Day 20

As the days progressed, it began to seem as though the sun had abandoned us. The island had been overwhelmed within the constant pour of rain for a surprising 4 days straight.

Daehyun and I were almost starved since he couldn’t go out to catch fish, but we managed to catch a few lobsters crawling around the plunge pool out in the rain, and we’d return to the shelters soaking wet.

To be fairly honest, I found the lobsters more appetizing than the salmon and tuna- its flesh were more tender and sweet even if it was a pain in the backside to break apart.

I cringed every time I snapped a neck or a limb, and had a slight fear that it might still be alive to chop at me with its claws.

Daehyun didn’t like lobster; he mildly preferred his usual everyday catch of fresh-water fish.

As soon as the storm returned, Daehyun brought me out of my shelter and settled me into his own, insisting that it would be safer for us to stay together until it clears away.

We shared his hammock.

Every night had been comforting and warm as Daehyun spooned my smaller body from behind; I strangely had no issue staying in that position for the further stormy nights to come.

It was awkward at first, but since we were both boys neither of us made a fuss. Daehyun seemed oblivious to the common impression you would leave, if two boys were this intimate in a densely populated city that obtained rules and expectations everyone were to abide by.

With an innocent mind, Daehyun curled his front around my back with his arms tucked safely under his chest till morning, where the rain continued to pelt.

Today, like every other previous day, we spent it huddled beside each other opposite a burning fire, enduring the Labrador’s constant seek for attention.

She would weave her way into the small space between us and us with her sloppy tongue across our cheeks. Having just about enough, Daehyun cradled her into his arms and calmly behind her ears, humming a soothing tone from the base of his throat to calm her down.

The dog blinked around quietly, her tongue hanging out of as she yearned for some form of activity or entertainment. The rain heightened and Daehyun began to fear for our shelters.

The bamboo sticks were trembling and some rainwater had been beginning to seep through the thick layering of leaves.

Petrichor consumed our senses, turning the both of us nauseous and jittery as we waited for the patter of rain to slow down.

Daehyun petted the dozing dog in his lap and looked down gloomily, as if he were upset about something other than the rain. I hugged my knees closer to my chest and watched him quietly, observing his odd behaviour.

If there were anything I wanted in the world right now, it would not only be for the rain to end its wrath, but to get Daehyun to say something.

The silence was beginning to become unbearable at this rate because we had only exchanged a few words since we woke up.

I still hadn’t mustered up an idea on what to possibly say without sounding intrusive or rude.  I simply opted to watch him for a little longer, reaching a hand out to brush Sandy.

A while later, my stomach grumbled out loud, breaking the insistency of the rain.

Daehyun didn’t flinch or react; in fact he seemed to have dozed off along with his dog in an awkward upright position. Being cautious, I stood up to my feet and tip toed out of the shelter before being engulfed heavily by the rain.

By the time I crossed the fallen tree, I had been drenched to the bone with my vision gone blurry.  My intention was to grab a few mangos and head back but I had ended up roaming further north.

A strike of lightening lit up the path behind me and I jumped before pouncing way ahead of myself and running through a surge of thick trees.

Discovering new land and being protected by the numerous tall trees from the rain, I continued to hike ahead to see if I could find anything decent to eat to bring back to Daehyun.

I was surprised he hadn’t showed me this part of the island yet and curiosity began to sweep its way through every cell in my body.

I loom into vast spreads of silver bark and gorgeous rows of Ruffled palm trees and detect blooming Vanilla plants, coated in silver beads of rainwater, dazzling their rich yellow surfaces. The saturated earth grinds its way between my toes as I continue to ponder, once again being showered by the precipitation.

I approach a thick blockage of blushes and fallen trees and force my way through, without fully thinking through the consequences of diving into a heavy habitat for wild insects.

The jab was like a small pinch to the ankle.

But I still felt it.

Gasping, I had just about managed to catch a glimpse of a scorpion scurrying beneath a rock… and then it hit me. The small pinch turned into a sharp sting coursing its way from my ankle to the rest of my leg.

I hissed at the speedy overtake as the venom stiffened my muscles. It dawned upon me that I had just been bitten by some sort of scorpion that was most likely to be deadly.

Knowing next to absolutely nothing about the little black critter, I keeled over and tried to focus on the little stab on my ankle but the panic overcame my senses.

What to do?

I lay there on the ground, my heart palpitating heavily against my chest and my vision worsening. The sweat on my forehead stirred with the droplets of rain as I lay there helplessly, gasping for air.

Were these the effects of the stab?

Or had I been too deranged to take the situation seriously?

I struggled to my feet and felt tears form in my eyes as I felt my muscles slowly beginning to give away. I staggered away from the blockage with a swelling ankle and cried out, limping desperately back towards the woods.

Losing my breath, I paused and doubled over, feeling the rate of my heart pump harder by the second.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head and before I knew it, I had helplessly fainted into a pit of vanilla, losing every ounce of hope in returning to Daehyun and Sandy. 

Thank you to Planetariums for the fan art ♡ It's so cute ♡♡♡♡