Survival Island (reality show)

25. Surprises

New morning brings a whole new set of problems. They are low on fruit and the bugs don’t seem appealing at all. And they have to figure out where exactly they are. He knows they have walked off course for a few miles, going South just for the sake of  finding water.  It was an adventurous detour, if nothing else. And they have water now. All is well, for now.

Sebastian checks his map to see how far the extraction point is from this weird water hole. He is certain they don’t need five days to get there. They can take a leisurely stroll through the jungle, or a fast pace and then camp on the beach. The prospect of fish is lifting his spirits, but he wants Magnus’ opinion as well. The third option he sees on the map is going South to the beach and follow it to the extraction point. It doesn’t look like the North part with the treacherous rocks, but that is the map and he knows the map is not accurate. It might be altered. Or the beach might not be accessible from where they are. But if they do go there, he can see a shortcut through the jungle at some point. That could save them one day of walking.

“Should we go to the beach and continue from there? There is also the option of going straight through the jungle, or to backtrack and go the middle route?” Sebastian asks Magnus when the guy wakes up.

“Good morning to you, too.” Magnus chuckles. “How long have you been awake to make all those plans?”

“Half an hour, maybe. I was just looking at the map.” He answers.

“The beach sounds nice. We could wash off and change our diet to fish.” Magnus nods.

“I think we could be there in two hours.” Sebastian says. “If you want to go that way? I have seen that there is a shortcut we could take instead of going all the way around a peninsula.”

“Let’s do it. We still have five days left.” Magnus nods to him.

“I hope for fish. I’m fed up with maggots and bugs.” Sebastian winks and they both burst out laughing.

They eat a few bananas and break camp. They are not in a hurry, but it seems like they are eager for a change from the jungle. A beach sounds down right pleasant. If his estimate is right, they will have a nice swim and fish for lunch. He keeps smiling and he knows that if someone saw him right now, that person would think he is crazy. It’s just a simple prospect of a change that keeps him in such a good mood. Besides, anyone here is just a little bit crazy. They wouldn’t sign up for this survival show, if they would be completely sane.

Some twenty minutes into their walk South, the first surprise of the day emerges. Well, they emerge from the jungle sooner than expected. Sebastian gapes at the clearing in front of them and it takes a few minutes for his brain to catch up to what his eyes are seeing. There is a huge empty space where a jungle should be. It looks like some heavy machinery came through this part. There are holes where trees should be. The bushes are plowed over and there is a dirt road. A genuine dirt road leading South. 

“What the…?” Magnus exclaims.

“I know. This island is not supposed to be inhabited.” Sebastian answers. “But that’s a road.”

“I see it, but what is it doing here? In the middle of a jungle?” Magnus asks. The astonished look on his face is almost comical.

“It looks to me that someone came with heavy equipment and lifted whole trees out. Roots and all.” Sebastian glances around. “On a fast count, I’d say they relocated about fifty adult trees.”

“That is a costly process. Shall we see where the road takes us?” Magnus asks.

“Yeah, but careful. I don’t want to meet anyone that is not part of this show. We don’t really have time to solve this environmental disaster.” He nods to the guy.

“That would take more than just the two of us. We have no power or authority here. A confrontation is to be avoided, but we can report it back in San Jose.” Magnus says with conviction.

They follow the road down to the beach, only to find more evidence of exploiting this island. There are tracks of trucks and excavators on the beach and some missing trees on the front line. Just where the road starts. Whoever is doing this, is not even interested in covering their tracks. But Sebastian is sure that this island is a nature preserve. Or maybe it should be, but someone made sure it’s not? A bribe in the right place can take you a long way. Can it buy silence and obstruction that allows someone to do this? A large portion of the jungle is destroyed. 

“This can’t be legal. Look at the destruction they left behind.” Sebastian mutters. 

“I agree. I don’t want to look at it. I was complaining about the endless trees, but this is just brutal. I don’t think it can be justified.” Magnus shakes his head at the destruction of a nice jungle ecosystem. 

“This huge hole will have an impact on the rest of the island.” He tells his friend. 

“Let’s go further down the beach. I want to get away from here.” Magnus says and starts walking.

“I’ll mark the area on the map.” He nods and curses. “Damn! I don't have my map anymore.”

“No worries. I don’t think we can forget where this atrocity took place.” Magnus scoffs.

They spend another half an hour just trying to get away from the sadness they witnessed. It’s gonna bring some nightmares around, because that is just something you don’t expect to see on an island like this. No wonder they haven’t seen or heard any birds in this part. They must have flown away, scared out of their small minds. So the only smart thing for them is to keep on walking and get away as well.

Sebastian drops down to the sand a while later in a semi private looking bay. The pristine white sand meets the turquoise green waters on one side and the palm trees on the other side. It looks like a slice of heaven, but it’s spoiled by the things he’s seen today. He’s not in the mood to talk much. He stares out over the ocean, but he doesn’t see anything. He is not really here. He doesn’t want to move for a while, but he knows they should be looking for food. He just doesn’t care right now. And his wolf is suspiciously quiet, too.

