‘Pirates? That’s the second time you’ve said that.’ Maggie said. ‘And it’s crazy you’re worried about pirates. There are huge flying ships… and a crazy manisaur hunting us somewhere back there.’

They turned to look into the sky for their pursuers, but the trees were a dense roof over the dark pool.

‘But don’t you see? That flag is something from Earth.’

‘Oh no,’ Maggie took a step back.

‘What?’

Maggie pointed. Another dirty grey flag lay ripped and tattered on a rock. Peter could see patches of red, and radiating red triangles.

‘Japanese… they're here,’ Maggie said.

‘Like I said the Japanese…’ Peter said.

‘Are your friends and best pals. Yes. You keep saying. And I’m an old fuddy-duddy…’

‘Those flags are almost recent.’ Peter said. ‘And that sure looks like a pirate flag.’

‘What? That black flag? Doesn’t have to mean pirates.’ Maggie stopped. ‘But that’s a Japanese military flag. And if they are here…’ The forlorn expression she gave Peter mirrored his feelings.

‘I know. But don’t know if that skyship is dangerous or not.’

‘Pretty sure if they’re flying manisaurs we want to stay clear of them.’ Maggie said.

'And they were chasing Moby,' said Peter.

'If we have to hide, maybe that cave would be a good place to lie low.’

‘What cave?’ Then he saw it. The flags marked out the entry to a dark cave opening under the overhanging rocks.

They hid the outrigger deeper under the vegetation and Peter waded into the dark pool towards the cave and, when he stepped out of his depth, he swam. A quick scramble up the slope between the flagged rocks then he turned back. He motioned to Maggie to stay where she was hidden on shore.

As his eyes grew used to the dark of the cave he explored it for a place for the night.

‘Avast there!’ A voice came from behind him. ‘You scurvy dog. ‘

Peter jumped as his heart attempted to punch him in the face. ‘Maggs! Sheesh. Very funny. ’

Maggie stood at the entrance, her figure outlined by the last light in the sky. She turned, and he saw that an uncertain, almost grim, smile belied her joking.

‘The skyship is back,’ she said. ‘I heard the crew squawking as it passed above us again. We should stick together.’

‘And you thought scaring me was a good idea?’

‘What have you found anyway?’

‘Treasure,’ Peter said and brandished a carving knife. ‘Thanks to him…’ He gestured to the skeleton propped up against a rock.

Maggie shrieked.

‘Yeah. I know… freaked me out too.’

Maggie shoved him in annoyance. ‘Could have warned me.’

‘And spoiled the fun? Besides… pay back.’

They shared a smile but under it Peter did not feel at all brave.

‘Any food?’ Maggie said.

‘Well. These mysterious cans.’ Peter tossed one in the air and caught it again. ‘Labels are washed off or faded. And not sure they would still be good. Might be decades since that guy was marooned here. Japanese rations.’

‘Ugh. More raw fish.’

And they both laughed, and Peter felt better.

‘If we can find an opener,’ Maggie said. ‘Maybe look through this.’ She kicked at a rotting canvas bag that might once have been a back pack.

Ten minutes later they compared what they had found. The orange glow of sunset diffused through the cave entrance and cast shards of fire across the rocky floor.

‘So a few tins of mystery food,’ Maggie said examining the cans. ‘I can’t read these Japanese labels. You think if this is a cow maybe it’s condensed milk? Perhaps it’ll taste like Moby’s eggs?’

‘You’re the one used to rationing. I’m not.’

‘I found a tin opener, pretty rusted, but…’ She clacked it to show it still moved.

‘Bring it anyway.’

‘You want to leave?’ Maggie said bewildered. ‘I thought we’d stay the night.’

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘I don’t like this place. It feels… I dunno… of death. If those flying manisaurs have gone maybe we can get back to my sailboat.’

‘Yeah.’

‘And I found tools…’ Peter said. ‘Wrapped in an oilskin… Maybe the Japanese guy was an engineer?’

‘I thought he was a soldier…’ Maggie faltered.

‘Need engineers to fix the guns, and jeeps. But the tools mean I can fix my boat.’

‘I thought your boat was fine. Just needed to put the sail up.’

‘Yeah. About that. There was this storm…’ He held his hand up to stop her. ‘But I reckon I can get The Jupiter working again. The rigging is fine.’

Maggie and Peter picked their way towards the cave entrance.

‘Not sure sailing about in your boat is a good idea now… with that manisaur still hunting us…’

‘And sky-pirates.’ Peter stuffed the tools and he found into a cloth bag less rotten than the other things. ‘Maybe, But The Jupiter… my boat, is way faster than any canoe. I’m sure she will be useful. Even if it’s small.’

‘How small are we talking here?’

‘Ah… about this long.’ Peter held his arms wide and rocked to and fro.

‘That’s not a boat, that’s a big fish.’

'It can take the two of us. At a squeeze...’

A clatter rattled some leaves outside the cave and they both feel silent.

‘The skyship…’ Maggie said in a whisper.

Peter climbed out, into the remains of daylight. Maggie pressed close behind.

They eased their heads up to scan for the flying ship. The last light of day had turned the sky a deep blue purple with stars winking within.

Another clutter of leaves, then a cooing croon set their eyes to a darkened hole amongst the rocks below. A bird backed out of the hole and stood tall on long legs — like a stork. Even in the dusk light they could still see that its sharp beak and head were that of a hawk or eagle. And on its wings long talons matched those on its feet.

