The Forgotten Island
CHRISTMAS IN JULY

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

-Arya-

Lost at sea: it had so many meanings to me now. Lost physically, yes, but also lost mentally. How long can we go on like this, the sea our beginning and end? The incident with the sea monster was long past, but it lingered in our minds like a festering doubt. It had drawn an invisible line between us, as if we believed that if we got too close to someone on board they would be ripped from this world. Everyone stayed to themselves more often these days, each of us lost in our own thoughts…today was no exception. Four more of us had been lost over the past couple weeks to various misfortunes. Two from sickness, another from a sea creature like before, and the last to suicide. I could not blame the last person, after all I could feel the frayed edges of my sanity flailing around with each breeze, every day becoming a little more undone. Currently, Fish slept beside me as I sat on the edge of the boat, my legs dangling in the water. The sea was clearer than it usually was, making me confident I would be able to see any incoming giant sea monster hell bent on eating me for dinner, or lunch, or whatever the hell schedule monsters ate on. I have been sitting like this for a while, thinking how such a creature could even exist without being discovered. Surely there would have at least been some kind of news coverage if it had. After all, a giant man-eating shark whale demon was fairly news worthy. A gentle thump caught my attention; there, bumping against the side of the boat was a package, a USPS flat rate box to be exact. At first I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating, so I watched as it slowly drifted towards me until it finally collided with my leg. I reached down carefully and picked it up, this was no hallucination. But how in the world did it get here? The package was still mostly dry, the smell of cardboard wafting into my nose as I examined it. I looked up and suddenly there were boxes everywhere; small, large, there was even a crate, all floating around us in the water. “Darnell” I croaked in shock, my voice rough from disuse “look at this”. I heard his movements as he rose to join me, but all I could do was keep staring out in wonder. “What ya got there, Ari?” I heard him ask, his voice trailing off as he must have seen what I was seeing. “My gods, what is this?” he whispered. He quickly got the attention of the rest of the passengers and began forming teams to bring some boxes on board, through it all I watched while I gripped my flat rate box against my chest. My mind seemed unable to grasp how this could be happening, none of the packages were even waterlogged; it was as if they had just been dumped from the sky not a moment ago. There are too many strange things happening, and it laced me with a fear of the unknown. I have never heard of any of these things happening out at sea before, and yet here we were, experiencing them.

All in all, we were able to bring in ten boxes and three plastic parcels onto the boat using makeshift lassos, the rest staying out of reach or sinking. Eleven boxes if you count the one still clutched in my hand. One box for each of us remaining, with the parcels being oddballs out. Valerie spoke my inner concerns, asking how the boxes came to be here; but none of us had an answer for her. It was too illogical, and I wondered perhaps if we had died, and this was the afterlife taunting us with fantastical things. Would the Devil even joke? Perhaps the god of the underworld had a sick sense of humor indeed if this was his method of entertainment. “Well, I guess each take one and open dem up” Darrell spoke through our reverie, ever the voice of reason among us. I looked down at my box which was addressed to James Tackett at 436 Indiana Lane, in Huntersville NC. The sender was Cheryl Rules from Navato, California. I began tearing the tape away and wondered what Cheryl had sent James. Would she be upset to know her package was lost, only to be rescued by a group of shipwrecked cruise passengers? Opening the cardboard flaps I was greeted by school supplies and a card. Apparently, James was going to be starting 7th grade and his aunt Cheryl had sent him some supplies to use on his first day of school. The supplies included a plain black Jansport backpack which Cheryl had said James could iron patches onto to make it personalized. There were also some pencils, pens, a few composition notebooks, a box of colored pencils, and a 2 pack of reusable water bottles. The best part of the package though? A giant bag of lifesaver gummies. I rolled my eyes to the heavens, saying a silent thank you to Cheryl, wherever she was, for her magnificent gift of sugar. Looking next to me I saw that Fish had a box from Walmart, which contained a menstrual cup, overnight menstrual pads, a box of Pamprin, a shower cap, a simple wooden incense burner, and underneath the contents was a hidden bag of cascade platinum dishwasher tabs. Since everyone was occupied with the contents of their boxes, I grabbed a large plastic parcel bag from Old Navy addressed to a Leslie Thompson in Illinois. The bag was a figurative goldmine as it contained four pairs of size 12 and 14 jeans, two activewear leggings, three workout shirts, five basic t-shirts, and four sports bras in sizes large and extra-large. I cried when I saw the treasure trove of clothing before me, the taste salty on my tongue. For over a month I have been in this ridiculous cocktail dress, my bra long ago abandoned when the wire began to cut into my skin. All around me the others were pulling out both fantastic and banal replaces. Darnell’s box was from Amazon and contained a reptile heat lamp, trash bags, a surge protector, and a pair of Mechanix brand gloves. The remaining two parcel bags held a portable hard drive, a pair of men’s flip flops, and neon pink shoelaces. Val’s box had a sea glass windchime that shone in the sunset’s rays like a kaleidoscope, the colors bouncing around the plastic boat walls. Kamal, an air born, had a variety of unreasonably sized adult sex toys, while Phil had two extra-large Volcom hoodies and a box of AA batteries. Chris, also an air born, had another Amazon box that contained cooling foot powder, a pair of sunglasses, a stuffed octopus that could be folded inside out, and washcloths. Tammy got a drill bit set addressed to a Vance Burr in New York, and Reggie opened a box containing small breed dog food and a couple small dog chew toys. Nate’a, a fire born like Reggie and Tammy, opened a large box from Bass Pro which contained backpacking gear: a hiking pack, firestarter, waterproof matches, some D rings, a tin Cup, a foldable tin pan, and a deck of cards. Cressida, the last member of the group and a fire born, got acrylic nail tips with a small variety of gel nail polishes, all in neutral colors.

