New Homeport Island Part 13

Two more years It had been a year to build the Woodenpeg, and Two more to finally create our 'crane balloon' and ready the wooden planks and stanchions to build our tower.

Haydel had joined us as well as Jane and Strutzer, Washam, Tinel, and Kim luds. The Artimus gang had not returned and were thought lost at sea or to have left us as 'Killed In Action' in official reports. We didn't dwell on our betrayers' fate or condition, we lived our lives.

We had added a third cabana and refortified our walls with an extra outer layer with a thin s.p.a.ce between. It was an odd rumor to us even as we watched it happen but there had been a civil war of sorts in the militant camp Brosuer and Deckly had been confronted by Hudlow's hooligans and had been beaten into submission. It was the senate and governors position that first, they were not of our governing body, and second, their leaders.h.i.+p lacked direction and effectiveness. The conclusion drawn was that their survival may well depend on a violent change of social structure and leaders.h.i.+p and our interference could offer no solution, they did not think, act, or speak like any of us. They were not our people. Despite our warning they preferred to run one boiler, once a day producing three gallons of freshwater to which they added sea water so as to reduce the salt content as Artimus had them do before he absconded with our hopes in the theft of the Woodenpeg .

Hudlow however had taken the 'island front' by force with his 'band of merry men'. We had considered Hudlow to be brain damaged and our opinion had not really changed; but what he expected subordinates to do seem to pay off. There were additional boilers made and only fresh water was being drunk.

He improved their shelters from lean-tos to short huts which stood only three feet high, but were circular and had palms fas.h.i.+oned into walls.

He sent a messenger to ask us where he could buy another boat, and we sent instructions for how to build another fis.h.i.+ng boat.

His reply was 'he was just fis.h.i.+ng for another escape boat'. We sent the message we were working out a plan to better track the weather before risking another in response.

Hudlow wore a crown made of knotweed that he called his 'booger belt' but as time pa.s.sed the Knotweed dried and turned amber yellow. He pointed out he was no longer green and the amber yellow of his crown was the only gold he needed.

Before Hudlow's reign over the militant bread had been once every two weeks like military payday, Water was made but used to dilute salt water, and the fis.h.i.+ng supplied food day by day with no concern of maintaining stores. He had corrected all those things and yet remained an absolute buffoon. They didn't need the shadow puppet theater or marinates we used in theatric storytelling, nor Chinese checkers or any type of whistle or ocarina to stay amused, Hudlow was startlingly unrealistic as a real person but somewhat compelling as a cartoon character.

I believe it became a manor of the good humor he provoked that they had not resumed trying to kill each other or entirely s.h.i.+rk the work necessary to survive on the island. Hudlow did however find fault with Chief Dotz the only one that was given any warning of the upcoming theft of the native's boat. And being he gave no warning, he would tend to a necessary task that might well be taken as a punishment. Every day was Chief Dotz's day in the barrel, he would protect against the possibility of rape due to the imbalance in men to women, by giving hand jobs and should he be so inclined b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs to those that came to his 'shack'. They said, at our fence when they came by for 'Phone calls to the natives' that Hudlow ruled with an iron skull.

As a simpleton he applied the simplest of solutions to the simplest understanding of the problems they were facing. The end result of that was pragmatism dressed in drama. I thought it ironic that the pragmatism which we Diligent were driven toward all along, even as we spent two years performing a long term project of a hot air balloon was also reached by the belief system of a simpleton, if the tower or the hot air balloon were to fail I would lose any hope in the human race and the belief that those that actively live their lives and make choices, get to live the consequences of their own choices rather than the consequences chosen for them.

I had run every type of model I could on this tower design. And with Hudlow having applied his system to the militant side of the island to the benefit of all those there and adding to our sense of security, as they would not attack out of having nothing better to do; I absolutely need to succeed. King Hudlow even motivated me in the quality a.s.surance arena, because I would die of embarra.s.sment if I turned out to be less effective or stupider than him.

