The Two Survivors

Fictional story for contest based on a picture of two men on a deserted beach.

Word Count: 922
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The Saga Begins

The two men had been together so long, it seemed they were brothers. Even though they had charted their course before leaving the Florida coast, in their excitement they had forgotten to give a copy of it to their wives. Who would have thought it would be needed!

The trip had been a smooth, enjoyable one, with both Tobias and Kendall taking on that rugged but healthy "weathered" look. Everything had been as perfect as could be, almost reminding them of the days of their youth, when they had enjoyed camping as Boy Scouts. Peaceful, relaxing and fun...until that devastating storm turned the waters into a raging, savage beast!

The life vests were their only hope of survival. Donning them quickly, they took a rope, attaching one end of it to each of thr vests. The last thing they wanted was to be separated if the boat capsized, which surely it would.

New Beginnings

The days between the beginning of the storm and the sunny morning when Tobias and Kendall awoke in total confusion, were no less than three. Both men looked weak and disoriented. Their boat was nowhere to be found.

Slowly the confusion passed as first Kendall, and then Tobias, recalled bits and pieces of their being caught unprepared by the storm. Luckily, they both had remembered their survival training from their scouting days and when they knew the ship was going to sink, they had both stuffed several bottles of drinking water into their shorts...just in case.

They drank from one of the bottles, each taking little sips, knowing that gulping it down would surely make them ill. There were no signs of life on the island, just birds in the air and the gentle breeze blowing through the trees beyond the sandy shore.

Surveying the Area

After drinking the water and relaxing in the sun-warmed sand, Tobias suggested they look around the island to see what, if anything, could be used for shelter and food until they could figure out how to be rescued.

They decided to walk 100 paces in opposite directions beginning at the shoreline. With their energy somewhat revived, and the interest in finding out more about their temporary home, both men eagerly set off to walk their steps, hoping to meet back at the starting point with something of interest to tell.

"OK, for this first walk, let's just walk along the shoreline rather than walk into the woods," Kendall suggested. "We'll have some idea of the size of the island that way because if you and I can still see each other at that distance, we'll know the island is fairly large."

Tobias was happy just to be alive at this point, so he willingly went along with his suggestion. "Sure, no problem...good idea!" he said, nodding his head slowly.

Uninhabited!

While the surveying of the island was somewhat adventureous, it was obvious that the island was completely theirs alone...not another soul was upon it. No signs of life from previous days could even be found – no campfire remains, no huts, no food, and strangely, not even many animals! Only the birds that flew above their heads bothered to come visit, and then likely out of mere curiosity to see these two strange "humans".

Tobias and Kendall sat around a small fire they had built and discussed the future. "You know we have to get back to our families and our life," Tobias sighed.

"Yup, I know" Kendall mumbled. "Our food supply is nil though, and we have to eat if we're going to get through this!" The men sparingly drank of their bottled water and discussed their situation.

Finding Food

With the island being practically forsaken of even little furry creatures, the men broke sturdy branches from the nearby trees and made crude fishing rods. Other branches were used to make spears. Even though their lives were hanging in the balance, it seemed rather fun for them to be using their gut instincts and skills to keep themselves alive.

After a restless night sleeping on the ground under the stars, they took their crude fishing supplies and headed into the water. Surprisingly, the fish were biting! It was a mere hour before Tobias called from the shore to have his friend come see the "lunch" he'd caught.

"Here, Kendall, you take these twigs and some stones and build us a good fire, while I put this meaty fish on a spear and get him ready for cooking." Tobias seemed to have a spring in his step.

The Cookout

It was a beautiful day, the sun shining warmly. Kendall's fire making skills received a nod of approval from Tobias, who eagerly set the fish above the fire, resting the stick in the middle of two on either end.

Kendall stood back about six feet from the fire, his hands out towards Tobias, as if to caution him on doing it properly. Tobias paid him no mind, however, somewhat irritated that his friend felt it necessary to offer him advice on cooking a simple fish!

No wanting to argue, however, Tobias simply continued to hold the end of the stick, and turn the fish, ever so slowly, to ensure it was thoroughly cooked. And when he checked it some 20 minutes later, both men once again smiled broadly and ate their fill. Fish never tasted so good! Tomorrow they would work on figuring out how to get home.