Shipwrecked!!

[Steiner]

It was the voices that broke his concentration - voices just down the beach that made him jerk his head up and look over his shoulder.

Whilst Liz's body was frothing him into turmoil, there was a part of his brain that registered the need to survive - and it was this part of him that made him kiss her into silence and get her attention.

"Liz - sounds like people made it to the beach in numbers. We have to go see if they're okay. We have to find out what happened and when we're getting out of here." he nipped at her nose playfully before continuing "I'm all for continuing this discussion later - but for now counsel for the prosecution requests a motion to adjourn"

Seeing her fighting a battle internally, Alan watched as the sense came back into her eyes and she nodded reluctantly. Alan squirmed up from under her, extended a hand and helped her to her feet before trotting off down the beach towards the voices.

"Hello!!?"

 

[PearlNecklace]

Liz was brought back to reality with a big thump. What kind of person gets so carried away when they've just been shipwrecked and there was the possibility her fellow passengers were dead? That they were stuck on this island.

The thought dampened her lust as she took her husband's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Feeling slightly ashamed of herself she linked her fingers through his and walked by his side as he made his way to the other passengers. Alan greeted them and for once, she was happy to let him take the lead as she remained silent beside him.

She looked over the people in front of her, all wet and bedraggled, all in as much shock as she was. Liz was glad in that moment she had Alan and clung to his arm, wrapping her own around it. She hated feeling vulnerable but as she stood there watching the sun rise and surveying what was left of the boat and the passengers she began to realise just what kind of trouble they were in.

 

[Steiner]

Alan wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side as they walked up to the knot of bedraggled people.

"Is everyone okay? Nobody hurt?"

Alan knew he should be berating the Captain and causing a fuss - making people think about getting out of here - but the sudden reconcilliation with Liz had left him in far too good a mood to be as pushy as he usually was. He squeezed Liz reassuringly as she clung to him - shivering again from the cold and the shock now that the heat of passion had left her.

He was a little concerned that the action/adventure types among them weren't already working away on some sort of solution to their problem, so he prodded them a bit?

"Got a radio signal out did we? Help on the way? How long do you think it'll be?"

 

[PearlNecklace]

"Got a radio signal out did we? Help on the way? How long do you think it'll be?"

She heard Alan's questions and she knew they were valid ones. They had to now think about getting off this island and until then, how they would survive on it. She surveyed the beach and saw the people and the belongings strewn across it. Wondering what order they could create out of the mess she looked back to Alan, knowing he would soon organise things.

 

[slowandeasy]

Jacques LaForge

As he was catching his breath safe on the beach, Jacques looked out to sea where he saw what was left of the ship listing to the starboard side having taken in as much water as it would hold and teetering on the edge of what he assumed to be a coral reef. An ill wind might tear it loose and send it into who knows how many fathoms of water until it came to rest on the oceans floor. Then again it might hang on the edge of the reef for a long enough time for them to salvage what they could before it took that final plunge.

He turned his gaze to the raft that had brought them ashore and knew that without its presence at that crucial time, he and Kit had been helpless in the water, they would have drowned.

“Someone help me.” he said, suddenly realizing the importance of that little craft. “Help me bring the raft to higher ground, we may need it yet.” Something in the back of his mind told him that things were not as they should be. There was a clarity to the air that he had never experienced befor even in the most pristine places he had been. The morning sky was silent the last of the stars were fading from sight and there were no familiar satalites tracking across it s surface. The island itself seemed much too primitive to be part of the Hawiian chain. and other than the chatter of a few monkeys in the trees and the various birds that flittered about, there was a feeling of isolation in the air.

Kit was the first to respond and he grinned warmly at her. "She IS a survivor” he thought to himself and perhaps he even owed his own survival to her as in the water she had the presence of mind to urge him towards the raft.

After the two of them and another couple had pulled the craft further up on the beach, he realized he was still hanging on to his bag and that Kit still had her hiking pack on her back. He dropped his burden to the sand and helped her remove hers. As they sat down again he reached over and gently rubbed her shoulders, his thoughts going back to their narrow escape, how they had reacted as one and what they had chosen to take with them.

Strange he thought what a person chooses to save from a burning building, a sinking ship or for that matter a failing relationship. Kit obviously had been more practical. He on the other hand had grabbed what some might seem to be of little importance.

Ironically he reminded himself that he had chosen those same objects when six months ago he and his estranged wife decided it was time to make the separation complete by choosing what was important to each and going their separate ways. For Jacques it had been simple. His painting supplies and tools were all he needed to get on with his life.

Once again he had chosen only these few things and had carefully packed them away in a waterproof bag that ordinarily protected them from humid or rainy conditions and would keep out the salt water. A long, strap that he had slung over his shoulder allowed his arms to be free. It was cumbersome and had threatened to pull him under but he had refused to let it go. Now as it lay next to him in the sand he refused to second guess his decision.

There were other decisions to make he realized, as someone had mentioned they needed food, fresh water and shelter from the weather. Even if help was on the way, they needed to take care of their basic needs on their own.

"Maybe we should split up." But head out in pairs for safety." He suggested...."and meet back here in...let's say two hours."

 

[sharingfantasies]

Bess

The group of survivors gathered together near the lifeboat. Everyone was apprised of the lone death. There was a moment of silence as everyone dealt with that information. Then the need for the living to survive became the utmost thought of the group.

As the group of them stood together on the beach, it was determined that they needed to find out what resources were available. Everyone there was willing to help, so the island was divided into four quadrants. Since men and women tended to see situations differently, it was decided to create teams of one male and one female. Perhaps there was a plant or an animal or some material to make a shelter that one person might not see, but the other person might. It was vital that a source of fresh water be found. The plan was to go through the quadrant for an hour and then return. That way they would all meet up again in two hours. Since no one knew which island they were on, there was no way of knowing what dangers the island posed, how large it was, or the type of terrain beyond what they could see from their place on the shore.

From where they stood, they could see that there was a lot of foliage and a rise in the ground on the northern end of the island. For all they knew there could be an entire village of people living on the other side of the island. Jacques had art supplies in his pack, so each pair was given a piece of paper and a pencil or piece of chalk to take with them. The idea was to make a map of the terrain, listing any possible resources. If the name of the plant of animal was unknown, then a rough drawing would be done so that it might be recognized by someone else when they all got back together.

While on the boat, everyone had met or seen the other people but now it was time to introduce themselves. Since Bess knew all of them, she suggested that they use first names, it seemed a little formal to keep calling each other Miss this or Mister that. The pairs were organized in the following fashion: Bess and Ben would take the northernmost quadrant where the butte seemed to rise from the ground. Jacques and Kit would take the quadrant that followed the foot of the rise, hopefully there would be fresh water coming from the upper level of land. Messalina and Reg took the next quadrant which appeared to have a lot of undergrowth. The southernmost quadrant was assigned to the Davises, where the land appeared to be more level and they could follow the shore line part of the way. Besides checking their part of the quadrant they could also go through the little bit of wreckage that had floated ashore.

While the partners were out mapping the island, Karen and Jake would go through the few supplies that were in the storage compartments of the life boat and start a list of resources. They were also going to walk along the northern shoreline to see if anything had washed up from the wreck that might be useful.

Bess was surprised by the pairing of Karen with Jake but it had been his suggestion so she merely glanced at Karen to see if that was acceptable to her. Then she and Ben headed out to do their job. Bess was pleased that everyone's spirits were positive and cooperative. She crossed her fingers that the good moods would last.