Embers: The Light in Your Shadow

Thirteen

I awoke to the sun shining bright in the sky. Taking the food and water rations, I ate to get my strength up. I was still severely weak, but I thanked God for getting me through the storm and the night. Or have 2 nights passed by without my knowledge? How long have I been sleeping exactly?

Looking out into the distance I noticed an island of some sort. The closer I got to it, the more beautiful the water became. Aquatic creatures swam below the raft, and I never felt so tempted to stick my hand into the water before. A calm peace radiated through my being in spite of the raging pain in my stomach.

Blood coated the gauze, like it had no effect on it. I held on to the side of the raft when I felt it being nudged towards the island. I glanced into the water thinking the sharks were back, but I was surprised to see dolphins instead. A burst of thanksgiving flowed from my heart to my mouth, as I continuously gave praise to God.

The closer I got to the island, I gasped at the sand. It was pink. Coral and sea turtles were among the beauty of the ocean. The dolphins pushed me as close as they could, and then they swam away. I noticed a man walking among the trees, and I yelled to get his attention.

He noticed me immediately and came to my rescue. He pulled me from the waters and onto the shore. I got out on shaky legs and fell to the ground. "Thank you so much."

"La tua barca è naufragata? (Did your boat wreck?)" The man spoke, but I didn't understand him. We just stared at each other until he said something else. "Hai bisogno di un dottore. (You need a Doctor.)"

He helped me onto my feet and let me lean on him. I walked with him to his hut, and he laid me down on his makeshift bed. I watched as his left me and came back with the supplies from the raft. He made a hand gesture, and I lifted up my shirt. As he peeled off the bandage, I clenched my teeth in pain. "My name is Savannah Brown."

"Mauro Morandi." I smiled at the fact that he understood me. He cleaned my wound, but it didn't look good. The outside of the wound was turning black. Mauro gently put ointment on the stab wound and bandaged me up again. I just lay there, riding through the pain. "Sleep."

He didn't have to tell me twice, but unfortunately sleep evaded me. I tossed and turned all night. When morning came I was too weak to think, much less move. "Good morning." I greeted Mauro sleepily. "Are you the only one on the island?"

We did the staring thing again, until I remembered Sophia's phone. When I was going through her things, I noticed she had a translator app. I slowly stood up and reached for it. I opened the app and repeated the question. It translated it in Italian and spoke it out loud. "Sì, lo sono. Il turista visiterà di nuovo tra 3 settimane. Farò in modo che ti riportino con loro. (Yes, I am. Tourist will visit again in 3 weeks. I will make sure they take you back with them.)"

"Where are we anyway? The island is breathtaking."

Mauro smiled brightly at my words and pointed to the phone. "Budelli Isola. (Budelli Island.)" I wanted to explore, but Mauro knew better than to have me walking around with my wound looking the way it did. "Ti mostrerò l'isola quando starai meglio. (I will show you the island when you get better.)"

I gave him the thumbs up and watched him work.

**

True to his word, he took me on a tour 2 weeks later. The first week I came down with a fever, because I was out in the freezing storm for 2 days. That lasted a full 5 days. Once the fever broke, Mauro worked on getting my stamina back. That took a full week. I was weaker than I thought.

My wound was looking better thanks to the ointment, but I still needed medical care from a professional. When I was strong enough to stand on my own 2 feet, Mauro took me exploring. The island was more than breathtaking. It was a safe haven for the many creatures that lived here undisturbed by human greed.