An Unwelcome Discovery

It was a little past noon when Ayeka set about exploring the remainder of the island. Having found a place to hide from the sun and rain, as well as a meager supply of food to feed her, she needed to check the shores to see if anybody else had washed up with her. Most everyone had made it to a lifeboat, but the storm was so terrible that one might've tossed over. There may have even been someone on the island that didn't make it onto the boat, and an injury prevented them from moving around.

Her royal garments had been cleaned of sand and her limbs were almost completely healed, so without any immediate concerns, Ayeka strayed from her cliff and cut through the thick jungle that made up the heart of the island. Using the greatest care, she tread over logs and roots, leaped over tiny chasms, ran away from numerous predatory animals, and satisfied her parched tongue with a visit to a shallow creek.

The creek itself would not be a good supply of water--there was barely a few inches left. Ayeka was free to wash off some minor cuts she had gotten, and made it a note to come here if she had something small to clean, like a future tool.

Ayeka filled her head with mental notes as she approached the shore. She was passing by many trees that bore fruit, some of which were within climbing distance. Unfortunately, the delicate princess was not used to climbing anything worse than a flight of stairs, and would not scale the bark unless completely necessary. Until an emergency called for it, she would be forced to retrieve any fruit that had fallen from the stem, or at least try to dislodge them with rocks.

Ayeka's initial plan was to return to the beach and search for anything that had washed up, be it companion, tool, a bit of food, or something from the ship. She hoped for a fellow ally first and food second; objects that had washed up from the ship would have been a rare luxury. Still, if she found nothing else, the least she could accomplish was exploration.

Making it out of the jungle with a bruise on her heel and an apple in her hand, Ayeka scanned over the beach that greeted her. Several visible footprints were there, and for awhile the princess' hopes flared up, but her heart sank when she realized that the impressions were hers.

Marking her starting point with a very large and very deep "AJ" in the sand, Ayeka headed in the "left" direction first (she would later learn which direction was north and so forth, but for now, crude terms such as left and right would suffice). For a few minutes, her feet walked over the warm sand of a beach, and the princess found nothing new, except for a small nest of turtles. Initially she ignored them, although later she would consider the beasts and their eggs a staple source of food.

Past the nest of turtles, Ayeka continued to see the jungle to the left of her and the sea to the right. Occasionally, when her soles grew tired of walking on hot sand, she would parade in the foamy waters of the sea and cool off. The sand felt terrific when wedged in between her toes, and she made a habit of picking up pretty seashells. Little she knew that one day, these shells would serve as important tools…

For what seemed like forty minutes, Ayeka continued seeing the same thing: the sea to her right, the jungle to her left. Eventually the jungle thinned out, and a great plain of grass greeted her. Perhaps, if she was painfully lucky, she would find some sort of beast of burden in these fields, but those odds were laughable. In any case, she continued past the fields and continued walking into the afternoon.

When Ayeka felt the cool touch of evening on her shoulder, she knew she had little time left. The island was much larger than she imagined, and it would take many days to scour through it all. The jungle was at least three miles behind her, and the princess only now began moving away from the grass. A tall mountain greeted her next, although it was not her cliff.

Apparently, this mountain used to be a volcano, but it had died long before the birth of the typewriter. Ayeka didn't want to go near it for fear of getting even more lost, and besides, it would be a waste of food and water to scale the heights. Around the mountain was a great mass of rocks, the kind that waves dash against when angry. Many of these rocks sprouted out of the sand and even snaked into the sea.

Ayeka sighed, reasoning that she must've been at least halfway around the island by now. She had started around noon, and now it was almost evening. She still had good light, so there was no reason for her to stop or rest. She was getting dreadfully hungry, and her thirst was rising. Her feet began to ache from all the walking, and her fair skin was beginning to take a color to it.

Carefully, Ayeka maneuvered through the rocks and onto the next area of the island. It took her at least half an hour to get to the other side of the mountain's base, and when she cleared through every last rock, she finally discovered something--although, two seconds after making her discovery, Ayeka found herself wishing that she hadn't.

"I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand (her voice had obviously improved to its former glory). Unable to register this turn of events, Ayeka rubbed her eyes, hoping that her discovery would vanish. Yes, perhaps it was a mirage, caused by the heat of the day. But no, this was real, very real, painfully real.

