Keetyn+M

= Insanity Ingested  = __Clear Skies, Black clouds__ = = The waves bounced gently over the unfathomable water that was cast in a brilliant sapphire color. The sun balanced on the edge of the horizon, just tipping below the view. Richard sat on the back of the boat. The stern was left racing away from the coast of England where they cast off from. The bow of the ship was chasing an endless ocean to the Mediterranean. Yet it seemed like the water was pulling a motionless boat along when really it was quite opposite. Richard’s eye caught the black outline of a rocky land mass. “Portugal,” hollered Erin from the helm of the boat. = = “Which means we must be close, Captain!” Richard called back, raising a mock salute. = = “We will be!” Erin answered over a gust of wind that took some momentum out of the silk like sail. = = Richard smiled to himself. There were four of them on Erin’s boat; it was a great vessel. It was painted a crisp white with a sharp blue stripe painted along the side. The gold outline of “The Odyssey” reflected the diamond shine of the sun. = = Richard pulled up his blazer’s sleeves. It was a lovely day for sailing. He was lucky to have met Erin at their prep school. A girl who loved adventure, longed for it really. Her other friends Kate and Haley also took him in with hospitality. But it would be a near crime for three girls to turn down entry to an attractive young man such as Richard. He was a sharp man. With a solid head that sat between broad shoulders. He was tall with long limbs that left him with loose muscles that hung on his arms like elastic bands. It didn’t help him with the ladies yet it did allow for him to blossom in the sport of fencing. His sharp eyes could pick up the slightest movement and his reflexes left him better in the moment than thinking long term. He was friends with everyone on campus. Yet he choose to spend his spring break with the girls in the Mediterranean. = = His eyes scanned slowly across the ocean, looking to pick up on anything that would give him a break from the water. = = “Richard, can you get the main sail tied down!” Erin asked, yet gave the tone it was an order. = = “Yes Cap’tn,” he answered which brought a chuckle to Erin. As Richard tied the heavy rope he noticed for the first time the dark clouds that slowly were filling up the clear sky that was cast in an orange and red light. They polluted the perfect sunset, and brought a frigid wind that attacked the boat’s sail angrily. The sound of thunder filled the area, appearing to rebound off imaginary cliffs all around them. = = “Will we beat it?” Richard asked. = = Erin’s face gave an expression of doubt. It was all Richard needed. He went down below to where Haley and Kate sat playing a game of cards that was more of a bore than an entertainment. = = “Girls, a storm be blowing in!” Richard said, taking up the sound of a pirate. = = “Storm?” asked Kate. = = “Aye, a storm be sent by Poseidon himself to take us down to Davy Jones’ Locker!” Richard teased jumping onto a couch. = = “Wow, Richard, I think you missed your true calling,” Haley sarcastically said. = = “A pirate?” Richard laughed. = = “More like a smart alec,” Kate snapped which sent the girls into a giggle fit. = = Richard sighed, “You two have to appreciate good humour when it’s right in front of you.” He buried his head in a pillow allowing a sluggish fatigue to wash over him. = = “We will when it is presented,” Haley remarked; that led to another outburst which was abruptly ended by a forceful push against the boat. = = “What was that?” Kate nearly screamed. = = Richard rose up shaking off the urge to rest, he held his head high showing confidence “Nothing to fear girls.” But even his confidence couldn’t stop the looming worry. = = Rain hammered the deck and the sail was being slammed around like a football in a game on the pitch. The waves jumped up on to the deck and forced the boat at a dangerous angle towards an unforgiving ocean. = = “Erin!” yelled Richard as he clumsily made his made to the helm. = = “Richard help!” She called out, fighting against the wind by throwing her weight, and faith, into the large wooden wheel. = = Richard took a harsh fall against the deck that left him dazed but he managed to get hold of Erin and get back to his feet. “What do you need?” = = “Let down the back sail I think we can slip out of this mess!” = = Richard half ran, half fell across the deck to the sail. He found it difficult to get his fingers to untie the thick sailor knots. As if he couldn’t control them. The water was bone chilling, yet the rain and air were humid and warm. Leaving Richard indecisive about whether he was cold or warm. His fingers finally broke the clutches of the rope; he turned around to get more orders when he heard a scream from the front. By the time he looked up the sound of rope snapping shot through the air like a gunshot. The sail tore through the air angrily and the large mast connected on Richard’s chin with such force he was sent overboard and landed in the water. On the horizon a thin layer of sun sat fighting the urge to go down, the sky was replaced with clouds of black and grey and the boat was left at the mercy of a crippled sail and waves that overtook it. Then Richard realized he was cold, very cold. = =  ...  = =  Richard tasted the fine, grainy texture of sand in his mouth. His eyes were blinded at first, but then he made out the sky, the ocean and the land which he awoke on. = =

