Thanks EmCelle. Can't tell you that as much as I probably should ;)
I updated this chapter, because some of you out there told me, that it got a bit confusing here and there. So hopefully it's a bit more obvious now ;)
Gestrandet
Lauren:"Try something new!' He said. 'What could possibly go wrong?' He said. Well, I don't know. Let me think about it. Maybe that I would be stranded on a boat in the middle of Nowhere on the Atlantic Ocean. That is what could have possibly gone wrong!"
The sun was burning down and she had lost her paddles as she tried to adjust her sitting position on the small yellow rubber boat.
L:"Ouch, my head. Why does my head...What is.. oh no.. please don't be a shark, don't be a shark, don't be... a branch, thank god."
She didn't know what to do. How did she even get there in the first place?
L:"Okay, Lauren. Relax. You were at the beach. It was dark... Why was it dark?... no why isn't it dark anymore? I must have fallen asleep. Shit!"
She felt hot. It was hot. Unbelievably hot. Why was it so hot?
L:"Oh god, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die in a rubber boat. A yellow rubber boat. God, I hate yellow. The sun is yellow. I hate the sun."
She was lying on her back. Watching the clouds. Some birds cycled in the air.
L:"Shush... go away. I'm not dead...yet."
Waving her left hand in the sky, she remembered that birds meant, there had to be land anywhere near.
She sat up. Too fast.
L:"Uh... Headache. Oh, I could swim. I'm a good swimmer. Oh no. I'm wearing my favorite blouse. I can't swim in my favorite blouse. Dammit."
Laying back down, watching the birds. Seagulls. Yes, that was the name of the species.
One foot on the rim of the boat tapped an unspecific rhythm and drawing small cycles in the air.
L:"Seagull. Laridae. Sub-phylum: vertebrate. Type: bird. Category: plovers. Neat."
Stranger:"Hey there, nice yellow rubber boat, sea dog."
L:"Sea dog. Arctocephalus. Sub-phylum: carnivore. Type: seal. Category: eared seal..."
She sat up again. Dizzy. Her head was spinning. So dizzy.
L:"What?"
S:"I said, nice yellow rubber boat!"
L:"Well, thank you it's a rarity. The only one in about... a thousand kilometers, or so?"
A fisher boat. A ship. Much bigger than the rubber boat she studied the seagulls from.
S:"What are you doing out here in that rarity of yours, if I may ask?"
A brunette was leaning against the railing. Long brown hair. Curly long brown hair. Softly waving in a breeze of wind. Warm wind. It was hot.
L:"Oh, well. I'm on research... Seagull."
Pointing in the sky.
S:"Ah, research. " she drawled, "That makes perfect sense, now that I think about it. Well, okay then... Bye."
Turning away. Why was she turning away? The only human being around. Well, except for Lauren of course.
L:"No wait! You can't just go away!"
S:"I won't."
Relieved Lauren brushed her blonde hair. Blonde? Blonde reminded her of yellow, gosh!
S:"I'm on a boat. I will sail away."
Standing up, she almost slipped and fell overboard.
L:"What? You can't leave me here, like this."
S:"Maybe it's a trap!"
L:"A trap?"
S:"Yes. Maybe you are the bait and Big Chuck and Hank are hiding somewhere, waiting for me to help you to steal my boat."
L:"Steal your boat? Who would steal that rust bucket?"
S:"Oh. You think you are in any position to jibe at my conveyance?"
That sounded harsh. Angry. Hot. It was actually even hotter than before. She needed water. Her lips felt dry. Her mouth even drier and her tongue felt like glued at her gums.
L:"I'm thirsty."
S:"Excuse me?"
L:"Thirsty. I need water. My medulla oblongata is screaming of dehydration."
S:"Well, you should have brought something with you then, if you decided to watch seagulls in the middle of the Ocean."
Smart ass.
S:"Oh look, over there. A little shark. Sweet."
L:"What? Where? Go away!"
Spinning, turning, twisting. She couldn't see anything. Just little sparks flying around and that permanent throb at her left temple. She slipped. A squeaking sound filled the air when she skidded along the yellow rubber.
