Stranded (ON HOLD AND INCOMPLETE)

Chapter 3

I turn around and see a boy in the dim light, who looks around my age.

He is tan, with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. I am so stunned that the only thoughts that come to my mind are cannibal and run. I scream and start running through the darkness and rain, stepping in so much mud that my feet are squishy and gross.

I can feel him hard on my heels, trying to reach out and grab me. I screech and make a sharp turn, stunning him.

Hide, hide, I need to hide... I look around frantically. It's too dark to see much, so I have to run with my hands in front if me. In the darkness, I see something. Just barely, but I see it. A cave!! I am overjoyed, and use my last bit of energy to sprint towards it, losing the boy by about three meters.

About a half hour later, the boy's thumping footsteps disappear. I exhale slowly, as if I have been holding my breath the whole time. It's so dark, and I am so tired that I decide to go to sleep, the soothing songs of the crickets singing to me.

Sunlight shafts through the front of the cave, awakening me. I sit up and stretch, smelling the beautiful scent of tropical flowers. I never realized how beautiful morning could be, considering I'm a super late sleeper. I yawn and stand up. I am hungry and quite parched, so I decide to find the mango tree and continue on to a water source from there.

I can't stop thinking about the events of last night. The "Fake Fig Tree", my beloved mangoes and...

The boy. Who was he? I wonder. Was he real? Did I really see him, or was I just hallucinating? What did he want? Was he a cannibal? These and many more questions come to my mind, making me so dizzy I have to sit down. I see a nice, smooth rock and decide it'll be a good sitting place, but after I sit down, the rock starts to move.

I freeze and look down. I am, in fact not sitting on a rock, but a large tortoise!! I screech and jump up, covering my face with my hands. I am deathly afraid of turtles and tortoises, and it all started when I was really little.

My grandparents took me out to "The Ponds" almost every weekend when I was really little. My grandma would always hold my hand and my grandpa would walk beside us with their little Lhasa Apso, Daisy.

"Ducky! Ducky!" I always used to exclaim when I saw the mallard ducks swimming around. my grandma would smile and nod. But one day, there was something new. A small turtle was basking in the sun on a big rock, close to the path.

"What's that, Grandmama?!" I asked, curious. "That's a turtle Lili. Now don't go close, it might bite." My grandmother replied, with a laughing smile. Of course, I was a stupid little kid and didn't listen to anyone but me, so I jumped over the chain fence and went to stroke the turtle. "Turtle! Turtle!" It was, unfortunately a snapping turtle who wasn't very open to visitors, and when I held out my hand to pet him...

CHOMP!!!!

He bit down on my index finger. Hard. I screamed and started crying. "Bad turtle..." I choked out between sobs. My grandparents actually had to take me to the hospital to get stitches.

The memory of my grandma makes my heart ache, and the thought of the turtle doesn't make me feel any better.

Stay calm, I think. Just stay calm.

When I finally stop hyperventilating, I am really thirsty. I walk around for a long time trying to find the little freshwater creek, and by the time I find it, I think it is almost noon. I almost completely forgot about the mysterious boy, until I stumble upon his camp.

Literally.