Chapter Fifteen
1066 Words
I walked towards the house made of palm tree branches and I was seriously impressed. It still didn't have a roof, but the space was great. I entered through an opening that looked like a door. I noticed that the "floor" had leaves and deadwood. I wondered what else he'd do with it. I touched the wall and was surprised to see that it did seem sturdy. There were a few branches left and I assumed that they were probably going to be part of the roof. I sat down on the leaves, then I laid down and looked at the leafy walls.
"Cool. Feels like camping," I said. I laughed a bit thinking about Nick and how he built the house. I stood up again and decided to do some yoga. I stretched my arms up and my legs sideways, almost doing a split.
"God, I have to do exercise. I feel like a slob," I said smiling. I stretched a bit here and there, did the cat, the eagle, and the tower pose. I thought that it might be a good idea to do that routine every day. God, I missed music. I loved the sounds of the ocean and the calmness of this place, but at the same time, it was kind of boring. I missed my father and my best friend Maribel. I wondered how she was holding up with Joel who didn't really give me much confidence, but still. Hell, I even missed those assholes Mario, Frankie, Tatiana, and Shealys and their stupid race car tactics. I missed Camilo and prayed that he was alright. There was nothing else I could do anyway, only pray and hope that he was still alive somewhere. After my exercise, I decided to go walking the island. I figured since I was already here, besides I was thinking of a plan. I would have to talk to Nick about it, but the plan was simple. Fix the boat and try to navigate it back to Puerto Rico or at least somewhere near those shores. I knew it wouldn't be easy to fix it, but we were going to have to try. I wasn't good at woodcrafts or building or anything like that, but he seemed to have some skill. I was willing to help even if it meant to hold on to something or just stand by while the wind blew my hair.
As I walked through the island I looked at the trees and touched the tree trunks to see if they were hard or not. Honestly, I didn't know anything about wood, but for me, at least, they seemed pretty sturdy. I didn't know how Nick would take it. Sometimes I had the idea that maybe he didn't even want to be rescued. It felt like he wanted this to be his permanent home. I wondered if he said no. Would he really just let me leave like that? Could I leave him here knowing that he was stranded? This was tough on me. I decided to brush all of those thoughts aside. If he wanted to stay, then let him stay. I wasn't going to force him to leave with me. Anyway, as I walked the tropical forest I saw snakes, iguanas, and lizards.
"Looks just like home," I mumbled to myself thinking about Puerto Rico. I saw the cave and decided to return to it. The stalactites and stalagmites were immediately visible once I entered the mouth of the cave. There was an echo each time I paced. I saw the bats again hanging on the ceiling, their wings were wrapping their bodies like the last time. I didn't lose time this time. I went back to that open area where there was a small pond and a painting of mermaids. This time, a ray of light dropped itself right on the wall. It was clear now. In the middle was a huge figure of what seemed like a merman. He sat on a large stone and a mermaid was next to him. He had a crown of sorts and so did the mermaid, so they were probably royalty. The woman though had a small merman in her arms. He looked like a three or four-year-old human and next to her was another merman, a young man, carrying a conch shell. They were surrounded by many other mermaids and mermen. It looked like a celebration of some sorts because they held sea plants and seemed to be cheering. A carriage that resembled a large shell seemed to be waiting for the royal family. Now that I had some space between the painting and me I could see a whole portrait cleared. Behind all of them was a golden castle, which I assumed was meant for the King and Queen of the painting. I knew they were Queen and King because from the rest of the crowd they were the only ones wearing crowns and they had more necklaces and bracelets than the rest. The painting was so large and detailed that it took time for me to see everything. Not only were there mermaids and mermen, but there were also sea turtles, fish, and coral. At the corner of the painting, I thought I saw something very peculiar, there was a mermaid that seemed very, very old. She looked different from the rest of the mermaids and mermen in the portrait. First off she was wearing on her head a large hat that looked like it was made of sea plants. She was holding something in her hand. I was about to study it, when I heard someone outside scream my name.
"Karina! Karina!" I jerked more surprised than scared, although I did feel a bit of unexpected fear. I recognized that voice. It was... I ran immediately out of the cave dodging the stalagmites and stones, climbing areas where I needed to climb up, and then reaching to the top in a matter of minutes.
"Karina!" I heard again, this time the voice was louder and clearer. I ran towards it immediately recognizing who it was. There was no doubt in my mind. I had to run opposite from where I was actually stranded to the other side of the island, but I ran as fast as I could until I saw a wounded Camilo standing in front of me.
- Writer
