His heart settled instantly after the pain disappeared completely. After all, surviving with normal measures was hard enough, and having an obstacle like that? He would die, considering his clumsy personality. Still, he didn’t know that the brain could do something like that; it was so real that he almost believed it really happened. That would be more insane, in any case.

With that conclusion, he remembered that he needed to go inside the forest to find materials for his shelter. The problem was that his previously gathered courage was wasted when he relaxed. He glanced at the forest entrance; it was dark and scary. When the wind blew, the eerie sound of leaves hitting each other made him rethink his plan.

Nonetheless, he must go inside because if he waited too long, the dark might catch up on him, making things worse. Resolving himself, he sucked up one mouthful of air and released it with a whistle-like sound. With his first step, he built up momentum and slowly walked inside.

The forest was… full of different kinds of greenery, with occurrences of orange and red colors. It was a typical forest that could easily be found in the countryside. His every step was careful, afraid he might step on something long and slithery—his worst nightmare. Regardless, he kept going, scanning the area for materials and also looking for things: running water, fruits, herbs, anything that would help him survive.

A few minutes passed, and he realized the forest was not what he thought it was. He thought it would be scary and full of dangerous things, but it was… peaceful. Now that he listened to sounds in his surroundings, he realized that it was not eerie at all; in fact, it was harmonious, with the singing of birds, the clapping of the trees, and the whistle of the wind. As if he were in an opera, where each had their own musical instrument to play, it was… wonderful.

He never experienced this kind of peacefulness before because he was always busy with work. He was not even on the island for that long; it had already changed something in him. Thanks to this, he felt that he never went somewhere relaxing with his parents or family. How could he miss something wonderful like this for a very long time?

His determination to return home increased, wanting to bring his family on a trip where they could enjoy an environment like this. With excitement in his heart, he energetically searched the surroundings, forgetting his previous fear.

While collecting wood, he saw something familiar—something his parents always cooked for him when he was a child. He didn’t know if he was right or wrong, but there was nothing to lose if he checked. He saw a familiar plant, a sweet potato plant. The memories were still vivid to him, as it was a food he and his parents always ate in the countryside. Now that he thought about it, he lived in the countryside for almost all his childhood, but he couldn’t remember a thing about him going into the woods. If he did, he was sure he could make good memories, considering how beautiful this forest was.

Shaking his head, he was getting sidetracked again. He went closer to the plant and examined it even further; his assumption became even stronger. There was only one thing for him to do: dig it up and see if it was really a sweet potato.

Dropping the long sticks from his shoulder, he picked up a smaller one from the ground and used it to dig up the plant. At first, he became discouraged as it was pretty deep, but he didn’t stop and kept digging. Finally, after digging 10 inches deep, he saw parts of what he assumed were sweet potatoes. In his excitement, he dug faster, flinging all the dirt with his stick. When almost all the body of the sweet potato was visible, he let go of the stick and pulled it out using both of his hands.

After pulling it out, he saw a weirdly shaped object covered in dirt, still unsure if it was a sweet potato. Therefore, he snapped it in half, wanting to see the inside. The inside was yellow, and the aroma coming from it was sweet. Even though he had eaten bread not too long ago, he still salivated as it looked delicious! Swallowing his saliva, he was now sure that it was indeed a sweet potato. He wanted to take a bite, but it was better if he cooked it first. After all, he never knew what he could get if he ate it raw, and falling ill on the island would be fatal because there was no medicine or hospital there.

Seeing there was still a lot to dig, he left it alone for now and remembered the place, so he could go back in there after he brought the bag with him. For now, he decided to bring back the wood he gathered as he managed to find good sticks for his foundation.

Running back to the place where he first woke up, he carried four long sticks on his shoulder and totally forgot about his situation as he smiled, excited about the sweet potato. The image of him eating a hot sweet potato played in his mind like a movie, making his smile even wider.

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Upon reaching the beach, he dropped the sticks and took the black bag with him as he ran back to where the sweet potatoes were. When he reached the place again, he didn’t even hesitate and picked up the same wood he used to dig earlier. As he dug, he counted the sweet potatoes that he could get.

"One, two, three... 13, wow! That’s a lot!"

Time went by fast, and after gathering all the sweet potatoes and depositing them in his bag, he returned to the beach.