The next surprise of the day is what Magnus shows him. Two large crabs that the guy cornered against the rocks. Lunch will be a gourmet affair today, if he can get his ass moving to start a fire. He can’t let Magnus do all the work after he caught the crabs.

‘Mmm. Crab meat! That’s sweet. We haven’t had that in a while.’ The wolf comments and it’s just the right thing to get him moving.

‘Missed you.’ Sebastian says. ‘Crabs are expensive. You know that.’

‘So? Enjoy these, because they are free. Maybe you should go look if there are more?’ The wolf snickers.

‘That sounded evil. Please don’t do it again.’ Sebastian answers, but he makes the fire and goes to see if more crabs are hiding in the rocks. They can’t know how much meat they will have. Maybe it’s the wrong season for crab hunting? He never paid much attention to it.

It’s not a crab, he pulls out from the rocks. A huge smile spreads out on his face when he presents his catch to Magnus. It’s an octopus. A very angry one, by the looks of it. It’s trying to strangle his hand, but he is faster and doesn’t let the animal get all its tentacles around his arm. He takes his Bowie and stabs the octopus dead. He feels sorry for the beautiful animal, but they are hungry and higher on the food chain.

“Now, that is lunch!” Magnus exclaims happily. “The crabs are done, but that one is going to take longer. What do you think about the hot stone method?”

“Never done it or seen it done. Have you?” He answers with a question.

“Yes, We’ve done it before. We have to find a flat stone and push it into the fire, then we apply heat around it and set the octopus in the middle of the stone. It will be somewhere between roasted and cooked.” Magnus tells him.

“I'm all for trying something new.” Sebastian smiles.

They eat the crabs while they wait for the octopus to be done. This day is turning for the best, but the dark cloud of the things he’s seen before is still hanging there. Just out of sight and so very close in his mind. He must try hard not to think about it. He is consciously counting down the minutes to when the rest of their lunch will be ready. Watching for signs that it’s just right. The little slice of pristine beach is treating them to a gourmet lunch in the best scenery possible. He will not ruin it! He will enjoy it with a smile.

‘That’s the spirit. Maybe we can go for a swim later? It will cool you down.’ The wolf suggests.

‘Maybe. It is inviting and we have the time.' Sebastian answers.

‘Would you shift and let me go play in the sea?’ His wolf asks.

‘You do know salt water is not good for your fur?’ He asks back.

‘Oh. It’s salty?’ The wolf seems surprised.

‘It’s the ocean. What did you think it was?’ Sebastian inquires and is met with  silence. The wolf is pouting and contemplating about something. 

“What do you think about swimming? It might be good to relax a bit.” Sebastian asks Magnus.

“I was thinking about it, but after the octopus, it’s almost done.” The guy nods. 

“How do you know? How can you tell it’s done?” He inquires. He never cooked or baked an octopus before.

“The change of colour. You have to look for that.” Magnus tells him.

“I’ll take you for your word. I have no experience with it.” He smiles. He is hungry enough to wolf it down flaming hot, but that would spoil the experience. 

There is a first time for everything, and right now it’s octopus. He heard they are good and people love to eat them, but he never had the opportunity before. It’s one of the expensive things where he comes from. And all his missions and assignments took him to places where seafood is not very popular.

“It might be a little chewy, but I’m sure it will taste good.” Magnus smiles and offers him a tentacle on an improvised plate made of a banana leaf.

“Thank you.” He nods and bites his lip. “It’s a first for me. I have nothing to compare it to.”

“You never had it before? Why did you catch it then?” Magnus looks surprised.

“It was there. I heard people talking about them before. And the best part about this one? It’s free. I’m not throwing money away in case I don’t like it.” Sebastian shrugs.

“Well, then try it and tell me what you think.” Magnus laughs. The amusement is genuine. And he is not making fun of him, he is just being honest.

Sebastian bites off a small part of the tentacle and chews it. It’s a bit soft, but it offers resistance at the same time. It reminds him of the calamari he’s eaten a long time ago. But it tastes so much better. Is that because it’s fresh? Is this thing just better in all departments? Tastes better, looks better and smells better. If that is the case, he can now understand why they are so expensive. He chews thoughtfully and enjoys the flavour of a new food he tried. Maybe it’s worth it to spend so much money on it?

“What do you think?” Magnus inquires.

“I like it. It’s much better than the calamari.” Sebastian tells him.

“Want some more?” The guy asks him.

“Please. Are all parts edible?” He asks.

“Almost. The tentacles are the best part, though.” Magnus answers and he cuts up the rest to let him try other parts as well. The food is a pleasant surprise. An experience he won’t forget so soon.