Chapter 1: Wreckage

I woke up. I sat up, staring into nothing. My body’s up, yet my mind is still asleep. I looked around the house, it’s a simple one made from wood and leaves. Everything is the same as usual. Me, myself, and this little house I call home. No one’s around. “A dream…?” I kept staring at nothing.

My body moved towards the door. I looked around the lawn. “No one…”

I made my way towards the shore. The path I took is the same, so is the shoreline outside the forest. “No one…,” I said under my breath. I walked closer towards the shore, sitting down at the edge, barely being caught by the wave. I watched as the waves crashes on the shore. My mind drifting to nowhere. A faint ringing echoes in my head, gradually getting louder, and louder, and louder.

“What are you doing?” the ringing stopped after a voice from behind me speaks. I snapped from my daze. I turned around, and stared at her confused face.

“.….”

A firm pinch came onto my cheeks, causing my still woozy head to wake up. I rubbed my cheeks due o the burning sensation left by her pinch.“… What was that?”.

“You’re lost again? You told me to pinch you when your mind started drifting away, remember?”

I lowered my hand after the pain from her pinch subsided. Trying to recall the events of what she said, my mind started drifting again. After a few moments, it came to my mind.

“If that happens again, just pinch me to break my daze.”

“I guess I did say that…,” I thought to myself.

After recollecting my memories, I felt another pinch on my other cheek, this one much harder, and longer.

“You’re drifting again,” she says, her confused face now worried.

“I know,” I replied.

“Seems like you’re worse today.”

“I’m fine now,” I reassured her.

I stood up after saying that. “Let’s go, where were you?”

Most likely sensing that my head was clearing up, the worry on her face seems to have disappeared.

“I checked on the nets for any catch, we got a nice catch today, milk fish,” she holds up three fish tangled together.

“Sounds good.” the mention of food reminded me that I haven’t eaten anything yet.

A hungry stomach rang mid-conversation.

“Well well well, sounds like someone’s hungry,” she said followed by a chuckle.

“I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, I woke up on the shore after all,” I jokingly said causing her chuckle to break into a laugh.

After calming down, she wiped her tears from laughing. “Let’s head back then, I’ll cook something up for you.”

She walked back towards the house.

I stayed behind for a bit. I gazed at the wide blue ocean reminiscing about the events that happened this past few days.

After I reached the top of the hill that day. Apparently I passed out.

I woke up in a cave which she said she had used as a shelter, ever since she crashed in the island. She said that I was tattered with bruises and was heavily fatigued.

An angry stomach rumbled once again.

“I should head back now.”

I walked back to the house, still thinking about how much have happened this past 2 days.

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It still feels like a dream, the feeling especially stronger today.

I genuinely thought that all of it was just a dream after waking up earlier.

“Something smells good,” I said as I caught a sniff of fried fish in the air.

My stomach grumbled stronger, reminding me to not forget to feed it.

“Ah, you’re finally here, what took you so long?” she said

“Nothing really, I just had a quick look around.”

“Take a seat.”

I did as she said. While watching her work skillfully in the kitchen, my mind drifted again to the day I met her.

I woke up in a cave that she used as a shelter after I passed out.

I asked her if she’s the one that took the fishes in my nets.

“Oh yes, I took them.”

"Did it not come to your mind that perhaps there’s someone else in the island with you?”

“No, I assumed that those were from someone who used to live here.”

“Well if that were the case, the fish in the net would be dead or probably even be rotting already.”

“Fair enough, but again, I just crashed in the island and a majority of my supplies was ruined, I probably overlooked that fact due to my situation.”

“That makes sense.”

A long silence rang after their conversation

“May I ask your name?” I said that in a spur trying to break the awkwardness between the two of us.

“My name huh? Just call me Elis.”

“Nice to meet you Elis.”

“What about you? Isn’t it customary to give your own name after asking someone else’s?”

“Oh right, my name is Animo, just call me An.”

“That’s a nice name, nice to meet you, An.”

My flashback was cut short by yet another firm pinch on both of my cheeks.

“There you go again.”

“Sorry.”

“The food’s ready”

I looked at the table, three pieces of chopped milk fish lays on a plate with a plateful of rice on the side.

“It looks amazing,” I grabbed a spoon and took a bite of the fish “And it tastes amazing as well, your cooking is amazing.”

‘Why, thank you. I take great pride in it.”

“Say, where did you learn to cook? My grandparents tried teaching me. I can manage simple ones, but the rest, I just can’t grasp the ropes of it.”

“My mom’s a very great cook, everything the she makes tastes good, even with minimal ingredients, she can still get the job done.”

“That’s actually impressive.”

“I know, even my dad is surprised as too how she manages to do it.”

I took another bite.

“This seriously taste so good,” I thought to myself.

I finished the meal she made. “Thank you for the food.”

