The Island of Second Chances

The Island of Second Chances

“Joe knew he didn’t have time to waste because the drifting boat was dangerously close to the reef and he still had to take his dugout with the outrigger on it through the only opening in the reef he knew of and that would take some time. He quickly pushed the homemade boat into the water and when it was in deep enough water, he jumped in and began paddling with all his might.

Going through the reef he lost track of the small boat and even had some thoughts that it might have been a mirage. With the tide in, the reef was at its most dangerous time as the waves crashed into it and could easily destroy any boat including the dugout he was in. Still he expertly guided the craft through the small reef opening and into the wild surf.

It was after clearing the surf that he had time to look around for the small boat and saw it just as it was entering the surf. Knowing he probably couldn’t save the boat, but he might reach the man aboard and save him. Joe dug in hard with the paddle and soon he was within close enough distance where he could see the man in the boat. He yelled several times to wake the man but to no avail. The closer he got, the more he realized the man was very large and probably already dead but he wasn’t sure.

Just as he got alongside the boat, he looked out to sea and saw one of the huge rollers that struck the reef. Without a moment to spare, he leapt from the dugout into the dinghy and grabbed the man just as the massive wave began to pick both boats up. Knowing the boats were about to be picked up and destroyed as the wave slammed them into the reef, he pulled the man up and dove into the face of the rising wave just as it began to crash down on the boats. Of course the two bodies were tossed around but they weren’t smashed into the reef.

Joe quickly pulled the man to the surface and swam for all he was worth dragging the man out to sea and away from the reef. It took great effort and quite some time but he finally managed to free both of them from the deadly grip of the surf. Now he could take some time to evaluate the man, as they would have to tread water until the tide finished going in and back out as swimming against the current of the outgoing tide was impossible. There was only one place where he could pass through the reef safely and it would take some time to swim there dragging a man.

When he stopped to evaluate the man, he quickly discovered it wasn’t a man but a woman, and she was badly swollen from what he could only describe as sun poisoning. She appeared to be alive but he didn’t know for how long or even if she would make it to shore. He might be dragging in a corpse. He just didn’t know and trying to evaluate her out in the ocean was impossible so he made sure to be as gentle as he could and kept her head above water so he didn’t drown her. Using all his swimming skills he towed her to the side of the opening in the reef and waited for the current to slow and change directions.

Joe had to wait by the entrance for a couple of hours and when the conditions were right he began pulling her through. Once inside the lagoon it was a much easier swim, but still dangerous as many species of sharks liked to patrol the inside of the reef for fish. He had caught many twelve-foot sharks and they were large enough to have him and the woman he was trying to save for a good meal.

They reached the beach just after dark, it took several tries before Joe could stand, as his legs wouldn’t support his weight from all the exertion he had expended from the moment he began running up the hill earlier that day. Finally he staggered to his shack and lit the small lantern he made that burned oils he scraped from fish or fat he cut from a hog.

As he stepped out of the shack he saw eight hogs making their way toward the woman he left on the beach. Without making a sound he grabbed his spear and went to protect her. He didn’t know if she was still alive or how long she might live, but he felt she had no chance of a recovery of any kind without his help.

When the hogs saw him coming, they turned and squealed their way back into the jungle. Now that he had the hogs at bay he didn’t know if he had the strength to lift the large woman. He pulled her back into the water so he didn’t have to lift her as high, and found she wasn’t nearly as heavy as she appeared.

When Joe got her to the shack he immediately laid her on the bed he had made and began evaluating her. The first thing he did was check her vital signs; she was breathing and had a faint pulse. Also her body temperature seemed very hot so he began removing all her clothing that was now very tight on her. She appeared to be young, but with the swelling of her face and head it wasn’t easy to determine her age.

Most of her clothing he was forced to cut off as it was too tight to remove normally. Once he had her naked he used all his fresh water, giving her small sips and washing the salt from the seawater off her skin. He knew the salt was caustic to human flesh and he wanted to clean her up the best he could.

He worked all through the night and when finished, he stepped outside and realized the sun had already been up a couple of hours. He wanted to rest but he knew he needed water since he used all his fresh water cleaning the woman. He gathered up all his empty containers and locked the door to his shack as well as the gate to his fence so the hogs couldn’t get to the sick woman inside. Then he carried the empty containers as well as his spear to the place where he always got his fresh water. He returned by mid-afternoon and immediately began boiling some of the water so it could be used for drinking, the rest he would use to wash the woman if she were still hot.

And so Joe’s life changed. Instead of caring only for himself and running all over the island, he stayed close to the shack and cared for the woman that remained unconscious. Originally when he planted one of his gardens he filled it with cuttings from one of the aloe plants he found, thinking some of it might live. Now he was thankful it all took hold, as he knew its usefulness for sunburns and the unnamed woman had what could only be described as third degree burns all over her body.
He made a paste from the aloe and gently applied it to every inch of the woman three times a day. With the fever she had and the heat from the sun she seemed to always be sweating and oozing a clear fluid from every pore of her body so he would bathe her before applying the aloe paste or anytime between applications when she needed it. Slowly but surely she began to get better, after three weeks the swelling had just about gone away. The only problem was she still hadn’t shown any signs of regaining consciousness.”

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Keep your adrenaline gushing forth by reading the sequel to The Island of Second Chances: The Pirate Hunter. Captain Joe and the boys will keep you thrilled!