Meng led us to his camp. I kept my eyes open for the trail, but we were nearly killed getting here without his help. Could we even get to his boat on our own? Could we even survive the night without him?

“Minnle tried to climb out but he isn’t strong enough yet,” Iris says as she exits the cabin, holding one of Meng’s other weapons. “His legs went out under him. Mally’s awake but shouldn’t get up.”

“It’ll probably make Minnle feel better if he’s watching her,” I say.

“That’s what I told him to do.”

We stand for a few seconds, each examining the other. I keep picturing myself, picturing Iris, as if someone else were looking at us. Would they think we looked like children playing with toys? I want to feel like a man holding Meng’s blade. Instead, I feel like I’m five again and reaching up to touch my father’s fencing sword from its stand on the wall.

“Meng said he has urines and other barriers,” I say, shifting my hold on the scythe-topped weapon to what I think is a more proper position. “We should be fine.”

“Traps too.”

“Right.”

The first hour feels like I can’t even blink. I stand as still as I can. With Meng gone, Iris and I are unable to discern the sounds of threats from the rest of the noises coming from the edge of camp. Fear keeps my vision locked on the spot of dark green and black where the light of the well-tended fire stops and Wilds begins.

Iris has a similar look. Instead of standing like a paranoid squirrel, however, she paces around the fire with her hands gripping the haft of her weapon so tightly I’m afraid she’s going to split it in three parts. I don’t bother telling her she might wear herself out. She might be working out some of her fear, whereas all I can do is stand here and think of nothing else.

Finally, Iris stops and says, “Where do you think they went?”

“Who, Meng?” I ask.

Iris nods, stepping to the edge of the fire circle and stopping near Meng’s sitting stone. “Do you think they’ll be coming back?”

For some reason, Iris’s voice calms my fear a little. It’s probably a bad thing that a little of my attention is diverted from the forest’s edge to her. But I can’t avoid talking to her. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll be fine.” I figure pretending to be confident is better than shaking like a leaf in front of Iris.

Iris smiles, probably just as happy to pretend I’m right as I am. “What happens if Meng doesn’t come back? Do we stay here?”

“The point of coming here was to make a colony with Meng.”

“Right, but he’s gone, so what now? Did we make a backup plan?”

I search my memories but come up short. No one thought Meng would ever leave Wilds, much less get kidnapped. After thinking on it for a long time, I say, “We can survive here without him.” I nod, trying to convince myself I’m right.

“Right,” Iris says, nodding as well.

A roar like a massive building crashing in on itself booms in the distant trees. Iris and I turn toward it and hear a massive flock of night birds take to the sky from the animal that made such a thunderous sound. I hope Meng has some urine that creature doesn’t like.

“Meng wanted us to go home,” Iris says. “I mean, not that I’m saying we couldn’t live here because we definitely could. I’m just saying that even if Meng were here, he’d kick us out.”

I wait as I listen for a second roar. Whatever the creature was, I hope it’s moved on. “Yeah,” I say. “We, well, is there really a point to staying here if Meng is gone?”

Iris shrugs. “Probably not.”

I walk over to the stone by the fire and sit down, setting the scythe-tipped weapon on the ground beside me as I rest my head in my hands. I let out a long, angry sigh. “Iris, I’m beginning to feel like this trip was a huge mistake.”

“What? Why?”

“Five people have died. One turned out to be a Prophet. And now we’re all alone in the middle of Wilds without the one man who knows how to survive out here. He doesn’t want us here anyway. Gah, I feel like such a stupid child.”

Iris looks around for a second then rests her weapon down and sits beside me. “Scoot over.”

The crackling fingers of the fire take all our attention as we sit side by side. The sounds of Wilds seem less threatening, quieter with Iris sitting beside me.

“You’re not a stupid child,” Iris says. It doesn’t console me at all. “If you are then I am. And I’m not a child. Stupid maybe.” Iris laughs a light, fearful laugh. “But not a child.”

“My family’s going to kill me if I go back.”

“Mine too. At least you made enough money to finance this thing on your own.”

Stolen story; please report.

“And went broke from it. All my money went down with the Henderin. And look what it got me: a straight ticket back to my family’s household and a job at a mill that’s what.” And one more thing.

“We met Meng at least.”

“Briefly. Now he’s off to help the Prophets.”

Iris shrugs. “At least now he won’t have to kick us out.”

I nod. “So… you’re okay with leaving then?”

Iris sighs, glancing up at the starless sky for a brief moment. “I guess now’s as good a time as any,” she says.

“To do what?”

“Do you know the reason I came here?”

I shake my head.

Iris grabs me by the back of my head and practically slams me into her, pressing a set of beautifully soft lips against mine. My heart leaps out of my chest, and through my closed eyes flashes of beautiful lights break into my mind. I reach out and touch the back of Iris’s head, feeling soft hair.

I can’t hear anything, only the thoughts of joy as Iris and I kiss. A second flash of light passes before my eyes, and I wonder if this is the way the greatest of kisses feels.

We stay like this for a long moment, lights and muffled sounds of Wilds mingling with our excited bodies. When I open my eyes and look at Iris, we share enormous smiles, and both notice Meng sitting beside us.

“You two about done?” Meng asks.

“Meng!” Iris and I both shout.

“Not so loud. Things out here are attracted to loud screeching.”

“What happened? Where did you go?” I ask, trying my best to keep my voice down.

