STORY BEGINS HERE

Mystery Island

It would be fun, they said. Like an extra vacation, they said. Just one short seminar a day with the rest of the time free for eating, drinking, sunbathing, swimming, games, socializing, or just relaxing. Not only was the trip all expenses paid but with everybody drawing their regular salary to boot. But what was supposed to be a company team building cruise of the tropics had turned into a disaster.

Six of the fortunate souls who had escaped the sinking ship now drift along on a calm ocean with nothing but glass smooth horizon to be seen in every direction. They’d lost contact with the other lifeboats on that very first chaotic night of the sinking and they had not seen a sign of another human being since. For three days they had been carried along on a current without a clue as to who had lived or died from the wreck, if the other escapees had already found rescue, or anything else beyond the confines of their boat.

Sitting up on the pointed bow of the boat, leaned forward with her arm outstretched over the water like some figurehead of an old sailing vessel, is a beautiful young black woman of 23. Lexi had thought she’d landed the career of her dreams when she got the offer to be a Social Media and Engagement analyst fresh out of college. A few months later and she is now thinking that milestone would be her last. It took all she had to hold herself together. This just wasn’t fair! She still had so much more life to live! She quietly swore to herself that if somehow she found her way back to civilization she would live every valuable minute to its fullest.

“Would you stop!” Snaps the blond woman sitting behind her. “How many times do we have to tell you that you won’t get a signal out here.”

“My battery is running dry.” Lexi grumbles without looking back. She holds her phone higher, clinging to the faintest of hopes. “It’s now or never.”

“Pff!”

Sharon shakes her head at the younger woman’s stupidity. She sat with her back ramrod straight, her lean, fit body taut as a snare drum. Her long blond hair is collected up into a tight bun and her angular face is frozen in a permanent scowl. She was a bitter woman of her mid 30’s. Bitter at this company of dolts. Bitter at this ignominious end. And bitter that she’d been proven right, as she always was. She had told the CEO time and time again that this whole cruise idea had been a terrible idea, and an expensive one. She had also told him that as the HR manager that her department ought to have been the one to organize such things. She’d told him she could five times the team building at a fraction of the cost. But no. The old fool had ignored her wisdom and now they were all going to pay the ultimate price for it. Had it not been for stubborn pride she would have been loosing her shit. But she was hardly about to let these five morons see her in such a state.

“Hey Max.” Says the vibrant young Asian man behind her. “You wanna row some more?”

The burly man beside him pats his shoulder and replies. “Save your strength Brucie. Save it for when we’ve got something to row to. Okay?”

“Yes Sir.”

Brucie sits and scans the horizon believing with his whole heart that rescue was about appear at any minute. At just 20 had come into the company out of high school thanks to a connection of his father’s. For the past two years he’d been the hard working mail clerk of the downtown branch as well as something of the office clown. His humor however was not born of wit but of naive innocence. For all of his good qualities, his always bright attitude and the fact he was extremely easy on the eyes chief among them, Brucie was something of a ditz and he often got teased for it. Even now Brucie soldiered on with a smile on his face, blissfully oblivious to how dire their situation actually was.

Beside him in the center bench of the boat is Max. Classically ‘tall, dark and handsome’ he had short graying hair and a salt and pepper beard. 51 years old Max had started his path in mechanical engineering in the special forces. When he was back in the shit he never would have thought he’d end up meeting his end on a pleasure cruise of all things. Not that he’d given up hope, he’d been through far worse and survived, he’d simply made peace with one of the more likely outcomes of their current situation. Stoic and cool, being a pillar of dependable strength as much for the others sake as his own, he calmly scans the skies as Brucie watches the water.

Clunk.

“What’s this?” Asks the freckled-cheeked, fiery-haired Albert sat behind Brucie. He sets down the broken emergency radio that he’d been working on more to alleviate stress and boredom than any real hope that he’d actually get it working. After three days he had tried everything he possibly could, five times over. Reaching over the side he pulls from the water a squat wooden statue of an obese woman maybe six inches tall. Her proportions were all exaggerated. Lips, butt, tits and pussy were all way larger than realistic. “Oh weird!”

He turns it over in his hands, studying the details of the object. As one of the basement dwelling ‘IT guys’ his expertise was more networks, programming and circuitry than wood carving. But as an avid reader, a documentary lover, and a self-confessed all-around nerd he had a smattering of knowledge in a host of other interests.

“What’s that?” Max turns to look.

“HA!” Giggles Brucie when he sees it. “She’s nude! Ha ha ha! She’s naked! Ha ha ha! BOOBS!”

