SEVEN (7)

Gold Island

He slowly opened his eyes, but shut them back immediately they were halfway open. He tried again but failed to fully open his eyes. He tried again four more times before he was finally successful. The sun was shining so bright that it took him time for his eyes to get used to the light. He was lying face down, very weak and tired.

He struggled to turn over before he came to his senses. He sat up quickly realizing he was lying on the bare floor. small plants had served as his bed and an anthill his pillow. It took him time to rub off the biting insects from his body. When he was strong enough to finally get up, he discovered his face and hands were covered with marks of ant bites.

He was in his pyjamas and he did not know why. It was after he looked around and discovered Sandy's body laying down, not too far from him before he could remember everything. He rushed to the spot to take up Sandy. He realized she was just asleep and he was grateful to God for that. He took her up in his hands and turned around, he discovered Vincent sitting back against a tree not far from him. He took Sandy over to the tree. Before he could lay her down, she coughed and started waking up.

‘what happened to your face?', Vincent asked him weakly pointing at Fedo's face.

‘ants', Fedo replied trying to hold Sandy up.

‘where are the others?', Vincent asked. By this time Sandy was half awake.

‘ I don't know yet', Fedo replied him.

‘and the ship?', Vincent asked again.

‘i don't know!', Fedo yelled in reply, which made Sandy open her eyes. She was too weak to say a word. Vincent made her lie on his legs while using his left hand to massage his neck.

‘what's wrong?', Fedo asked gently.

‘my neck', he replied, ‘i think I laid on a wrong position'.

Fedo still held Sandy's hands when Vincent sighted Chuks staggering towards them. He pointed at Chuks which made Fedo turn. ‘bro your face?', Chuks said when he got close to them before he fell heavily unto the ground to sit beside Vincent. He did not receive any reply.

Soon Fedo left his squatting position and attempted to look for the rest. ‘where are you going', Chuks asked.

‘Ify and the rest', he replied before moving away.

‘What happened?', Sandy who was now fully awake asked.

‘just relax', Chuks told her, while Vincent patted her on the face.

‘and where is he going, and why is his skin rough?', she asked again. ‘calm down, he'll be back soon', Vincent told her.

‘then you can ask him all of your questions', Chuks said smiling. The boys giggled and the girl smiled.

Fedo on moving through the grass discovered they were in some sort of jungle in an island. He found himself on a clear spot and so did he find Sandy and Vincent. Chuks had strayed out from a tick bush perhaps tracing the sign of humans. Fedo took the bush path as the beginning of his search and it was not long before he discovered what he was searching for.

He saw Osas and Emeka sitting on the floor with Ify in between them. Ify looked very weak and she was supported by the two boys. Fedo ran to meet them, the noise he made, made the three to look up suddenly. They were relieved to discover it was their captain. When he got to them he bent down to see how Ify was doing.

‘she is fine', Emeka told him, ‘she is just weak'. Fedo could see they all looked at him strangely but did not bother to ask what was wrong with his skin.

‘let's go', he told them taking up Ify in his hand. That made the sores on his arm hurt but he knew he could endure it.

The boys walked beside him parting the bush away in other to protect Ify's head and feet from rubbing against them.

By the time the got to the rest of the group, Sandy was already sitting upright putting her back against the tree like the rest.

‘is she okay', Sandy asked Fedo. ‘yes she is', He replied.

Thirty minutes later they all sat up talking to each other. They sat in a circle, all on the floor. Ify rested her head against Osas' shoulder, while the rest sat up trying to phantom what has happened to them.

‘but how is this possible?', Chuks asked, we asked, ‘our ship wrecked close to land, we are supposed to are supposed to be washed off the shores but here we are in an unknown island'.

‘It's mysterious, I have checked far and wide but there is no trace of water', Fedo said.

‘does that mean we are going to die of thirst?', Ify asked.

‘definetly not', Osas said patting her, ‘this is some sort of a tropical place, there must be a stream around here'.

