The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:

SOMETIMES HOME IS A PERSON, NOT A PLACE

-ARYA-

Death with gore and carnage? Nope, not for this gal; I was going to die on this island of boredom. Bored and surrounded by overly happy Krill. I had sent Bob out almost a week ago to find Fish, and he still wasn’t home. In my excitement at the idea of seeing my friend again and no longer being alone, I had gone a little crazy with the hide-away. I had created a whole three-story home for Fish and Darnell, right under mine. I had even perfected the wood mesh in the windows so that bugs couldn’t fly through; something I was immensely proud of. The exterior of the tree had sloping staircases on each side, with verandahs off each of the bedrooms. There was an on-suite bathroom attached to each master bedroom, and a second bathroom between the two spare rooms. My enthusiasm didn’t stop there either; I had also created a garden that was flourishing with vegetables, two addition duplex apartment trees, a cellar, a meeting hall, an aviary for the chickens, and a storage area. Lastly, I had created a miniature town for the Krill, who now numbered in the triple digits. Each of my tiny creations were unique and lovable, and even had their own earth elemental powers. Interestingly enough, I had also discovered that they had all my past memories, and that I could access theirs if they allowed it. Using that ability, I had Barbara set up 24-hour look-out schedules with the Krill, and they could show me anything of interest that they saw. All of that took a little over three days, and then I was struck by the idea that maybe Bob hadn’t found Fish because she couldn’t be found. What if her and Darnell had met their demise? I spent the following two days after that in a depression, once again lost in my thoughts of a life in isolation. Ethel and Barbara had grown concerned, and had the Krill go out and bring me boxes from all over the island to cheer me up. Not wanting to disappoint them I had gotten up and gone through all the boxes, making a show of the items for the Krill, and then organizing it all in the storage room afterwards. I had been very convincing in my false cheer because each day the Krill brought me more boxes, suitcases, chests, and knick-knacks. At this rate, I would need to expand the storehouse within a month.

The pups lounged in the sun beside me as two Krill braided my hair, chirping happily to one another. At least I had them, the pups, and even the damn chickens here in this place. It was much better than nothing. Still, if Fish was nowhere to be found than Bob surely would have been back by now. The krill could not die, they simply regrew. The pups could attest to that, having tried to eat them on more than one occasion. With that idea my resolve came back, and I stood up, the two Krill who had been braiding my hair swinging around like Tarzan on vines around my head. “Barb! Ethel!” I called as I walked towards the tree houses “Get the girls, lets make sure this place is ready for when they get here!”

-LAINA-

Dar and I had left the pond three nights ago, and with no way to really communicate with the tree creature that was leading the way, we had no idea how much farther we had to go. How had Arrie and Val gotten this far? They must have gotten lost. I shivered at the thought, this place was scary enough without that added pressure. I turned to look at Darnell; he had bags under his eyes and was walking a little slower today. We had been taking turns the last few nights keeping watch, unable to get very high in the trees for safety without Arya’s abilities. The screams at night were terrifying, and the imminent threat prevented us from any real rest. I reached out and took his hand in mine, hoping it gave him a little comfort. We walked in companionable silence like that for a while, my mind wandering to memories of life before the island. Dar came to a sudden stop, almost causing me to faceplant if not for his hand attached to mine. The tiny tree was dancing around us in excitement, its little root legs moving around like an electric mixer in the debris on the forest floor. Darnell started laughing, quietly at first and then louder, in rich deep notes. Following his gaze up, I saw a wooden platform high up in the trees. It was without a doubt the handiwork of one Arya Fialca. I joined in with my own relieved laughter; here was finally proof we were on the right track, with the added benefit of a safe place for us to finally get some sleep.

