Dino-Boy

Chapter One: Strange Beginnings

Kyne Martin rolled over in his sleep trying to find a comfortable position; finding none but awkward pokes and a smooth wet surface he woke.

Squinting at the bright sunlight, his senses slowly processed his surroundings.

He was previously sleeping on a wide exposed rock face, surround by water, seawater, he could smell the salty air, feel the cool breeze and see the white water as it crashed onto his rocky sea bed. Finally realizing where he was he panicked and turned his head wildly causing his neck to crack. Intense heat circulated the area and he hissed in pain, as soon as the pain came it left, leaving Kyne with a tense neck.

Kyne raised himself from his sitting position to stand and stretch, ‘How did I get here?’ he thought, ‘And a bigger question, where is here?’ He tried to remember how he got on the rock, but he just couldn’t reach the distant, blurry memory.

He remembered the cruise ship. He remembered sitting outside in the sea breeze on the decking with his parents on banana lounges. He remembered sleeping soundly until the thunder and lightning crackled and woke him. He remembered the terrified screams of passengers and the calls of various names. He remembered water slowly rising in his cabin room; his ankles; his waist; his head.

Then

.. Nothing.

He turned again and shielded his eyes from what seemed to be the morning sun. As his eyes adjusted to the sun he could see the split between the ocean and the sky but just before the horizon, Kyne spotted just what he was looking for, land!

Kyne gaped at the sight before him; his mouth dry, lips cracked but he drank in the land mass only a quick swim away! The mountain, its peak so high it seemed to be responsible for pushing the sun into the sky. His blue eyes shifted to the rest on the new land and the bottom of the mountain.  The land stretched out to him almost begging for him to come and explore. He could see the beach; he could see the waves crashing on the shore.

“Now how do I get there?” he rasped.

Below the rock he stood on, he could see it extended beneath the water’s surface. Carefully he lowered himself down, trying not to lose grip and slip on the slimy rock. The cold water enveloped him and he instantly began to shiver. He looked up towards the beach, took a deep, calming breath.

“Okay, here I go!” he said to himself.

Kyne launched off the rock, kicking with mighty strides and using his arms as if he could split the water in half. He used the waves to bring him to shore. He stopped kicking when the current dragged him out only to start again when new waves brought him closer to shore. Kyne repeated this until he stood upon the shore of the glorious and shadowy island.

The warmed white sand gave him little comfort as he realized that he needed to dry himself and figure out what to do with himself on this island. With no evidence of human life he called out,

“Hello? Is anyone there?” distant bird calls answered him.

Discouraged, wet, exhausted and thirsty, he knew he has to find the basics; food, clean drinking water and shelter. And hopefully then he can explore this new foreboding land.

Walking away from the beach and towards the tall palm tree line, he took a few steps into the trees then looked back. The sight before him was glorious. The white beach stretched out, with clear blue waves crashing onto the shore. The ocean seemed to never end but to join with the sky. Sea birds flew in their flocks and cawed at the world below them in merriment.

“It seems that I have stumbled upon Paradise.”

Sighing, Kyne turned back to the trees, into the dark shadows but not too far in so he couldn’t see the beach. With a satisfied distance away he searched for any trace of human life and ways to survive.

Walking back from the trees Kyne dragged behind him dead palm fronds. On the fronds were coconuts. He was delighted when he found them. The tree bent low and the coconuts in easy reach were a lucky find. And a spirit lifting find, in fact he now whistled a made up tune to his happy thoughts as he dragged his treasures back towards the beach.

Kyne once again stood along the beach, but now he had his treasures and a plan to survive. Further down the beach Kyne could see a cluster of rocks all in different sizes. Which is what he wanted. Kyne walked and dragged his supplies to the rocks, grunting at the effort and distance it was away from him. The rocks toward over him and were far enough from the tides line so he felt safe knowing he could sleep here without worry of slipping into the sea.

One of these ginormous rocks had a cutout and Kyne used it to be his new, hopefully temporary home. Climbing up to the eroded rock which was fairly flat he placed the palm fronds onto the rock. He jumped back down for the coconuts.

Settling back into the cool rock his thoughts raced. He tried desperately to remember. But to no avail. No new memories resurfaced. Now Kyne started to grow worried and frightened. He was on an island that appeared to have no humans residing on it. He was all by himself, and he doesn’t even know how he got here nevertheless his parents. Where they alive or dead? Is he the only one that got washed up onto this island?

“How the hell am I meant to live like this? I don’t know how to hunt for proper food. Heck I don’t even know what plants are edible and what are poisonous. All I need is a little push in the right direction then maybe I could just survive.” Kyne spoke to no one.

Sighing again he hugged his legs to his chest. His stomach rumbled in hunger and Kyne turned his attention to the coconuts. He rearranged himself to sit cross-legged and placed a coconut on his lap. Grabbing a rock the size of an adult’s fist he breathed deep, closed his eyes, raised his arms and the rock he thought, “This is the first step to making it out of here alive. Here I go!”

Bringing his arms down fast he smashed the rock against the coconut. It cracked in half, its watery milk spilling all over his lap and makeshift home. Surprised Kyne erupted with laughter and brought the coconut to his lips. He lapped it up like a dog. When the milk was gone Kyne opened the halves to examine his work.

The brown furry shell and the milky white cream flesh was just gorgeous to him and cautiously he bit into the white flesh.

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