Michelle+G


 * __Isle of Hope__**  **By Michelle Giesbrecht**
 * Chapter 1: Darkness Rising **

�We will be landing in Paris in approximately two hours,� the Captain said over the speaker. I rolled over to the other side of my seat to see my friends, Demi, Calvin, and Brendan, all fast asleep. It was 12:06 am. We had left the New York airport over seven hours ago, and I couldn�t wait to get off this stuffy plane. I thought, at this time, there certainly wasn�t any place worse than being stuck up here in this cramped little spot. Well, at least it�s clear and sunny outside; I guess I have that to look forward to. I mean, I really am acting a little impatient, I suppose. Feeling a little tired, I figured I would nod off for a while seeing as it might kill some time. In my dream, there�s a strong breeze sweeping my hair in all directions. I have the sensation of flying upside down, and being jerked around from every angle. There are pieces of debris flying past my face, and there is blood, a whole lot of it. My friends are nowhere to be seen, and I have never felt so terrified in a dream before in my life... until I find out that it is reality. The next thing I know, we are splashing around in the water, trying not to let it overtake our scraped up faces. �What is happening?� Demi screamed anxiously. �Where�s Calvin?� Brendan yelled. I struggled to see what was going on around us since the weather had taken a turn for the worst. I tried to keep swimming but my body ached, and my face stung from the howling wind and salt water. I eventually spotted a body that was stuck under one of the wings of the plane. �Guys,� I shouted, �I-I think Calvin�s under here!� We managed to lift the tremendously heavy wing off of Calvin, despite our weak bodies. �Calvin! Are you okay?� I said while tears streamed down my face. �Hang in there, Calvin. We are going to get out of this mess, you hear me?� Moments went by and we all felt completely helpless. I heard faint screaming and crying through the strong wind and rain, causing my stomach to rise into my throat. I glanced down at Calvin and he looked as if he were in a severe pain. He had several bloody gashes on his arms and legs that looked as if he had been thrashed by a blade. There was a trail of blood that followed us as we struggled to swim. The fear I was afraid to consider was only a matter of time. No sooner had I finished my thought than I felt a monstrous presence; it was a feeling of pure foreboding. The creature was huge, grey and shimmering, and it was spiralling up towards us. It had to be a Great White as it was the largest shark I had ever imagined. It was then that I was hit as if I had been pushed aside by a car bumper. For some weird reason I instantly remembered reading that sharks feel you out before an attack. But instead of closing in on me, the beast carried on straight toward Demi. The look of horror on Demi�s face said everything. It was as if the world was in slow motion as Demi was pulled under the surface in a ripple of waves and foam. For a second, all was still. We thought she was gone. Someone gasped behind me and I simply waited for them to scream. I heard Brendan say, �What the...?� �Demi?� I whipped my head around to see Demi gasping for breath and clinging to Brendan. For some reason the creature had released her. As I stared in shock and disbelief, it was then that I noticed something in the distance over Brendan�s shoulder. I saw a striking yellow image having just come into view. I threw my body in the direction of the yellow figure. It was a large life raft that was attached to another piece of the plane. I screamed to Brendan to swim over and lift Demi onto the raft quickly. Brendan managed to swim to the raft and lift Demi out of the water. I grabbed a hold of Calvin and swam towards the raft. Brendan took both mine and Calvin�s hands and pulled us aboard the raft. Demi was whimpering with weakness and pain, and was bleeding out of her leg uncontrollably. Even though we were all exhausted and in pain, we could not just sit in the raft in the middle of the ocean. We had to keep going! Brendan and I paddled as hard as we could with one arm each, while we applied pressure to Demi�s wounded leg with the other. The storm was just as strong as before, but I could slightly make out an image in the distance. I hoped more than anything that it was an island. Brendan and I were not going to give up no matter how much pain we were in. We paddled faster and faster until we saw it. It appeared to be a large exotic island, much like the ones you see in the movies, except this wasn�t just a movie. This island was going to be our home and our refuge for who knows how long. This island might just as easily become our grave. Our chances for survival would depend on courage, determination cooperation, and a strong will both physically and mentally to maintain hope.