“Oh my God.” Sharon sneers. “That’s the first thing you notice? Men!”

“Sorry.” Brucie blushes.

Despite himself Max chuckles under his breath.

“It looks like one of those ancient fertility goddess idols from wayyyy back.” Albert says as he looks around the endless expanse of blue. “I saw one almost exactly like this on an archeology doc. But where did it come from? It’s real wood. Wood only floats for so long.”

“Maybe a souvenir fallen from another cruise ship?” Suggests the kind-faced, voluptuous Hispanic woman at his shoulder. “What do you think Albert?”

“I don’t know. This doesn’t look mass produced.” Albert says as he studies it closely. “They’re usually made of stone but I think this might be a legit artifact. Or a handmade replica of one. Wild.”

“Mmm.”

Maria nods her agreement just to be agreeable. In truth she didn’t have much of an opinion on the item either way. She had far more important things on her mind. Those things being her two boys that she’d left back with her parents for her big trip abroad. She’d been so excited for this working vacation. She’d never been anywhere tropical before. She’d never gone anywhere just for herself before. Her whole life had been devoted to being the best mom for her precious boys, a loving and devoted wife, and the best darned secretary she could be. In that order. But that order had been recently sent into chaos. Her entire peaceful existence had been flipped upside down when six months ago she discovered that her husband had been cheating on her. They were currently ‘working things out’ but the truth was he’d hurt her badly with his infidelity. So badly she wasn’t sure things could ever go back to the way they were before. Though she sure was going to give it her best try. Her love life, her whole life period, was drifting as aimlessly as this boat. More than anyone else in the company she had needed this trip to relax, center and get in touch with herself again. But once she got out here, even before the accident, all she could think about was getting home and getting her boys back in her arms again.

As always happened when her thoughts turned to her children, her current attention turns to the two youngest on the boat. Reaching out she softly brushes a hand down Brucie’s back. “You thirsty hun? Hungry? We’ve still got plenty of emergency supplies here.”

“Huh?” Brucie looks up from the idol and smiles that beaming smile of his. “I’m okay Maria. Thank you.”

“Okay.” She smiles back then looks to the bow. “Lexi. How are you doing? You getting a signal up there sweetie?”

“She is NOT your sweetie!” Sharon barks in annoyance, to which Maria wilts. Of all the other passengers Sharon could stand the wholesome Maria the least. Not only did her whole maternal vibe remind her of the persistent tick-tock of her own biological clock, she also thought the woman was soft, stupid, weak of will and a walking, talking step backward in the fight for women’s equality in the workplace. Maria was in her forties and still just a secretary! For Sharon she simply could not understand the lack of ambition. And besides all of that, with the stories she’d heard of the promiscuous and pretty young Lexi, the girl was no ‘sweetie’ by any definition.

Ignoring the bitch Sharon’s vitriol Lexi winks back to the kindly Maria. “No signal I’m afraid. I thought it was worth a try though.”

“I think so too.” Maria smiles back warmly. “Never hurts to try.”

Beside her Albert was still studying the carving. “Crazy we found her in the middle of nowhere like this.”

“Caught on this current I suppose.” Max says. “There’s all sorts of trash out here.”

“And that’s what it is. Trash.” Sharon gripes. “And it gets us no closer to home. Pfft! A fertility goddess. The damn thing probably came from an…”

“Island!” Brucie bolts up to a standing position pointing straight ahead.

“Watch it!” Barks Sharon as she reaches out to steady herself from the sudden rocking. Straightening her thin rectangular glasses she squints into the distance. “I don’t see anything.”

“I do!” Exclaims Lexi and throws her arms into the air. “LAAAND HOOOO!”

“Ohhh!” Claps Maria. “It’s a miracle! We’re saved.”

“Ha ha ha!” Albert laughs as three days of heart gripping fear releases all at once. He takes the buxom idol in both hands and kisses it square on the oversized lips. “You little beauty! Our good luck charm! You came to guide us in.” He clutches it close to his heart and hugs it. “I love you! Ha ha ha!”

“Max! An island!” Brucie dances in place. “An island! I found an island!”

“I see it lad. I see it.” Max says, palpable relief even coming through in his deep, steady voice. “Ya done good Brucie. And we now have ourselves a target. So you ready to row or what?”

“Ready!? I was born ready Sir.” The excited Brucie plops back down on his seat causing the boat to rock again and Sharon to gripe again.

The two oars are set and their ends placed into the water. Max and Brucie turn around and, with the brawny Max setting a pace that Brucie could manage, they begin to row. With that one speck of hope growing on the horizon three terrible days of dread and despair recedes in their wake.