before sitting down near her. "Stop acting like that. We're stuck here, and we have to work together to survive."

Adora lowered her hand, looking at him with some hesitation. "I've never experienced anything like this before: surviving on a small island with only leaves, seawater, and, men like you."

"And you thought I had?!" Eric suddenly raised his voice, the frustration he had been holding back starting to explode. "You think I like being stranded on a desert island with a stranger whom I can't even count on to get me my clothes?!"

Adora gasped, her eyes widening. "Don't yell at me!" She retorted in an equally high-pitched voice. "You think I like being stuck here with you? With an exhibitionist man?"

"Then just leave! Build your own shack!" Eric pointed towards the door, his body trembling with anger. "I've had enough patience with you!"

"Patience?" Adora laughed sarcastically, rising to her feet with her hands clenched at her sides. "You're the one who keeps ordering me around as if I'm your subordinate! Take this, take that! Do you think I'm your helper?"

Eric stood up as well, towering over Adora. Despite being taller, he didn't mean to intimidate; he just got carried away. "Sorry, Adora. But the condition was –"

"You're always so self-righteous!" Adora pushed Eric's chest with both hands, making him take a step back. "Always the one who knows best how to survive! But you know what? We're still stuck here! Your plans aren't getting us back to civilization!"

"And what are your plans?!" Eric approached again, his face only inches from Adora's. "Writing SOS in the sand, hoping for help? Until when?"

Adora's eyes glazed over. "I'm scared, stupid! I'm scared! I don't know if we'll make it out of here! I don't know if we'll be found! I don't know if there's food tomorrow!"

That statement threw Eric back into reality. He stepped back, rubbing his face, which was roughened by a growing beard. His voice softened, though it still trembled. "You think I'm not scared? You think I really know what I'm doing?"

Silence fell over the small hut. Only the sound of the waves crashing and the wind blowing could be heard. Adora stared at Eric, tears running down her cheeks dirty with dust and sand.

"I just–" Adora sobbed, "I just want to go home."

Eric let out a long breath. His anger receded, replaced by a deep feeling of exhaustion. "Me too, Adora. I want to go home too."

Eric let out a long breath. His anger receded, replaced by a deep feeling of exhaustion. "Me too, Adora. I want to go home, too."

With a hesitant movement, Eric reached out his hand, touching Adora's shoulder. "Listen," he said softly. "I apologize for yelling. But you have to understand—we only have each other here. I can't do everything myself, and neither can you."

Adora wiped away her tears, looking at Eric with a look that was hard to interpret. "You're really annoying, you know that?" she said, now in a lighter tone.

Eric smiled slightly, the first time since they were stranded. "And you're so stubborn. Maybe that's what will keep us going."

Adora snorted, but there was a small smile on her face. "So, now what?"

Eric walked over to his black suitcase, opening it carefully. "Now, we need a better plan." He took out a worn map from inside the suitcase. "Look at this. If my calculations are correct, we're on one of the smaller islands in this archipelago." His finger pointed to a point on the map. "The ocean current is too strong to swim to the nearest island, but..."

"But?" Adora leaned closer, curiosity overcoming her annoyance.

"But maybe we can build a raft." Eric raised his gaze, looking at Adora seriously. "That would take weeks, maybe even months. We'd have to gather wood strong enough, bind it with plant fibers, make sails out of leaves–"

"And you think that would work?" asked Adora, skepticism evident in her voice.

"I don't know," Eric replied honestly. "But it's better than just sitting and waiting for help that may never come.

"Adora was silent for a moment, considering their limited options. Finally, she nodded. "Alright. I'll help you—really help this time. But on one condition.

"Eric raised his eyebrows. "What's that?"

"You have to stop being annoying."Eric looked at her for a long time before finally extending his hand. "Agreed.

"Adora welcomed the hand, grasping it tightly. The first genuine human touch since they were stranded.

"Oh, and one more thing," Adora added, not letting go of her hand. "Next time you bathe in the sea, make sure you bring your own clothes to the shore."

Eric laughed—a sound that surprised even himself. "That makes sense."

Outside the hut, the sun began to set, coloring the sky with tinges of orange and pink. The wind picked up, carrying the scent of salt and the promise of a distant storm. Their temporary shelter probably wouldn't last long against bad weather, but for now, it was enough.

And maybe, just maybe, they would also be strong enough to survive.

"What else is in the suitcase?" Adora looked into the black suitcase carried by Eric.

"Clothes at most."

"Wow, I found jewelry. It's expensive; as far as I know, it's made by a famous designer who doesn't produce much."

Eric looked at Adora. "What's the jewelry for?"

"To sell. We can survive by selling this jewelry."

Eric felt like running away and drowning himself in the sea again at Adora's words. "Who wants to buy here? We're stranded, Adora. Jewelry is useless. Food is more useful, bread or something."

Only then did Adora realize that they were far from human civilization. She lost her spirit again.

"Alright, but it's good that we got a map and some clothes."

Eric continued to unpack the suitcase, and under the last fold of clothes, he found–