Teenage Castaways

Chapter Seven || Pierre

I squatted near the edge of the fire and guided my glasses as I had done every day. The fire kept away the predators on the island and provided smoke for any nearby ships to see. Although the hope of rescue was dwindling.

"I got more wood," Fawn said, dropping a clutter of sticks a few feet from the fire. Peering at her, I noticed how tattered the bottom of her dress had become. Not just the bottom. All of it was disintegrating.

"We should make new clothes," I said, looking back to the fire. "Maybe we could use some of the leftover scraps from the food sacks."

"I can sew but I don't have any supplies," Fawn said. "But I could try to find a way to fix the clothes we already have..."

Slipping my glasses back on, I admired the small fire. It would grow quickly. "Alright. You start on that, okay?"

Fawn thought for a moment. "I think I need some time to fix up my shelter. Would that... be okay?"

I nodded. Fawn's house was the biggest, most well-constructed house. It resembled an old cottage. I wasn't sure how it needed fixing, but I trusted Fawn to know what she was talking about.

Standing up, I went to my house. All four of the homes were around the firepit in the center. My house was small and shaped like a square pyramid. Instead lay my sleeping mat, sleeping bag, and a sack of random items.

"We should start hunting."

I turned to find Adeline behind me, in the doorframe of my shelter.

"What?"

"We should start hunting. In the morning. We're running out of berries and I spotted some wild pigs rushing around the island when I was drinking water."

My eyelids dropped. "Yes... Uh, can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Sure." Adeline left at the word.

Crawling into my sleeping bag, I fell asleep almost instantly.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

"I can wash all the clothes," Fawn said. We were meeting around the firepit to discuss the actions we would soon take on the island.

"We should all wash ourselves," Adeline said. "We can do it in the stream. It would help remove the salt."

"Good idea," I said with a nod.

"And we can use the pigskin to dry off and such," Adeline then added, out of the blue. With a serious expression, she turned to face me.

"Pigskins?" Emma inquired. "Did I miss something..?"

"We need to start hunting," Adeline said flatly.

"But I'm vegetarian! I don't eat animals," Emma pleaded.

"You ate the fish just fine," I pointed out.

"That's seafood," Emma said. "It's different."

"You can have what's left of the berries, then. But we should be strong if we want to survive," Adeline said. "We can take the stones and kill the pigs to roast them over the fire."

"Oh, okay. As long as y'all don't take all the berries..." Emma looked down at her lap and trailed off.

"Of course," I reassured her. "Then let's sort the jobs."

"I can be the huntress," Adeline offered. "I can fix up the animals, taking them apart and cooking them."

"Sure, sounds good. What about you two?" I cast my gaze at Fawn and Emma. There was a small stretch of silence until Fawn spoke.

"I could wash the clothes and be the builder-type," Fawn offered softly.

"Sure, sure. Emma?"

"I don't know. What things do you need me to do? I can fit in anywhere."

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Do the rest of you have ideas?"

"I don't know," Adeline said. "What are you doing, Pierre?"

"I figured I could do the fire and rescue signal stuff, if that's okay with you. I could collect sticks and always make sure the fire is going."

"That sounds fine. What about water?" Emma asked.

"We can all get our own water," Adeline said. "It doesn't take much to walk to the streams and sip some water."

"True," Emma said, a bit glumly. "What should I do then?"

We were all clearly stumped. It seemed Emma just didn't fit, but that didn't make sense. In a giant society, there were still ways for everyone to contribute. But I guess we weren't advancing; we were just trying to survive.

"Find food for yourself," Adeline said after many moments of silence. "Find water and sticks and stones. Just help us survive when we need it and save yourself too."

"I guess," I said. "That's the only option for you."

Eyes watering, Emma nodded before slowly walking to her home. I felt a pang of guilt, but I knew there was nothing I could do. She'll be fine.

"Well, I'll be off to fix up my home," Fawn said, breaking the silence. She walked away; toward the other side of the shore where rocks littered the sand.

"I'll start collecting stones too," Adeline said. "To throw at pigs."

Alone at the fire, I waited for a few moments. The fire was burning out. It needed new kindling. I basically had to restart it... If only there was someone to stay awake at night to keep the fire going while we slept-

"Emma!" I shouted happily. "I have a job for you!"

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

There was an incredibly loud whizzing sound followed by a splutter and a splash. Emma's shouts alerted us of the plane that fell into the water. It was sinking fast, but there were still little dots on the night sea.

They were bags. Suitcases full of items. No survivors, but that was a relief. I cursed myself for it, but cases of goods without extra people to worry about was a win-win.

We dove into the water and lugged out the cases. Clothes. Sunscreen. Soap. Rain gear. Slides. Freshwater. Flavored drinks. Food. I could only imagine the riches it contained.

"Should we divide up the cases?" Adeline asked, huffing. We were out of breath from the cold water. Clearing the surface of the ocean was hard work, especially at night, and sitting by the warm fire provided a bit of relief.

"Why not build a storage place and sort through all the items?" I suggested. "I think sharing based on needs would be best."

"I agree with Pierre," Emma said, casting a glance at the lifeboat, where the soggy bags were currently being held. "But we don't really have enough people to sort through all the bags like that."

"True. I guess we'll just have to find what we need and when," I said. "But let's keep a log, with each other."

"What do you mean by that?" Emma asked.

"Just, you know, tell each other what we take from the bags."

"Deal," Adeline said, then she yawned. "I'm heading to bed..."

We left Emma alone by the fire.

My dreams were filled with the riches of the bags and of our prosperity. I smiled to myself in my sleep.