Message in a Bottle

 

24/11/04

 

Dear reader (and hopefully rescuer),

 

To you who just happen to have received my rescue letter, I'd just like to let you know that I'm not a bad type really, just an average college student specialised in life science. I really don't think I deserve what happened to me.

I was having a great vacation, scuba-diving in Iceland with a bunch of my pals (all nice chaps really) when it happened. We were all having a great time playing around when I started to notice the last few symptoms of the coming eruption. Unfortunately it was already far too late.

The next thing I knew I was sprawled on the muddy beach of an island completely unknown to me. Nothing special really. All that covered the dreary island was mud and thorny undergrowth. Suddenly everything came to me. I had been caught on the stern of a small sailing vessel that at the moment laid ashore on the muddy beach below me. There was little left of it I must admit, though still it was thanks to that miniature sailing vessel that I still happen to exist (even though I haven't got anywhere off this island). It being my principal source of food and everything. Also I managed to find one of its crew members miraculously still alive. It took a while to nurse him back to proper health, but thanks to the help a few first aid kits that I fished out of the ships quarters (the only section of the ship that had survived the tremendous crash) He restored his health. He told me his name was Fillip. He had been sailing a noble Italian family to Reykjavik when they were caught well and truly in the middle of the eruption that caused them to crash full on to this island, carrying me with them seemingly. Fillip and I became great buddies. I must say he was a great, affectionate person, he treated me like his younger brother. Even with company though I can't say the situation got any better. There were scarcely enough resources to feed one of us, let alone two! Yet somehow, by rationing ourselves, we managed.

On this island though I Never seem to be able to assure myself that we are safe here. I can't seem to shake off the feeling that we are continuously being watched, I keep getting the jitters. That thought is what led me to the discovery of water squirrels. We had left the fish that we had caught the previous morning to cook on the embers of a dim fire, while we took a nap. I woke to hear Fillip yelling. The fire was still burning but the fish had gone missing. After a very intense search of the island we discovered the cause of this madness. Squirrels that swim (no, seriously)!

Apart from that though we didn't have many tense moments of true fear, unless you count the time fillip suffered from a serious snake bite. He had stepped on a clutch of snake eggs and an angry mother bit him. We were lucky she wasn't poisonous.

Anyhow the situation here on the island is getting more and more drastic by the second. I seriously can't stand this any more! Our principal food source (the stock of the boat) is running tremendously low. Also the homesickness is starting to get to us. Not so much for me but for my comrade, Fillip. He's a grown man with a wife and two children. The main reason we need help for though is the winter. We made it last year thanks to the Gulf Current, but I have no idea what could happen this year. Winter brings nothing but an endless array of blizzards and snowstorms. Do please save us!

Collin Whites

 

By Alberto

 

 

 

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