Wet. Wet. Wet. Wet. Cold. Cold. Ugh salty. No air. No air. No air?
Head above the water she made out a fit of laughter.
L:"Oh funny. Ha ha. You are really funny."
S:"Yeah, so I've heard."
Damn rubber. Slippery when wet. Where is that sign? Reaching for a robe fixed on the inside she was gliding back into the water. Again. And again. And again. More laughter. What the hell!
S:"Need a hand there?"
L:"Oh no. It's fun. Actually, I do this a lot back home."
S:"Sarcasm. I like it!"
L:"Yeah, I bet!"
S:"So?"
L:"What?"
S:"Should I help you?"
L:"If you'd be so kind. Lovely, thanks!"
Oh strong. She's strong. And god damn beautiful. Brown orbs. Little specks sparkling by the light of the sun reflected in the water. Water. Thirsty!
S:"What about your coconut husk?"
L:"I don't care. Excuse me, but I don't fee-l so w-ell right n-ow. May-maybe I should..."
S:"Wow. Don't fall over the rail again. Come here. Sit. I'll get you some water."
Sweet, sweet nectar of heaven. Refreshing. But over so soon. Bottle in hand, wet lips and closed eyes.
S:"It's getting dark in a few. We should probably head back. Oh, and you smell like shit by the way."
L:"Oh yeah, well, thank you very much for noticing. it's a new scent I'm trying out. I haven't had time to feel it out yet cause you see, I was really busy trying not to drown!"
S:"Oh, no I didn't mean.. you smell like shit, like in hashish. Have you been toking out there?"
L:"What? No! Would you please just get me back to Abaco?"
S:"Abaco? Well, Sea dog, you did come a long way for that research. We're no where near Abaco. How long have you been out there?"
L:"Uhm. Actually... I don't know. I woke up a few minutes before you started to make fun of me."
S:"I didn't!"
L:"Yeah, you did."
S:"No."
L:"Yeah!"
S:"Whatever."
L:"Weak response!"
S:"No."
L:"Yeah!"
S:"Nooooo!"
L:"Yeeeeah!"
S:"Whatever!"
Gosh. Stubborn brunette. Stubborn made her form a frown on her face. Frowning is cute. Oh come on brain. Boot up already.
S:"What is that?"
L:"My phone!"
S:"Give it to me."
L:"No! Why would I?"
S:"Boat policy."
L:"Boat pol- What?"
The brunette pointed on a sign. A piece of paper painted with felt tip pen. A crossed out phone.
L:"You can't be serious. That's not even a real sign and my phone is broken anyway!"
Holding the phone in the air. Water was dripping out of the plastic bag she always put it in for protection. Good think that it did work. The bag was still intact.
S:"My boat. My rules. I'm the captain. Unless you want to get back in your-"
L:"Fine. Fine! Here. Take it. It's useless!"
Following the captain into the control cabin. Lots of buttons. Blinking ones. Colored ones. Oh look a red one. Don't push the big red one. Don't push it. No.
S:"Stop! What do you think you're doing there? Don't touch anything! God. I get a glimpse on how you could drift off like you did. Who would push the big red button? There- sit. And don't touch! Just sit!"
Yes. Sitting there she had a great view. Bare feet. Bare feet with red nail polish. A small bracelet around her left ankle. A braided woolen multi colored bracelet. Oh and legs. Sun colored long legs. Muscles and soft curves in all the right places. A yellow shorts. Yellow? Really? But those shorts. Woah. If she leaned forward and turned her head just a bit more to the-
S:"It's not polite to stare. Great. Why do I always get the bedlam, awkward ones?"
L:"Hey, I'm not deaf. You know. I can hear you...brat."
S:"What was that?"
L:"Nothing."
S:"You know I don't need to help you? I could just turn around and get you back to your cozy little yellow rubber boat. I am sure that there would be other sailors around to pick you up, if you were patient enough to wait for, I don't know, three, four days?"
L:"That would be failure to render assistance and you would get about one year of custodial sentence or a fine could be imposed."
