Living Legends

13) The Adventures of Oliver

            She had a good fifteen-minute start ahead of him, but it looked like she had settled in just fine on her own little section of the beach.  Oliver sullenly plopped down in the sand and forced himself not to make eye contact.  He suddenly realized he had no plan other than to follow Hayley to the island.  Great.  Just great.

            He sighed and waited patiently.  For the next half-hour, he watched and waited and felt himself getting more and more sunburnt.  Tourists splashed in the warm water.  Oliver sneaked a glance at Hayley in his peripheral vision and saw her taking pictures.  People laughed and talked as they built sandcastles on the shore.  Hayley had moved back to her towel and was sunbathing.  Others were sunbathing now too.  Oliver realized his sunburn was getting worse—and he felt an awful lot like a stalker.  This wasn’t the first time he had followed Hayley without her knowing.  He had snuck up behind her on many occasions, but never actually worked up the courage to give away he was on the same boat.  What an awkward confrontation that would be—and Oliver was already plenty awkward to begin with.  Now he could add Ultimate Stalker Status to his list of faults.

            He frowned and let out another sigh.  Well, at least I’ve accomplished something today: I’ve set foot on my first deserted island.

            Yes, this was the first island Oliver had visited, and so far it wasn’t living up to his expectations.  But then again, what did he expect? Carnivorous plants and shrieking monkeys chucking coconuts from palm trees? Maybe the better question was what he didn’t expect—which included happy-go-lucky tourists splashing in the water and tromping all over the beach.  They kind of took out the “deserted” in “deserted island.”

            He sighed for a third time and lay back down in the sand.  The hot sun was burning his skin to a crisp, but he didn’t mind.  His fair skin could use a little tan anyway.  Or sunburn.  Whichever came first.

            Before long, his eyelids drooped closed and he drifted off into a quiet nap.  He didn’t awake until a few hours later, when the loud chattering of teenagers jolted him out of his sleep.  He sat up and rubbed his eyes, puzzled at his surroundings for a few seconds.  Then he remembered.

            “Oh.”  He yawned and scratched his head.  His glasses were perched crookedly on his nose, so he righted them and sat up straight to keep them from slipping down any further.  He suddenly remembered what he was doing and why he was here.

            Hayley.  He sneaked another glance in her direction, hoping she hadn’t strolled along the beach and seen him without Oliver knowing.  Then he gasped.  Crap! She’s gone!

            He leaped to his feet.  An older gentleman reading a magazine glanced up at him.  “Hey, you were blocking the sun for me.  Can you sit back down?”

            “N-no.  Sorry,” Oliver stammered, too flustered to give a decent reply.  He sped off towards the place where Hayley had been sitting.  Her towel was still there, but her clothes were gone.  Wherever she went, it’s not the water, he mused.  He swept his gaze over the beach just to make sure he wasn’t overreacting.

            She definitely wasn’t on the beach.  So where is she? Oliver had heard the captain give specific instructions not to leave the area.  She has to be here.  She has to.

            After a few minutes of searching, it was clear where Hayley wasn’t—the beach.

            That left only two options—the ocean or the jungle.  Oliver knew for a fact she wasn’t in the water.  With a prickly feeling, he turned towards the jungle and swallowed.  Hayley, I hope you’re not in there…

            For all Oliver knew, there could be a hidden spring filled with deadly piranhas or giant Venus flytraps just waiting to devour any person within their reach.  He gasped and quickly shook those thoughts from his mind.

            Suddenly, a voice rang out above the hordes of passengers swarming the beach.  “Attention! Please gather your belongings and return to the rowboats.  Everyone needs to leave the shore within the next fifteen minutes.  Pick up any trash as well.”

            Oliver’s heart sank.  No.  No, no, no! He took one more furtive glance towards the jungle before scurrying away.  He found Hayley’s belongings and stared intently at her towel, which was lying exactly where she had left it.  If there was a moment where Oliver wished someone could appear out of thin air, this was it.

            “Come on, Hayley,” he muttered.  “Where are you?”  He grew anxious as more and more passengers were loaded into the rowboats.  Everyone was leaving.  Towels were lifted off the sand.  Food wrappers and Coke cans were picked up by the crew and stashed into plastic bags to preserve the identity of the island.  Before long, the only things remaining on the beach were footprints, sandcastles, and Hayley’s towel.

            And Oliver.

            “Sir! Sir, everyone is leaving.  You have to get in the boat.”  A crew member pointed a finger at Oliver, then at the boat halfway filled with tourists.  Some were scowling impatiently and some looked worn-out from lounging in the sun and saltwater all day.

            Oliver glanced over his shoulder at the jungle.  He gestured towards Hayley’s towel.  “Uh, I think there’s…um…”

            “Oh, someone must have left it.”  The sailor quickly snatched Hayley’s towel and draped it over one shoulder.  “Don’t worry, we’ll find out who it belongs to.”

            Oliver swallowed.  “No, that’s not…I m-mean…” He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration.

            “Sir, you have to come with me to the rowboat,” the sailor said impatiently.

            Oliver violently shook his head.

            “Now,” he added.

            Oliver frowned.  “Y-you don’t understand.  Someone’s in trouble.  L-lots of trouble! Her name is—”

            The sailor rolled his eyes and helped Oliver to his feet.  “Alright, who’s in trouble? What’s going on?”

            Oliver froze when he spotted a shock of brown hair over the sailor’s shoulder.  He stepped to the side to get a better view.  There, in one of the rowboats already headed back to The Queen Francis, was Hayley!

            He breathed a sigh of relief, mentally chastising himself for being such a worrywart.  “N-nothing,” he stuttered.

            “Good.  Let’s head back, then.”

            Oliver had never been more relieved to set foot on a boat.  He eagerly took a seat next an acne-ridden teenager, bracing himself for the bumpy ride back to The Queen Francis.  Back to dinner.  Back to his normal routine.  And, eventually, back to Florida and his college lifestyle.

            I’m never taking another boat tour again.