Post Apocalypse: Tyranny & Chimpanzees

9. ROCK-N'-BYE

"There's actually not much else to say. I ingested more of the water when I came to, and I'm still recovering, though I'm in a pretty good condition for someone who nearly died few days ago."

"Oh." Servile's shoulders slumped a bit. I guess he's quite fond of stories.

"Actually, there's still a little deducible part left; I recalled a faint memory of there being a tale of another island separated from us by a little strip of water, and inhabited by castaways."

"Our side of the island." Servile pointed out.

"Yes. Well, I couldn't stay close to the corpses for various reasons, and I'd rather be as far from them as possible. So I thought I'd check it out, and best case scenario, I'd build a ship or something with new..aquintances, and escape from 'that thing.'" I stuck out a thumb behind us.

"But things haven't really gone according to plan, huh." He said. "You're back to this place once again, and we still haven't convinced the others...—'I,' rather."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But that shouldn't be too much of a problem now—I mean, worst case scenario, we'll just have to come back here once again, with one or two of them."

Servile chuckled, with Boro in mind. "Nah, they're not all that paranoid. —Hold on, you said the steam was probably hotter than the hot pool water, right?"

"Y..eah..?" I replied, not really comprehending the sudden inquiry.

"Oh." His gaze dropped. "...Right."

Puzzled, I walked alongside him in silence, wondering what that meant.

But I had something else to worry about.

I'd built that shoddy raft hurriedly, anticipating it's service being a one-time thing. And yet the little thing had been inhumanely subjected to a second journey, with an even heavier Servile onboard to boot, and worse still, would still have to go through the misery of yet another torturous job.

I should just tell him about this. With double the number, we could finish a new raft in two or three days, tops.

And so I ... didn't do that. I simply crossed my fingers and prayed that it wouldn't just plunge us into the deep.

What if the current had already dessicated the raft where it was pegged while we were here? I arbitrarily came to the conclusion that that would be the the best time to 'remember' that little detail.

It was still there, partly onshore and pegged to the muddy bank. I unpegged it he pushed it into the water, then we boarded it.

Servile had the best part of this—not knowing. That was a very heavy burden on me right then. As Servile sat in oblivion, while humming an inaudible tone to himself as he paddled, the raft floated with less confidence, it's top ever so close to the water.

Every time I heard a creak as it rocked uneasily against the tides, my heart would skip a beat. Servile had the best part of that journey. Ignorance really is bliss.

We arrived the shore much to my internal delight. But as we aligted, the crazy confrontation between Boro and I just a couple of days ago undoubtedly flashed through our minds, completely replacing the initial worry that bugged my mind. Even Servile stopped humming and wore a more business-like expression.

He peered at the groves while I pegged the bamboo raft, although it was already beginning to fall apart. I'd built it to take just myself once across, and it'd done that thrice, with the much heavier Servile onboard two out of three times.

Alright, I'll be humane.

I tossed the peg onto it, took off the paddle and placed on the dirt, then shoved the bamboo structure back, setting it free intact, and watched as the flowing strip of water conveyed it to sea with a nostalgic smile on my face. When the waters rippled, the raft rocked in a fluid motion with it, regained it's balance, tipped once again, and then went under.

Oh...

So much for that. I followed Servile, still unaware of all that just happened, on our returning trip with a disturbed countenance I hoped my face did not reflect.