A True Friend
It had been days since I had last seen a single human being. The days on the island became as isolated as ever as I watched the days pass by. I was starving and just the thought of food made me hungrier every day. Worse, the only water that was easy to access on the island was the one surrounding it, but it was not drinkable. I had a powerful urge to scoop up some of the ocean water and quench my thirst, but I knew it would do nothing but worsen it. The only other water source was a lake in the center of the island, but a pack of wild pigs had dominated it, and none of those who I wished to mess with.
The wind shook the palm trees that grew no coconuts, whooshing and sweeping at its leaves. I wished for a companion on this treacherous journey for survival, but I knew that there was only a bunch of rascal pigs snorting and fighting for dominance continuously day and night. I could barely sleep with their screeches echoing inside my head. These pigs were no weak fighters; their sharp, spearlike teeth could easily tear me into two, so I had no intention to fight them defenseless. But water was just out of reach, and I was determined not to give it up.
That night, I thought about home. I missed knowing that I’ll have food on the table waiting for me every day. I missed my parents, and even my annoying older sister. I missed having a normal life. I recalled the day I washed up onto the shore, though it was all a blur. I heard people running and screaming for help as I had fallen down onto the cold, wet floor of the cruise liner. Then I was plunged into the water with thousands of other people. Most people made it to the lifeboats, but some, like me, did not fare as well as they did. I would be considered “lucky” to have at least reached land, but I did not feel as though I was even happy to be alive.
I rested on a large rock with only a palm leaf to shelter me from the crashing waves splashing water onto my face. The whole night was cold and wet as rain started to drop from the sky. I was lonely. I wished for a friend. And as I closed my eyes, a shooting star flew across the sky.
The next morning I woke up to a brown snout sniffing at my face. A bear? No. I knew it wasn’t a bear since the next thing the snout did was lick me with its long tongue! I finally got up to see a brownish golden retriever at my side. At least, it looked like one. The dog had many bruises and cuts from the wild and it even looked like he had lost a tooth or two! He licked me again and I smiled. I even laughed, the first time I had done so after arriving on the island.
We spent the day running around the island exploring the island. I felt confident with my new furry friend, for he was a brave and combative fighter. Before, when I was walking along the shore, he jumped into the water and strangled a fish! I named him Fisher. We ate the fish for dinner (which I praised Fisher for) raw and even though it would have been better cooked, the dinner still satisfied my stomach. The only factor needed now to survive on this island was water. Fisher led me to the lake with the hangry pigs slurping the water viciously. They barely noticed us until Fisher barked at them. The pigs all of a sudden turned around to face me and Fisher. They snorted back. Fisher, as if he understood, growled at them. Before I knew it, Fisher was slashing his claws at the pigs. The pigs backed away in retreat and ran away.
Calmly, Fisher dipped his snout into the water and lapped up the water. I scooped the fresh water into my hands and poured it into my mouth. My face brightened and I gave myself a few more scoops of water until finally gesturing to Fisher that it was time to go. We would play fetch with a small twig until the sun went down, and it was time to go to sleep. Now, I slept easily, knowing Fisher was by my side.
The next morning though, Fisher was missing. I called out to him frantically. Nothing. A storm was brewing above my head, but I didn’t care at all. All I cared about was Fisher. Thunder roared above my voice and the ferocious wind shook the palm trees wildly. And still, I found myself still calling out to Fisher. I refused to give up, and at last my hard work paid off. I heard faint barking in the distance. It was a miracle. That had to be Fisher! I was drenched, but I still kept running towards the barking. I could hear my heartbeat even through the sounds of thunder and wind.
My feet ached from the sharp sea glass piercing them. I recalled all of those memories with Fisher, when he tried to climb a tree but ended up falling into the ocean, digging in the sand, all of those fun memories. The memories powered me to go on. At last, I found myself standing at a river. That’s when I saw him. Fisher. He was hanging onto a tree branch for dear life. My heart leaped with joy as I saw him, but the other thing I saw terrified me. A crocodile. Its huge teeth would easily chomp Fisher in half! I had to do something. By now the crocodile was just a few feet away, and Fisher, no doubt, had seen it. Terrified, he barked frantically. With only a few minutes to spare, I immediately got to work. Quickly I pulled Fisher by the paw just before the crocodile managed to chomp into him.
The crocodile retreated into the swampy river. Panting I looked over to Fisher. We stood in silence for a while. Then we left. We walked along the sandy beach where the sun was setting. We passed many palm trees. We jumped over branches that had fallen during the storm, and swooped low underneath the vines. Then we were home. I felt relieved, but tired. So tired that I plopped down onto the soft leaf bed I had crafted for myself. And I fell asleep.
5 years later…
I had been living on the island for nearly 6 years. I missed my family, and a lot of things, but at least I still had Fisher. Not only was he a friend, he also had helped me survive. But today, that was the day that this would all end.
In the distance, I saw a cruise liner sailing nearby. I frantically yelled and screamed hoping they’d hear me. They did. The gigantic ship docked at the beach. The captain and his crew peeked out from the railings. They were the first human beings I had seen in 6 years. Of course, they were staring at me. My clothes were rags. My hair was wildly shaped. Worst of all, I probably smelled.
The captain finally got down and started speaking to me in English slowly, as if he wasn’t sure if I even knew how to speak. I replied shakily, for I hadn’t spoken English very often in the past years. We went back and forth like that until the captain finally gestured for me to get onto the ship. I gestured to Fisher. He shook his head. No. I had no choice. I got onto the ship and watched as the island grew smaller and smaller. Fisher was gone.
3 months later…
By now, I had grown accustomed to city life. I got into a surprisingly good college as well. The sight of my family just filled me with joy. Best of all, the food. But one thing was missing. Fisher.
Everyday I had nightmares recalling the moment I had left him. When I did somehow manage to sleep, the next morning I would hear his howls of sadness replaying inside my head. As I got into bed, I thought of Fisher. I just wanted him back. And as I closed my eyes, a shooting star flew across the sky.
The next morning was my first day of college. I went to the bus stop to take the bus there, but something halted me. It was a brown golden retriever. I knew it was Fisher. He leapt into my arms and I hugged him right, refusing to let go. He would be my friend forever.
The End