The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:

MARKED, PART ONE

-Arya-

With Fish and Darnell here at the sanctuary, I almost forgot that we were lost on an unidentified island inhabited by cannibals, devil dogs, and gods knew what else. After the initial reuniting and explanation of Val’s death, the Krill had taken to the pair immediately; doting on them endlessly. The pups abandoned me completely in less than twenty-four hours in favor of Fish’s affections. I didn’t mind, knowing Fish was more of an animal person than I was, not to mention she had begun obedience training with them immediately; they already knew handfuls of both silent and verbal commands that she had taught them using bits of dried bird meat. Over the past few months Fish has also made her mark on the sanctuary itself, adding a large pond, complete with small waterfall, that connected to smaller ponds throughout the island. This gave us a steady supply of actual fish, and most importantly, began the week where we designed running water to the living facilities. With Darnell’s guidance, I created wooden pipes that connected into the bathrooms with lever opening doorways to manage water flow. Through trial and error, we ended up with reservoirs high up on the buildings that could feed water to the pipes through gravity. With one of my fine mesh designs at the bottom of a funnel atop each reservoir, we could then collect and filter rainwater or Fish could fill them from the pond. Water was drained out from the showers and tubs through multiple layers of mesh and fed back into the pond for recycling. We still didn’t have a way to heat the water, but hey, it was a far cry better than anything we had before. Plus, it didn’t get particularly cold on the island, being tropical weather year-round. I fell asleep and woke up happy almost every night, though I still missed my mom and sister terribly.

I am sure I had the exact date wrong, but I was confident that Fish was coming up on her twentieth birthday. With the Krill’s help, I had been scouring through the now larger storehouse for gifts and some celebration alcohol to commemorate the event. Tomorrow, I was going to attempt baking her a chocolate cake with boxed cake mix, applesauce, and chicken eggs. I even got Darnell in on the little surprise, getting him to take her on a short day trip outside the sanctuary as a distraction while the Krill and I set up the party in the meeting hall. Both of my friends had physically filled in nicely with steady meals and a safe environment, and it brought me so much joy to also see them flourishing as a couple. So far my party arsenal consisted of baby shower supplies, a healthy assortment of wine and a bottle of scotch for Darnell. With the Krill still bringing in items from all over the island each day, I had just about everything I could need, though not exactly the way I would have purchased them myself. To be frank, I was feeling quite proud of myself with how everything was going and I couldn’t wait to surprise my friend for her roundabout birthday.

A gentle pop sound went off by my feet, and Ethel bounded up to my shoulder and softly touched my temple. She showed me her memories of the Krill bringing something large into the storehouse, and I got the impression she wanted to me to go and see what it was. “Alright, Ethel. Off we go!” I passed by Fish and the pups lounging on the banks of the pond, and then by Darnell, who was tweaking with some electronics that were dismembered around his feet. Opening the large double doors to the storehouse, I walked right into a crown of Krill, Ethel giggling in my ear. Before me was a very large object covered in various bed sheets, the Krill swarmed around the bottom, looking at me excitedly. I chuckled at their antics, it was just so adorable. If I had known I could create such an endearing group of beings, I would have done so sooner. “Ok you sneaky Krill, what do you have here?” I asked as I approached the shrouded object, waving a finger at them in a teasing manner. The object they had brought in was huge, and I wondered how many of them it had taken to get it back to the sanctuary. A hush went through the crowd of Krill as I slowly reached out, a feeling of familiarity coursing through me. Grabbing hold of the sheets, I pulled.

There he was; the stone gargoyle from my dreams. I stared up at his likeness in front of me, the sun streaming through the windows illuminating the face of a fallen angel. I was dumbstruck; I knew the Krill shared my memories up until the moment I created them, but I had somehow forgotten they could see this one. They must have been searching for months for this statue, laid out against a horse trailer on a beach far from here. I fell to my knees before the sculpture, unable to speak. Ethel quietly gathered the Krill and shooed them from the building, leaving me alone with my heart in front of me. As I stared in the silence, I noticed differences from this statue to the one that I saw in my dream. The eyes were slightly different, the wings smaller, the nose a hair too big. I must have made these changes from the reality in my subconscious to make him more appealing. I started crying in heavy waves, feeling foolish for having such strong feelings for a being that didn’t even exist. Perhaps I had been so envious of Fish and Darnell that I had manifested this male in my mind to help me fill that empty part of my soul that longed for a partner. Silly, stupid girl. Naïve and delusional Arya, still pining for a lover. My sobs echoed in the stillness of the shelves, a stark reminder that even in this heartache I was alone.

When I could no longer cry, I left the warehouse and headed back to my apartment. Luckily, Fish and Darnell had already turned in for the night, so I didn’t have to face them with a swollen face and empty heart. I would rest tonight and be right as rain tomorrow, or so I hoped. After all, could you really mourn that which you never had? Bob, Ethel, and Barb all followed me home, the latter brushing my hair and tucking me into bed with a concerned face. They likely had thought the gift would bring me joy and I would need to make sure to thank them all once I slept off this sadness. They meant well, and it wasn't their fault that I had been foolish enough to fall in love with a dream. I don’t know how long I stared out through my window at the night sky until I fell asleep, but eventually my eyes closed, exhaustion taking over.

I woke up in a familiar place with soft cotton sheets, something I didn’t have in my tree home on the island. The canopied four poster bed was exactly as I had dreamt it before, the farmhouse chic room just the way I left it. This time though, I didn’t waste time looking over my appearance or stopping to feel the carpet underneath my toes. Throwing the fluffy duvet off myself I raced out into the hallway like a tornado. My heart raced as I ran, the insignificant doors a blur beside me in my peripheral vision. I burst through the door of the library, slamming it against the wall with a shattering thud. Surrounded by the books filled with my memories I raced, straight to the sitting area where he had been, standing stoically before a fireplace while reading one of my memory books. I stood gasping for air as I frantically looked around the space; he wasn’t here.