In retrospect, Lydia admits it was honestly a terrible idea. Get aboard a ship with her best friend and no real idea of where they were going, just knowing that they needed to be alone. They had found land and were now on an island, which looked beautiful and pristine, but also quite daunting.
"Our first step should be to get ourselves dry." Said Eva, as both their clothes were soaked from coming out of the boat to drag it to shore. "Then we'll have to find food, and survey the area to determine if there are any inhabitants." Deep down, Eva really just wanted to be alone, just her and Lydia, but if there were inhabitants it would certainly make survival on the island significantly easier. But before either of them had a chance to do anything else, a young redheaded woman approached them. When Lydia saw her, she was a bit taken aback on how she resembled her best friend Eva. They were almost identical, save the glasses and dark hair that Eva sported.
"Hello, I'm Ginger. You wouldn't happen to be here on a rescue mission, are you?" The woman asked.
"Um, no." Said Lydia.
"Well then why are you here?" Ginger asked. Lydia looked over at Eva, not sure what to say.
"Whatever the reason, you better get changed out of those clothes. You're all soaked from your trip."
So Eva and Lydia followed Ginger to a collection of huts. Ginger led them to her hut, where there was another woman. This one had brown hair and tanned skin. Her warm eyes and dimples matched Lydia's.
"Mary Ann, look who I found. These two just got stranded here."
"Oh you poor things. I'll make you some tea. You can change into some of my clothes."
After Eva and Lydia had dried off, they sat in the huts with Ginger and Mary Ann, sipping their tea and enjoying the general ambiance of the island. It had started raining out, which added to the sense of calm that Eva felt. It was as if her old life was washing away.
"You too never did tell us how you ended up here." Said Ginger.
"Oh right." Replied Lydia, not quite meeting Ginger's eyes. "We just needed to leave, I suppose. Everything back home was such a mess, we thought we could start fresh in a new place.
"What exactly was so messy about it?" Asked Mary Ann.
"I was trying to make it as either a scientist or an actress." Explained Eva. "Any science would be good, but I really wanted to do something related to oceanography. But all my bosses were men and they didn't see a lot of potential in me. Same with acting. They just never saw anything, and after a while, neither did I."
"Speaking of men," Said Lydia, "I was trying to make it into acting as well. But the men there…they always wanted something from you in return." She rolled her eyes. "That's why we left."
"I'm really sorry that all of that happened to you." Said Ginger. "but you can't just run away and give up. You have your entire life to live."
"Ginger's right." Said Mary Ann as she got up from her seat. "We're going back to the real world together, and all four of us are getting our lives back."
….
Leaving the island all at once proved more difficult than initially conceived. The boat that Eva and Lydia had arrived in was tiny, and it was impossible for all seven castaways, plus Eva and Lydia, to fit inside without the boat promptly toppling over.
"This is hopeless," Said the Skipper after their tenth attempt at fitting in the boat. "We'll never be able to leave like this."
"There's only one thing to do then," Said the Professor, "Eva and Lydia have to go back to civilization and get a bigger rescue boat that can fit us all." He turned to the two women. "You remember the way back, right?" Eva nodded. "Sure, I did study oceanography after all, I can get Lydia and I back."
"Great," Said the Professor. "You'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
….
That night, the four women were in Ginger and Mary Ann's hut preparing for the upcoming journey.
"You'll need enough food and water for the trip." Said Mary Ann. "You can get water from the coconuts, but those are heavy so you'll want to ration how many you need. Same goes with the bananas and cooked fish.
"You'll also need clothes," Ginger contributed. "I've got some dresses that might fit, plus you both need new haircuts and a makeover."
"How exactly is a makeover going to help us get rescued?" Demanded Mary Ann.
"Logistics." Ginger stated simply, "The only way that Eva and Lydia could afford a rescue boat big enough for everyone is if they garner enough media attention. And the best way to do that," She held up one of her outfits, "is with a sequence dress and a new hairstyle."
"I guess that makes sense." Said Eva. She sat down on one of the chairs in the hut and let Ginger do her hair. She dyed it a bright red, as it was the hair dye Ginger always used and the only one she owned. When Ginger was done, she handed Eva a mirror. "What do you think? I think you look amazing, but it's your opinion that matters." Eva had never been able to do her hair like this. Partly because she couldn't afford it and partly because she had never had the courage to do something as daring as dye her hair a bold color. As she stared at her reflection, she felt her weak self esteem grow ever so slightly. "I-I really like it."
