Surviving the Dreams

Chapter 2 - Crescent Island

 “Which way?” Susan stood on the beach where she and Greg awoke that morning, looking inland between the tall coconut trees which lined the shore.

“Perhaps through this clearing, then up the shoulder of the mountain?” Greg suggested.

“So to the high point above the beach?” Susan said.

“If you can get there,” Greg said doubtfully. The vegetation became significantly thicker only a few dozen paces from the beach.

“We won’t know until we try.”

Susan took a few steps, carrying one of their canvas bags as she made her way up the slope, walking between the relatively widely spaced coconut trees with Greg right behind her. Gradually the trees grew closer together as they got farther from the water, forcing them to wind this way and that, as they sot ways to move past them a little further up the hill. More quickly than she’d imagined, the slope started to go down again directly in front of her and Susan stopped.

“Do you need a break?” Greg asked.

“No. I think this is the shoulder of the hill. It goes downhill from here,” Susan said stepping aside so he could see what was in front of her.

“Are you certain?” Greg asked.

“Look,” Susan offered.

They traded places and sure enough the level of the ground both in front and behind them was lower than the place they stood. The only way up was to the right, suggesting they had indeed reached the shoulder of the hill.

“Too bad we can’t see more than the trunks of the trees,” Greg remarked. “But I think you’re right. This must be the dividing point between the crater and the rest of the hill.”

“So we go up?” Susan verified.

“We do. Unless we see something to warrant a change in direction, I believe this is our best option until we gain our bearings,” Greg said.

“Okay,” Susan replied.

Turning right, she began to walk again, following the crest of the hill up, trying to keep the downward slope of the hill on either side. The growth of the jungle grew thicker as they went up, and wet as it was from the rain, it made for precarious footing in places, so that their pace was relatively slow.

“Can you tell if it’s still raining?” Susan asked as she looked over head. The sky seemed to be growing brighter, though with the leafy canopy it was difficult to actually see the sky and droplets of moisture continued to drip down on them. However it seemed lighter than before.

“It may have,” Greg said after a time, as Susan went downhill slightly to go around a large trunked tree. “Some of this vegetation looks different from what we’ve seen before.”

“We’ve never hiked up before. Usually when we explore, we stay closer to the beach,” Susan pointed out.

“True. You did say you were hoping for a change,” he teased.

Susan shot him an annoyed look.

“Very funny,” she said. “I think the slope on our right is getting a lot steeper. I suppose we’ll be able to tell when it turns into an actual cliff?”

“The part we could see from the beach was devoid of plant life,” Greg reminded her. “I was hoping that when we reached that point, we’d be able to see over the tops of the trees in the opposite direction to see where we are relative to the rest of the island.”

“Okay,” Susan said as she paused. Breathing heavily, she clutched her side as she took a moment to rest.

“Susan, would you mind if we talked while we walk?” Greg asked.