The island was massive. It was beautiful though, with the endless amounts of palm trees and huge waves crashing down on the white sandy beach. Looking around, I could see enormous volcanoes surrounding the outskirts of the island. In every direction were extremely steep rocky cliffs that just shouted danger. There was a warm tropical breeze that took my breath away as I stared out into this deserted island. There was no doubt that this island was paradise and something about it made me feel very special inside. Then that feeling subsided as I remembered that my three friends and I were stranded on this island, having no idea what our next move would be. I knew for a fact that we needed to take stock of what we had but also what we needed in order to survive here. To our great relief, one of the plane�s emergency kits had been bobbing up and down in the water near shore like a welcome emergency beacon. Fortunately it contained a jackknife, a tarp, basic first aid supplies, a rope, and a whistle. Our main concern now was finding food, water and shelter. There was certainly no shortage of fronds and palm branches in order to build our shelter. The work was going to be laborious as we did not have the luxury of axes and saws to use. However, with a good amount of sweat and determination, a shelter would have to be ready before our first night. �Well, there�s no time like the present,� I said. �Let�s get this shelter done before nightfall.� Four tough hours later, we had a decent enough shelter to stay out of the potentially harsh elements. Already a problem has arisen; we had taxed ourselves to the point that food and water were in immediate demand. �We are going to need to split into two groups,� Brendan stated. �Why two groups?� I asked. �Calvin and Demi are not strong enough yet to go wandering around in the jungle by themselves,� Brendan explained. �Oh, well okay then,� I said. �Why don�t Demi and I go look for a water source, and you and Calvin can go look for some food?� �Sounds good to us,� Brendan agreed. �We have to make sure that we are back before deadly nightfall or else it will be impossible to find our way back.� Demi and I headed into the jungle to begin our hunt for fresh water, while Calvin and Brendan made their way down to the ocean to attempt to catch some fish. A couple of hours passed and Demi and I were back at the shelter without a single drop of water. While we waited for Brendan and Calvin to return, we were praying that they had a successful trip. An hour had passed and we eventually spotted the two boys running up the beach with food in hand. �We found food!� Brendan exclaimed. A wave of relief hit Demi and I as we realized we were being handed a lifeline. Brendan and Calvin managed to gather an assortment of berries, fish, and a large amount of coconuts. I have never been so thrilled to see food in front of my face in my entire life. �Did you two find any clean water?� Calvin questioned. �No,� I stated. �Well, wait a second,� Calvin exclaimed. �We can try and crack one of these coconuts open and drink the juice inside.� �Why didn�t I think of that?� I whispered. Calvin laughed, �Don�t worry about it.� �Demi, can you grab the jackknife from the emergency kit?� Calvin requested. Demi ran to the kit and whipped the knife out of the kit. Calvin continued to stab the coconut until he was able to reach the center of it. �I got it!� Calvin shouted. The four of us proceeded to crack open all of the gathered coconuts and we drank every last drop of juice until we were finally satisfied. Since the coconut juice was the only fluid we could find, Calvin decided to venture off by himself into the jungle to retrieve some more. Even though Calvin had collected more than his share of coconuts he decided to weave a makeshift net in order to carry them all back to the others. As he was working on his �coconut sling� the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he sensed a presence behind him. Ever so slowly did he turn around to come eye to eye with a panther. The growl from its throat rooted Calvin to the spot. Calvin�s only choice was to maintain eye contact and back away as slowly as possible. The tension in the big cat was evident in its many bulging muscles and sinew. Whether it was on instinct or panic, Calvin turned and ran for his life. It was all Calvin could do not to turn and track the panther�s progress. It seemed an eternity before Calvin leaped off the rocky cliff into the abyss. place made me feel special inside.
 * Chapter 2: Persevering **


