Claxton 2: The Curse of Poseidon

Chapter Twenty: Haggis and Caber Tossing

        Further away from Coutarine Island, on the island Tracey and Gina had been escorted to, dark clouds still hovered, but the rays of the sun shone through them. The island was quite small, and almost nothing inhabited it. Since it was in the human world and not the fairy world it wasn't tropical like Merlin's Island and Coutarine Island. It looked just like some of the barrier islands surrounding Charleston. The sand wasn't fluffy, and there weren't coconut palm trees. It also was a bit more difficult to determine the sandbar and the deeper water. It was still an island though. Ronda's raft rested on its side in the sand, but it looked unharmed.

        Gina was the first one to wake up. She peeped up from behind a dune and shook sand off her feathers. She then searched her surroundings. She and Tracey were in the middle of nowhere. Only ocean surrounded the island – no boats, no other islands, and not even land. There were mosquitoes on it though. A few buzzed by Gina's head, but she shooed them away with her wing.

Her eyes landed on Tracey who rested unconscious on his front next to the raft. "Tracey!" she yelped. Gina flapped her wings and quickly flew to him. As soon as she landed, she smacked him repeatedly in the face with her wing and chanted, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"I'm awake!" Tracey suddenly yelped. He leaped to his feet and quickly held his hands out like he was about to karate chop someone. Sand covered him from his face down, and he had a cut under his right eye that he received from Ronda's raft hitting him. Glancing at Gina, he clutched his injured arm and asked her, "Where are we?"

"In the middle of nowhere," she replied, "We're stuck on an island, and the sun is beginning to set." She and Tracey both looked at the sun. Sure enough it was setting.

"Well it looks like we're here until morning," spoke Merlin's apprentice. His tummy rumbled, "Oh, I'm so hungry. Do you want something to eat, Gin?" Gina landed on his shoulder and nodded.

        Tracey took her over to Ronda's raft and said, "Watch this, Gina. This is a new spell Sensei taught me." Gina did. Merlin's apprentice brought his hands to his chest and used his magic to pull Ronda's raft out of the sand. He turned it right-side up and set it down. "Now we don't have to worry about breaking it if it falls too hard," he explained, "It also means we have easy access to the rations." Just saying the word caused his tummy to rumble again. He hurried to the raft and hopped aboard. Gina flapped off his shoulder and landed on the throttle again. Tracey kneeled to the compartment and grabbed hold of the latch. He pulled it up and peered inside. His jaw fell open though when he saw the compartment was empty, "Oh no! It's empty!"

"Empty?" asked Gina. She hopped off the tiller and quickly flew to her friend landing next to the empty compartment. Together they peered into it, and Gina's own jaw dropped, "The storm must've stripped them off!"

Tracey moaned, "But I'm so hungry." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he fell onto his front, "Is there at least any water?"

Gina hopped into the compartment and searched it, "I don't see anything. I think we're totally stripped of rations, Trace."

Tracey moaned again, "Oh, I'd give anything for just a piece of bread and a small glass of water."

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Gina chirped. She flapped out of the compartment and hovered next to her friend's face, "Why don't you use your magic to make more food and water? I mean, look at what you just did with the raft."

"Ah, that's a great idea." Tracey immediately stopped crying and sat up, "Thank you, Gina." At least he was remaining calm.

"My pleasure," spoke his friend.