First mate's log:

July 11, 1966

A robot landed on the island, with a parachute! The radio says that it was launched from Hawaii to California but went missing. The Professor thinks the Air Force will come looking for it, but meanwhile everybody wants to treat it like a servant. Well, everyone except me and the kids. We're making friends with it.


July 14, 1966

The Air Force tried to send a robot from Hickham Field to Vandenburgh on a radiation detection flight, but it landed here. The Professor hoped that the Air Force would try to retrieve it, but the radio says that they won't bother because it'd be too hard to trace. So now, after a few days of the robot helping out with chores, we're going to try to use it for yet another rescue attempt.


July 21, 1966

Well, we sent the robot to walk back to Hawaii since it couldn't swim, but unfortunately the rabbit's foot I put in it for good luck scrambled its memory tapes. I thought it would be better than my lucky charm, but I guess not.


July 24, 1966

Gilligan accidentally sabotaged the robot, putting a rabbit's foot inside. To balance that, he taught a grenade-throwing gorilla to toss the weapons harmlessly into the lagoon.


July 25, 1966

I made another animal friend, a gorilla who likes explosives. Luckily, I got him to play a game where we threw grenades into the lagoon. (The Professor thinks that the gorilla saw soldiers fighting with the grenades during World War II, which means Gary must be pretty old for a gorilla.)


August 5, 1966

I don't what to believe. We've all been bickering again lately. I think it's that it's been two years with no real chance of rescue, and also no real escape from each other. Even though school is out for the summer, Mike and I sometimes disagree on how to bring up the children, or we get involved in their quarrels with each other. And even though Alice is fond of my daughters, I know that she sometimes resents having to look after them as well as Mike's sons, when she hasn't collected a salary in all this time. (I plan to borrow money from my parents when I get back, and perhaps move in with them since, even with Tim's pension, it's going to be hard to get by.) Sometimes I get angry at the men for keeping secrets from the women or for not recognizing our voices and contributions. I also clash with Mrs. Howell and the two young women over various matters, although admittedly not much with Mary Ann, who's usually too sweet and unassertive. And the others have their own disagreements with each other.

Anyway, now there's hope again, but after so many disappointments, can I put my faith in Ginger's suddenly discovered psychic powers? This has nothing to do with the mind-reading seeds, unless there's a lingering after-effect that somehow only works on her. She's been using the crystal ball from the magician's crate to make accurate predictions, and now she says that a fleet of Navy destroyers will be in our area, which the radio confirmed.

They're looking for the lost U.S.S. York, which is Tim's old ship! I know I'm being superstitious, but isn't that some kind of omen? And, yes, I wish Tim could be on one of the destroyers coming to rescue us, but at least it's the Navy and maybe some of the men will remember him. I would find that very comforting, even beyond the rescue.

Anyway, Ginger says that the Navy will arrive when the "moon turns blue." I don't know if she's being deliberately vague or that's just what she sees in the crystal ball. All I can think of is the movie The Moon Is Blue, which Tank Gates took me to see when we were in high school, although I knew my parents would be furious about it if they knew, since it was very controversial. Ginger is a few years younger than I am, but I'm sure she remembers the movie. Well, it's probably just a coincidence, unless virginal Mary Ann meets a cynical architect and— Well, Mike is nothing like William Holden. On the other hand, she is almost "half his age plus seven."


August 9, 1966

I was keeping a secret for Ginger but I guess now I don't have to anymore. We'd all been fighting a lot again but then Ginger gave us hope by pretending to be a fortune-teller. She was right about a bunch of stuff, so when she said that the Navy was going to rescue us, we of course believed her. But when we held a sayonse, she slipped me a note saying she was a fake but I shouldn't tell anyone.

Still, when I saw a blue moon, just like in her prediction about the Navy, I wanted to light the signal fire. But the Skipper stopped me and showed me he got a note, too. I guess we're the only two people on the island she really trusts. I won't tell anyone else about this, but I figured I could write it in here. Hopefully if anyone reads you again, it won't be until months from now, when this won't matter anymore.


August 12, 1966

I hesitated to write about this, but I suppose I may as well. I've shared my secrets with you and some secrets of the others, but this is different. Ginger perpetrated a hoax, I think with the help of the Professor. I understand why she did it: to stop the arguments and to give us hope. But it was still wrong, and yet I can't confront her about it.

She held a séance last week and slipped me a note saying that she's a fake but I shouldn't tell anyone. I won't but I wonder if the others suspect as well, because no one seems especially upset that the Navy never arrived to rescue us. Or maybe after so many disappointments, one more doesn't matter.

As for the Professor's role in the deception, I noticed that he boycotted the séance, claiming he didn't believe in it, but it's possible he used his scientific knowledge to fake the paranormal events that accompanied Ginger's predictions. Also, I noticed that during the recent bickering, they got along fine. They may not be an item, but I could picture them teaming up on this, not that I'll ask of course.