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			  RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH

 		         by Jeanette Larsson (c) 1998

				  CHAPTER TWO

-We've been drifting for hours now, Sandy said worried, what are we going 
to do?
-I'm afraid there's not much we can do, J.T said, holding Glory tight in 
his arms.
Neil was working with the machinery down below, when he finally came up to 
the others, he had nothing to report.
-I can't find anything wrong, everything looks like it should work. I have 
no idea why it's not.
-Like that is new, Garrett snorted condescending.
-Hey, lay off, J.T said angrily, if it wasn't for you, we might not have 
been in this situation in the first place.
-Oh, so it's my fault now?
-You guys... it's not anyone's fault, Glory intervened. You have to stop 
fighting.
-Glory's right. We need to concentrate on the problem in hand, Callie said.
-Oh, the wise has spoken, Nancy said sarcastic.
-Would you just quit it? Sandy snapped.
-Sandy dear, I must say I'm shocked...
-Give it up, Nancy, no one's listening, Mila said. Sydney didn't say 
anything. Callie looked at her, obviously surprised that her friend didn't 
say anything to bite Nancy's head off. She had to speak to her later, but 
not now, they had more important things to do.

Three hours later...
-Look! Sandy was pointing towards a little dot on the ocean. I think it's 
an island!
-Come on, we've all been seeing islands for hours now. The last time it was 
a piece of wood floating in the water, Neil said tired.
-But it really is an island! I swear it is, I just know it in my heart! 
Sandy insisted.
-Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out, Garrett said.
-Fine, fine. You can steer the yacht over there, but if it run aground, 
I'll hold you responsible, Neil said to Garrett.

-Wow, it really was an island, Jimmy said in awe as he looked around at the 
palm trees, the sandy white shore and the crystal clear water. Callie took 
a deep breath as she stepped ashore and looked out at the water, and the 
yacht bobbing up and down in it,
-'Just like a painted ship upon a painted ocean', she quoted.
-What? Jimmy said incomprehensibly.
-Oh, just something out of a poem my dad used to read.
-You miss him already?
-Just the thought that we might never see Swans Crossing again...it just 
makes me...
-I know. But we'll get through this, we will come back.