We laid all the replaces in a pile that we sat around in a circle; since there were only a few women left in our group we were able to divvy up the Old Navy clothing and menstrual products between the 5 of us. Darnell kept the hiking gear from Nate’a’s box, and the two reusable water bottles from mine in with the emergency gear stored at the front of the boat. No one particularly wanted the school supplies, so I was able to keep them all, along with the backpack to store Fish and I’s new clothes and supplies. I left the circle to put on the new clothes, not particularly caring who got what that was left. I went to the corner where we had strung some seaweed mats from the top of the wall, creating makeshift curtains that could allow for some of us to have the illusion of privacy if needed. On occasion I had watched Darnell and Fish come to this corner during the night, quiet as ghosts as they disappeared behind the faded green mats, their low moans blending in with the wind. I stripped the dress off of me in one motion, tossing it to the floor with disgust. I could only imagine what I had become nose blind to, and how that stench could easily burn someone nose hairs off in the “normal” world. Just for good measure, I kicked the ruined dress into the water through a hole in the wall and flipped it off as I watched it drift away. Petty, for sure, but I felt great doing it. I slipped on a pair of the size 12 jeans, folding it a bit at the waist so they would fit without falling off. I then pulled on the extra-large sports bra which thankfully fit perfect, and it felt like a luxury as it held my breasts with a medium grip. I felt stronger and less exposed, as significantly more of my body was now covered than had been since the night our ship sank. Lastly, I slipped on one of the t-shirts; it was a V-neck in a dark maroon color which suited my skin tone and made of a cotton. Like the pants, it fit me baggy but still felt like a small, soft slice of heaven on my body. Fish joined me in the corner, grabbing her clothes and grinning from ear to ear as she handed me my share of the lifesaver gummies. I placed a red one in my mouth, moaning in pleasure at its squishy sweetness on my tongue. Surely the gods were sending Cheryl blessings for this kindness that she unknowingly gifted us with.

Fish’s clothes were extra baggy on her and although she had always had a thin frame, our lack of solid nutritious meals had taken a toll on all of us. Each of us had gotten a sunken look to our face, dropping body weight while we burned under the relentless sun. The men had started up a game of spades as the sun began to set and I fell asleep to the comforting sounds of their chuckles and chatter, my new clothes letting me feel more comfortable than I’ve been since I left home. Tomorrow, I think as I drift off, I will start a journal.