__Bolt Action__ The first thing Robert did when he awoke was get sick. Perhaps it was the amount of seawater that he swallowed, perhaps it was the fact he was lost, alone. The next thing he did was cry. All his emotions came flooding out of him-loneliness, fear, rage, despair, pity. They just kept pouring out of him, like how an ocean wave never fails to rise again. The sun had filled the sky, greedily taking up almost all the blue sky by casting it in a brilliant light. Robert did not know how long he sat on that beach, unable to gather enough composure for himself. When he finally decided to move, the sun was directly overhead, burning down on him like a magnifying glass. ... //What’s the difference between effect and affect?// The question had been brewing inside Robert’s entangled mind for hours. Was Robert effected by the storm, or was he affected by it? Every time Robert reached a conclusion, he seemed to over think the entire solution and had to restart from scratch. Though Robert should have been focusing on where he was rather than irrelevant questions. He had walked through a forest with evenly spaced out trees and tall grass that hummed gently in a warm breeze. He came across a lagoon, which was wrapped tightly in amongst bushes and vines. The water was so clear you could see the sugar like sand that sat at the bottom, like a tranquil paradise thrown in the middle of some sick nightmare. Yet, the sickest thing to Robert was this was almost paradise, an island, untouched by society; but it was a torture, to live with nothing, with nobody. It was at some point during the day, when the air was thick and humid, and the sun beat down on Roberts’s skin like a whip, that he realized he was going in circles. It was a very subtle clue; there was one distinctive tree that Robert could latch onto in his memory, compared to the other torturous clones of the same old palm tree. For these clones would eventually drive one crazy. The tree was crooked; it crawled along the ground like a serpent, before casting upwards to brush the sky with its great green paintbrushes. Though Robert did not notice it at first, through the heat and exhaustion, he finally came to see his fatal mistake. He made a long, somber walk towards the tree, before collapsing down underneath its shade. It had been hours, and all Robert had done was determine there were trees on the island, a lot of trees. He leaned his head against the smooth trunk and allowed the sweat from his pores to run down his face. He was defeated; he had no desire to go on, alone in life. Then Robert was back inside the turmoil of his mind; //what’s the point of living, if all we do is die?// The question clouded his mind like...a storm at sea. During this stressful pondering, Robert turned and looked at where he rested his head. He noticed three strange, distinctive marks. Not made from an animal or a storm, but from a knife, and the more Robert looked, the more he realized, it was a signal. It was an arrow pointing down towards the lush green earth that rested lazily in the shade. Robert dug at the ground, first with his hand, but as hope filled him that perhaps something was here, he picked up a large branch and dug madly into the dirt. As the sun set, Robert pulled out a large canvas sack from the hole he dug, and inside the canvas sack was a large hunting rifle, bullets, matches, a knife, and a journal. Then as the darkness rolled over the island, Robert lit a fire, and ate fresh fruit that had collapsed at the bottom of the trees. He then read a journal in the soft night breeze. It started off happy, the story of a French man who, resided in the country. Then he met his wife and had a daughter. The story turned dark quickly, and the wind rustled the forest harder. For the farmer one day had to watch his golden field of wheat, be taken alive by a devil’s inferno, along with it, his family. The man turned to liquor, and was imprisoned for a sin; he came to this island, to find himself again. Though he lived on this island, even the man could not find any reason to continue living. Through the crackle of the fire, and the wind in the tree tops, Robert heard her before he saw her. It was Kate, though she walked like a savage, like an animal that had never seen a human. “Kate?” Robert called out tensely. Suddenly she yelled violently and came out of the brush at Robert, brandishing a cold, dark piece of metal. Robert jumped out of the way, panicked he reached for the gun. However, Kate jumped back on him, the knife coming down aggressively. Robert rolled, as if by instinct, and the knife connected with the ground. “Kate! It’s me, Robert,” He yelled at her. She turned to him, and then Robert saw something horrific. In her eyes, he saw a look; all sanity was lost, she was no longer human, she was some sort of demon. She screamed again and swung the knife wildly, connecting on Robert’s cheek. When she slashed again Robert countered it, connected an elbow on her jaw, dazing her enough to dive and grab the rifle. He aimed it at Kate, who in her savageness, seemed to recover from the jolt. He pulled back the lever, only to have it jam. Panicked, he shook the barrel but it wouldn’t budge. Kate was now looming over him, slowly, for she could sense she had him. As she raised the knife so high above her head that it brought her onto her toes, the lever finally clicked into place, and Robert blindly aimed and pulled the trigger. The knife fell down to the ground, followed by a crumpling body. Robert could see in the cast of the fire a thick oozing pool of blood, which slowly sprawled along the grass. He didn’t know Kate had eaten a plant, in desperation for food, which had altered her mind. He did know one thing. Staring at the body, and the pool of blood, Robert felt no remorse, no sadness; he felt a churning inside...almost a satisfaction.