-I'm not that sure, you guys, Neil said quietly.
-What do you mean, Bucky Ball? J.T said doubtingly.
-I just don't see a way out. We were lucky we even got here, this island 
is not on the map, in fact, there's not supposed to be anything here, not 
even a reef...
-What are you saying, Neil? Glory asked worried. Are you saying no-one will 
ever find us even if they start looking for us? 
-I don't see how that's possible. It seems like we've disappeared into 
thin air.
-Now, how could we do that? Garrett asked annoyed. We're here, aren't we?
-I don't have an explanation for it.
-Now, that would be a first, J.T said, you always seem to know everything 
there is to know, and you pick a time like this to stop?
-Hey, you guys, break it up, Callie said. We have to stick together.
-So what do you suggest we do? J.T asked.
-I don't know. But I think we should get a good look at the island. There 
might be something here that could help us.
-Like what? Saja asked.
-I don't know. Anything. Callie started walking away from the yacht and the 
others followed. 
Sandy went last, and after only a few steps, she tripped on something 
sticking up through the sand.
-Ouch! She cried out.
Saja turned around to help her up.
-Are you okay?
-I guess. She looked down at the ground, and so did Saja.
-Hey, Sandy's found something, he called out to the others.
Callie was the first that came up to them. She bent down to see what it 
was. Then she brushed off
some sand. 
-It looks like a corner of something. Maybe a box.
-Or a treasure chest! Owen exclaimed.
-Get real, Garrett said. 
-Can you help me out here? Callie said to the others. Jimmy and Garrett 
both dug in to help her lift the box up on the sand. Once it was up, Callie 
tried to open it, but the old, rusty padlock wouldn't give it up. So she 
pulled a hairpin out of her wavy hair and started trying to pick the lock.
-You are truly amazing, Saja said in awe as the lock opened, and got a 
warning look from Sandy.
-What?
-Look at this, Jimmy said. It looks like a map of some sort.
-Yeah, a map of this island, Callie interposed. 
-But who could have made it? Mila asked.
-Probably someone who spent a lot of time on this island, probably someone 
whose log this is, Callie stated and carefully lifted up a black book 
from the bottom of the box. She brushed off the dust and then slowly opened 
it, careful not to break the yellowed pages. She turned up a page in the 
middle, and read aloud: "Captain's log..." 
-What is this, Star Trek? J.T interjected.
-Quiet, Glory said warningly. Continue, Callie...
-"... May 14th, 1887..." She looked up at the others for a minute, then 
continued reading, now both intrigued and frightened. "... The men are all 
dead, it is only I who remains, yet I sense my time has come. This island 
is a mystery, it wore my crew down one by one. It seems this island has 
been cursed by a superior force. Mystical activities thrive here, we never 
had a chance of survival..."
-Why'd you stop? Jimmy said.
-There's nothing else here, the rest of the pages are blank...
-Wow, Glory said breathlessly.
-That's the word, Sydney agreed.
-So, how does any of this affect us? Garrett said.
-Well, we now have a map of the island, Callie answered.
-And what do you suggest we do with it? 
-Well, I...
-What about finding a treasure? Neil said suddenly.
-What are you talking about, Bucky Ball? J.T said.
-Look, it's right here. He pointed to a piece in the book. "...we were 
forced to leave our valuable cargo behind as we fled our stranded ship..." 
See? It must be a treasure!
-You've watched too many movies, Jimmy said, but when he got a questioning 
look from the others, he changed his mind. Let me rephrase that, Neil, 
you've read too many books.
-Hey, maybe there's something to it, Callie said. It might not be a 
treasure, but maybe it's something else. Something that we could use.
-What, like a working compass? Garrett said. That boat we came in had top 
standard, but where did that get us?
-I don't know what, but we just can't sit around waiting for daddy's jet 
to come pick us up, Callie said, staring knowingly at Garrett.
-Fine, we'll check out the old wreck. Garrett said, throwing his hands up 
in the air, backing off. But it's getting late, and we could need our rest 
if we're going to explore this island. 
-I agree, I'm exhausted, Glory sighed.
-Ok, let's find someplace to camp out, Callie said.
-What's wrong with the yacht? Garrett exclaimed.
They looked out over the sea, but the yacht was nowhere to be seen.
-W-Where's the yacht? Mila stuttered out.
-Didn't someone throw the anchor in? Glory asked.
They all looked around at each other, but everyone shook their heads.
-Oh, this is just great! Sydney exclaimed. Now we're stuck here, we haven't 
got the slightest chance of ever getting back, we have no food, we have... 
she stopped in the middle of the sentence.
-What is it? Garrett asked.
-My clothes... she said, seemingly devastated... they were all on the 
yacht. How am I ever going to be able to show myself in the morning? The 
others all looked at her. Sandy rolled her eyes.
A moments silence.
-Anyway... J.T began, Sydney does have a point here, how incredible that 
may seem, we haven't got that many things going for us. 
-So what do you suggest we do? Mila asked.
-Well, how 'bout building some kind of shelter for the night? Did anyone 
bring something ashore?
-I brought some sun-screen oil, Mila tried.
-Good, that could be very helpful later on, I'm sure, J.T said. But at the 
present we could use something more...
-Why don't we just make a shelter with palm leaves and branches? Glory 
suggested.

Later on...
The sun is just about to set, and the gang is almost finished. Their 
shelter consists in four palm trees standing together, and large branches 
from the pine forest deeper into the island attached to them, with big palm 
leaves placed on top, creating a roof over their heads. On the sides, 
washed up wreckage leaning against the palm trees, making walls. They've 
made a camp fire.
Jimmy sits down on the sand, exhausted. Callie sits down next to him.
-Would you look at that? Callie said dreamily. It's so beautiful. She's 
looking out at the sea, where the sun seems to be sinking into the ocean.
-If you listen real hard, you can hear it fizzle as the sun touches the 
ocean.
-Right, Jimmy, Callie said doubtingly.
-No, Walker Woman. You can't hear it only using your ears.
-So what am I supposed to listen with?
-Your heart. Let the night surround you, and just relax. 
-It's getting dark, Callie said, starting to rise. Jimmy holds her down.
-Don't you get it? You don't have to be afraid of the dark. Think of it as 
something beautiful, something that always will be there waiting for you. 
It's not going to go away even if you want it to. 
-Well, thanks for the speech. But I'm going back to the camp fire. She gets 
up and leaves.
Jimmy stays where he is.
-Why do we always have to fight? He said to himself, then gets up and joins 
the rest of the gang at the camp fire.
-Oh, I wouldn't call that a fight. Nancy said to herself, coming out from 
the shadows. Not like the ones you'll be having later on, if I have 
anything to do with it. She smiled an evil smile, and followed Jimmy to 
the fire.

Meanwhile, Sandy was walking alone along the shore, feeling a bit left out. 
The noise coming from the camp was becoming more distant as she was walking 
further away. She stopped near a palm tree, leaning against it. Suddenly 
someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and dragging her away. 
Only a muffled scream could be heard through the night. Sandy's kicking 
didn't pay off, the person who had grabbed her was stronger than her and 
could easily drag her further away from the camp...


                               To be continued...

***If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc., email Jeanette 
at jan.larsson@d.lrf.se