On the beach, he was about to put the bag down when he realized he had gotten distracted from his initial goal. Looking at the sun to determine the time, he only had about three to four hours before sundown. He didn’t know why he had always gotten sidetracked from everything since he was a child. It didn’t bother him most of the time, but at a time like this, when every single second counts, he couldn’t help but hate it.

Not wasting more time, he planned the construction of his shelter with the four sticks he gathered. The stick was long, maybe six to seven feet as they were taller than him, and they were the same size as his skinny arm. He stared at them for a minute and discovered a problem—he had no idea how to build one!

How could he forget something crucial like that? was the question that attacked his mind. Well, considering all the things he experienced, he couldn’t blame himself. He sighed and decided to try it.

His shelter must be far enough from the sea but not too close to the forest. Therefore, he chose to build his shelter on the grassy part near the forest, but not close enough to enter it. Although he found the forest peaceful and wonderful, there was still a possibility of a snake going inside his shelter in his sleep. Maybe there was no difference between being near the forest or inside it, but it was better for his peace of mind to know his shelter was on the beach instead of in the forest.

After deciding on the location, he began his undetermined project. First, he imagined what shape of shelter he wanted. With his four long sticks, he could probably put them as pillars in a square position, but he would need more materials to complete it as it needed something for the overhead cover. His head ached thinking about all the procedures he must do for that kind of shelter; that was why he gave up on that one idea.

What he needed right now was a simple and easy-to-build shelter. He reset his mind and imagined another one, a much simpler one this time. He didn’t need a spacious shelter; at least for now, he could just upgrade it if he really needed to.

"A place to sleep, that’s all I need."

A new image of shelter appeared in his brain. It was triangular-shaped, only big enough for him to sit but long enough to shield his whole body from the cold night when he slept. Nodding, he decided to go with the design as it was easy to build. The only things he needed were a rope to tie the sticks together and a cover for his shelter. He could probably use the blanket he saw in the baggage as a cover.

"Wait, is it okay to use blanket? What if it rains? That would be a disaster!"

Thinking about it, he realized that it might not be a good idea to use blanket as a cover. But what should he use then? Looking around, he saw the palm trees. If he wasn’t mistaken, the leaves of the palm trees were sometimes used to make a cover for a makeshift shelter like his! The problem was... the tree was too high! He had no experience climbing such trees.

Even though there were palm leaves scattered on the beach, he could only use some, as most of them were already rotting or broken to pieces. Sighing, he decided to try his luck in the forest again; after all, the sticks he had might not be enough for his plan, and having some spare wouldn’t be bad.

Going back to the forest, he decided to walk a little further from where the sweet potatoes were located. Nothing much changed, except for different kinds of plants and trees. Gathering wood, he decided to bring with him different sizes for more flexibility when he built his shelter. As he gathered and observed his surroundings, he saw a dozen banana trees. His eyes shone brightly because he could use it as an alternative to palm trees! Not only that, he would have a regular source of vitamin C!

In his excitement, he ran to the group of banana trees with a big smile on his face. How could he not? Food and things that he needed in one place! Not wanting to waste time, he decided to cut the banana leaves and take them back to his temporary base. Then he realized that he had no tools for cutting the leaves, as he left the scissors and the pocket knife! He was getting annoyed by all the mistakes he had made in such a short time! Shaking his head, he calmed himself, as frustration would not show a good outcome. Glancing at the banana trees, he decided to tear the banana leaves with force. How hard could it be with its weak-looking body?

It was harder than it looked, as it took him around 30 minutes to gather 15 of them. All the energy he had was drained by all that activity. Feeling that his hoard was good enough, he decided to go back, as both of his hands were full of wood and banana leaves.

However, when he took his first step, he heard a cracking noise, like someone had stepped on a stick. He panicked and sat, lowering himself, so whatever was making the sound wouldn’t find him easily. The noise was coming from the north, on the opposite side of where his base was. After a while, the sound got stronger and clearer. Clearly, it was getting closer to his position. Succumbed in fear, he decided to leave all the materials on the ground and hid himself behind the banana trees.

As the sound got closer, his heart also thumped louder. Finally, the thing came out from behind the trees. It looked like a human… but it was small, hairy, and walking using its hands and feet.

"A Monkey…?"