Go North. [END]

“If we head north, we’re bound at least hit the mainland,” Aria reasoned.

“Assuming there’s enough gas in this thing,” Richard pointed out.

“Well, it sure beats waiting around for someone else to do something,” Aria replied.

They righted the ship and headed North. After an hour passed, they found a small island. This led to a string of larger islands. The couple became hopeful that one of these islands would have some people on it. The gas gauge indicated that they were close to empty. They looked around with more urgency. Finally, they decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of running out of fuel in the middle of the ocean. They picked out the largest island and landed there.

Richard scouted the island as Aria set up camp. She was attempting to convert the boat into a makeshift hut when she noticed movement in the nearby trees. She thought it was Richard back from his trek and went to investigate. When she reached the spot she noticed the movement, she didn’t find anyone around.

“Richard?” she called out.

“Ari?” Richard called back, some distance away.

“I thought I saw something by the treeline,” Aria told her husband as she approached him.

“It wasn’t me,” Richard scratched his head. “Maybe it was a tiger.”

Aria shoved him. “Don’t even joke about that!”

“Haha, don’t worry, hun, I’ll protect you!” Richard laughed.

“I’ll bet,” Aria huffed.

Richard’s search didn’t find much. A few fruits and berries, but that was it. He spotted some wildlife but was unable to do anything about it, having no hunting tools. They tried to start a fire for the night, but lacked the skills and eventually gave up, opting to huddle together for warmth. The next few days were more of a struggle as their energy was sapped trying to find enough nutrients to keep going. They were at a loss for what to do next, neither of them had any survival skills and if things kept up, they would die of starvation.

The next morning, they awoke to find food waiting for them, shellfish and mangos and other tropical delights. They ate it up ravenously as they looked around for who had offered them the meal. A young woman came out from the trees. She appeared indigenous, not wearing clothes and ornamented with tribal jewelry. They thanked her profusely and asked her for help getting off the island. She didn’t seem to understand them but offered to lead them somewhere.

They followed her through the dense jungle until they reached what appeared to be a village. Ther, the girl called out and out came more friendly villagers.

The people of the island welcomed the two foreigners. Aria especially attracted attention for her pale skin. She was readily accepted by the tribe of mutual naturists. Feeling left out, Richard also stripped down. The natives were fascinated by his hairy body. The two integrated into the tribe fairly well. None of the people spoke English, so communication was a struggle, but they were able to understand each other through gestures and simple words. The married couple pitched in to help with the gathering and preparing of food, garnering respect from the tribespeople.

Soon, this acceptance granted them access to the tribe’s inner workings. On the full moon, the natives gathered around the fire to perform what was loosely translated as the ‘Moon Dance’. This involved all the eligible females dancing to allure the men to join them in their huts. Aria thought it was a fun concept and decided to do a moon dance for Richard. Unbeknownst to the couple, the moon dance was a polygamous act and any one could share with anyone.

Aria found herself in the arms of a muscular native while Richard was tempted by two limber dancing girls. By the end of the night, they had shared their hut with the limber dancers, the fit native, the head of the warriors and the chief’s daughter. By the next day, they were full members of the tribe. Aria and Richard never bothered to find a way home after that. They made this island their new home and the people on it their new family.