“I’ll wash it.” She said.

“Alright, I’ll head to the farm for now, I haven’t watered the crops yet.”

Being isolated and all, utensils is not something that I can just use freely. We had brought utensils when we escaped, but dish-washing soaps can only last for a while. I can make it, but resources are limited so I want to conserve as much as possible. For meat and fish, I just stick them through a stick and cook it over fire, eating from the stick directly. The utensils only get used for the once in a while soups and rice.

“I’ll see you later, feel free to do anything.” I said to her before heading to the farm.

We’ve only been living together for a two days, as a matter of fact, we’ve got back from the cave just yesterday, but I’m interested in her story. Apparently, she was on a boat going west when the thunderstorm caught to her, causing her boat to crash in this island. She wants to fix it and continue on her journey.

I know it’s wrong, but I’m a bit happy for this accident since it allowed me to meet someone again after a long time of isolation. Although I’m quite worried on what would happen after she leaves. She wants to fix her boat to continue her journey after all…

“So all of this are made by him and his grandparents huh? To be able to survive all alone for years is impressive. I probably would’ve went crazy if I was in his place. Being all alone in an island far from any other land…”

I finished washing the bowls we used for lunch so, I decided to go out and check on my boat, if it’s even salvageable still.

Every time I walk around this island, I see traces of his activity, all of this were built by him. I can’t even start to imagine as to how much effort it took for him to build all of this.

After walking for a while, I spotted my boat. I took a look on the engine and let out huge sigh. “There really is no saving this now. The entirety of the motor is smashed. Tsk.”

Trying to fix a broken part in this secluded island is already a tough task, and now to mention finding parts and building an entirely and brand new motor? I have no idea on what to do here…

“Need a hand?”, a voice from behind me asked.

“You were gone for quite a while, where did you go?”

“That’s not really important now is it? Your whole motor is gone, finding a new one in this island would be quite the task. I can give you a hand, just ask me.”

“No thank you, I don’t want to always rely on you. I want to be able to do things by myself.”

“But you can do things by yourself can’t you? He even complimented your cooking earlier.”

“But it’s not enough, everything that’s man-made here in this island is built by him. My skills is like an ant compared to him.”

“Elpis.”

“What is it?”

“Elpis.”

I turned around to look at him, I saw him sitting at the branch of a tree.

“Elpis, don’t be too hard on yourself, downplaying your own skills just because there is someone better is not good. Everyone have their own capabilities and limit.”

“I know… but still, I want to fix this boat by myself.”

“Why are you so eager to fix this boat? You were searching for him, you found him, yet you want to leave? Are you mad at him?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“You haven’t forgotten about him… the promise the two of you made. Yet it seems that he have forgotten about it.”

I stood in silence, trying to find the right words about what I feel.

“Yes, he forgot, yes, maybe I feel a bit disappointed, but I don’t want to blame him. He lost his parents in the war, he watched his grandparents die in front of his eyes, not being able to do anything about it, then he lived in isolation for years.” “I on the other hand, also had my parents die, but they gave me a proper goodbye, and I gave them a proper send off. I lived with no regrets towards my parents. I can’t blame him about forgetting something that had happened to him when he was just a child.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you like this Elpis, you’ve really grown a lot.”

“Well of course I did, you raised me good after all,” I said to him with a smile on my face.

It seemed like he was surprised with my response. “I’ll take credit for it then, but still, why are you so fixated about fixing the boat?”

“It has something to do with our promise with each other.”

“You still haven’t told me the full details of your promise though,” He said with a curious look on his face.

I wagged my finger in front of him. “And I won’t, it’s a promise between us so it stays between the two of us , exclusively.”

“Is that so…”

“Yep.”

“…Seems like it’s time for me to go.”

“What?”

“He’s coming.”

“An?”

“Yes.”

A voice came from down the shore, I looked over and saw An waving towards me.

“You’re right,” I told him, but when I looked back, he’s gone.

“Is he Batman or something? He always does this,” I turned back towards An and asked him on what he’s doing here.

“I finished watering the crops so I went for a stroll around the island. How about you?”

“Oh, I checked on the boat.”

“Ahh, the boat… how… was it?”

“It’s blown, everything was smashed when it hit the rocks. I don’t think I can salvage anything.”

“That sucks… let’s head back for now shall we?”

“Sure, it’s not like staying here moping around would fix it.”

The two of them walked back to the house, their chatters slowly getting silent as they got further away.

After silence have enveloped the area, a figure came out from the tree lines towards the broken boat.

“My, this really is wrecked beyond repair. Elpis told me to not help… but it’s not like I can just stand and do nothing... I’ll try and help indirectly instead this time… maybe I can make use of that wreckage I saw in the forest.”

The figure walked back towards the forest, disappearing into the tree-lines.