Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15 LucasArts Fiction
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15 Dad was the first to jump out of the rowboat. Kneedeep in the water, he pulled the boat all the way up onto dry land, well past the high-tide mark. I got out, then Wendy.
Dad led the way inland. We walked through thick jungle, over shallow muddy streams, and up rocky inclines. Birds of all sizes and colours flew past. Some waddled past. Insects buzzed in our ear.
There were no signs of habitation. But sometimes, it seemed like we were walking along ready-made paths. They always petered out before I could be sure.
After an hour's walking we halted in a small cleared area. There was more land to be climbed, and the main peak was still high above. Wendy made notes and took directions with the compass and sextant. Sometimes she took tiny plants out of the ground and placed them in a plastic bag, attaching a label to them.
"Are there any people on this island?" she asked Dad.
"Course there aren't," said Dad. "We haven't seen any buildings, or fires, or lights, or anything of the sort. That means no people."
"Yes," said Wendy, "but what if there are natives? What if they don't like us?"
"There won't be anybody," said Dad reassuringly. "This island isn't on any of the charts, is it?"
Wendy nodded.
"Then that means nobody knows about it. And we're the first people here."
Wendy nodded again, but she seemed troubled. I wanted to ask what was bothering her, but we got moving shortly after that.
And what we found a few moments later seemed to justify Wendy's worries. Just ahead, I saw a huge tree with something on the trunk. I ran closer, and saw that somebody had carved two notches in the bark. Two notches. It could mean anything, but what it definitely meant was that somebody had been here before.
Dad was confused. Wendy was adamant, however, that this island did not exist on any chart anywhere in the world. So, if there had been people here before, why didn't the world know about this place?
We went on. Soon we came across a rusty piece of metal, half-buried in the ground. It looked like the blade of a broken sword.
And after this thought-provoking discovery, came another. In a gap between three tree trunks, a wooden stake had been hammered into the ground. Impaled on the stake was a human skull.
We stopped, and stared at it. The skull glared at us with its sightless eyes. Wendy had a dismayed look on her face.
"Well, there have been people here before," Dad was forced to admit. He looked at Wendy. "I think we should leave it here for today," said Dad. And we turned round and headed back.
That night, dinner lasted longer than usual. Not because there was more to eat, but because there was more to discuss.
Dad opened it, looking at Wendy. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes," said Wendy.
"It's just that today, you seemed a little worried out there," said Dad.
Wendy sighed. "It's just that..."
Dad pressed on. "Look, I saw the skull and the sword as well as you did. Yes, it means there were people here once. It also means that they're all long dead. There's nothing out there on that island to be afraid of. Just a couple of old ghosts. But you're not going to let ghosts scare you, are you?" said Dad.
Wendy managed to smile. "I guess not," she said.
Dad smiled. "Good. So you'll be right to head out again tomorrow?"
"What do we need to head out tomorrow for?" I asked.
"There's tons of stuff to do," said Dad. "We need to find samples of plant and insect life, take photos of birds and animals, map the interior, map the sea line, search for water sources, anything. Before we're gone we'll need to go over this island with a fine-toothed comb. Find out everything we can."
Then Dad and Wendy had a more detailed discussion, talking about who would do what tasks, who could take care of the mapping, the catching, the writing, everything. I got the feeling I was being left out of the discussion somewhat. I didn't want to go picking up plants and making maps - I wanted adventure. Excitement. Dad and Wendy just wanted facts.
So as I went to bed that night, I wondered about the skull we'd found. Was there more to be discovered, further beyond? I resolved to find out tomorrow.