He walked with rigid movements and practiced postures. He uttered things he thought to be deep and thought provoking that were actually inane and witless. He was a vapid turnstile of a man, and yet while his achievement was less spectacular than ours, he actually started far below us in the face of Artimus's corruption, and his accomplishment there was frankly fear inspiring...I mean that idiot got that much done??!!!

On one occasion just days earlier, I sat in a wicker chair made from knotweed on the elevated patio looking over at their beach to see Hudlow in his island made boxing shorts and tank top with a cape and a scepter march a precession to their stills with wood and sea water in tow. It seemed he involved everyone in each and every task, not so much as a team but more as a mob, thirty people to carry a fresh water vase to a staging area then back to pick up another one not more than fifteen feet away from the drop off point. The laughter that solicited in me was probably a great relief of pressure, the raw comedy of it...we had music, stories, and games. They made up new star constellations every night and drew them in the sand just close enough to the water that the new tide would wash them away.

I was very frustrated we had to figure out the weather patterns to risk a second boat, so between the tower, the balloon, and some Chinese paper lanterns released from the tower at certain times we could chart that out. But it took two years to make the balloon; meanwhile King Hudlow has managed to quell the Neanderthals with idiocy. I'm am thankful for the beauty, grace, and charms of the women of our camp and of their amazing degree of tolerance, it could only be them preventing me from building a smaller tower out of wood just to jump off head first into the rocks. As Hudlow marched by in that precession he turned and saw me, got a big smile and waved. With his rigidity and childlike demeanor, I smiled politely and returned his wave...but I wanted to scream.

Now that the balloon was finished we used a standard crane like the one we launched the s.h.i.+p with to build the tower foundations and as much of the tower rise as we could. All the while that work was going on the balloon was soft inflated by ongoing flame in its ceramic torch chamber.

As the days stretched by it became more and more obvious we should have started the tower earlier but everyone that wasn't fis.h.i.+ng, farming, tending the boilers, or any other routine task was taking part in the balloon construction. It was like two giant parachutes joined together with a foot wide ribbon going all along the seams with pa.s.sing holes for the net that went over the top. So we did use it for the bird's eye view we wanted. I had envisioned a first stone aloft party and a marked stone like a corner stone, instead we fas.h.i.+oned a harness and we were the first rocks aloft. It only felt stable enough to me to view a more distant horizon than we had seen in years, but we would be far too distracted for weather monitoring.

Athena was aloft in the harness to which she had added a swing seat and stayed there for fifteen minutes much longer than anyone before her. There was a risk of falling embers from the pulley system that could add charcoal, so she wore a stocking cap and a sash around her neck that draped half way down her shoulders and was three times as thick as normal garments. She blocked out the sun with her hand over her eyes like a misplaced salute and gazed out at the horizon kicking her legs back and forth in glee. It was a beautiful sight I saw up there, first when I was up looking at the horizon and second when I looked up at her. Soon it would be one of us up there with a small bucket of cement mortar as we guided the stones hauled up by another pulley, and placing the stone into it mortared groove.

Athena looked down at our farm and saw all the pretty rows, sorghum, knotweed, young leech trees, and irrigation mounds ready for anything else we found to grow. She saw the white surf cras.h.i.+ng against the white swept amber beaches. She saw Hudlow and his kingdom all kneeling in awe of the sky princess.

She saw us tending the balloon lines and the pulley line to her harness and swing chair, as well as others of us scurrying around at various regular tasks. She giggled with delight and hugged herself in excitement then called down, "Okay, you can lower me."

As Mich.e.l.le watched her being lowered she found some joy in Athena response as we all did and comment, "She is a sweet girl. But, I'll get most of my viewing time placing stones. So, save the charcoal on my flights for work." Then Mich.e.l.le pecked my cheek and rubbed my shoulder as she turned and went back to her tasks.

We didn't give the balloon a relief cap, it had to descend as it cool or be pulled down and despite the primitive method it was way too much lift to pull down.