The princess, ever a skeptic, marched forward and glared at her discovery. At such close quarters, there was no doubting of its existence. With a growl and a fury unbefitting a princess, Ayeka nearly cursed at her depressing situation. Nothing on Earth (or Jurai) could change it, though: this was the truth, and nothing else.

Ayeka sighed, shook her head, and whined mentally.

"I came here looking for something helpful," she pointed, "and who do I see but a washed-up Ryoko laying on the rocks!?" The princess glared at the other woman, expecting the pirate to become animated and battle her. Her expectations continued until the sun sank a little more, and the sky grew a shade darker, and the weather became cooler. Ryoko did not move one inch, not even to twitch.

"Ah, I see…" mumbled Ayeka, examining her foe. Apparently, Ryoko had been caught in the storm as well. Being the "inferior, malicious being" she was, she must have become too exhausted from swimming and thus drowned. Even if she had survived, the impact from slamming into the rocks must've killed her. And so, seeing her enemy's plight, Ayeka did what came natural.

She began laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh now, look at you, miss Ryoko! The terrible space pirate Ryoko, dashed upon the jagged rocks of justice! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! And right on my own island, to boot! Ahahahahahahahaha!!! My-my, this is just too delicious! And I suppose you're dead now! Yes, dead, killed by a mere storm and a simple rock! Hahahahaha!! Imagine the irony! Imagine how fitting it is, for you to die here in such obscurity, without pomp or grandeur or even a witness! Hahahahahahahaha!!!"

Ayeka taunted Ryoko even more than that, even as evening came and the moon peeked out of the sky. She made fun of the fact that it was her that survived, while Ryoko had died from the storm and the impact. She cried in triumph as she gloated over her victories during the storm, and how much the sea must've beaten of the pirate. A long list of derogatory names, curses, and insults were then hurled, and Ayeka walked away from the dead woman with a happy heart.

"Gh……"

The princess froze, one foot still in the air as she heard the groan. Even amidst the crashing waves, the princess could still hear a very, very faint groan coming from Ryoko's direction. No, thought she, that is impossible! I barely survived that chaos and I'm a royal princess of Jurai! How in the world can she live through it?!

Still, Ayeka couldn't leave without making sure. Cautiously, she crept up on the dead woman, and carefully placed two fingers on Ryoko's neck. For a long time, nothing. Then, the worst thing that ever happened to Ayeka just occurred to her: Ryoko had a pulse. Ryoko, somehow, someway, was still alive--just barely. In a fury, Ayeka lost her temper and roared at the space pirate some more… but then grew smart and decided to gloat.

"AHA! So, you have finally gotten what you deserve! So you are still alive, eh? Well, not for long! Do you know why?! Because I'm going to leave you here, my dear Ryoko! Yes, you heard me! I'll leave you here on these rocks, to be picked apart by seagulls and smashed against the rocks by these beautiful waves! Aha, a fitting tribute to your crimes indeed!! Ha, ahahahaaa!!!" And with that, Ayeka marched away from Ryoko and the rocks, singing the Jurai imperial anthem with all her heart.

Still, even as she left the rocks behind her, Ayeka couldn't push her discovery out of her mind. She had heard somewhere that people should be careful about what they wish for, because sometimes those wishes are granted. This advice came to haunt her as evening came, and she nearly beat herself for hoping to find a companion. It had to be Ryoko, she thought, it just had to!! Still, the space pirate would be dead soon, either from starvation or the elements. Ayeka chuckled and imagined Ryoko waking up just before her body failed her from lack of hunger. The confused space pirate would wonder where she was and how she got there, but would slip into the unforgiving sea before anything could be thought out. It was a delicious way for her to go, or so thought the princess.

Night officially came by the time Ayeka finished her rounds. In order of her discovery, there was a massive jungle on the island, then a wide plain of grass, then a mountain, followed by a little more jungle, then there was the cliffs in which Ayeka called home, some more plains of grass, and finally what remained of the jungle. It was quite dark by the time Ayeka had arrived at the place where she carved her initials, but it wasn't so late that she couldn't sleep.

Sleep… Ayeka dreaded sleeping in that rocky cave, almost as much as she dreaded having Ryoko in the same vicinity (and the same situation) as her. The floor of her new home was dreadfully uncomfortable, and sleeping outside only exposed her to predators. Her outfit would provide adequate protection from the cool nights, but she would need a blanket if she hoped to preserve her clothes more.

