The Fourth Man

The Other Way Out

The Other Way Out

As Thomas mourned by the grave of his father, inside Pine-Tree-Palace Siggy, Jonathan, Nerpato and Jellah were searching for the map of the island.

"What happened to you then?" Nerpato asked Jellah "when they took you at the Temple?"

"Oh, that," he spat "well they took me, and bound me up with rope at their camp. I got some stale thing to eat, it was awful, and I can't really remember much else. Then I awoke and everyone was gone. They hadn't tied the rope so tight, and I got it off. It was dark but they had a fire, and I saw a machine gun lying down beside it. I picked it up and followed their tracks as best they could, that led me to the floodlit clearing and you guys, then you know the rest." Nerpato nodded in agreement.

They found the map of the island pinned up on a wall, in one of the seemingly countless rooms. It was hand drawn, but very well, so they could understand it well.

The island was shaped like a figure eight, the edges all beaches and cliffs. The bottom half was the beach covered in fog, but it stopped a short way out to sea. There was also a peculiar arrow drawn from off the map onto the beach.

"The arrow must come from Fontaine Island," noted Nerpato "Something must have transported us onto this island in the fog."

In the centre of the island was the floodlit clearing, indicated with a circle, and not too far away was the Temple. The forest covered the entire centre of the island, and the outer edge was mainly covered in long grass. An arrow pointed to a part of the cliff where it dropped away, and allowed easy access to the beach. Here the map indicated a boat was, and a dotted line illustrated a safe passage past the fog, and a small note said 'To Farland'

"So we get the boat and head home," said Jellah "or at least find out what state it's in."

Soon enough Thomas came back down the ladder.

"Sunrise has started," he said "We can head off in the light now." The others showed him the map, and he agreed with the theory that the arrow led to Fontaine Island, and that they should sail around the fog to get back to Farland. He tore the map from the wall -"no-one else will be needing it"- and they climbed up the ladders, and set off toward the coast.

They were still in the forest at noon, and it was mid-afternoon bye the time the sticky-seed grass was irritating their ankles, and the sparkling sea was in sight. The blanket of fog was visible from here; looking peculiar as it stopped abruptly about a mile away. So to the cliff dropped down suddenly not too far away, giving a gradual slope down to the beach. Even from here they could see the isolated figure of a boat on the shore.

"We aren't far now," Jellah encouraged everyone; tired from their full days trek across the island.

They quickly made it down to the beach, and surveyed the small vessel they had been supplied by the Fourth Man. It was a traditional old rowing boat, but it had been modified with a larger seating arrangement and extended stern. Also a small motor was attached, so that they did not only have to propel themselves with man power.

They pushed the boat into the shallows, and used the motor to safely guide themselves into the deep water and around the fog. Once safely clear they conserved the motors fuel and rowed in turn for a short while. When they decided they were close enough to use the engine again they powered it at full speed.

They didn't get their glimpse of any island for some time, but it was an unbelievable sight when they did. The evening was coming on, and the sun was starting to set; it's great orange orb sinking beneath the waterline. The opposite horizon was where the islands were situated, and they caught their eyes as soon as they appeared on the horizon. Whichever island it was, it blazed an immense inferno; the whole island seemed to be consumed with fire.

It was clear to see something was wrong, and with anxious feelings nestled deep into their stomachs the five passengers in the boat picked up the oars and rowed as hard as they could to the islands in trouble.