Destined By The Waves

Cravings

Joy

It's been a week since the day we were rescued. I was not in complete senses that day, but I still recall bits and pieces of what happened.

I remember how Faith desperately attempted to wake me up after returning from the forest, to offer me something to eat. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't lift my hand to wipe away her tears and tell her I will be okay. Hell, I wasn't even sure anymore that I would be.

The whole night before that was a slow torture, the pain kept amplifying slowly and I kept feeling colder and colder. At one time, breathing became so difficult for me, I was afraid I would choke on my own breath. But, Faith was by my side, all through it, she didn't leave me alone for one bit. She stayed up all night and took care of me, she became my pillar of strength when I needed it the most.

But after returning from the forest in the morning, and her failed attempts to wake me up, I heard her footsteps fading away. I wanted to stop her, to ask her to hold my hand and stay by my side when I took my final breaths, but I couldn't even find my voice to tell her that.

I heard her footsteps coming and leaving several times, I heard her voice say sweet words to me that I failed to comprehend, I felt her soft fingers caress my forehead every time she brought the wet scarf back to it. I wanted to open my eyes and take one final look at her, but for what felt like several hours, I couldn't.

Then finally when I managed to open them, she insisted on bringing me out to the beach. Watching her beautiful face was a bliss that I had thought I would never get to experience again, and refusing her request felt like a heartbreak I wouldn't want to experience ever. So I agreed to walk out with her, even when it felt like my leg would crumble down into tiny pieces every time I moved it.

I don't remember much about what happened when we sat down on the beach, but I do remember seeing lots of wood and rocks by my side. I think I might have passed out after that, because when I opened my eyes again, I saw a sight I could have never imagined.

My sweet, strong Faith stood beside me hoisting a flag made out of my jersey and some wood, and she kept waving it with so much power, so much force that I fell in love with her strength and beauty all over again.

And that's when I saw what she was waving the flag at. An aeroplane.

My heart swelled with so much pride, I thought it might explode eventually. And, that was even before I saw what was behind Faith. Three huge pyres of wood, burning into high flames.

My mind had buzzed with so many questions at once. Did she get all that wood on her own? Didn't she have a swollen ankle yesterday? How many trips did she actually make to the forest? How brave, how strong she truly is?

But before I could ask her anything, she fell to her knees and started sobbing so loud, I felt my chest clenching with pain. She looked so overwhelmed, I felt like running to her and pulling her into a bone crushing embrace. But I couldn't do that, so I did what I could instead.

I called out to her and told her how proud of her I was. But before I could tell her how much I really love her, she jolted up from my side and dashed towards the shore. I tried to turn and look towards what made her react that way, but before I could, darkness took over me once again.

When I woke up a few moments later, I saw her lying beside me at an arm's distance, with her eyes closed. I tried to reach out to her, to hold her hand, to shake her and wake her up, but my body refused to oblige.

Then, I saw them. Two men, cleaning up my wounds with what looked like actual medicine. My mind screamed internally with the realization.

We were actually rescued?