…
The next morning was hectic. Packing everything into the boat took forever, because they had overestimated how many food and water rations the boat would hold and were now readjusting. Ginger still insisted they pack a dress, which Mary Ann still felt was unnecessary. But after going back and forth about what to take and what to leave behind, the ship finally took off around early afternoon with Eva and Lydia manning the ship.
The trip wasn't easy by any means, what with the choppy waves, consistent winds and the cold nipping when the sun went down. But because they had made the journey previously and knew the route, they were able to travel with more certainty.
"Look, there it is!" Shouted Lydia. Up ahead was the dock in which they had originally parted, and where the S.S. Minnow had left from all those years ago. Eva and Lydia tied up their boat at the dock and went into the building where they knew the docking bay director worked. The man had been Eva's boss a while back and hadn't believed that she would be capable of sailing across the ocean and arrive in one piece, and Eva was determined to prove him wrong. But when they went to his office and saw the director, his face became pale and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "It's-It's-It's you." He stuttered. "You're those two-those women from the S.S. Minnow. The one that went missing. You came back." Before Lydia or Eva could correct him, the man left the room, exclaiming to everyone that two people from the S.S. Minnow had found their way home. Before they knew it, the news had spread like wildfire.
Eva wanted to correct everyone who was now under the impression that she was Ginger, she really did. But once the news started broadcasting it, she realized that if she and Lydia were seen as frauds, they would never get the support they would need to obtain the bigger boat. So she went along, told everyone that she was Ginger and that Lydia was Mary Ann. The job offers started rolling in right away, everyone wanted to do interviews, tv shows and even a movie based on Ginger's experience of surviving the island. Lydia was able to cash in too, she was offered to be in everything that Eva was in. For the first time in eternity, the two women felt they were given everything they could ever want on a silver platter.
It was nightfall, Eva and Lydia were in a hotel that the tv station had provided for them after one of their many interview. They were both lying in their beds across the room from one another
"You awake?" Asked Lydia.
"Yeah I am." Replied Eva, sitting up on her bed.
"It's been a few weeks now, you think we should go back for the rescue mission. We've definitely got enough support."
"Oh, not yet. We've finally gotten everything we've wanted. Besides, the movie deal hasn't been finalized."
"Eva, we can't keep doing this, pretending we're someone we're not." There was a strain in her voice that indicated to Eva that this wasn't something she had taken lightly, it was deeply bothering her to impersonate Mary Ann, living the life that another woman was supposed to lead.
"I know, I know you're right. But once we get the real Ginger and Mary Ann, what happens to us?"
"But if we don't go back, what will happen to them?" Lydia lay back down, leaving Eva to ponder her thoughts.
…
Back on the island, the castaways were waiting on the shore for the much awaited boat. They had been spending hours upon hours there every afternoon. Each day they grew a little more hopeless that their rescue attempt had failed once again.
"I think I'm going to head back inside." Said Mrs. Howell. "Don't bother calling us to come out tomorrow until you actually see something." She and Mr. Howell turned back into their hut.
"I think we should all go do something else." Suggested the Skipper. Gilligan nodded.
"We can't just give up on Eva and Lydia." Said Mary Ann. "They said they'd be here and they will. The weather just wasn't as good the last few days, they'll come today."
"The weather was fine yesterday." The Professor reminded her.
"Well maybe it wasn't as good on the mainland. Or maybe they still need support to afford a big enough boat."
"Well if you see anything, let us know." Skipper, Gilligan and the Professor all turned back inland, leaving just Mary Ann and Ginger.
So the two women waited, staring off into the horizon like they had for the past several days. Then Ginger saw something in the distance. At first, she thought it was her eyes playing tricks on her. But as it came closer, she could see it was a rescue boat.
"Mary Ann! Mary Ann look over there!"
"I see it, I see it!" Mary Ann exclaimed.
All the other castaways heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. "Look everyone, there it is, the rescue ship." Ginger cried out. As it came even closer, Ginger and Mary Ann could make out two women on the bow of the ship waving.
"Here we are!" Shouted Eva from aboard the ship. "Hope nobody missed us too much!"