Peter awoke cold and hungry, and alone. It was almost as if a warm fire had died within him. He wondered if the Manta’s egg things really were food. One egg had filled him last night, now he felt starved.

They had slept in a hollow under the black rock overnight. At first the stored warmth of the late afternoon sun had kept them warm, but as the night drew on Peter had felt a damp chill. A breeze built during the night and he had shifted several times until he and Maggie lay close, back to back.

Now, as he brushed sand from his legs and clothing, Maggie walked back into camp with an egg in each hand. Despite himself his mouth watered.

‘Breakfast,’ Maggie said.

‘Lunch and dinner though?’

‘There’s not a lot of choice is there?’

‘On the main island there is,’ Peter said. ‘I fished, and ate coconuts, crabs… and…’

‘But raw?’

‘I did have fire… until…’ Peter bit into the egg and sucked out the creamy liquid. ‘There’s a place I know… with lots of fruit and vegetables.’

‘Back on the big island?’

Peter nodded. ‘On Black Spire, there’s an orchard.’ After one uncomfortable night on the desert island he wanted to see the high island’s luxuriant forest and birds again.

‘What about those big boats. They came from the big island.’

‘You saw those?’

She nodded. ‘When they approached I was sure they were here to get me. I hid.’

‘How did you know they were bad?’

‘I just knew. The same way I knew you weren’t…’

“Yeah. I get strange feelings here too. Like I should know something more, or that I once did but forgot it... like a dream.’

Peter sipped from the egg. The outer part was tasteless and tough, with fibers that made it hard to chew. So that was pointless to eat. Just the insides were good.

‘These eggs cannot be a balanced diet,’ Peter said.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Maggie looked at him puzzled.

‘It can’t have all the vitamins and minerals we need. Don’t you want fruit, vegetables?’

‘I guess. I hadn’t thought. Back home we get a few plums and strawberries in summer, apples in the autumn. But I’m not so keen on vegetables.’

Peter quirked a grin. ‘You’re not a Brussel sprout and kale sort of girl then?’

‘If you mean those horrible green things… I would think not.’

The lagoon towards Black Spire island drew his gaze. ‘I could get my boat. Then we can go back and forth, fish… and…’

He started, and narrowed his eyes to a squint. ‘That’s a canoe.’

‘Where?’

‘In the water… in front of the island. I should have kept a better eye out. They’re coming for us,’ Peter said.

‘Who?’

‘The other people on the island.’

‘There’s more than one in the canoe?’

‘I can almost… ‘ He could not see well at that distance but he thought just one paddler sat in the canoe.

‘You never said there were more people.’ Maggie turned to were he pointed. ‘Bad people?’

‘I don’t know. I just got the urge to run when I saw them, and the manta… Moby. Took me away… to you.’

‘So were you running from them, or to me?’

‘How could I have been running to you? I didn’t even know you were here.’

‘Moby knew.’

‘There’s something else. Aliens. That might be one in the canoe.’ Peter stared at her. ‘We have to get away.’

‘To where?’

‘To the other side, to the lagoon with the reef. We can hide there, but still walk and swim to one of the other islands.’

‘Another island? All that way?’

‘The water is warm. We take it steady-as. Just like walking.’

‘But do you think we can you put our feet down?’

‘Can you swim?’

‘We’ve got to finish these off,’ Maggie said. She held up two eggs.

’Take them with us.’ Peter pushed the wheel thing under his wetsuit and onto his back. When he did so the feather talisman fell to the ground.

‘What’s that?’

‘I don’t know. Someone gave it to me.’

‘Something from home?’

‘No. I uh… someone else. From here.’

‘Peter. What aren’t you telling me?’

He threaded the feathery talisman onto the cord around his neck along with his niho taniwha and his sailing spanner.

‘Later. We’ve got to go.’ Out over the lagoon the canoe had drawn closer.

‘This way.’ Maggie took off across the island away from the lagoon and Black Spire island. Peter soon guessed where they were going.

‘More eggs?’

‘We need to eat.’

‘Don’t have time.’

Maggie ignored him. But the pool lay on the ocean side, away from the canoe, so a good way to leave the island. Moby’s Island. The manta had led him here, and provided them with food.

He caught up just as Maggie dove into the pool. She popped up with two in her hands. ‘That’s all there are.’

‘Good. So we have some food at least.’

‘But there were more before. They’re gone.’

‘Moby must have finished them off. No time to waste. Let’s get going.’ He slipped into the water and tried to swim. The egg in his hand was awkward. Perhaps they should have eaten them first after all.

Maggie swam alongside him. She had nothing in her hands. ‘How…’

‘Give yours to me.’ She trod water and untied something from her neck. ‘My T-shirt.’

Peter passed the egg into her hand. She grinned and slipped the now full, knotted, T-Shirt over her neck. Peter watched her brown back and the regular stroke of her arms, shrugged, and pushed off after her. Away from their pursuer, towards another barrier island.

Peter hoped it would be far enough.