S:"Yes, but there is still the question of reasonableness. I mean, I am stuck with you and your inappropriate behavior for the next couple of hours while I have a lot of work to do. I'm loosing money here."
L:"Oh I am sorry for interrupting your daily business of sailing across the ocean and making fun of people in distress at sea. I could have died!"
S:"Oh don't be so dramatic. What did you do out there anyways. It's at least 100 Kilometers back to Abaco."
Yeah. Good question. Again. It was dark. She was drinking, maybe a little bit tipsy. The beach. Water. A yellow rubber boat.
L:"Well, I'm still trying to figure it out myself. I know that there must have been some kind of party and I do remember my brother, Dyson. And... his friend Hale. We are on vacation on the Bahamas to celebrate my doctorate. I might have had a little bit too much to drink that night and my brother and I were fooling around... We might have that bet going, about me loosening up a bit but I'm not quite sure... Otherwise, now that I analyze the state I'm in, dehydration, lack of memory, and loss of time...and you telling me about my body odor..."
S:"Well, what is it?"
L:"Hale got that friend in the south of Abaco and he got us something. He said it was mild, because I don't even smoke and never had...you know."
S:"So you smoked trees. That doesn't quite explain why I found you sailing a rubber duck...Oh and smoking pot is illegal, just though you don't know."
L:"Yes, I do. And to answer your question, I might have lost myself and my brother helped me to borrow that abandoned boat to sail onto the ocean in the moonlight. That's all I can remember. Last thing I know, is the seagull above my head and your annoying voice in my ears."
S:"What? My voice is fairy tale-like."
L:"No. It's not."
S:"Yes it is."
L:"Nope!"
S:"Pff, whatever."
The wind was getting colder. The sun a deep red plate touching the water. Kind of romantic. Her skin was lit up perfectly. Her brown hair shimmering even more. Like a goddess. Oh wow. Dehydration was a funny thing.
L:"Where are we? That's not the coast of Abaco!
S:"No, it's Moore's Island. I'm taking you home. Tomorrow we'll get you back to where ever it is you belong to, junkie."
L:"Great. Bedlam, awkward, smelly, junkie...what's next?"
S:"Oh I can think of some other adjectives to describe-"
L:"Oh please, don't hesitate to share!"
Silence. Quiet. Just the motor of the boat and the waves crashing against the metal. Her legs felt weak. Wobbly. But she moved. A hand. Who needed a hand to get off of a boat on a landing stage. Answer: Lauren did, but refused and so she fell. Another giggle of the captain. Another evil look of the distress at sea.
L:"Oh please tell me that we're not going to walk to your house."
S:"Okay, I won't."
L:"Where are you going then?"
S:"To get to my estate. Dante Pedes!"
L:"You said, we wouldn't have to walk!"
S:"No, you asked me not to tell you that we'd have to walk. And I didn't!"
L:"That's childish."
S:"No it's not!"
L:"Yes it is!"
S:"Noooo!"
L:"Yeeeees!"
S:"Whatever!"
Darkness surrounded her. Still wet and cold and shivering. Step by step she felt more tired. Sleep. What a word. Sleeeeeep. Sleeeeeep. The more she thought about it, quite a nice one to get off her lips.
S:"Stop it!"
L:"Stop what? Breathing?"
S:"No, humming. It's awful."
L:"No it's not!"
S:"Did you ever listen to yourself?"
L:"You know, you're rude?"
S:"Whatever!"
One step. Two step. Twenty. Forty. Gosh, a long walk.
L:"Are we getting anywhere anytime soon, 'cause the deeper I follow you into the darkness of the woods the more I get the strange feeling that you are some kind of captor and going to cut my arms and legs off."
S:"Oh, I would start with gagging you by putting a sock in your mouth."
Oh was that a house? Over there? Oh, no. Another barn. Broken like the rest they passed while clomping through trees and bushes far off the beaten path.
L:"Where are you living? It's the middle of hell knows, it's dark, I'm cold and tired."
S:"Are you going to stop whining and nagging anytime soon?"
L:"No!"
S:"Then we're here."
L:"Here? Where is that 'here'? You don't mean that crack shack over there?"