Maggie clutched at Peter’s arm. The bird-thing stood about a meter tall. Definitely a bird of prey, a raptor. A meat-eating bird that could rip into their soft bodies with its sharp beak and hand talons — if it was hungry.

‘Great,’ Peter whispered. ‘We had to hide in the roosting spot for a savage bird.’

The raptor-eagle-thing turned towards them and paced closer. In the dark it became more of a black shadow against the dark of the sky.

‘Do you think it’s smart?’ Peter said. ‘I mean. It’s got almost-hands…’

‘Thanks Peter. I needed to know that.’

Peter threw a rock at the raptor-thing and it paused. Maggie followed it up with a volley of missiles with more accuracy than Peter had managed.

‘If there’s any consolation,’ Peter said. ‘I think there’s only the one way in.’

‘What you meant to say was there’s no other way out. We’re trapped.’

Maggie’s throw hit the raptor-stork-thing on the beak. It took a step back.

‘Shot!’ Peter exclaimed.

‘When you said there was good eating here on this island,’ Maggie said. ‘I didn’t think you meant we were the menu.’

‘It will go away. Probably. Meanwhile, we get to spend the night in this creepy place after all.’

The raptor-stork paced back and forth, it's attention trained on the cave entrance. Peter tried not to think how the Japanese solider might have died, there was not a lot left of him to see. But surely if an animal had eaten him there would be less clothing remaining, and the bones would not be…

Peter forced himself to think of something else.

‘I’ll try to get a can open.’ Peter said. ‘But I can’t see very much now.’

‘I threw them.’

‘What? That’s what you threw at the raptork-thing? Our food?’

‘Probably wasn’t edible any way.’

‘Perhaps the raptork will eat from one of the cans and die.’

‘Then we can eat it.’

Something gave a series of hooting cries in the distances and the bird-thing turned away. The distant call echoed closer. But the predator swung its head back to them.

Peter and Maggie moved further into the cave and the raptork did not follow. Instead it paced and pecked amongst the leaves. Perhaps they had warned it off enough. Eventually it wandered away, as if it had forgotten them.

Maggie pulled the last manta egg from where she had it wrapped in the fold of her shirt. The glow of it lit the cave an eery blue. Until they ate it for their dinner.

‘Maggs? How come when I met you… you had no… I had to give you a shirt to wear?’ Peter scraped the last of the blue glow from the fibrous outer shell.

Maggie fell quiet, and Peter kicked himself for asking such a dumb question, but he wanted to be distracted from… everything.

‘I had a blouse on when it happened,’ Maggie said finally. ‘Of course I did. I was walking on Woodend Beach with my brothers.’

‘They’re older or younger than you?’

‘One older, the other younger. But we’re all close in age. Just a year apart at school, but Joe should be two years behind me…’

Peter felt pleased he had got her talking, but then her voice cracked a little.

‘Where did it go then?’ Peter said pressing on. ‘Your blouse?’

‘I don’t know what it was like for you. But when I found myself here, in this dream. With nothing… not anything normal. It seemed like paradise at first. Except no one about. And so hot.’

She took a deep breath. ‘When I was young, I used to run about with my brothers on the beach, the backyard or wherever. And they didn’t wear tops in summer and so I didn’t. Mother never liked it but she couldn’t do very much. I guess I was a tom-boy.’

Peter could just see her outline and could only guess how she felt. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

‘Since I dreamed it all… I just ran around that desert island shouting, and hooting, and carrying on like it was Cowboys and Indians all over again. And somewhere along the way I took my top off. I lost it.’

'You lost it?' Peter laughed. ‘I think you did lose it. You totally did.’

‘That’s why when you did your war dance. It reminded me. Of my false hope.' Maggie sighed. 'And now I don't know. Is this a dream? Or is this as real as life ever is. Real as before?’

‘I know… right?’ Peter said. ‘Except for me I never fell asleep. The fall into this place felt like an accident… super scary… everything happened at once. But now. It’s like this is more real somehow. And the time before is the dream. Because Earth is a place remote and hard to go back to.’

‘But flying ships and sea monsters, aliens and…’

‘Pesky pecking raptork birds,’ Peter said. ‘We could be hurt… die here. We mustn't think this is a dream.’

‘That Japanese soldier found out. Didn't he?’

‘I’m thinking he was injured,’ Peter said. 'Before. There was a war on wasn't there? Is a war on. Somehow.'

‘But it shows one thing. We’re not the only ones who have ended up here from Earth. Except it would be safer if I dreamed all this up.’

‘There are good things here too,’ Peter said. ‘And if this was a dream I could come back to it at any time, just by sleeping.’

‘I’m glad you’re here Peter. This is crazy, but you’re the one that’s keeping me awake, and alive, and…’ she fell silent.

The rustling sounds had stopped. The cave fell so quiet now they could hear only the deep booms of waves as they crashed on the barrier reef. The raptork bird had gone.

Or perhaps it just waits until we fall asleep.

Peter did not voice that thought. ‘At least we can sleep in silence,’ he said instead.

‘And maybe we’ll wake up… home again.’ Maggie sighed.

After a time they stopped talking. They leaned against the rock wall, shoulders touching one another, and listened for sounds outside, of pirates, manisaurs, skyships, and raptorks. Peter felt Maggie’s breath rock her body. Eventually, even in the cold and rocky cave, Maggie fell asleep. He stayed awake a while longer. He moved a little away from her. Eventually he drifted off, upright, leaning against the rock wall, head on his chest.

And he dreamed other dreams.