Stranded
Nicho woke up with his heart racing, his eyes slowly opening. The surroundings felt so unfamiliar, so quiet. The sound of waves crashing against the shore was so loud, blending with the heavy rhythm of his breath. His body felt stiff and sticky, wrapped in a soaked life jacket, as if he had just been thrown from a faraway world.
He tried to remember, searching for traces of memory hidden behind the fog of fear. In an instant, the image of the cruise ship appeared—fire, explosions, panic. People screaming, the crashing waves, the sinking ship... and then? Only darkness swallowed his consciousness.
Suddenly, a sharp voice broke the suffocating silence. "Aargh! What are you doing?!"
Eric jolted. His heart leaped. His hand reached out, touching something soft and warm, and at that moment, he realized something worse than his nightmare. Beneath his eyes, he saw a woman—a beautiful woman, whose face was now flushed red with anger. And... he had just accidentally pressed her chest.
The woman was startled, staring at him with confusion and anger in her eyes. "Perverted man!" she screamed, her loud voice making Eric flinch.
Eric froze, his body stiff, his mind spinning as he tried to find the right words. "I... I didn’t... that... I was just... dreaming!" he stammered, trying to explain, but the panic and his voice made his words sound ridiculous.
The woman stepped back, raising both hands in disbelief. "So, you think that’s okay?!"
Eric tried to calm himself, adjusting the life jacket that felt increasingly tight around his body. "I’m really sorry. I—"
But before he could finish, the woman turned and quickly walked toward the shore. His gaze drifted around—toward the vast ocean, toward the endless horizon. Eric could feel the tension in the air, and there was only one thing they could be sure of: they were stranded on a nameless, remote island.
The woman, now with a more serious expression, sat on the sand and began gazing at the sky.
"Where are we? How did we end up here?"
"As far as I remember, the ship had an accident. The bottom of the ship exploded. I was evacuated to a lifeboat. And just before I could board... there was another explosion," Nicho explained clearly.
The woman tried to remember, but she couldn’t recall anything.
"And you? How did you end up here?"
"I don’t remember. As far as I know, yesterday, my mom gave me some medicine in our room. I fell asleep, and after that, I don’t remember anything."
"Was the ship in an accident?"
Nicho nodded.
The woman turned her gaze toward the vast ocean.
"Mama..." she said softly, her voice much gentler, though still filled with confusion.
Nicho nodded quickly. "Eric, we need to survive. That’s the most important thing now."
The woman turned, slightly surprised. "Wait, what do you mean by survive? What’s going on?"
"I still can’t believe it!"
"Look around you. We’re stranded here, and we don’t know when help will come, or if it ever will," Nicho replied, trying to calm himself. "We need to act quickly, find resources."
Without saying much, Nicho began surveying the surroundings. His mind was working fast, filled with anxiety. He had to act. There was no time to be caught up in fear. He searched for coconuts along the shore, climbing trees with agility, using a Swiss knife to crack them open. The rising anxiety in his chest gave him extra strength, and with trembling hands, he managed to gather fresh water.
Meanwhile, the woman began doing something unexpected. She started gathering large rocks and twigs, arranging them to form a large SOS sign in the sand.
"If anyone sees this, they’ll know we need help," she said confidently.
Nicho paused for a moment, staring at her with growing frustration. "Are you serious? Is that what you’re thinking? We’re on a remote island, far from anywhere, and you’re still hoping someone will come?"
She looked at him sharply. "You think I don’t know that? But I can’t just sit here and do nothing!"
Nicho shook his head, feeling their survival efforts starting to diverge. "We need to focus on what’s important. Surviving, finding food, water, shelter... not just waiting for empty hope."
She remained silent, staring at him with an unreadable expression. She sat near the rocks she had arranged, not saying anything, just biting her lower lip, looking frustrated.
Eric went back to work, trying to calm himself with activity. He cracked another coconut and drank its water quickly, signaling his hunger. Every time he glanced at the woman, he could see the disgust hidden on her face. She didn’t know how to act, confused, and Nicho felt cornered in the increasing uncertainty.
In the midst of the tension, they both sat in silence. Each struggling in their own way, trying to survive, but slowly realizing that this island wasn’t just a place where they fought for life.
They didn’t know what else this island held.
"Will it get dark? Are you sure this place is safe?"
Nicho looked around.
He sighed and reflexively shook his head.
"I don’t know. It’d be better... if you helped me look for twigs or leaves. So tonight, we have a place to rest," he instructed.
And then, as the chilling night arrived, only the moonlight illuminated the makeshift shelter they built earlier that day.
The woman sat cross-legged, gazing at the vast ocean.
The temperature grew colder as nightfall came.
Nicho felt powerless. He had nothing to give her to cover her thin dress.
"Do you need anything?"
"I’m worried about so many things, but I’m confused. I don’t want to be sad for my mom; I can’t even imagine anything bad happening to her."
"Hopefully, she’s stranded somewhere else."
"Hopefully!"
And here is where everything began—in the midst of the never-ending waves, two souls from different worlds trying to understand each other, not knowing what would come next.