The cistern was near over filling and over the years we saw a week or two of rain at a time. So, we set aside the rocks that couldn't be fitted for use in the tower for a cistern on the mountain top, it had always just been too far and too much of an incline to haul water to but it would give us water pressure. We would also increase production at the farm with some irrigation and aeration. My grandfather had an orange tree in his backyard and I was learning basic biology in elementary school and I read the condition of the tree, I watered it and aerated the soil and in the next season he said he had never seen it fruit like that before, it was absolutely flush with oranges, and the aeration was the cause.

We developed two work crews the cistern shouldn't take as long and we found limestone vanes in the rocky cliffs of the island and there was still more in the jutting rocks at the beach.

On the night we finally placed our first balloon craned stone we celebrated by a bonfire, we had boar, and bread, leeches and some mushroom we had discovered near the boar pen. We had made paper lanterns that lite the sky with green, and red paper lanterns dotting the night sky like visiting stars from the heavens.

Athena's melody on her ocarina had become refined, it was beautiful and inspired. It struck cheer in our hearts and made us glad to be together. I used the marionettes we had made to dance to her tune in the fire light and with all the paper lanterns we had made we used the extras to make a shadow puppet screen and shadow puppets. We told the tale of Artimus stealing our boat and mocked him and those that betrayed us.

Shadow puppet captain said, "A vast me scaly wag dogs, there be a boat here fer, captainin' and I be that there captain to captainin' the boat that be here." Shadow puppet gunners mate one said, "Aye but Captain 'captain', be we not stealin' hard work of them here natives in the dead of night whilst they be slumberin'?" Shadow puppet captain replied, "Arr!" Shadow puppet cabin boy said, "Should I not be bouncin' on yer lap cap'in whilst ye be liein' to yer crew?" Shadow puppet captain replied, "Howst is it that ye canst speak with me member in ye mouth hole?" Shadow puppet cabin boy replied, "I be built upside dune' cap'in!"

As the show continued the boo's became over run by laughter at the folly and mishandling of the s.h.i.+p.

Shadow puppet girl sailors asked, "Why we be pa.s.sin' that same wave there by again me harty?" Shadow puppet amba.s.sador replied, "That there wave be followin' us, it has me bullocks name on it !!!" Shadow puppet cabin boy interjected, "Perhaps that be the wake of a shark! This boat be to small fer me lolligagin'!!"

We depicted a storm rising over the s.h.i.+p and rain falling down in a storm. Shadow puppet girl sailor said, "I knew it be cross and foul to be at sea with this manner a cap'in, we be doomed!!" Shadow puppet captain cried out, "Land ho!! I done it once I know'd I could do it again!!" Shadow puppet amba.s.sador cried out, "Another island!!! We be saved by our hero Cap'in once again! He knowed to foller the currents south instead of north by misreadin' the chart fer the first two months at sea!!"

We must have seen smoke from the distant horizon and suspected as much or perhaps it was the log debris we didn't notice before, but as it happens our story was likely a fair approximation.

Two years ago on the night of betrayal as it is marked upon the sundials almanac circle Artimus and his gang gathered at the tree line preparing for a fierce of not fatal capture of the Woodpeg.

Artimus said to Smity, "You know the ones I want and the ones I trust. If there is resistance we will have to kill them, they aren't themselves they have island fever." Smity stood there in the darkness and smiled his face was shaded from the moonlight by a tree but none the less his arrogant smile over took his entire face and looking like a demented clown he replied with a macabre glee, "I hope to get a few myself sir." Artimus replied, "Good. Go get our crew I'll be at the hole in the fence. Come quietly." Smity replied, "As quite as a queef sir." Artimus chuckled and said, "And get that good d.a.m.n smile off your face I can't see it but I can hear it."

The Woodpeg was slapping about in the water, the aft supporting 'X' had sunken into the mud enough for the boat to sway but the lines were tight and well secured.

Artimus sat at the hole he had been preparing every night for a week. He ensured that he dug at the same time of night every night so that the native would be accustomed to sleeping through the noise. Artimus had a bunkmate when he was an ensign that got up to urinate at exactly the same hour every night, and when he returned he would m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e for about fifteen minutes Dave had learned to sleep through the noise but upon occasion suffer a h.o.m.os.e.xual erotic dream as a result of these activates, he had hoped to cause the same in the natives.

