Emily+W

 __TRAPPED __ __By: Emily Whitman __ __Block: B __ this story is Dedicated to my mom for helping with it.

 __Chapter 1: The Arrival __  Relaxing on the plane, listening to my music with a cold glass of 7-Up in hand, I was ready to soon be landing on the tropical island of the Pacific, Hawaii. Being an uneasy flyer, this five-hour plane trip was not an easy one. Right before I was about to go to the bathroom, the seat belt sign clicked on with a ‘ding’. I had a gut instinct something was going to go wrong.  The pilot came on to announce, “Ladies and Gentlemen, sorry for the inconvenience but we are experiencing some difficulties with the weather. Please stay in your seat with your seatbelt fastened and remain calm. We will get it sorted out.” Hearing those words made me tense up. Everything began spinning, I became light headed and then everything went black.  The rain was coming down in sheets and the sky lit up with lightning bolts, the waves crashed upon me, I laid on the sandy ground confused. “Where am I? Why am I here? What is happening?” ran through my head numerous times. I was so scared. I managed to look up to see what was going on but my neck and the rest of my body ached, so I laid there. I awoke, once again, except this time to a face staring down at me. My heart skipped a beat. I was startled and happy at the same time thinking that someone must be on the island with me.  “Hello, my name is Stefani, do you need help up?” the comforting, calm voice asked me.  Still in awe of all that had happened, I could only shake my head in a ‘yes’ motion. The brown haired lady lifted me up to my feet; I quickly took in my surroundings. I saw palm trees, glistening water, tall, jagged rocks and heard the sound of bird’s chirping overhead. I thought for a second that maybe we had landed in Hawaii and could be saved after all. I could still barely speak. I was confused and very upset about everything around me. I was lead to a small opening in the forest, away from the water and the smell of the salty ocean. The rain continued to fall but not as heavy. The women sat me down and asked for my name and then explained what had happened.  “I am so glad I found someone else, I have been very lonely and confused about everything as well.”  “Do you know where we are?” I asked in an unsteady voice.  “Well, not exactly. I walked around the whole perimeter already and from what I saw, I have come to the conclusion that we are on a small deserted island.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> My heart sank and I lost all bits of hope that I once had and everything came crashing down. I was thinking about my mother, father, sister and brother. They were probably worried sick! “Are we the only ones who’ve survived?” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “As far as I know we are, I walked everywhere but saw nothing” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Well, do you know how we ended up here?” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Not exactly. I was on a life raft but I have no clue how you washed up on shore. I honestly can’t remember much and I don’t want to continue replaying it in my head so please can you stop asking me questions.” Her abrupt voice made me mad. I only wanted to know what happened but I brushed it off and proceeded. Later on we decided to make shelter we still had the raft that Stefani had come up on which was really helpful. Also attached to the side was a first aid kit. These items weren’t much but they were most definitely better than nothing. We made our set up by the water under a couple of big trees. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Watching it come together was a reality check. “We may be here for a while.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Thanks for the positive attitude.” responded Stefani. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The night passed on and I attempted to fall asleep but it was hard. I had to ignore my out of control stomach, with no food in the last 48 hours which was hard in addition to all the extra stress added on. So as I lay trying to fall asleep, I went over everything in my head, preparing myself for what might come while on the mysterious island.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">__ Chapter 2: The Findings __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> After finally building a shelter we walked around to see if we could find food. Turns out surviving a plane crash can really make a person hungry! But before we could seek out some food, we had to wait for the storm to pass. Storms on the island are atrocious. They consist of strong winds whipping the sand everywhere along with big gobs of raindrops falling from the hot humid sky. The thunderbolts always looked like hands trying to grab you and take you away. I sometimes wish they would. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> After walking around for numerous hours, we finally arrived back at our camp with a handful of unripe bananas. “Food, finally!” I thought to myself, even though back at home I would never touch a banana. Thinking about home made me miss it. I missed everything about home; the food, the shelter, the warmth. I was not a girl for roughing it. Being out in the middle of nowhere gave me the creeps. You know the feeling you have when you think someone is watching you? It always feels like that here. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Staying on the island had not gotten easier. We arose that morning to yet another storm. I stepped outside to let raindrops fall upon my forehead. I closed my eyes and imagined myself back home in my shower with soap. I dreamed about once again being clean, to the point where the aroma of soap filled my head. But that was only in my dreams. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> That night we made fire. It was not an easy thing to do. Luckily some luggage had floated onto the island. Inside were many things were sadly not salvageable, except for a mirro, and some miscellaneous first aid equipment. The two of us used the mirror to light our life line; fire. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The wind twirled the sand through the air and the trees swayed back and forth underneath the gray, stormy sky. Another storm would be hitting the island soon so we finished up our food and ran into our shelter. Our shelter was small, but decent. It had two beds made of palm trees and a cover made from a tarp that arrived in the mysterios suitcase. The floor was sand and rocks made night stand tables for our coconut shells that were filled with water. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Hey,” Stefani called, “Emily, do you mind refilling our coconuts wit water before the storm hits?” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Why me, can’t you go fill it up? I am always the one doing everything around here! Honestly, you need to start pitching in.” My angry tone made Stefani frown. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “DO you honestly think I am doing nothing? If it weren’t for me finding you the first day, you would be dead.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “You know what? I stated, “I’ll go fetch the water.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Walking through the jungle at night really scared me, especially when the wind was blowing. I made my way to the waterfall which is only a five minute walk. However, five minutes by your self on a dark windy night in a jungle is creepy. I reached the waterfall and began to fill our coconut cups. As I stood there I closed my eyes and listened to the crashing water and felt the wind blowing through my hair. I opened my eyes when I felt the cold water overflow on to my dry blistered hands. All of a sudden I heard a sound coming from behind me. I was startled so I quickly whipped my head around. I didn’t say a thing. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t utter a word. I just stood there in awe. Nothing was coming out of my mouth. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The figure I saw was a boy standing in the grass. So many thoughts ran through my overloaded head. Maybe there is life on the island. Maybe there is another survivor. Maybe I am hallucinating. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Hello there,” I anxiously shouted. Hopefully he is real because we could really use some help. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"> He said nothing. He only ran away.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">

