2-HOME SWEET HUT

This had not been what he expected. Sand, palm trees and lots of salt water wasn't exactly the view you expected to wake up to. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten and then opened them again. It was useless. He was NOT dreaming, the Minnow was damaged and he, with six others, were stranded on some island.

He took in a deep breath and looked around. Yesterday had proved no other humans, or anything really, was around. He even learned to climb a palm tree. Then he learned how to fall out of one.

It was breathtaking though. The air felt pure and clean, and the water was a beautiful blue. For a moment, five moments at the most, he relaxed. Willy Gilligan smiled; It IS a fun adventure, he thought.

Tropics, though, meant storms, Gilligan soon learned, and after a heavy rain ruined breakfast and everyone got soaked, Gilligan knew the Skipper would make order. He did, first by ordering him to somehow get everyone's clothes dried, while they wore the Howells clothing. Why the millionaires had brought so much stuff on a three-hour cruise was beyond him, however.

Gilligan was happy though. Everyone seemed to get along great, despite his clumsiness. In under the first hour of constructing a hut to live in, he had knocked the Professor off his ladder, landed the Skipper in a water tub, and spilled the Professor's waterproofing concoction all over Mr. Howell. But despite all his 'help,' the hut somehow was finished by nightfall. Gilligan, though, wasn't used to his hammock bed.

The other castaways weren't used to living this way either. By morning the big hut was a big mess, and by afternoon, so were everyone's new huts, thanks to him.

"I really am a walking disaster," he muttered to himself, more than once.

Another day passed, and finally four huts were standing firm. Willy Gilligan couldn't sleep though.

"Skipper! You asleep yet?" he called out. Skipper, who had been asleep, nearly fell out of his hammock.

"No Gilligan! You woke me up!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Skipper," Gilligan apologized and fell silent. He lasted only a minute before he woke Skipper up again.

"Skipper! What's going to happen to us?" he asked.

The Skipper let out a long, annoyed sigh. "Nothing, Gilligan. This hut will survive any storm. Now get to sleep, already!" he bellowed. He loved Gilligan, but the boy was already on his last nerve and usually he was a patient man.

"I'm not worried about the storm, Skipper," Gilligan continued, oblivious to the Skippers anger. "The Coast Guard has stopped looking for us, and the passengers seem to think were staying here, otherwise they wouldn't have built more huts. I'm really scared Skipper; I want to go home."

The Skipper's anger suddenly vanished as he listened to Gilligan ramble. He climbed out of his hammock and laid a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Gilligan, little buddy, I don't want to lie to you—" he began, and Gilligan whimpered.

"Lie to me, Skipper. I don't want to die."

"Gilligan, will you stop saying that? Look, I'm promise you, I'll get you home. Until then, I will protect you and the others. Now will you please sleep? I'm exhausted from you lending out all our tools," he went on, and Gilligan nodded.

"Sure Skipper. Thanks. I guess I was being silly — goodnight" he added, and pretended to go to sleep. He waited for a bit until the Skipper was snoring, then he snuck out quietly. Wrapping a blanket around himself, Gilligan sat in front of a tree holding his diary and a candle.

'Dear Diary,

I am so tired. it rained today, skipper says storm is cumin. dont mattar i gess. coest gard gav up search for us. skipper wanted just one hut but the howells fighted and then it was takin down. we alls gots our own hut now. I think were stuck here forever. Skipper dont baleive that but I do diary.

Gilligan leaned back, a bit depressed now. Another storm was still coming and he hoped the huts would survive. It didn't really matter though he decided. There was no rescue party coming for them. His parents and brother had probably given up hope by now as well. He got to his feet wearily, picked up his diary and hugged it. "I wonder what this island has in store for us now?" he murmured to it.