Atrisia was the first to get to Artimus's position and Smity whispered from the rear, "I had her go first sir so that we arrived exactly as we agreed." Artimus replied, "Hey...queef. Tell me I didn't choice wrong when I picked you." Smity responded, "Just don't f.u.c.k me and I won't c.u.m in your face." Artimus hushed back, "Then we agree."

As they slipped through the fence Artimus went first to swim to the boat and a.s.sume the captains station. Atrisia pa.s.sed through second to watch for an interruption as the Eric and Mike slipped through and headed to the boat. Atrisia waited for George Johann to pa.s.s through then she followed him to the boat. She giggled when he got turned around in a shadow and tripped over a rock.

Once all were aboard they untethered the s.h.i.+p and pushed away from the forward supporting 'X' and swung the crane out of the way. As the boat moved out with the forward mast partially raised captain Artimus looked back at the native camp and said, "Sweet dreams f.a.gs"

The lines leading to the crane then over to the s.h.i.+p were the nearest thing to a pier that had been made despite the camp fire story plan and required some swimming. Those lines now wrapped the crane in the current and the cras.h.i.+ng surf threatened to topple the crane. At a distance of two hundred yards both forward and amids.h.i.+ps mast were raised pulling two triangular sheets into place, thought the amids.h.i.+ps masts sail had to be slid back and adjusted on the mast then the sail took in the wind from astern and swung out wide to port.

The Wooden peg had been freed and was making her run on open waters with the grace of cat. Mike stumbled forward to sit at the bow and Atrisia sat amid s.h.i.+p. Artimus sat at the till and tried to figure out the rigging. In the moonlight he yelled out, "I'm a Captain again!!!"

Milson, Smity, and Johann struck below and found Cabin boy was already there. He uttered in his sleep, "Daddy?" Smity leaned over and whispered in his ear, "What b.i.t.c.h?"

Artimus struck below and asked, "Is he here?" Smity replied, "If you mean your cabin boy then yes sir." Aritmus said, "Good it's cold out there, cabin boy take the helm." Wildly woke up and said, "Aye, Captain" Smity blurted out as he head out, "Try not to suck a d.i.c.k on your way out there." Wildly scoffed back, "That's what you're here for Smity."

As the sun rose they were all asleep and on an unknown course. They had left about four hours before sunrise. Captain Artimus was very enthusiastic about finally being home again.

His crew tried to convince him they still had a long way to go before they were home his response was, "That's life you're talking about and there is a long way to go. But I am a captain and this is my home!" his arms were stretched out palms turned toward the sky. He looked up with a joyful smile and shook his head to and fro as though he were enjoying a warm pleasant shower. It was quiet a spectacle; George Johann found it reminiscent of nineteen seventies Irish soap commercials.

The captain struck below to start chart making. He had found the s.e.xtant we had made all the paper for the charts and noticed but did not recognize the engraving of the navigational circle. That circle was to establish 'navigational zero' our starting point. He instead intended on using the copy he had made in the moonlight, when he snuck cabin boy aboard after they had stolen and loaded extra provisions.

Artimus was enjoying a leech from his private reserve and since there was a close approximation to yeast on board stored in what he considered to be a canopic jar he would attempt to ferment a few for a quick buzz.

After two weeks of Artimus navigating he decided he was lost. The stores had run low because they hadn't rationed food as planned, they didn't ration it at all. There was a storm on the horizon and he hoped somehow that would lead to land. In an exaggerated gesture he b.u.mped up against George and acted as though he had caused him to drop the s.e.xtant into the water.

Artimus cried out just as they collided, "You ignorant f.u.c.king buffoon you knocked the s.e.xtant into the water! s.h.i.+t! f.u.c.k!

s.h.i.+t! Does anyone see it?" Eric and Atrisia were in exactly the right positions to have fallen for the ploy from what they had seen.

Atrisia yelled out, "G.o.d d.a.m.n idiot! No, it sank!" Eric looked over the side and down into the water and didn't see anything. Eric said, "Captain, you said we had a turn coming up and it should be our last...I can hold us on a straight course...which way." Artimus in a fit of false rage asked, "Can you! Can you really!?" Eric said, "Yes." with despite emotion.