<span style="line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">__ Chapter 3: The End? __ <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The curly haired boy guided me to his camp. By the time we arrived the wind had started blowing and rain was coming down in sheets again. Two other girls were at the camp. One I recognized from the plane. She had been sitting in the row across from me. If I remembered correctly her name was Megan. Another girl was in the water trying to catch some fish. Observing their camp gave me an idea of what they had been going through while on the island. Everything was dirty, including their unwashed faces. Along with the dirty faces and clothes, they had no shelter. This meant they had it a lot harder than Stefani and I. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Hello,” said the blonde haired girl, “my name is Megan.” So she was the girl who had sat next to me. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Oh, hi,” I managed to mutter out. Everything had just gotten a lot stranger. How could we not have seen these people? I must have walked around the island about a handful of times. And we have been here for over a month, I surely should have bumped into them. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Roughly how long have you been on the island?” <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Ever since the plane crash, obviously,” Brady replied sarcastically. Once again more snotty attitude towards me, but, I didn’t blame him. Being trapped on a deserted island can flip someone’s attitude into the wrong direction. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Where have you guys been this whole time? Hiding under a rock or something?” I blurted out at them. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Well kind of, yeah. We have been living in the cave area by the waterfall. Since we didn’t have a shelter, we had to make due with what we had. We collected food for the day and fresh water and then stayed under our shelter. We found it best to stay under cover considering the horrible storms that occur on this island!” <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A few hours passed along with the storm. I had learned all about the others and how they have been living their day to day lives. They each wanted to escape this living nightmare and return home to their families and their routine life. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I just miss everything about home,” the quiet lady in the water sobbed. “I hate this island and don’t want to be here anymore.” <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">I gave her a puzzled look not knowing what to say. Especially to her crying- how could a grown woman be crying in a time like this? <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“Sorry about that,” Brady responded as if he had read my mind. “She is always emotional like that and we don’t really know what’s up with her so we just push her to the side.” <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">Hearing this made me think about how we were losing our civilization as the days passed on this island. Like a mess of sinking sand sucking the life right out of us. It was inhuman to have emotions yet not take the time to care for others. We acted like robots, living day in and day out like nothing was going on around us, totally isolated from our surroundings and emotions. This is what I had become. Sad, isn’t it? I spent the night at the //others’//camp as I was too drained and exhausted to walk back through the jungle. Stefani probably didn’t even care where I was, just like I didn’t care about her. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I awoke that morning to the sun beating down on my face. I walked out of the cave and on to the warm beach sand. I enjoyed feeling the millions of grains of sand between each individual toe. Trekking alongside the water, I walked back to my camp. I was surprised to not find Stefani there. But instead of doing the proper thing and going out to look for her, I decided to sit on the sand and relax. I told myself that as long as I was on a deserted tropical island, I might as well enjoy it as much as possible. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I was back at home, sitting at the dining room table, eating a big turkey diner with my family. It was Thanksgiving. My fiancée had just proposed to me and my little niece had just been born. The Christmas tree was up and the smell of cinnamon candle filled the air. I was surrounded by the people I loved and truly cared for. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">A burst of water splashed on my face causing me to jerk up. I had slept until dark. The tide was rising and I was submerged in the water, slowly drifting away. I sprang to my feet, still not in full consciousness of what was going on around me. I looked to my right and saw the peaceful camp standing by its lonesome self and to the left was miles of beach and ocean that separated me from the rest of society. Stefani had still not arrived back at camp and it must have been at least three or more hours since I had. I looked around surveying my surroundings; the big round moon lit up the sky along with millions of stars. I decided to stay at camp until morning and then find Stefani, but for now, I just sat there.

<span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I searched for hours walking the whole island numerous times. I had nowhere else to look. I hadn’t really gone back to visit the others since our first encounter, so I decided to make my way back. On the way, I smelled a horrible scent of blood and rotting skin. Being a doctor, I knew these smells quite well. I looked around, becoming curious of what it could be. I stopped abruptly. My blood went cold and all color drained from my face. There laid the torn up, disintegrated body of my former survivor friend. By the looks of it, an animal could have gotten to her. Next to her lay a stone shaped like a spear. It was smeared with blood and other gruesome things. How could of this have happened? If only I had been there or communicated better. I believe the sinkhole of the island got the best of her. It had drained the last bit of sanity and life from her now dead body. <span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I held a burial ceremony for her and honored her in the best way I could. Days became longer on the island and there seemed to be no more purpose. Everything felt as if it was dying. The storms had stopped coming and life on the island was becoming slim. The sun beat down all day long. All the grass was brown and trees struggled for hydration. The waterfall became scarce of water. I assumed it was the beginning of summer which meant we had been there for over six months with no sign of being saved. As the clock of life continuously clicked every second, I felt the island sinkhole draining everything from me.

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