Chapter 2
On the Island
The plane landed on the water next to the dock. "We have now arrived at Fantasy Island. Pleaae remain seated until the 'Fasten seatbelt' light goes off."
Julie looked out the window. She could see Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, his assistant preparing to welcome their guests. Julie gathered her things and let the other passengers off ahead of her. She waited for Mr. Roarke to explain their fantasies to Tattoo. Then she exited the plane. She could hardly wait to hug her godfather. Julie went down the gangplank, where she was handed a lei and a drink.
Mr. Roark smiled at Julie, while Tattoo gasped in amazement. "Boss," he said in his heavy French accent, "Is that...?"
"Yes, Tattoo. It is my favorite godchild, Julie." Mr. Roarke replied with a small smile.
"She is all grown up! I remember when she came to visit with her parents."
"This is more than a visit, Tattoo. Julie has had a hard time. She will be with us for a while."
"What is her fantasy?"
"To find peace and solitude away from the things that are troubling her." Mr. Roarke took the glass of champagne offered him. He raised it in a toast. "My dear guests," he began. "I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island!"
Julie and the other guests raised their glasses. Mr. Roarke smiled at them all. His gaze settled on Julie as he drank to his toast. He hoped he would be able to help her.
Later that afternoon, Julie and Mr. Roarke had a joyous reunion in the VIP bungalow, located just behind the main house while Tattoo watched. Julie's bags had already been delivered.
"Mr. Roarke," she began, "I can't thank you enough for this opportunity. "
"My dear Julie, you know I would do anything for my favorite godchild."
Julie blushed a little and smiled.
"Why don't we all sit down?" Mr. Roarke gestured to the couch and chairs in the bungalow's living room. "Now, Julie, suppose you tell us exactly why you came to Fantasy Island."
Julie took a deep breath. "I started dating this guy about a year ago."
"Uh-oh," Tattoo said under his breath.
Mr. Roarke gave him a dirty look. "Please go on, Julie,"
"Well, he wanted the relationship to move faster than I did. When I said no, he got mad. I tried to break up with him, but he has been bothering me ever since. He watches me all the time. He calls our house and hangs up after one ring. He'd drive past the house at all hours of the day and night. I had to change my schedule at school because he'd follow me around. He even went into the ladies' room to find me." Tattoo whistled, earning him another look from Mr. Roarke. "My fantasy is to get away from him, and to get him to leave me alone. Can you please help me, Mr. Roarke?" Julie looked at him pleadingly.
"Julie, I will do all I can to keep you safe while you are on the island. I take it your boyfriend doesn't know you are here?"
"Ex-boyfriend, and no. I didn't tell him. Only my parents know I came here. I left on the midnight flight."
"That was good thinking, Julie. I know I offered you a job. You can assist me and Tattoo in various duties. Maybe help greet the plane sometimes or help with hospitality services. Would you like that?"
Julie's face lit up. "I sure would, Mr. Roarke! Thank you!"
"Once you are settled, come up to the main house for dinner, and I will give you some duties for tomorrow. There is no reason to let any grass grow under your feet. You will find your uniform in the closet in your bedroom." Mr. Roarke and Tattoo headed for the door. " We shall see you shortly, Julie. Tattoo?"
"Yes, Mr. Roarke. See you in a bit." Mr. Roarke and Tattoo left while Julie headed for the bedroom. Mr. Roarke had given her all of the comforts. There was a double bed, dresser, and large closet. The bathroom was right next to the bedroom. It was well stocked with towels and toiletries. Julie's suitcases were on the floor next to the bed. She lifted one onto the bed and started to unpack. Opening the closet, she found the uniforms Mr. Roarke had mentioned. There were several white blouses, skirts, slacks, vests, and blazers hanging in the closet. There were also a couple of pairs white high heel pumps on the floor. A smaller hanger held black ties. Julie hung her clothes next to the uniforms. She unpacked quickly, and then explored the rest of the bungalow. The walls were white with red trim. The living room looked comfortable with its couches and chairs. It also had a tv, vcr, and stereo. There was a small kitchenette next to the living room, complete with stove, fridge, microwave and a small dining table. Vases of tropical flowers and art were throughout the bungalow.
"I think I am going to like it here," Julie said to herself.