Atrisia added, "Yes, sir. Yes, we can" Artimus said, "Well don't let me f.u.c.k with your confidence but we have to pa.s.s through that storm over there or normal winds and tides will work against us. And that's just the low resolution stuff, the dominant winds and tides." Eric and Atrisia were stunned and looked at the storm. Wildly had popped his head out from below and also looked stunned. George cried out rattled with angst, "Well f.u.c.k, do it now!"

Atrisia rushed back to the till like a spider on all fours, and knocked Eric aside and headed into the storm. Eric released the till and looked at the storm in awe. Eric thought to himself, "This is going to be rough but I can't believe the captain is this good." Eric knew the captain would only risk it if necessary and if it would definitely work, he did however doubt himself but as always he would find confidence in his Captain.

Artimus knew there wasn't a chance those charts and tools could help them at all and threw in the towel on their use. He made a command decision and executed it in such a way as to maintain confidence in the Captain.

Artimus called over to Mills as he sat next to Atrisia watching the storm apparently grow, "Haul in the foresail!" Eric clung to the deck as he scurried up to the bow then called back to Atrisia, "Ready." Atrisia loosened the line knotted near her to the foresail and the sail mast lowered Eric pulled in the sail folding it on the deck.

Atrisia called over to the captain, "What about the mids.h.i.+p sail." Artimus replied, "The mainsail is fine." As they were blown into the storm Captain Artimus was exhilarated, this is what he would brag about in heaven.

Once they had hit the storm the mids.h.i.+p sail tore straight down the middle and ripped open. There was twine and thorns for repair aboard but this wasn't the time. The sail was being reduced to threads and twine in the wind. Atrisia yelled, "oh my...ca..ca..captain, my...captain!" Artimus popped up and looked at her then said, "That doesn't go exactly that way."

Atrisia looked at him in terror and said, "We lost the mainsail sir!" Artimus replied, "Haul in the boom!" Atrisia looked around thinking, 'boom, the boom...boom' then blurted out as she started untying lines and pulling one as she fed out there other, "It's a diagonal mast that raises with a pulley system and lowers the same way...It's a boom!!" She was over joyed that the captain had once again showed his prowess.

In response the captain then called out with a grin in response to her excitement, "Secure the till and strike below!!" Atrisia yelled back happily, "Aye aye sir!"

They stayed below for three days in the storm before even looking outside, and when they did it was only swirls of gray upon gray like flying amidst the clouds. They had been bailing out water exhaustively for days, but the captain knew where it not for the extra ballast the s.h.i.+p would have been capsized.

The Woodenpeg commissioned by the senate of new homeport island had endured the foul weather for days and with the exception of the mids.h.i.+p sail was undamaged. She braved a torrential storm for a week end a half before the storm broke.

Once they ventured above they were hungry, wet, and cold. But as the saying goes for the foolish, 'good fortune is your friend', there on the horizon, "Land ho!!"

Chapter Fourteen.

A less hospitable home The s.h.i.+p and her crew had survived the storm and as the captain had counted on normal weather patterns in that region did in fact blow them to land. The mids.h.i.+p sail had been reduced to knots of twine and feathery fibers. The boats stores were empty, even the charcoal had all been used making fresh water for drinking and a fish consomme. The boat was anch.o.r.ed out just off the curling surf. They were still bailing out water and the captain decided since they were out of food they would have the boat completely bailed out before they risked beaching the boat.

Artimus peered at the sh.o.r.eline as his crew bailed out the water.

He uttered to himself as he gazed up to the sky, "I think I made my point." George was p.i.s.sed off that he had to do any menial labor so having over heard the Captains comment he said under his breath, "What's that? That there is something you can do in your pants, that makes Jesus cry?"

The captain asked, "Anyone up for a swim?" Atrisia replied, "This island looks pretty small sir" Smity stood up from his bailing and asked with a hint of sarcasm, "I wonder what the natives of this island are like?"

