Build the raft first

In the end, you knew the choice was simple. If Rose had survived, she might be on that other island. Thinking about Rose, how she made you feel, you knew you had only one real choice. Sure, you'd need some food, but there was enough to last you for a while. At least to cross the distance between your island and the other one. Having made up your mind, you started to cut some more fallen palm trees into pieces you could use. Likewise, you used fibre strands to make some ropes. All of this took over two days, but at least it gave you something to do. At the end of the second day, you were exhausted but fell asleep feeling better than you had since the crash.

On the morning of the third day you had your breakfast as always and set out to do one more test of all the lashings and the logs. It would float. You still had to make a paddle, though, and gather up food. You spent the morning making a paddle and looking for a good way to bring across as much food and water as you could. There was no way to tell what the other island had or did not have, so it would be best for you to be prepared, plus bring some extras. In the end you settled on two large bags that you secured to the raft with more lashings. You had filled them with food and water, as well as clothes for both men and women. Again, you never knew. Plus you would need some spare clothes, yourself. Satisfied that you were ready, you looked up at the sky. It wasn't noon yet, so you figured you should go for it. You tied the lashing you had attached to the paddle to your wrist and jumped on the raft.

"There's obviously somebody on the other island" Claire said. Rose looked at her then nodded.

"Yeah. But what can we do about it?" she asked.

"Not a lot, unless some useful stuff washes up on the beach" the brunette said. The two were silent for some time after that, the silence only broken by the waves rolling onto the beach. Some time into the silence the third member of the party walked out to the women.

"You staring at the other island again?" the other person asked.

"Yeah" Claire said. "We saw the fire so there has to be somebody out there."

"Do you think it's my John?" Rose asked.

"You never know" the third person, a woman named Cora said.

"Rose, you have to be realistic. Chances of him surviving out of all the people on board are slim" Claire said. Being an ex-marine, she was realistic to the point of being blunt. Cora, a middle-aged woman, was more kind.

"Claire, you never know, like I said. For all we know he's on his way here right now" Cora told Rose.

"That would be great" Rose said with a wistful smile, watching out over the waves. She sighed a little later and turned her back to the sea, walking to their camp. Sitting down on a log they dragged there together, Rose took a bite of coconut flesh after opening one of them with a flint knife that Claire had made. After a while Rose got up again and went back to work, which was gathering up fallen coconuts and bringing them to the camp. It was mind-numbing work but at least it kept her thoughts off her boyfriend that she feared dead. Sighing again, Rose filled a big canvas duffel bag with coconuts and returned to the campfire, only to find an excited Cora running at her.

"Someone's coming!" Cora called.

"What?" Rose asked. Her heart leapt. Was it rescue?

"There's a raft heading our way" Cora said. "Hey, Claire!" she called.

"What is it?" Claire asked as she emerged from between the trees.

"Someone's coming our way on a raft!" Cora replied.

When Rose saw who it was she fell to her knees and started crying.

You pulled the raft out of the water with a groan. It hadn't been as heavy before you set out, had it? Or was it just you being tired? You were met by two women with a third sitting on her knees farther away. Your view of the third was blocked by the two women approaching you.

"What's your name? Where'd you come from? Were you on the other island?" the brunette asked. The shorter, doughy one asked similar questions.

"My name is.." you started, but the third woman interrupted you.

"John" she said.

Eyes wide, you pushed past the two women and towar ds the third.

"Rose?" you asked as you walked over to her.

"Oh my God, John!" she exclaimed as she got up and threw herself at you, wrapping her arms around you. "I thought you were dead!"

"I thought you were, too" you replied, holding her close. Tears began to flow as the news sank in. Your Rose was alive! You laughed as much as you cried as you held her close.

"You've got to be kidding me" the brunette said. The doughy blonde laughed.

"See, Claire? You never know" she told the other woman.

"So you're the boyfriend, huh?" the woman you now knew was called Claire asked. You and the three women were sat around the campfire, as it was slowly getting dark. With all the supplies you'd brought the women could dress up warm for the night and get some decent calories for the first time. Because of the location of the crash, very few bags and suitcases had washed up on this island.

"Guilty" you said, holding Rose close. She smiled up at you and kissed your cheek before closing her eyes again, apparently finally relaxing for the first time sine the crash.

"She never stopped believing, you know" the other woman, Cora, added.

"Never, huh?" you asked with a smile, looking at your girlfriend.

"Never" Rose agreed, taking your hand in hers, squeezing it.

"Look, I don't want to be a stick-in-the-mud, but having another mouth to feed isn't going to help us much" Claire said.

"Oh, yeah, about that" you said. "Sorry, I completely forgot."

"The bags?" Cora asked.

"Oh yes. Look in the black bag." you told her. "The red one's got women's clothes in it, as well as some men's wear for myself."

"Are you a survivalist or something?" Cora wanted to know. "How did you get this prepared?"

"Maybe ex-Army? Navy?" Claire added.

"History student, actually" you said with a laugh. "Oh, and I play volleyball."

"Then how did you know how to make a raft?" Claire asked, curious.

"Video games" you admitted with a grin.

"That's my boyfriend, the self-taught gamer" Rose said, giggling softly.

You squeezed her shoulder and smiled. "Aren't you glad that I did, though?" you asked.

"For all that food and those clothes you brought? Hell yes" Claire said.

"So who wants dinner?" Cora asked happily.