Unpacking done, Julie headed for the main house She was appreciative of the privacy the hedges gave her as she strolled along the path. She climbed the porch stairs of the main house and knocked on the door. "Mr. Roarke?" she called. Tattoo answered the door. "Good evening, Julie. Please come in."
"Thank you, Tattoo." Julie followed Tattoo inside.
"Ah, there you are, Julie," Mr. Roarke said as he came out of his private quarters. "I thought we would dine on the patio. Shall we?" He gestured towards the large French doors behind his desk. Tattoo opened them. There was an elegantly set table on the patio. Fine china and silver. Drinks were in coconut goblets and had little umbrellas in them. Mr. Roarke indicated where Julie should sit, and pulled her chair out for her, then pushed it in.
"Thank you, Mr. Roarke." Julie felt like she would be saying those words a lot in the near future. Mr. Roarke and Tattoo seated themselves. Tattoo was a swarthy skinned midget, and he had to sit on a booster to reach the table. He took most of his meals in his room, and only dined with Mr. Roarke on special occassions. Julie thought she had the most handsome godfather. He was tall, elegant and slender, with just a trace of a Mexican accent. Mr. Roarke picked up a silver bell off of the table and rang it. Island girls immediately appeared . Mr. Roarke signaled that his party was ready to eat, and the girls scurried off.
"Now, Julie," Mr. Roarke began, "in order to put you to work, I'd like to know what skills you have."
"Well, I like art. I was considering pursuing a career in education before..." she paused, "Before I had to leave everything behind and come here."
Mr. Roarke and Tattoo smiled sympathetically. "Perhaps I can arrange for you to work with the children," Mr. Roarke said.
"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Julie exclaimed.
"Boss! I have an idea! " Tattoo added. "Maybe Julie can teach art classes to the children!"
"I'd love that!" Julie said.
""Very well," agreed Mr. Roarke. "Meet me here at the house tomorrow at 8:00 am, and I will have your first assignment, Julie,"
"Ok," Julie said as the food arrived.
During the course of the meal, Julie, Mr. Roark, and Tattoo caught up with each other. Soon it was time to retire for the evening.
Tattoo slid down from his chair. "It is getting late, so I shall say goodnight."
"Goodnight, Tattoo," Julie and Mr. Roarke told him. Tattoo headed for his room. Mr. Roarke held Julie's chair as she slid out from the table She wasn't used to such gentlemanly manners.
"I shall escort you to your bungalow," Mr. Roarke told her.
"I appreciate it, Mr. Roarke. " As they walked along the path, Mr Roarke pointed out the privacy hedges.
"You will notice the seclusion of this path and your bungalow. Sometimes we have celebrities and other guests who value their privacy, so we have them stay in the VIP bungalow."
"It's great, Mr. Roarke. After the last few months, I will welcome some privacy." Julie smiled at him as they reached her bungalow
"May I?" Mr. Roarke reached for Julie's key. She handed it to him. He unlocked and opened the door.
"Mr. Roarke, thank you so much for everything. I feel so safe now."
"You are welcome, Julie. Good night." He handed the key back.
"Good night, Mr. Roarke. " Julie went inside, and closed the door, locking it behind her. She knew she would sleep well tonight.
The next morning, Julie arose and dressed in a uniform. She debated between slacks and a skirt, and decided on the skirt for now. Of course everything fit perfectly, even the shoes. How Mr Roarke knew her size was a mystery to her. Breakfast was delivered to her bungalow. Once she was finished eating, Julie scurried along the path to the main house. She saw Mr. Roarke and Tattoo coming down the steps.
"Ah, good morning, Julie," Mr. Roarke greeted her. "I see you are ready for work."
Julie smiled "Yes. Good morning, Mr. Roarke. Good morning, Tattoo."
"Good morning, Julie," Tattoo responded.
"What would you like me to do today, Mr. Roarke?" Julie asked.
Mr. Roarke gestured toward a group of children and their mothers a few yards away. "Today, I would like you to help with the Fantasy Island daycare. All of those children belong to our staff members and their mothers need someone to watch them in the daytime."
"Oh, that sounds like fun!"
"Have a good day, then." Mr. Roarke pointed Julie towards the children.
"I will," Julie said as she trotted off.
"She seems to be adapting to island life," Tattoo said.
