Dear Life Episode 4
Episode 4
The Isle of Something or Other
Lee was a good friend, Bleu thought, he didn’t talk much. He had a quiet calm about him and mostly kept to himself Trick and he were good friends and Tilly treated him the same as she did everyone, as if he was her best friend from infancy. So he'd no idea if they'd ever meet before this voyage.
He started bringing Bleu’s Breakfast whenever it was served. Bleu was often sitting in the Captain’s office looking over the map with Trick as his quiet bodyguard making sure no one made noise while he was working. Trick was constantly talking while Lee was there as if being quiet for Bleu was simply a dam that had to burst at the first sign of reprieve. When they were one day away from the Island they were going to Tilly joined them for the late afternoon breakfast. Trick smiled as she came in and she sat on lap as easily as if he were dressed like an armchair.
Bleu missed his beloved in that moment Trick and Tilly could make any relationship seem pale and dull by comparison. He wondered if he ever loved his wife as much they loved each other. They didn’t gush or anything gross, they simply were two parts to one whole. He hoped he gave his beloved that feeling when she was alive.
“Do you not like the food?” Tilly asked. Apparently Bleu had stopped eating in his lost thoughts of the past.
“It’s fine.” He said and took a bite.
“If you don’t like it don’t tell Britta. Tell me.” Tilly said.
“Yeah, never tell Britta you don’t like her cooking.” Lee added.
“She have a bad temper?” Bleu asked and they all answered at once.
“Yes.”
“Tilly can request something be left off the menu if you really hate it.”
“Gotcha.” He took another bite and the Captain walked into the office.
“Well,” he said in an overly loud voice. Tilly stood and walked behind the Captain as he continued. “We’ll be there soon and our plan is formed nicely, yes?” Tilly closed the door and Captain noticeably relaxed. Sighing out a huff. He flopped himself into a chair and dropped his hat.
“This is exhausting, we're never doing dangerous missions anymore. From now on we steal from children and cripples or we don’t rob at all. Curses and traps snakes and fire if we weren’t so desperate for funds then I’d quit right now.”
“It’s exciting, though.”
“Is it? Good.” he closed his eyes.
“We’re almost there and then we do the adventurous stuff and then we leave.” Trick said. “We either die or we don’t.”
“I have an entire crew of men I can’t explain that to.”
“Maybe we should get a permanent crew, Cap?” Tilly said
“No such thing, Tilly. Everyone leaves eventually.”
“Maybe try to make those eventually ‘s fewer and farther between.”
“Land HO!” came a voice from outside. The Captain shot up in a straight panic! We’re not supposed to be there until the morning! After an awkward pause the people in the office filed out in a hurry. Bleu was last and as he came to the starboard side of the ship, sure rough in the large block of water under them was an Island the shape of a lemon.
“The Isle of ila...” Trick paused, “Whatever it’s called.”
“How were we so off?” The Captain asked
“It’s a cursed island. Maybe it moves.”
The Captain sighed then yelled, “Well, take us down there!”
The descent was fast and harsh most of the crew became instantly ill including Bleu who tried to hide his nausea, but gave up and jumped into the water as soon as the ship hit water. A good half hour on the hot sand being splashed by waves he was ready to open his eyes. Tilly was standing next to him and a long line of men were in varying stages of recovery along the beach. Bleu noticed the sand was white not sandy white but white like salt or sugar. He might have tasted it to make sure it wasn’t one of those things if it wasn’t for a wave splashing him and reminding him that both salt and sugar dissolve in water.
“This is weird right?” He asked Tilly who was standing but Trick answered, apparently he was laying down next to Bleu.
“You think that’s weird, look at the trees” He pointed his hand above his head at the line of normal looking trees, normal in shape but the coloring was wrong, the trunks were a dark yellow and the farms were blue.
“Yep, cursed Island.” Bleu laid his spinning head back in the white sand and welcomed another wave washing over him.
Eventually Bleu and all the crew were stable enough to stand and walk around. The Captain brought Bleu the map to get their bearings.
“I think we are here.” He pointed to a spot with cramped writing around what looked like a snake. “See that rock formation?” he pointed now to a rock in the shape of the same snake.
“Good.” Said the Captain, “We know where we are are we can get to this center temple here in no time.
“Not really,” Bleu breathed out slowly determined not to get sick again. “The temple thing is underground and the entrance the map makers used is on the other side of the island. We can fly over there,” He grimaced. “Or we can go in a different way without the help of the notes”
“So what you’re saying is that we either follow the map we only know half of the dangers with or we go in where we have no clue what the dangers are.”
“We weren’t supposed to be here until morning, maybe we just set up base camp here and then sleep and get fed and rested then start the dangerous quest tomorrow?”
“Don’t say anything about being fed Britta yelled at me for an hour for wrecking her kitchen when we landed. Never seen her that shade of red.”
“Got it.” Trick said. “Let’s set up camp. On the wrong side of the Island of nothing so we can leave in the morning with no food.”
The group of warry sailors slowly complied.