S:"It's not a crack shack and it's more than you deserve right now. So stop bugging me."
Wood. Broken wood. A small hole in the beam. Oh and something that might have been wood a longtime ago. Not taking a closer look. It was for the better.
S:"So, welcome to Casa de Dennis."
L:"The who of what?"
S:"My home."
L:"Oh. Dennis. That's your name?"
S:"Yeah part of it."
L:"You going to tell me the rest?"
Silence again. Okay.
L:"Is there anywhere I could get a shower and maybe a batch of dry clothes?"
S:"Over there. And I'll get you something to wear. I think I still have got an old shirt and some shorts."
Old. Old shirt. Old shorts. Old wooden place. Hopefully the water running from the shower would do some comforting when everything around including the otherwise hot brunette was cold and screaming for renovation. Stripping out of her wet clothes, tossing them to the side. Goosebumps. All over her body. Her wet, cold and tired body.
L:"'What could possibly go wrong?' Knucklehead. Oh look, strawberry washing lotion."
Oh blessing hotness. Chasing away the crawlies. Steam of senses bathing her. Hot, hot water. Sacred gift of pure pleasure. Hot. Hot. Warm. Okay. Warm was still good. Warm. Fading.
L:"Ahhh!"
S:"What? What is it?"
L:"The water is freezing cold."
S:"Gosh, Seagull-Expert. I almost thought something really bad happened over here!"
L:"But it did. What happened to hot and blessing?"
S:"You mean the water? It's boiled on the roof by sun power and you just managed to run more than ten liter down the drain. Now, I have to shower in this."
Oops.
L:"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
S:"No, obviously little princess didn't."
L:"You could have told me, though. How am I supposed to know that your estate was some run down barn without hot water."
S:"There is hot water. Well, isn't anymore but I never had to deal with it until now. Here, take these and get your tiny little butt covert up and then head out of there!"
Nude. No clothes. Wet. Shivering again. But most of all nude!
L:"Don't stare at my naked body. Go away."
S:"Shy?"
L:"No, not at all!"
S:"Yeah, you are."
L:"No."
S:"Whatever."
Okay, the soup was quite good. She knew how to cook. That was something. Sleep. There it was again. The song in her head.
S:"You're doing it again, Sea dog!"
L:"What?"
S:"Humming."
L:"Sorry."
S:"It's okay. Not that bad. I'm just not used to have company."
Brown. Deep brown. Was there a hint of sadness? Gosh, she was beautiful.
L:"Lauren."
S:"Come again?"
L:"My name. Lauren. Lauren Lewis. Although I do like Sea dog."
That giggle again. Kind of a nice sound. Melodic.
S:"Okay."
L:"Okay?"
S:"Yes, okay."
L:"Your not gonna tell me your name?"
S:"Nope, why should I?"
L:"Well, I don't know. Polite manners? I told you mine."
S:"I didn't ask you to."
L:"Gosh, you're unbelievable. It's hardly surprising that there is a lack of company. Who would like to talk to someone like you?"
A squeak of wood against wood. Old wood but nonetheless. A stare down. Chocolate against hazel. Tension thick in the air. Gone when she turned and walked away.
S:"You can sleep on the couch. Night!"
The ceiling was even worse. She was afraid to go to sleep. What if she woke up dead? Or worse, not dead but covered in old, rotten wood. A heavy wooden beam on her chest would be making it difficult to breathe. Breathe. She heard the brunette breathe. Tossing and turning.
L:"I'm sorry."
Nothing. The tossing stopped.
L:"I shouldn't have said something like that. I think it's the circumstances I found myself in when I woke up in that boat. You were there and I should have been grateful. You don't even know me and welcomed me in your home and all I did was nag and.. really I'm sorry."
Silence. Darkness and silence. Two of three things she hated the most. The third was yellow.
S:"Bo."
L:"Bo?"
S:"My name. Bo Dennis."
Fin?
I tried 'something knew'. Not quite sure if it is any good or if there will be more than this.
Tell me what you think.
Review would be great. PM also possible. Please log in so that I can respond to your comments ;)