“Sevens. Least that’s what they said. Wanted me to train Prophets here.” He stares into the fire a long moment, then chuckles. “Even offered to make me a Prophet. After I said no to everything, they offered they finally let me off back here.”

“How come we didn’t notice you coming back?” Iris asks.

“For one, the way you two were getting on I’d expect you couldn’t notice much of anything. For another, I punched the White Prophet that dropped me off in the nose. Did the same to William, so he stayed behind.”

Iris and I both laugh, proud of Meng.

“So you still want to stay here?” Meng asks.

“I thought,” I say. “I thought you said you didn’t—”

“I don’t. I just wanted to see if you changed your mind.”

“Why don’t you want to train Prophets, Meng?” Iris asks.

Meng looks around at the trees. “You two should get inside. Tomorrow I’m going to lead you to my boat, and you can sail safe from there. No excitement now. You have to get up early. Understand?”

“Meng…”

“Understand?”

Iris and I nod.

“Good. I’ve had enough trouble for one night,” Meng says. He stands and walks to the edge of the trees.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“To pee. I gotta keep my barrier up. Now get to bed.”

Ten travelers in the Mengs sailed hundreds of miles to the island of Wilds in search of their legendary namesake. Now, the morning after we’d arrived, four leave Meng’s camp.

Though we’ve lost five friends, and were betrayed by one, we are all in high spirits on the way to the boat. With Meng as our guide, we encounter very few obstacles. More than once Iris glances at me, giving me a knowing smile as if she were promising something. I smile back, wondering for the future.

Mally and Minnle are able to walk again, well-rested from sleep, so we make good time. Only a couple hours past dawn, we make it to the boat.

“So tell me one thing, Meng,” Minnle says, removing the blocks from the hull so we can shove the craft into the water. “What’s with these bamboo shafts running through the planks?”

“First boat I sailed to Wilds broke apart in the breakers, just like yours,” Meng explains. “When I came back, I built the boat to collapse but stay tied together. Then I used a long rope, swam to shore, and tugged it through the breakers. That way all I had to do was rebuild the boat with all the pieces still intact.”

“A collapsible boat?”

“How did you pull it in if you were swimming?” Mally asks.

“I didn’t. I had a very long rope,” Meng explains as we shove the raft into the water.

“Hey Meng,” Minnle says as he hops onto the craft’s deck, dripping on the dried planks. “I didn’t see a name pasted on the stern. That’s bad luck.”

“I don’t believe in luck. But it does have a name.”

“What’s that?” Iris asks.

“Gentry.”

“What kinda name is that?” Minnle exclaims. He’s still sore from not being able to prove himself to Meng on Wilds, probably acting out so we can’t see how relieved he is to be leaving the island alive.

Iris and I stop while Minnle and Mally work, and complain, to get the mast up.

“Did you ever want to go back?” Iris asks Meng.

Meng pats the ship with the palm of his hand, looking at it with what I can’t help but feel is longing. “Only once,” he says. “But I knew if he didn’t want to come the first time, he wouldn’t come the next.”

“Didn’t you say the tide was going out soon?” Minnle asks.

“Yes I did. So get the arm ready so you can get over the breakers.”

Minnle, Iris, and Mally get to work on making the ship sea-ready, double-checking the rigging and readying the sail.

Before I can climb aboard, Meng grabs me by the arm and says, “There’s no shame in living.”

“What?” I ask.

“You do what you can to survive. If you hurt someone else, that’s another story. But if you can survive and not hurt anyone, well, you can’t ask for much more than that in life.”

“If that’s true, then come with us.”

Meng shakes his head. “I got rejected once. You’ve got something back on the continent, family, friends you made here, special ones.” Meng looks toward Iris and smiles. “Something to live for.”

“And you don’t?”

“I’m just doing what I can to survive, that’s all. You should do the same.” Meng pats me on the back, smiling.

At that moment, Minnle takes our tattered, blood-stained flag and latches it to the mast. It flutters lightly in the breeze. “Henderin,” Meng says, staring at the flag. “There’s a reason for the legend, you know. He left Wilds on its own so humans didn’t have to be here, so at least one part of the world could be left untamed. He let the wilderness survive, just like he let humanity survive.” I try to say something, but Meng turns away, checking the keel. “You shouldn’t break his vow.”

It takes a few short minutes to get Gentry ready. When we do, we navigate the shallows with great difficulty. By the time we get into safe waters, still in sight of the shore, we all turn back to wave goodbye again to Meng. But he’s gone, disappeared into Wilds.

“Any more regrets?” Iris asks as we open the sail and catch winds that drive us homeward.

I nod and say, “I don’t think we made the wrong decision, though.” Sighing as I stare at the fading shoreline, I stick my hand into my pocket and feel something strange.

My fingers clasp over a thick, folded piece of parchment. I pull it out and see its dried edges. The name Gentry is spelled out in front like an address. It’s a letter, from Meng to his son.

“What’s that?” Iris asks.

“Meng’s regrets,” I say.

Wilds disappears into the curving edge of the planet, a land I thought would be home, a land many had hopes for.

The legend of Henderin wasn’t always a pleasant tale. For years, people regretted what he’d done, how he’d driven humanity out of a simple, wild existence.

Meng helped me realize the truth of the story. Henderin, like Meng, like me, only wanted to find a purer existence. To survive, as we all found out, might not be meaningful, but it’s the only existence there is.

I best get to it.