"I think she will do just fine," Mr. Roarke replied as the car arrived to take them to the plane dock.
Weeks passed. Julie loved being Mr. Roarke's assistant. She helped with the children. After a couple of weeks, Mr. Roarke allowed her to accompany him and Tattoo to the plane. Sometimes she accompanied Mr. Roarke to the plane if Tattoo was unavailable. Mr. Roarke also involved her in fantasies. Most of the time they were interesting. Some were fun. Some were scary. Julie shuddered at one fantasy in particular. The devil had come to Fantasy Island and tried to claim her soul and Mr. Roarke's. Mr. Roarke outsmarted him. Julie was grateful for that. Other than that unpleasant episode, she liked living on Fantasy Island. Sometimes she missed her old life and everyone she had left behind, but knew she was better off on the island.
Back in the states
Julie's parents missed her terribly. They had to take steps to keep Charles from bothering them. He was persistent. They changed their phone number. They rented a post office box to receive any mail from Julie. They hired a security service to watch their house. They hoped Charles would eventually get bored and go away.
Julie's friends also missed her. At first they were hurt that she had left so abruptly without saying good bye. After reflecting on Charles' treatment of her, they weren't surprised. Three of Julie's friends got together for lunch one day. Jessica was tall, blonde, and very pretty. Susan was a slightly shorter brunette, with a petite build. Abigail was also blonde, about the same size as Jessica. They had decided to go to the local Whataburger between classes. After getting their food, they headed for a table, where they proceeded to eat and gossip. They paid no attention to the young man who was bussing tables and keeping the dining room in order. At first, he didn't pay much attention to them. Until he realized that there was something vaguely familiar about the girls. He walked past their table as he took some dirty trays into the kitchen area. After dropping off the trays, the young man removed his hat and wiped the sweat from his face with his apron. It was Charles. He had had to cut his hair to get this job. it was the only one he could get since his run in with the campus police. Every place he applied looked up his record and turned him down. He blamed Julie for it. Once again he reminded himself that if she had taken the time to talk to him, none of this would have happened. He put his hat back on and went into the dining room. He looked at the table of girls again. Of course they looked familiar! They were Julie's friends! He had seen her with them on occasion. The table next to them happened to need cleaning, so he took advantage of the situation. He got as close as he could without seeming obvious. The girls were chattering about clothes, classes, and other things he wasn't interested in. Until he heard Julie's name. Then his ears perked up.
"Have you guys heard from Julie?" Susan asked.
"No," said Jessica. "She hasn't written since she left."
"I'm not surprised," said Abigail. "The way that creep was following her around, she probably doesn't want to take any chances."
"Probably not," agreed Susan.
Table done, Charles headed back to the kitchen with his pile of dirty trays and garbage. How dare they call him a creep! He had to find another task to take him near the girls. His eyes spotted the carpet sweeper. His manager was always after him to help keep the floors clean, Charles reasoned. He grabbed the sweeper and headed for the dining room. Unfortunately, the girls had finished eating and left. No doubt they would be back another day. He could wait.
His opportunity came a few days later. Once again, Charles was on dining room detail. He saw the girls get into the ordering line. Charles watched them get their food and select a table. He made sure to keep himself busy near them. Since it was lunch rush time, that wasn't too difficult.
Charles started to clean the table next to the girls. He kept an ear open for their conversation.
"Oh, guess what!" Abigail exclaimed. "I saw Julie's mom last night."
"Really?" The other two exclaimed.
"Did she say anything about Julie?" Susan asked.
"How is Julie?" added Jessica.
"Well, slow down and let me tell you." Abigail looked around. "Julie's mom said that Julie is ok. She is in a safe place, but she didn't say where."
"Well, that's something," said Jessica. "I am glad she is ok. "
"Julie's mom said if we want to write, to give the letters to her and she will send them on."
"That's great!" Susan exclaimed. "I'll write her a letter tonight."
The other two nodded in agreement. So did Charles. He had plenty of things to say to Julie. Lunch finished, the girls got up and left.
As soon as Charles finished his shift, he started to make a plan to get to Julie. First on the list was to find out where she was. He decided to pay her parents a visit, without them knowing, of course.