//__Sea Serpent__// Slowly, a breeze swept through the large palm fronds, casting a shudder that rippled through the large leaves. The gust of wind cast the sweet smell of an alien flora into the air. A buzzing sound, of a large fly interrupted the peaceful day. The sun was masked behind layers of countless clouds, each grey and thick. The smell of flora wrapped around the island, mixed with the feeling of a soon coming rainfall. Robert jerked the metal lever into place. The sound was subtle, not being heard unless one was truly listening for it. However, Robert felt as if he had been heard. Confident that his hiding place was undetected, he placed his eye on the iron sights, and the cold metal pierced Robert’s skin, biting at his cheekbone. The sights were crooked, meaning Robert would place his shot a few inches right of where he was looking. He moved slowly, careful not to make any movements in his leafy cover. The gun rested in the nook of a tree, and around Robert, thick bushes covered him. He panned across the clearing until he settled upon his target. She was bent over; her back faced the barrel of the gun. Her clothes were ripped and tattered, and her hands greedily grabbed at fruit that was ripe and a brilliant gold color. It was swollen with juice and she tore it open with teeth. The thick jelly-like core poured out and ran down the face of a barbarian-like eater. She held the fruit with two hands, cupping it like a precious vase. The fruit, though, caused a change inside her. Something unknown in the tasteful fruit caused one to hear and see with much more sharpness. It caused her to be aware of her surroundings, every ant, every bird, and every ray of sunlight that broke through the thick canopy of tree tops. The fruit also caused her to fear and attack everyone. Erin’s pupils dilated, goose bumps formed on her arms and neck, she formed a low growl, one that you would see from an animal about to fight. A raindrop hit her and she pounced onto all fours, terrified of the sudden surprise attack that had stealthily jumped upon her. Beyond the horizon the low roaring of thunder shattered the air, causing Erin to look around at the unseen threat. Concurrently, the barrel of a gun was slowly settling upon a spot to fire at. Erin took in a deep smell of the air, a mixture of the flora and a fresh rainfall. The fruit of the damned was settling into her. Her common knowledge was being overtaken by a new, thrilling, more savage side. Then the gun shot spilt through the air, followed by the roar of thunder, and Erin collapsed. A cloud of smoke slowly rose up from the hunting blind that naturally formed from vegetation around the tree. Richard continued to watch the lifeless body that was in a heap. Finally, Richard was confident that the savage would not get up, so he lowered the gun and stepped out from the cover. He was tracking Erin for days, though it started all after his confrontation with Kate. Retracing the animal like tracks from Kate’s shoes, he came to the spot where he was confident Kate was. It was an open area, with the beach a few metres away and some widely spread out trees. Here, he found the remains of half eaten fruit, the same fruit Erin had been enjoying as her last meal. Richard, using a combination of common logic and the knowledge from reading Sherlock Holmes novels, pieced the fruit to the craziness of Kate. It was a few days before he got on track with Erin, but where her tracks lead, the fruit was evident. Richard had no choice but to shoot Erin, who had fallen for the false paradise, a mere mirage of the true island evil. Richard turned and left, leaving the sun streaming on the clearing. He needed to find something that would save him. The journal had talked of a boat; a small oar paddled one that had been left in a small grotto. It was from the farmer, who had also left a map tucked away in the crease of the old weathered journal. Though why would a man who has left civilization to try and rediscovery his personality keep a map so he could go back. Perhaps he was scared, scared of the unknown of the island, or maybe he was scared of finding himself, for he couldn’t bear life with the idea of such a beast living inside him. Though Richard prayed that the man hadn’t cowered out and left the island, for with it all hope of Richard leaving would have also been taken away. The grotto was surprisingly hard to find. It was tucked away on a cliff that faced outward toward the ocean. The grotto was unseen from the island, unless you wanted to dangle yourself over the edge. Richard spotted it only because an old sailing rope was fastened to a tree and disappeared over the edge of the sheer drop off. Richard carefully made his way down the rope. He gripped the old knots so tightly that he could feel his hands slowly start to bleed. As he got closer to the large mouth of the grotto the waves crashed against the rocks and sent sea spray high into the air, soaking him. His determination was too tight of a grip but he refused to let go. The mouth of the Grotto reminded him of some sort of sea serpent. The blackness of the cave lead to an unknown destination. Richard struck up a match and slowly departed into the mouth of the creature. He focused only on the weak flames, which gasped for air. His ankles rolled on the wet rocks but finally he came to a large open area, the stomach of the beast. There, as promised was an old oar boat, and there sitting on it crying was Haley. Richard reached for the gun but instead called out, “Haley?” The tears stopped and she raised her head slightly, “Richard...What...what are you doing...here?” Richard allowed for his tense muscles to loosen and the gun to fall back down to his side, “Why, I’m here to rescue us.” He stated smiling. ...  “How much farther?” Haley called out over the tired work of rowing. “I’m no sailor but I see land,” Richard called back before grunting under the strain of the oar. “Is it where we want to go?” Haley asked. “Yes, I think I see houses.” Richard answered, though it was impossible to see houses from such a distant. Haley smiled, “We can get help and go back for the others.” Richard dropped his head, “We won’t need to do that.” He fell back into rowing pattern. Haley asked him why, but Richard simply blocked out the question, pretending he couldn’t hear it, and his eyes settled on the sapphire water, and he pulled his blazer’s sleeves up.