The Girl On the Island By Aliyah Curtis

Chapter 5: Forest

Chapter 5: Forest

That morning, I woke up exhausted, and I had a lot on my mind. Like, where was I going to sleep? When will someone save me? Will I find shelter? I sat up on the dry crunchy ground. I could hear the birds chirping and the wolves howling. Then I thought about Treasure, and how he was with his family all safe and ok. Then I thought about myself. On an island in the middle of the ocean, no home, no shelter. I needed shelter. That was my quest for today. Find, shelter.
I walked through the forest, leaves crunching everywhere I step, tripping over tree roots and branches, when I had an idea. It was a long shot but at least it was something. I searched through the forest looking for an open space with just grass. Didn't take long before I found a small area. About as big as my aunt's queen sized bed, not too big, but it was all I needed.
I walked around the small area stomping my feet on any clumps of dirt or sticks on the ground. After that, I searched for the comfortable leaves from my cave. Only found a couple, but that's fine. I layed the soft leaves on the ground, until it was like a carpet. I layed down on the leaves feeling exhausted about what I had just done. My bones ached, my legs felt like jello, and my brain hurt.
It was around noon when I started to get hungry. I hadn't eaten in more than two days, and I was starving. My stomach ached and growled. It felt as if it had been turned inside out! I sat up and walked out of my little nook. I had grabbed some seaweed when I was down on the beach, and as I walked, I tied it to trees and branches behind me, so I wouldn't get lost. I soon came upon a strawberry bush. Now I knew they were strawberries because I had my own strawberry bush at home. I picked a strawberry and ate it. Even though it was just a simple strawberry, it felt so good to have something in my mouth. I stuck my hands into the soil, grabbing the roots of the plant, and pulling them out. I walked back toward my nook, eating strawberries as I strolled. Even though my hands were dirty, I kept eating.
When I reached my nook, I planted the strawberry bush in the corner. I needed to protect my food so using the same seaweed technique, I walked down to the beach. I first found a little metal bowl in my crashed boat, I don't know how that got in there, but I'm glad it was there. I filled it with ocean water, and put a piece of driftwood in the bowl and let it sit, until the driftwood got bendy. I quickly bent the driftwood into a bowl shape and let it dry. While it was drying, I got some more water and drank it. Still tasted a little salty, but at least it was water. By the time I started walking back to my nook, it was sunset.
I put the wooden bowl over my food and layed down on the ground. I didn't want to use the metal bowl because it might cook the strawberries. I closed my eyes and thought about home. I thought about Treasure, my aunt, my uncle, and food. Sorry, I was still really hungry. Then, my eyes felt more droopy, and I fell asleep.
That morning I woke up hearing the birds chirping and the leaves rustling. I could feel dew on my face and dirt on my hands. It was very cold, but calm. I sat up and walked out of my nook. Since it was cold I needed a fire. I searched for wood to make a campfire. I could already feel the warmth on my face. My technique was to walk around until I tripped on a piece of wood, then I picked it up and carried it till I found another piece.
I brought the wood back to my nook and set it down. I cleared the leaves and dirt till it was only rock. I put the wood on the ground and attempted to make a fire. The only problem is that I've never done this in my life. I had saw it on T.V a couple of times, and my uncle always brings his lighter when we go camping so I had absolutely no idea. I pressed the rocks against each other til eventually, my bones were getting so tired and cold, I just had to stop. The sun was now setting and I was way to tired to keep going, but just as I was about to give up, I had spark! A literal spark. I kept trying and finally got the fire.
I felt my bones start to defrost, and I felt a sort of calmness over me. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a howl. The howl started to bring back memories, so I put more wood in the fire and tried to keep my eyes wide open. Why was I here? How was it even possible for a giant storm to bring me out here? I thought about these things for a while. Even though I tried as hard as I could, my eyes started to feel droopy, my body felt calm and really tired. I stopped trying, and I fell asleep.
I woke up not too long later. Even though my eyes were still shut, I could still see that it was night time, and there was no light in sight. I spoke too soon. I stopped looking at the sky and looked down at the ground. I saw a little flame on the ground, and felt a lot of heat. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that the little flame wasn't the thing making all that heat. I looked up and saw fire! Lots, and lots, of fire!
I quickly got up and started backing away. The fire was spreading fast. Those comfortable leaves must have been flammable! So I did what I had to do. I started walking around, stomping on any fire I could see! My heart beat fast, and my legs trembled. It felt as if every step I took, twice as much fire appeared. It was then I heard a CRASH!!!!! I looked up from the fire on the ground and spotted a gigantic tree, covered in fire, falling and crashing on some other trees! I quickly ran over to the little wood bowl that I had made to cover my strawberries, and started running to the beach. I filled the bowl with water, and ran back to the fire. I was stepping on branches and sticks as I ran back toward my nook. By the time I got there, I was breathless, and my feet hurt. The fire was three times bigger than when I left, and I felt helpless. I threw the little water that I was carrying at any fire I could see. I stepped away from the fire and sat down. I tucked my head into my knees and cried.
Suddenly, I heard the sound you hear when water hits fire. If I had to explain it, it would sound like this, "SSSSSSSSSIIIISSSSLLLEEEeeee......" I looked up and saw smoke. Lots, and lots of smoke. Did I fix it? Was that me? Suddenly I felt a little water splash on my shoulder, I looked up and instead of seeing the moon and stars, I saw rain clouds. Big, gray, rain clouds. I felt a little sprinkle on my head, and it started raining. I didn't understand how a little drizzle made the fire stop but I was sure glad it did.