Later that night, Charles' crept up to Julie's house under the cover of darkness. He parked his car a block away. He went up the driveway to the garbage cans in the back of the house. The security light came on, and he leaned up against the house to avoid detection. He saw Julie's dad look out the window. Charles waited until Julie's dad moved away from the window and the light went out. He once again moved carefully to the garbage cans. He held up a flashlight and quickly rummaged through the trash with one hand. He found what looked like important documents. He grabbed them and ran, as the light came on again and he heard a dog bark. Back in the safety of his car, Charles turned on the overhead light and looked at the papers he had grabbed. He found some credit card receipts made out to the airlines, and a brochure for Fantasy Island. Either Julie had gone there, or her parents were planning a trip. Charles was willing to bet that Julie had sought refuge on the island. Now to confirm his suspicions.
Charles had the next day off of work. He decided to follow Julie's mom around, and see if he could get any clues as to Julie's whereabouts. He waited outside the house. He saw Julie's dad leave for work. He patiently sat in his car until he saw Julie's mom come out of the house. She was going somewhere. Charles watched her get into her car and drive away. He gave her a half block head start and then followed her. The first stop was at the post office. Julie's mother went in, and then came out with several envelopes in her hand. Charles wished he could see what was written on them. The next stop was the bank. Julie's mom didn't do anything interesting in there as far as he could tell. Julie's mom got into her car again and drove off. She didn't head straight home. She went to the grocery store. Charles followed her at a discreet distance while she shopped. He saw Julie's mother meet a neighbor at the produce section. They greeted each other and proceeded to chat.
"I miss seeing Julie around," the neighbor said.
"We miss her too," replied Julie's mother. "She went on vacation for a while. "
"Without you both?" asked the neighbor.
"Yes, she is an adult now, and wanted to spread her wings. She's visiting a family friend, and hopes to return in the fall."
"How nice of your friend to let her stay there like that."
"Yes, he is very generous. He loves to help people." Then fearing she had said too much, Julie's mother made her excuses and left.
Charles followed her out to the car. He waited for her to load her groceries and get in. He also noticed that she dropped something. Charles waited for her to leave, and then picked it up. It was a brochure for Fantasy Island. He stuck it in his pocket. He was pretty sure by now that Julie had gone to Fantasy Island. He decided that he would join her.
The next day, Charles showed up on time for work. He decided that he would be a model citizen on the job so that he could save some money. He didn't want to get fired. He had heard that Fantasy Island was a very expensive place to visit. He would continue to monitor the activities of those closest to Julie while he made his plans.
Charles tried to follow Julie's dad to work, but that was unproductive. Julie's dad worked in a high security building, and no one was allowed in or out without security clearance. Charles would have to figure out another way to get the information he needed. Fantasy Island was the only lead he had to go on. He spent a lot of time researching the area where it was rumored to be, somewhere in the South Pacific. Getting there was another challenge. It said in the brochure that the guests were carefully screened and had to go through an interview process. Charles decided to get a job on a neighboring island and see if he could find his way to Fantasy Island from there.
Somewhere in the South Pacific, several months later
Charles had researched several islands, until he found one whose major industry was fishing. They serviced some of the nearby islands. He managed to save enough money to get to the islands. Once there, he asked around until he found a job on a fishing boat. It was hard work, day after day. He grew sick of the sight and smell of fish, but figured it was a means to an end. His efforts began to pay off. One day, his boss said they had a big order. Charles was needed to help load and deliver the fish. He couldn't believe his luck when he found out the destination...Fantasy Island. He wondered if Julie had forgotten about him, and if she missed him. Once she saw him, he knew that everything would be alright.
Charles boarded the boat for Fantasy Island. He knew he couldn't just jump off of the boat and into Julie's arms. He would have to find out if she was really there, and then get her alone so he could talk to her. An hour later, the boat pulled up on Fantasy Island's shore. Charles helped unload and deliver the fish. He was then told that he'd have 2 hours to grab something to eat and relax for a bit, before boarding the return boat.
Charles strolled around the island, hoping for a glimpse of Julie. Suddenly he spied her with a circle of children. They were playing Ring Around the Rosie. Julie looked so happy and carefree. Charles couldn't believe his luck. As much as he wanted to run to her, he knew he had to wait. Now he knew where she was, and he could plot his next move.