They sat quietly for some time.

‘i am getting hungry', Sandy suggested.

‘yeah me too', said Emeka.

‘what do you think the time is?', Osas asked. At the question all attention went to Vincent.

‘yeah, probably 11 am to 1 pm', he told them.

‘Chuks and Vincent, why don't you stay with the girls while Osas, Emeka and I go search for anything eatable', Fedo suggested.

‘no problem with that', Vincent said.

The three set out for their search hoping they would find something. They did not walk for too long before they discovered they were not really alone. They came across a field of different crops. Different types of berrys, cearels and large fruit trees. Carefully watered by a small clean stream of flowing waters, which ran through the middle of the Field.

‘oh my God', Osas said in amazement, Fedo and Emeka were shocked and speechless.

Some few seconds later Fedo gained his voice and asked Emeka to go get the others almost in a whisper.

By the time Emeka arrived with the others, Fedo and Osas had already cleared a spot and were harvesting all sorts of fruit as much as they could lay their hands upon. Everyone was happy and amazed, they did not wait for any invitition before going to feast leaving Fedo and Osas to their job.

‘you know this is stealing', Ify told Fedo while biting into a succulent berry. He paused from his work and turning to her, he replied ‘Seriously?'.

‘if you feel it's stealing, why not leave?', Osas asked not minding to stop.

‘i am very hungry', she answered, ‘don't you dare talk to me like that'.

‘sorry', Osas pleaded.

Fedo packed the fruit he had gathered into the front of his shirt which he had use to form a bowl by raising the flay up. He took it to the pack and settled to eat. Osas followed suit reasoning they should have gathered enough.

They ate for a long time without saying a word to one another. The something strange happened. Sandy was rubbing through Fedo's face with her hand and the sore from the ant bites on his face began disappearing. She removed her hand in fear and everyone was shocked too, except Fedo who had not realized what happened.

‘what is it?', he asked realizing everyone had stopped eating and all eyes were focused on him. No body gave him a reply so he continued eating looking at them suspiciously.

‘Sandy', Chucks called signaling for her to try the hands too. She understood and tried rubbing hiss left arm. Fedo sat and looked in confusion. She rubbed twice, nothing happened. Then she tried calming down and doing it again, then it worked. Fedo freaked out on seeing the sores disappear, he wiped his hands viciously be because the process irritated him.

‘how did you do that', Fedo asked patting her.

‘i don't know’, she replied looking into his eyes. She went further to try it on the other arm and he was made perfectly whole.

‘this is amazing', Vincent commented.

‘yes it is but how is it possible?', Chuks asked.

‘maybe it's just the time fore the sore to heal', Emeka suggested.

‘no it's not possible to heal at once', Fedo said still using his hands to feel his face and arms.

‘we are on a strange island, we don't even know how we got here, we have never such fertile and beautiful field, I think here is magical, maybe it's a super power', Osas said this without stopping to breath, or so it seemed. Every one watched him for some moment trying to assimilate his point. And it was the best possible explanation.

‘it cannot be a super power’, said Ify disrupting everyone's thought, ‘i rubbed his hands when he carried me too, but nothing happened'.

‘maybe it's not your super power', said Ify, ‘maybe its love’, she joked looking up the sky. Fedo and Sandy generated denying looks.

‘i saw her enter your room yesternight', Vicent tokd them to their suprise. They all laughed.

Suddenly they heard the sound of an animal growling from very far away. The all went silent i. fear and alert. Then it was calm and peacefull again. They continued eating and feasting happily. Then suddenly they could hear the sound of swift movement in the bush coming towards them. This time they all stood up waiting to see what was coming.

‘what could that be', Vincent asked and got no reply immediately. Fedo, Vincent and Chuks moved the girls behind them and exchanged quick glances as the sound kept drawing nearer.

‘may..maybe it's a snake', Emeka managed to say panting heavily.

©Stories of Ease

Godwin Samuel