As she arrived at her starting point, Ayeka tripped and stumbled over something that hadn't been there before. But instead of falling flat on the sand, she found herself crashing into a soft, mushy object. It was completely soaked from the seawater, but from the feel of it, the object was more welcome than any item of food.

"A bed!" squealed the princess, feeling the large mattress beneath her. "It's a bed!!" Squealing with delight, the princess managed to drag the soaked mattress away from the sea. It wasn't fairly big, just small enough to fit inside the cave, and it easily held the esteemed monarch. Ayeka's spirits rose as she carried the wet mattress back to her "room", thanking any and all deities that one of the beds from the ship had found its way to her shores.

It was well past ten o'clock by the time Ayeka stuffed the wet mattress into her room (that is, if she could tell the time). It didn't matter to her that the bed was soaked with seawater, or that it had sand in it and had been ripped a little by coral and shark and anything on the island. It was better than sleeping on the hard rocky floor, and for the first time since she "left" the ship, Ayeka had a fairly good night's sleep.

I wonder if SHE is still alive.

I hope not.

Ayeka woke with the sun, feeling a little irritable. Her new bed protected her frail body from the hard stony floor of the cavern, but that was all it was good for. Sleeping on something soaking wet was not fun at all, and sleeping in heavy clothes that had also felt the sting of the sea was equally horrid. Still, better than lying on that hard floor…

Ayeka grumbled and managed a good stretch when she woke up. Her first real day on the island had gone by quickly, and there was still much for her to do in the meantime. First of all, she took a quick journey outside to gorge herself on the berries. Eating her fill, she went back into the cave to retrieve her mattress. While she busied herself all day, she would allow the sun to dry out her bed, hopefully cleansing it of the water within.

After depositing her bed in an obvious clearing (she didn't want to lose it, after all), Ayeka went back to the beach to double-check for washed up items. Her search proved even better than yesterday, for a locked chest had managed to lodge itself in the sand. It was neither large nor heavy, and the lock came off easily when rammed with a rock.

Ayeka's hopes faded quickly as she gazed inside the box. A fine leather book, undamaged by the sea and still in its plastic wrapping, was contained within. An unopened packet of ink pens and sharpened pencils were also within the box, and after careful investigation, Ayeka surmised that the box's contents were a diary and writing set.

Although not useful in the long run, the diary would prove very effective to the princess. Here she could keep her sanity by expressing her feelings, or recording the days and events. A map would have to be drawn, with key areas marked on a legend. She might even publish her "story" if she ever got off the island--Ayeka could get rich off her tales!!

With a laugh of triumph, Ayeka removed the diary from its plastic casing and opened it up. The smell of a new book filled her nose, and after licking the edge of a pencil she picked up, she began writing in her new journal. Her name and date came first (to her reckoning, it had been a Friday when the J. S. S. Shangri-La sank, and so yesterday would have been Saturday).

Log of Princess Ayeka of planet Jurai,

Saturday, fifth of May

This is my very first entry--that is, my first entry upon finding this diary. By some good fortune, I have found a way to document my thoughts and feelings, as well as a history of how I arrived here, etc. There is much to be said, but until help arrives, I have all the time in the world.

On Friday, the third of May, the J. S. S. Shangri-La experienced a storm so great and powerful that it sank into the sea. My friends and family were aboard that ship, and I can only hope that they made it to safety. Somehow, I have experienced the brunt of fate's anger, and have since washed up on this island, which for convenience's sake I shall call Ayeka Island.

I have managed to find sufficient shelter and food, for the time being at least, and only recently have I come across a means of rest at night. Unfortunately, there is bad news to be expressed as well. Upon inspecting the island, I happened upon another survivor of the storm, although I am in no jovial mood about it. My sworn enemy, that loathsome devil-temptress, the evil space pirate Ryoko, is now a temporary part of this island. Poor fiend washed up on the rocks nearby a mountain; I hope she dies a cruel death.

In the meantime, I must forget about her and search for water. I must acquire more food, and I shall have to fashion tools and a fire if I hope to survive. But I guarantee you this, my dear diary, I shall not need the assistance of that witch! Aha, I'll show her how easily I can manage myself! …that is, is she ever gets the opportunity to see it. I hope, secretly, she does--ah, to see that surprised look on her face (upon seeing how well I have managed myself) would be priceless, and worth the pain of reviving her! HA!

Until further developments present themselves,

Yours truly,

Princess Ayeka of the royal Jurai family.