Without wasting time, Darnell grabbed me around my waist and with a flick of his wrist, sent us flying up to the platform on a current of air. We landed gracefully on the tidy landing and took stock of the little camping spot. I noticed only one sleeping nook, which was odd, though it was wider than needed to be for one person. Maybe Val and Arrie had started sleeping together for comfort. The guardrail my friend had created was a bit more polished than I remembered her being able to do, a testament to her using her abilities more than ever before. At home she had been ashamed of being an earth-born, but here on the island it had proven to be a lifesaver more than once. A circle of stones in the center of the area revealed the ashes from a small fire, a tidy pile of tinder still sitting nearby. The tree creature made some noises at me, and when I gave it my attention it made of show of created a tiny bow and even tinier arrows. It clearly was going hunting and was letting me know. With the noise of a moth being suctioned up by a vacuum, the creature disappeared into the wood beneath our feet. We hadn’t mentioned to the thing that we had run out of food last night, but it must have noticed, and I was grateful Darnell and I would get an additional reprieve for evening. Dar and I each got to work setting up what we needed for the night and laid down to rest shortly after. I was awoken sometime later by the chatter of the tree creature, only there was an additional voice mixing with its now familiar tone. The new voice was higher pitched, somewhat female, and the two were clearly arguing with one another in hushed tones. I opened one eye to get a look at the newcomer; it was indeed a feminine version of the little tree creature that had found us, with softer features, longer leaves on its head and even little wood bangles around its wrists. Our little guide was getting itself chastised it would seem, judging by its sheepish expression in response to the verbal onslaught it was receiving. I cleared my throat at the two, interrupting their conversation. The newcomers face turned motherly as it looked at me, and it came over and patted me on the leg as if I had said something adorable. With one last finger pointing and sharp noise at our guide, the feminine tree creature disappeared into the wood with the now familiar suction sound. For the remainder of the night our guide was sullen and pouted as it tittered about making some sort of stew with ingredients it had gathered while we were asleep. One bite of the delicious meal had me groaning, and I fell asleep next to Darnell feeling happy and full.

We traveled this way for two more nights, sleeping on high platforms as we followed Arya’s trail. Each night the tree creature made us dinner, and each night it was just as delicious. On the third day the feminine version of our guide showed back up as the sun rose, along with two more that were also distinctly female. The four shared a heartfelt greeting before making breakfast for Darnell and I with actual eggs. Where had these amazing creatures found eggs? I didn’t care, shoveling the hot delicacy into my mouth as fast as I could eat and then lifting up the tiny creatures in an attempt at embracing them. They squealed in delight at my antics and then turned to Darnell looking for the same affection. He eyed the creatures dubiously, un-phased by their disappointed looks as we packed up our meager belongings. As we walked, more and more of the tiny tree creatures joined us, making me wonder just how many of them there were. Each greeted our guide like they would a long-lost friend before joining the march. Their happy personalities were infectious, and a smile stayed on my face all day as I watched them interact with one another. Darnell tried to remain passive, but I could see the shadow of a smirk that he hid when a few of the female creatures started riding on his shoulders as we went. The tree line finally broke, revealing a sight that truly took my breath away. Ahead of us, Arya had built a small city. Surrounded by thick intricate fencing and shrubs, trees were visible; trees that had windows, beautiful staircases and even balconies with patio furniture on them. Horns blew in warning as we approached with still more tree creatures showing up to walk with us. I felt like we were royalty. A section of the brush and fence line melted away like butter, revealing a forest goddess. Not a goddess: Arya. Her hair fell around her in dark clean waves and intricate little braids, her green eyes practically glowing with happiness above her freckled cheeks. Instead of a shirt she wore a bodice made of plants, hugging the curves of her now filled out frame. My jaw dropped at the sight of her, she looked like she had stepped out of a fairy tale.

Tears sprang from my eyes as she broke out into a run heading straight for me. With a cry I threw myself at her as she crashed into me, touching her face to convince myself she was real. The tiny tree creatures all danced around us, clapping and chattering with joy as Arya and I fell to the ground in a heap. Like so many times before, my best friend and I held on to each other for dear life as we cried; only this time, she would be lucky if I ever let go.