Artimus looked back at the island and said cautiously, "There's a chance it's a peninsula or maybe it's just long rather than wide. It's all in your perspective...in any case we need to replenish our stores."

They finished bailing out the boat as Artimus inspected the foresail and rigging, he found that they would definitely catch enough wind to beach the boat.

Once they had the boat even keel and dewatered, the captain sat mids.h.i.+p on the portside and yelled, "Hoist the foresail and brace for heavy rolls!" Wildly was below and grabbed onto Milsons arm and said, "Don't let me drown big brother." Eric replied, "You'll be alright b.i.t.c.h. The Captain is taking her in."

The size of the boat was that of a small s.h.i.+p and was occasionally referred to as a boat and sometimes a s.h.i.+p, she pitched in the surf but her rolls were inconsequential so long as they maintained headway. Just beached or keeled over landfall was absolutely inevitable. George braced himself against the hull at the ribs in the cabin, he whimpered out a song about a girl named sue, in cold shock and still somewhat wet.

The Woodenpeg pitched hard and dashed right and left, the till just managed to maintain steerage and the sails began to flutter.

The sail cracked with wind once it had gotten wet with a blast of surf and the Woodenpeg lunged forward toward land.

Once she had dug in under her sails she chopped the surf like a coast guard cutter and plowed into the sand beneath the water.

She had run soft aground by the captain's intent for the benefit of her crew and sustained no hull damage. The crew and Captain jumped into the surf and ran lines to the nearby by scattering of trees and used them like pulleys to by the boat in. With the help of the cras.h.i.+ng surf the Woodenpeg was successfully beached and her lines were tied to a couple of trees.

Atrisia asked, "What now?" Smity said, "I think the question is where the h.e.l.l are we?" The Captain stepped up and said, "We're just restocking so start that foraging thing. Oh, and that thing we did on the other island...make sure there isn't a radio repeater, weather station or any of that other stuff. Let's get it done." and the captain clapped his hands together with a big smile on his face.

All but the captain and his cabin boy went to forage for food.

The captain put his arm around his cabin boy and looked at him with a smile the pointed out at the still raging sea and asked cheerfully, "Am I right?" Wildly was a little confused as to the question and looked out at the rolling sea. The Captain kissed his cheek and smacked his b.u.t.t and said, "You'll understand when you understand..." and the captain sat down then continued, "Go build us a couple of lean-tos"

The captain sat there enamored with the spectacle of low swirls of clouds and cras.h.i.+ng white caps, rolling waves and shattering sea spray, all from the vantage point of a wind sheltered harbor of wet sand beaches with a fresh water mist in the air. He chuckled and laughed at having survived that storm, the end of the storm they had experienced had only been a temporary break in the weather, likely one of the swirling arms of a typhoon fifty to one hundred miles off. They had been spared a fatal encounter with a severe storm, made land fall, and had a safe vantage point to the fury of the sea all under the stewards.h.i.+p and command of Captain Dave Artimus. He felt he had brought them the greatest gift anyone could imagine and in their repayment they would find great reward. Work is its own reward, it gives purpose and meaning, social station, fulfillment and when properly applied it yields a fruit; but for Dave it was a cliche he had held others to regardless of its meaning, it was just the American way.

As cabin boy built the lean-too, Dave went out looking for a straight stick, for a navigational circle, he would do it himself and this time there would be no mistake.

Smity saw the stick the captain the captain was putting up and he looked back at the sails, then he tore off one of his sleeves and handed it to the captain saying, "Here sir." Artimus asked "What's this?" Smity responded, "Well it may be tattered sir, but it's not an off white color like sails. It's the best I can do."

Artimus replied, "Hmmm..." and nodded while looking at the dungaree s.h.i.+rt sleeve then turned back to Smity and said sincerely, "Thanks" and then he wiped his forehead with it and put it in his pocket. Then he traced as clean a circle around the stick as he could. Mike woke up in the boat and headed out.

Atrisia asked as he pa.s.sed, "How the h.e.l.l did you sleep through that." Mike responded, "The rocking always makes me sleepy."

Mike saw the captain trying to make a navigational circle and walked up to him. Artimus asked, "How'd you make it before?"

