Judaiyaan [ON HOLD]

Decisions

Darshan put down the anchor after they tethered the lifeboat. There were barely habitants in this island from the way it looked from the shoreline. There were no signs of civilization either, as if they were the first to ever set foot on the island. Despite some strange facts they found about the place, the white sand with blue-green seawater welcomed them warmly. Darshan, Samar, Ruhani and Mahika sighed in relief when they found this island. Well, it was not better than the boat, but far better than being lost at high seas.

“It's low-key like Maldives.” Darshan said when his feet touched the water. Mahika was on his back, he carried her from the boat since her leg was badly injured from the ship accident.

“But this one is not going to be like Bollywood actors' holiday in Maldives.” Ruhani grimaced when her butt touched the sand. Her head spun again after previously getting better. Samar checked her wound deftly while Darshan complained about his back.

“Damn, my back hurts.” He said.

Mahika glared at him, feeling offended. “I'm not eating properly for nearly three days. Surely I've lost some weight.”

Darshan lifted his eyebrows. “It's not because of you. Sleeping on the boat too much has ruined my back.”

The brightest sun on a tropical island somewhere in the Caribbean was something that certainly one would not miss. It would have been different if they came as tourists who wanted to take some pictures with the coconut trees or soaking their feet on the waves crashing on the shoreline. But they were survivors of a big accident. It was not a free-pass tropical holiday.

“What are we going to do now?” Ruhani asked when Samar finished treating her wound.

“Get through the forest, of course. We have to find help.” Samar looked at Ruhani and Mahika in turn. Both were the worst injured among the four of them. Ruhani suffered laceration to her left shank and Mahika got her right ankle broken while climbing up the debris. Darshan and Samar were a bit lucky as they still could make it with wounds in their arms.

“Means we have to leave them here. Mahika can't walk and Ruhani bhi langdati ja rahi hai*. You want to carry them all the time on your back?” Darshan barely ever said useful things but this time he was right. With Mahika and Ruhani's current condition, it would impede their adventure. A line of work has been waiting to be done and it needed them in any best conditions possible. This made Samar rethink his decision to break through the forest and explore the island.

“But we have to find a shelter as soon as possible. We have to make a move.” Mahika seemed not to agree with the hold-up plan. It would be best to keep moving no matter what was at stake. Yes, she was not in a good shape but she thought she could make it. Her ankle hurt so much but she thought she could handle it as long as the journey would take them to a better life, not stranded on a shoreline of some strange island.

Ruhani nodded in agreement with Mahika. She personally did not want to be an obstacle. She thought she was strong enough to make it. “We can handle this. No point in wasting time right now.”

Samar let out a sigh. The adventure had not been started but they had to make a tough decision. Leaving Mahika and Ruhani alone was certainly not a choice. But bringing them along was not a good choice either. For the second time, he faced Sophie's choice.

Darshan looked up to the coconut tree behind them. Four to five coconuts were hanging up there and looked so delicious. He thought how refreshing it would be to drink coconut water on this hot day. He already forgot when was the last time he eats good food that he was willing to eat anything that would make him feel better. Then a nudge on his arm brought him out of daydreaming. He turned his head and Samar was looking at him doubtfully.