Stranded 7

That day was what brought me back to reality. It made me aware of Dylan and the friendship he was offering. But that night is when we really proved to ourselves that we can be really good friends.
And my little dork stunt, I quickly learned that Dylan really appreciated it.
He told me he wanted to give up on me a few times. But he didn’t know how to and didn’t want to because he wanted to help me. He was concerned about my sanity, as I wasn’t making healthy decisions. He couldn’t have it on his conscience that he left me in that condition all alone.
But I was glad he stayed.
He set up a fire and we sat next to the warmth right on the beach. This is where the sound of the ocean started to change to the better for me.
The mixture of ocean waves and fire crackling with stars reflecting on the vast ocean.
It was brilliant.
The two of us stayed up for hours telling stories and laughing about anything.
We were like long lost friends reminiscing about old times.

My name is Luke Gray and I was in my remote utopia.

760 Before Being Rescued.

I again woke up before Dylan. I didn’t have to pretend I was asleep because there was no one around to hide from.
My initial thought was to clean myself off. That is what I did everyday of my life. But there were no showers on a deserted island.
And if Dylan was sleeping in like the previous day, I knew I had plenty of time.
I stripped down and went for an early morning swim in the ocean. I actually spent probably half an hour just floating on my back.
The sun wasn’t up all the way so I didn’t have to worry about burning myself. I was able to entirely close my mind and take in this world’s beauty.
I had nothing else to do.
It’s interesting how quickly you come up with ways to entertain yourself without a computer or television. The simple things are so much more amazing than you can even imagine.
It’s taking everything slow.
It’s watching the little things.
The things that are ignored in the fast pace world that exists far from the island.

You are probably thinking I got caught by Dylan swimming nude.
It sure seems like something that would happen in a normal book or TV show. But this is real. Stuff like that doesn’t happen in real life.
I walked all the way back up to him, air dried myself, and put my clothes back on.
I wasn’t particularly quiet about it either. I had no problem trying to wake him up to get our search back on.
But he wasn’t budging.
So this time it was my turn to be helpful. I went to find some food.
And at that time, the only food I knew of was bananas.
Which were high up in a tree.
So it was now or never. I had to learn to climb a tree.
To my surprise it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. I mean I don’t weigh all that much. I’m a relatively skinny guy, so climbing was pretty much intuitive.
The only reason I thought it would be so much more challenging was that I was raised to not be a risk taker. The slight chance of injuring myself was so pressed into my mind, it limited me from doing such a simple task that I was soon to spend two years of my life doing.
In other words, I picked the bananas and brought them back to what was left of the campfire. I rested them near Dylan so once he woke up, he would be happily surprised. It was all I could do. But his ‘breakfast in bed’ was my way of thanking him for everything.

The sunlight broke through a gap in the trees as its intensity haltered Dylan’s dreaming. He yawned and stretched out his arms sitting up and staring out into the ocean.
I was sitting near him on the other side of the blackened timber residue of the campfire.
Dylan – I could get use to this.
Luke – Get used to what?
Dylan – Waking up to the sound of the ocean.
Luke – I think we are gonna have to.
He put on that face he always had where you knew he was happy. There was no question about it.
Luke – I picked us some bananas.
I pointed to his opposite side.
He was pleasantly surprised. He thanked me and asked how I got them. I explained I was a quick learner.
It didn’t take us too long to get ready to go. Dylan took a quick swim, just as I did. I remember watching his antics for that first time. He was always that sweet childish boy with an intelligent, but shy mind stuffed in his head.
He didn’t have the pleasure of going nude because I was awake, so he slipped on his jeans over a pair of wet boxers.
Dylan – Nothing like a morning swim to start off our quest.
He buttoned and zipped his jeans and started walking in the same direction we headed yesterday.
Luke – Hey, Dylan, I was thinking. Why are we looking so far in this direction? Maybe the others found him and are now looking for you and I.
Dylan – Oh. Yeah, maybe.
The tone of his response surprised me. He sounded disappointed, like I was letting him down.
Luke – Do you think we should just head back and check in with everyone?
He quickly went back to being upbeat.
Dylan – It’s not a bad idea. And we did sort of just disappear. They could be looking for us.
Luke – So it’s settled. We’ll head back.

On the way back Dylan immediately started walking in the ocean. Neither of us had shoes. He didn’t role up his jeans or anything, so the water just soaked up to his calves. I wasn’t as keen on soaking my clothes, so I rolled up my jeans and joined him in the ankle-deep water.
We continued to chat about anything we could think of. The more time we spent together, the more I felt connected and okay with being near him.
It’s like when you first meet someone. At first you think they could be your friend. You hope that he or she is similar and that you have something in common to talk about. And the more you speak, the more you are together, the more your hopes become true.
That is what I was experiencing with Dylan. I didn’t have to make things up about myself to try to be accepted by him. I could act and talk and, for once, just be myself.
We would talk about the surroundings, then move to teasing each other. We made up random nicknames. Then went to playing around and pushing each other.
Until I pushed him too hard and he tripped into the ocean. Which ended me staying dry, because he tackled me by the legs and I landed flat on my front in the water.
We then found a piece of bark that was mostly rotted through and lightly kicked it up the beach for half a mile or so. We would race to who would kick it next.
Given the circumstances, the walk back was one of the best times I’ve had in ages. I was able to get my mind off my brother and the fact that I was stranded on a deserted island. That I had no way of contacting my parents or the rest of humanity. Dylan was the only person in the world who knew where I was and what I was doing.
It was a good feeling being free of everything.
To be completely independent.

It took us all day to make it back and it wasn’t exactly like we were rushing.
I remember peaking around a bend in the trees and looking far ahead to see two people walking up the beach.
That comfortable feeling, where I could just act myself, instantly left my body. I saw the two start running towards us. I had no idea who they were, but it forced me to put that mask back on where I had to think and worry about how to act.

Zooey – Dylan!
One was female and yelled ahead.
She reached us much faster than the accompanying male.
She ran right up to Dylan and gave him a huge hug.
Zooey – Oh, Dylan, I didn’t know where you were. You had me so worried.
Dylan – I’m fine. I was just with Luke.
She didn’t acknowledge I was there. I only stood there awkwardly letting them have their reunion.
Zooey – Don’t ever do that again. Don’t leave me like that.
She was still holding him tight.
Dylan had an expression like he didn’t want to be near her.
The male caught up.
Ian – Where the fuck were you?
He grabbed Dylan by the arm and pulled him from the female.
Dylan stuttered.
Dylan – Uh..
He slapped him.
Ian – Excuse me? I’m talking to you. What the fuck were you doing?
Dylan – Um, I was just helping...
He gestured in my direction.
The guy looked at me quickly.
Ian – Helping? He looks fine to me.
The female grabbed Dylan again and gave him another hug. She again didn’t show any signs of seeing me.
Dylan – Yeah, he was just looking for...
Ian – I don’t care what the hell you were doing. You had Zooey beyond upset. Did you forget what happened and where we are?
Dylan – Uh, sorry. I was just trying..
Ian – No, I’ll tell you what you were doing.
He pulled Dylan away from Zooey’s grip.
Ian – You were being that pathetic retard you always are. You should be thankful that Zooey and I are here to care about you.
Dylan had a few tears in his eyes as the man was yelling only a few inches from his face.
Ian – Now let’s go.
He grabbed Dylan’s arm and pulled him away. Zooey was at Dylan’s opposite side.
I just stood there watching the three of them walk off.
Dylan turned his head around and looked back at me.
The look in his eyes said only one thing.