Mike replied, "We'll need some twine." Smity overheard that while forging nearby and spoke over his shoulder, "I already gave him a flag a.s.shole." Artimus looked up at the stick then pulled his new handkerchief from his pocket and looked at it and chuckled, "Well, just call me flag Dave."

Eric walked up at a brisk pace and said, "Sir, it's a tiny island no water, some leeches, some coconuts, and something I think is tomato. Artimus looked over and said, "Tomato? If there's tomato then there's water. Let me see one of the tomatoes."

Smity brought up some coconuts and added, "Well, I hate to be the hillbilly here but that over there is wheat."

Wildly added, "Well, the island is smaller and has tomato and wheat. Almost as though this would have been a better island to end up on the first time but so few trees we wouldn't have a s.h.i.+p." Artimus added, "Were just staying the night." George interjected, "That new sail will take longer than overnight."

Atrisia walking back with arms full reached the group and tossed down some sticks and a few coconuts said, "I think the water here is bad, how much do we have left in our still?" Mike replied, "The still has been making fresh water not storing it and we need more charcoal." Artimus said, "Just use the wood."

Mike interjected, "The charcoal burns hotter and cleaner they built that one smaller, the cleaner helped because it was in the s.h.i.+p, but I pretty sure the hotter part is necessary." Artimus looked at him and said, "Then please handle that." Mike replied, "Yes sir." and went to collect more sticks.

The island was a spit of land that looked like it might be the only portion of an atoll to still be above sea level. Artimus noticed that while strolling down the beach and returned to his stick in the sand and he looked down at the circle. If they had been blown into an atoll then there were things to be considered. A reef with poisonous reef fish was the first thing Dave considered; Atrisia had apparently found water but thought it to be bad, so it was at least stagnant. There was no sign of any wild life, though the absence of birds could be the storm.

Wildly's work on the lean-tos wasn't going well, there wasn't much building material and the wind occasionally gusted.

Blowing over what he had built. The more the Captain was able to focus on the island rather than the storm the more he considered it to be not much more than a sand bar, but it did have some plants.

Dave stood in deep contemplation over his sense of impending doom, he s.h.i.+fted his stance scratched at his b.a.l.l.s then folded his arms. He said, "We just need to fix the sail, and get more wood for the still, collect some food....and, there's something else."

He looked around and realized he was talking to himself.

Everyone else was working on food or shelter.

George Johann had been in the navy for fourteen years and had always sucked up to the right people, stolen credit where he could get away with it, but there was something else...there was his ability to take credit for something that appeared to be a positive earning him brownie points but when it was revealed to be a lie or a negative development the blame was deflected onto someone else. Win or lose George steals the prize.

Atrisia took Smity to the water she had found. Smity said, "I hope you don't expect me to let you suck my d.i.c.k." Atrisia looked at him and said, "Thought you would have figured it out by now, you not my type because of that d.i.c.k." Smity laughed and ask, "Too big for ya?" Atrisia replied, "Ya...ya... cause there's no lips, no opening, and it's huge compared to what I'm into. And you think like a man, which is so..." Smity turned pale having just realized what she meant. Smity said, "Ya this water smells like a dirty t.w.a.t and it just rained." Atrisia replied, "ya, it's mouthwatering but being that it's water I'm pretty sure it's bad."

Smity replied with a calming gesture of the hand saying, "Okay, I get it. I was actually joking but saying that doesn't make it better." Atrisia smiled like a fifteen year old boy sniffing glue and said, "I've forgotten already."

Cabin boy had the hormonal fever and there weren't really any bushes around to conceal himself in, and if the captain caught him he'd just join in. So he hid behind a rock and starting stroking his c.o.c.k until the captain's flock noticed him away. He spanked it while afraid someday he'd be made for the w.a.n.ker at play he was. Mike came around the corner and saw him there and asked, "I think the captain is looking for you again." Wildly let out a piercing shrill as an once of s.e.m.e.n was spilled and his hand finally came still.

Mike said, "never mind dude." Mike was looking for some clay to start building with just in case and he could find any.