I swam with the current in the hope it would bring me to
land. I knew my luck was changing because, by a lucky chance, I managed to grasp a trunk of a coconut palm, which like me was drifting in the current. Could this be a sign that land was nearby?
Finally, after drifting in and out of sleep, I found myself washed up on a beach. It was a wide and long golden beach with coconut trees and palm trees outlining the shore. I stood there thinking for ages, wondering if anyone knew where I was and if they did, why was no one here looking for me. I decided to walk along the coastline, as I walked I felt the hot sun burning my skin.
I knew I had to find some shade being fair skinned.
After walking for sometime along the edge of the coastline under cover of the trees I started to feel very thirsty and hungry. I looked around for something to eat or drink, I decided I would have to climb a tree and get a coconut, this was not going to be easy as I was feeling weak and feeble from my ordeal.
Eventually, driven by determination and hunger I managed to climb up and dislodge a ripe coconut, which when it fell from such a height smashed into a rock and split open. Feeling refreshed from the milk of the coconut I decided to venture further inland.
I found a metal hut hidden within a small clearing of tropical undergrowth when I looked inside I found a skeleton of an animal of some kind most likely a dog. The skeleton what ever it was could not have built the hut, so someone at sometime had also been here.
Later, after a rest I cleaned up the hut to sleep in, and buried the bones of the animal. I wondered where he or she who had built the hut had gone. The next day I set off to look around.
While searching the shoreline I found planks of wood, metal and rope, which must all have been washed up from a shipwreck, perhaps the person who built the hut.
That evening I realised I could not carry on living on coconuts alone and there seemed to be no other source of food, perhaps the previous inhabitant of the hut had starved, been rescued, my mind run wild.
That night I went to sleep and resolved to find a way to get off the island, as I knew I could not stand it alone for long. I had already been marooned for at least two days, although I was beginning to lose track of the passing time.
The next morning, feeling excited about the materials I had found I decided to make some sort of escape vessel.
I began work on making a raft.
I cut down tree branches with an axe shaped weapon made from some of the sharp metal, wood for a handle and tied them together with rope. The branches I bound together with the rope to make a square shaped raft. I then covered it with layers and layers of palm leaves so that it was fully water proof, with the remaining metal and wood I was able to make some paddles.
So, I was on my way and soon found myself dropping off to sleep. The next thing I knew I woke up to the brightness of the lights of a ship, its huge hull towered above me, people shouting and pointing down at me. The crew threw down a rope ladder. As I climbed, on trembling legs up the side of the ship, I noticed its name ‘THE GOOD MARY’ the ship from which I had fallen several days ago. My mates were there to greet me. Everyone had questions about what I had been through and telling me they thought I had drowned, it was all a haze. Till this day I not sure exactly what happened, but am glad I was able to survive.
