Island of Men

When the light began to come above the horizon I could feel how tired my limbs were from my furious paddling. I was thankful for the cloudless night and how easily I could see the stars. I knew that not many men had really learned enough of the sky to use it as their guide and for that I also thanked my father. He knew what he was doing with me.

I lay down in the canoe allowing the water to drift me where it would. I could only hope in the right direction, but nonetheless I had to rest. As I slept I dreamed of the woman again.

I knew in my reality that I had only seen women in paintings and pictures the men had drawn. We were taught about them, but never had I met one. The woman that came to me in my dreams, however, felt incredibly real.

I was sitting on a bench in a clearing. Trees surrounded the small clearing and wildflowers dotted the entire area. Suddenly a woman with long black hair emerges, loosely covered by a short blue dress that seemed to flow around her like water. She walked toward me, calling to me. Her eyes were calm and blue like the sky. As she grew closer I could hear what she was saying, "Jack, come to me."

With a jerk I awoke, causing the canoe to rock slightly from side to side. I was covered in sweat, either from the dream or the sun that beamed down on me I wasn't sure. I sat up gently, looking around for any land. It was nothing but water in every direction.

I reached into my pack, pulling out a piece of deer that had been cooked delicious the day before. Paired with a slice of bread I satisfied my hunger just enough for awhile. Just enough to give me strength to last until later in the day. I decided to take a gamble and paddled for awhile in the direction that felt right to me.

After awhile I grew tired again and pulled out a block of cheese that I picked at. I was surprisingly not as hungry as I expected. I wondered if I was getting sea sickness from being on the canoe for so long, but never having experienced this before I doubted that was the case. I was sure it was really nerves and pushed through eating as much as I could.

Being alone and drifting in the current gave me a lot of time to think and I wondered where the secrets would be that John had spoken of. His words had haunted me. Do not trust the women Jack. Do not stay Jack. Come home as soon as you can and dig through your house. Find the answers Jack. I know you of all people can save us. He had sounded so urgent when he spoke to me. I longed to be back on the island searching for these answers, but I could not. I could only hope that Derek would discover something.

It was getting dark again and I lay back to get a good look at the sky before paddling again. If I continued at this pace I hoped to reach the island in another day or so. Then again, did I really hope to reach it?

Paddling in the dark made me realize it was a new moon. I knew it would be dark, but it was especially dark as the light of the moon was not there to assist me. The water reflected the light from the stars, but it was not entirely the same. "A new moon", I thought to myself, "and a new beginning."

With that in mind I paddled as hard as I could through the night until the sun rose again, just like it had every day since the time I was born.