 * Chapter 3: Light Emerging **

As soon as we heard the cry from Calvin we rushed in its direction. Out of breath, we came to the edge of the cliff where we continued to hear his whimpering and pleading. Peering down through the dense conifers, Calvin was visible by the edge of a clear and fast flowing creek. He was obviously alive yet injured. By the swaying of several branches, it was evident that the trees had broken his fall and probably a few of his bones as well. What appeared to be a large cat was lying motionless upon the rocks. The sight of blood surrounding it alluded to its death. It appeared, then, that the cat had followed its prey to the very end of the chase. Ironically, in Calvin�s desperate attempt to save himself from the panther, he had stumbled upon our life-giving resource. Calvin gave a weary wave towards his friends, and the slightest glimpse of a smile greeted his rescuers. �I can�t believe we found water,� Brendan shouted, still in shock from the day�s events. �I know, it�s a miracle,� Calvin exclaimed. �No, the miracle will be if we ever get off this island alive,� I said. �Michelle, stop being so negative,� Calvin replied. �I�m not being negative,� I barked. �I am only trying to be realistic.� �Well, since you are so realistic, why don�t you think of something to do to get us off this island,� Calvin uttered. Without flint or matches, I knew a signal fire was out of the question. Frustration was boiling up inside me as I realized our options were slim. I felt anxiety and pressure bearing down on me as it appeared that finding a way off this island was falling on me. �Look,� I said. �I need all of us to pool our ideas together if we stand any chance of coming up with a way to get out of here.� �We know what we don�t have, so let�s start with what we do have.� �What do you mean, Michelle?� questioned Demi. �We don�t have anything!� �We don�t have fire, we don�t have a cellphone, we don�t have a radio, and we hardly have enough water for all four of us!� Demi yelled. You could feel the panic boiling up inside of Demi. She was definitely dwelling on the futility of our situation. I had to bring her back to some sense of hope. �Demi, quit it!� I cried. �We are going to get out of this place no matter how long it takes us.� �Yeah, we just have to believe, Demi,� Calvin stated. I scanned our shelter, looking for anything that might help us with our rescue: Water, rope, coconuts, some broken logs from our shelter, and a tarp that was torn into pieces. There really was no hope for us, until it hit me. We had washed up on this island in our large yellow life raft. If we could get to higher ground, we could perhaps use the bright raft to attract attention of a plane or a helicopter. �I have an idea,� I stated. �What is it?� Demi asked enthusiastically. �We take the life raft and climb up the cliff to the very top,� I said. �Then, once we are up there, we can use our raft, and whatever dead fall is lying around to make some sort of rescue signal.� �Are you out of your mind?� Brendan shouted. �We are risking our lives climbing up that steep cliff.� �I know, but it�s a risk we have to take,� I said. It was an arduous journey that took most of the day. As the sun was slipping below the horizon, we all decided to hunker down for the night as we were too exhausted to do anything but sleep. The next morning we awoke to a promising day of clear skies. We immediately set about gathering any and all tree trunks and large branches that could be used to create a visible rescue signal. �What about making an �SOS�?� suggested Calvin. �Way too complicated,� whined Demi. �Well maybe you have a better idea,� Calvin rebutted. �What about a big ol� �X�, like in �X� marks the spot,� announced Demi. We all paused, as we digested this idea. We all glanced at each other, and there were several nods. It was then agreed upon to use a large �X� which would not only be easy to construct but would also hold its shape on the uneven mountain tops terrain. Within a couple of hours we felt we had a signal that would be hard to miss. The yellow raft was placed underneath the center of the �X� in order to draw attention even more against the surrounding greenery of the island. Hours passed in slow succession as we sat, waited, and pondered what we had been through and hopefully what was to come. I awoke with a start as a low rumbling sound had penetrated my subconscious state. Was I still awake or was this a dream? What appeared to be a large bird gradually increased in size and took the shape of a plane. As it rumbled and roared over our position the ground beneath us shook, and even our makeshift signal became somewhat dislodged from its shape. I stood in stunned silence as I watched this metallic steel angel circle round and tip its wing over our heads. In this moment I knew our four week ordeal had come to an end. We had survived. We would live.