God knows how long they were on the island. Elizabeth said they could have lasted years with Timothy's knowledge of wildlife and her medical skills. They had skinned wild boar, picked through mushrooms, climbed the cliffs to gather herbs. Sometimes they climbed up there just to watch the night sky, unbothered by city pollution and unnatural lights.
If Timothy hadn't seen Liz crying one night, he would have stayed there forever with her. He had fallen in love, and leaving the island meant returning back to that sad, sorry life he had escaped from on the boat that had condemned the two scientists here.
She had something to miss though, and it was selfish of him to keep her here.
"Are you ready to go home, Liz?" Timothy extended his hand to her. Liz looked up, wiping her tears.
She whispered, "do you mean it?" Timothy swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded yes. He helped the woman to her feet and they walked to the shore of the beach. There had been nights where Liz had illustrated lovely tales of what the island might look like if she and Timothy stayed there and built cities from rocks. He smiled sadly to himself.
"What will happen?" He asked, looking out at the sea. The wild sea that, to any other castaway would be his enemy, had given him something the earth could not.
"What do you mean?"
"What will happen when we get home, Liz? Where will we go?"
He was scared.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "Perhaps we will find our way back home, and this will fall to the wind as a secret memory. Something only we shall ever know."
~
They built the boat in a matter of days. Elizabeth wondered aloud why they had not done this in the first weeks of their stay.
"It was beautiful here," Timothy answered. "We wanted to finish what we'd started, with the research trip. And-" he focused his gaze on Liz. "We thought we might stay forever."
She laughed, but not unkindly. Liz did not hear the pain in his voice. She did not love him the way he loved her.
"Those were webs woven of fantasy, Tim. I have always known in my heart where I belong. I miss the world, I miss the people. I miss my job."
It sliced through him like a knife, cutting through every string attached to his heart. Timothy's eyelids fell heavy and he glared at the ropes in his hands. Maybe he should have been selfish.
"Of course," he replied hoarsely.
"Are you alright? You look unwell," Liz asked, securing the last of their food into the base of the small boat they had built. Timothy chuckled, mostly to himself, and shook his head.
"I'm fine. I just find it hard to let go," he said truthfully. "Stockholm syndrome, perhaps." He glanced backwards at the tree line.
"Ah, I see. Your captor has become a friend," she replied.
"Mhm," Timothy murmured, contemplating something terrible. He shook his head and looked back at Liz with a smile. "Ready?"
"Very," she said.
~
Preparing to become Dr. Elizabeth Graham and Botanist Timothy Clay once again, they boarded their homemade boat and pushed it off the sandy beach. Remembering their other research team members, Elizabeth whispered a little prayer to herself, hoping that the sea would not swallow them as well.
Their imaginary cities crumbled into dust and ashes as they reached the breaker waves, and with great effort and skill their homemade sail helped them out into the Great Blue. Timothy watched Elizabeth as they rowed through the water in the hot sun. She never looked back once, and she smiled as they picked up a good speed.
Those 'webs of fantasy' had meant nothing to her. They had meant the whole world to Timothy. He once again glared bitterly at the vessel that carried him towards a universe without Liz, and away from the only place he had felt happy.
~
The blissful sound of ocean waves filled Elizabeth's heart with glee, and she paddled jovially towards freedom.
But her heart sank like an anchor when the terrifying sound of leaking water popped her cloud nine, and the boat beneath her shuddered. Liz whirled around and stared at the floor of the boat. One of their ropes had given out, and now the boards in the middle were parting. The boat went down faster and faster by the second.
"Tim! Help!" Liz dropped to her knees and desperately grasped for the ropes, trying to pull the boards back together. He bent down and hurriedly attempted to tie ends together, but they both knew it was too late.
The bags of food, the sail, the logs and boards... they were all gone within minutes. All that was left was a sobbing Liz, and Timothy, who had sworn to protect her as long as they were stranded, treading water in the dead middle of the Great Blue.
"We should have stayed," Liz whispered through her tears, hugging Timothy. "We should have stayed, you were right, I'm so sorry!"
"It's alright Liz, don't be sorry."
The wind howled and the waves knocked over the castaways. Their tired legs gave out. The sky opened and rained down. Elizabeth felt the water fill her lungs and knew it was almost over.
"Goodbye Tim," she called over the sound of thunder.
"I love you, Liz," he called back. But into the dark depths she had already fallen.
Timothy followed shortly after, wondering if they could rebuild their cities on the ocean floor. His last thought was one of regret as he felt the end of the cut rope hidden inside his fist.
