02 - Chapter Two - Adler Hain’s Point Of View.

Checking on the contraption I made, it was showing a little of promise. I was just praying to have enough sun left to get it lit. Plopping in the sand, not too far away, I pulled open the bag and gave it a shake, dumping out the contents.

All kinds of things fell out, from medication bottles to a hard plastic water bottle. Going through the mess of what looked like a book and a bunch of soggy paper mush, I was finding all kinds of things. A pen, a highlighter, a pair of glasses and what might have once been a pack of sticky notes were now a mush, too.

The glasses gave me a good idea. I might be able to use them as a magnifying glass to light a fire. Standing up, I dried the glasses on my shirt and walked to the mess I had made in the sand. It thrilled me to find the glasses. Ripping out a piece of the magazine, I dropped it on the sand and moved the glasses around until I got a beam of light to reflect through the lens.

I dropped the glasses in excitement. They looked fine when I picked them back up again. I found the spot and made another beam of light. Seeing the first bit of smoke on the paper, I took a deep breath. I could smell it too. That was the exciting thing.

Now that I had got smoke, I stopped what I was doing when I realised I had nowhere to put all this in when it actually got to a flame. I had to build some kind of fire pit. Rocks were my first idea, but I actually couldn't seem to find any close by, not even in the little jungle section where I had set up camp.

The next best idea was a sandpit, just a hole of wet sand. I was going to need dry leaves and wood. Along with anything else that I could burn safely. As much As I hated the idea of putting the fire close to the jungle, it needed to be done. It was the only spot that would stay dry if it rained again.

Setting the glasses down by the paper, I backed up, being careful not to step on anything, and found a decent spot to start my sandpit. I hated the feeling of the sand under my nails as I dug out the hole and widened it to hold quite a large fire. There were several dry leaves and brush right at the front of the jungle section that I didn't have to go far to collect. Bending over, I picked up all kinds of small sticks, taking them back to the side of the pit.

The sun was going down, and I needed to get that fire lit. Rushing to get my pit all together before rushing back to the spot where the glasses were. I missed stepping on them just a little. Yanking them out of the sand, and prayed there was still enough light to get this paper lit again. Thankfully, it looked like there would be when I was able to focus on a beam and cause smoke similar to before.

I could see the paper turn colour and burn. Cautiously grabbing the paper, I blew on the smoking ember of it and watched it spread. It finally lit and I walked slowly and carefully to the pile of leaves and junk. I dropped in precisely where I thought to have the most chance and ran to get more paper.

With the magazine in hand, the fire had started in the leaves and made them smoke; the smoke was terrible and smelled awful, but I needed the fire. Sucking it up, I ripped a few small chunks out of the magazine and shredded them. I tossed bit by bit into the fire until it seemed to finally be safe to walk away for a moment without it going out.

Deeming it safe to leave the fire to hunt down more things to burn before dark, So I didn't have to go out in the pitch black and worry about something eating me. I headed along the line of the jungle and picked up all kinds of wood and sticks. Finding some good-sized logs, I picked those up first. They would last longer.

While bending down to grab a log, I found a round brown thing just a few feet away. Forgetting the log, I went and got the rough brown ball, which I knew right away. It was a coconut. If I could get into it, and it was still good, there was food and drink for a moment. It was an extraordinarily good thing to see, though. It meant there was something here that I knew I could ingest.

Like the prize that it was, I carried it and all the logs I got back to the spot where I piled them and set out for one more big armful of logs. I needed to figure out where and what I was going to sleep on. I would not sleep on the bare sand. There was just no way I would do that.

I had somewhat of an idea of how I would sleep, but that was my next mission after getting wood. The darkness was getting quicker now, so I had to rush. Grabbing all the logs that I saw that were available for me to pick up. I was careful to avoid ones that had bugs and plants on them. I didn't want to take my chances.

I kicked the sand around on my way back to the fire and cursed whatever luck it was that I wasn't dead and instead alive stranded on an island in where ever the fuck I was. There was no way I was going to get home. I just knew it in my bones, and that was the frightening part. I wanted a new life, and not to have my parents dictate it, but maybe this was slightly more than what I wanted. Not that it mattered now, anyway. I was pretty positive that the metaphorical ship was now long sailed.

Sitting down beside the fire to warm up, I stuffed a pair of pants that would not fit me with green leaves and junk that I pulled off the bushes and trees. Using small hair ties from the cosmetic bag, I was about to tie the legs closed and together. I stuffed a jacket next; it had come out of the woman's bag and was a little wet, but the fire was drying it out as I stuffed it.

This was going to be what I used to sleep on for the night, and it would keep me up and out of the sand. It was about the best I was going to get. If I woke up tomorrow, then I could deal with that and also a shelter. I was also going to figure out how to open the damn coconut as soon as the sun was up again.

Pulling on one sweater from the man's bag, and sat on the uncomfortable 'bed' that I had constructed and warmed by the fire. I made sure it was close to the fire but not close enough to burn me or the shitty bed. I didn't want to be forced to sleep in the sand.

I used the light of the fire to look over all the parts of my body that I covered whenever I woke up and got changed. Pulling up the pant legs, you could see places where bruises were forming on my legs. I was sure there were going to be about a hundred other spots of bruises. I was just elated to be walking and not have any broken bones. Things could have been so much worse than just the bruises I was going to get.

Sitting there, I wished I had my phone. Just long enough to listen to a single song or maybe a few to help myself relax. I was terrified to close my eyes and go to sleep. But at the same time, I wondered if maybe when I opened my eyes all this would just be a nightmare. A small part of me hoped that was the case.

I loaded a bunch of branches and logs into the fire, being gentle not to kill it, and laid back on the makeshift bed. Laying down exposed all the aches and pains I actually had in my body. Using my arm as a pillow, I took a few deep breaths, listening to the sounds around me beyond just the crackling fire.

I was thankful for it too because where it didn't reach was pitch black and you couldn't see mere millimetres in front of your face.

I hear crickets chirping and birds making calls, but nothing else. That was good enough for me to close my eyes. But I still had to work myself into it.

After closing my eyes, I opened them again. I did this repeatedly until I felt comfortable closing them and keeping them closed. I relaxed the best that I could, feeling the warmth from the fire and the crackling helping me fall asleep, which was a wonderful thing.

Slowly things faded, the crackling, the warmth, the uncomfortable leaf mattress. It all just faded as my body shut off for sleep.