[Remedy]

In the engine room, things were thankfully running smoothly. Now that the engine was running, there wasn’t much to do except stay there and keep an eye on the gages to make sure nothing changed.

Forrest and Richard sat in relative silence on a narrow bench against the wall, nervously listening to the storm above. That is, until Forrest rudely broke the silence by speaking. “It sounds pretty rough out there, do you reckon Monday and Fraser are doing alright?” he queried.

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Richard spat in his usual negative tone. He heard how that came across and sighed, thinking about how Monday had been coaching him on being nicer to his crewmates. “Ah, they’re fine. They know what they’re doing,” he reassured his companion.

[16]

[Remedy]

Up above, Fraser was having trouble seeing through all the rain. He wished they’d taken a moment to grab a hat or something, but it surely would’ve blown off his head by now. Monday still clung to his waist, which he tried again not to focus on as he held the helm steady.

“We’re almost through the storm!” Monday yelled through the roaring noise of the wind and rain.
“How can you tell?” Fraser asked. Monday removed one arm from around him to point to the sky ahead, and with a squint Fraser could see a break in the clouds. He was very relieved, especially to have Monday by his side through this ordeal. He wouldn’t have noticed that glimmer of hope in the sky had she not pointed it out.

[17]

[Remedy]

A few minutes that felt like an eternity later, the rain calmed down to a mist and the wind became less harsh. They had finally reached the break in the storm. Looking up at the sky, Fraser caught a glimpse of a bird flying high overhead. A beacon of hope, he thought.


“Look at that! It’s the island!” Monday exclaimed. Fraser looked ahead at where she was pointing, now disappointed to notice she had let go of his waist and moved a few steps away. Sure enough, there was a small desert island up ahead. He smiled and, in his excitement, scooped Monday up into a large hug. She was surprised by the show of affection, but returned the gesture as she wrapped her arms around him once more.

[18]

[Remedy]

Below deck, Forrest and Richard noticed the calming of the storm as well. There was much less noise coming from outside; now, all they could hear was the sound of the engine working. “It sounds like the storm has died down a bit,” Forrest said as he pointed out the obvious. “I’m going to go up and check on Fraser and Monday.”

Richard only nodded, stopping himself from making a snappy remark. Forrest climbed up to the deck and hurried to the front of the ship. He was met with the view of Monday and Fraser’s embrace and felt a little ashamed, like he was interrupting a tender moment in their relationship’s development. The whole crew was aware of their chemistry, except perhaps Richard, who was rather dense when it came to feelings of affection.

[19]

[Remedy]

Fraser and Monday released their hold of each other, though neither had noticed Forrest’s presence yet. They took a moment to stare at the other’s face, both still soaking wet from the rain. Just then, Forrest cleared his throat, feeling that he should make his presence known lest he be labeled as some kind of pervert when they finally noticed him.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt, I just noticed the storm had died down and wanted to make sure you were both still on the ship,” he said with a nervous chuckle.
Fraser was more embarrassed than Monday at being caught in the embrace, but hid his feelings well as he replied, “All is well my friend! We’ve almost reached the island, you can see it up ahead.”

[20]

[Remedy]

Forrest looked ahead at the small island. It was still a way off in the distance, but the engine was running and pushing the boat forward at a rapid pace. He smiled and turned to Monday, “Congratulations my friend! You were right,” he complimented their navigator.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Monday asked with a chuckle. She knew the crew was nervous about the expedition, and it wasn’t over yet. Hopefully they’d find what they were looking for when they reached the island. “It may be time to tell Richard to turn off the engine,” she suggested. “We’re nearing the island, and if we keep moving this rapidly we’ll run into a sand bar.”

[21]

[Remedy]

Fraser nodded in agreement. “I’ll go tell him. Forrest, would you mind checking on poor Roald?” He requested, remembering their seasick crewmate in the cabin. Forrest gave a thumbs-up and headed below deck. When he got there, he was greeted with a strong smell of spilt liquor and vomit.

“Roald, you okay?” He called out. He didn’t receive and answer, but found Roald curled up in the bunk. “Hey buddy, the storm’s over. We’re almost to the island, it’s time to get up,” Forrest spoke calmly as he reassured his crewmate.

“It’s over? We’re on dry land?” Roald asked hopefully.
“Err, not yet, we still have to make it to the island in the dinghy,” Forrest reluctantly reminded him. Roald groaned, but climbed out of bed. He grimaced as he stepped in a puddle of his own vomit on the floor. “I guess I should clean this up real quick…” he mumbled.

[22]

[Remedy]

Meanwhile, Fraser walked off to the back of the ship to talk to Richard in the engine room. He climbed down to find Richard cursing at the engine, which had gone into one of its random bouts of cooling, meaning it wasn’t working as efficiently. “Everything okay?” Fraser asked gently, which startled Richard.

“Uh, yeah, it’s fine. It’s just- well…” Richard sighed. He’d been caught by the captain, so it was probably best to come clean. Fraser had a way of seeing through lies. “I’ve been having some trouble with the engine lately… it’s cooling right now, and I have no idea why,” he admitted.
“That’s okay, we can get it checked out at the next port,” Fraser reassured him. “It’s not your fault. Actually, I came down here to tell you to turn the engine off, we’re getting close to the island so we need to lower the anchor soon.”

Richard nodded, relieved at how level-headed his captain was being about the engine troubles. He wasn’t surprised; their captain was known for always being calm and fair when dealing with trouble, but Richard still didn’t like admitting his own mistakes. He turned off the engine, which gradually brought the ship down to a much lower speed.

[23]

[Remedy]

Soon everyone was back above deck, and Fraser and Richard lowered the anchor before they hit a sand bar. The ship came to a halt, steadily bobbing against the waves. “Alright everyone, we need one person to stay on board the ship while the rest of us explore the island,” Fraser declared.

Fraser would be leading the expedition through the island, and Roald and Forrest were necessary for identifying rare plants and animals. It really came down to Monday and Richard as the ones to stay behind, though Monday hoped she’d be able to see the island she’d brought them to.

“I’ll stay,” Richard volunteered before anyone else said anything. “I have some things to work on.” The rest of them nodded; Monday was especially relieved that he volunteered.

[24]

[Remedy]

The four explorers climbed into the dinghy and waved to Richard as he lowered it into the waters below. They each grabbed an oar and soon found themselves on the sandy beaches of the desert island. The men pulled the ship firmly ashore while Monday walked ahead, scanning the tree line for any movement or irregularity. There didn’t seem to be any paths leading into the forest, so they would likely have to cut their way through.

“Well, it’s been a journey to get here, and there’s still a journey ahead,” Fraser began. “I trust you each know what your duties are on this expedition. If there’s any sign of danger, yell. And most importantly, stick together.”

The rest nodded or murmured in agreement. Leading the way, Fraser pulled out a machete and started carefully hacking his way through the thick underbrush.

[25]

[Wild Pet Found]