Visited by the Dreams

Chapter 20 - Clues

Nighttime found Greg and Susan approaching their first real island in many miles. Their own island was now a mere distortion on curve of the horizon, and they found themselves speculating over how far they’d come. The island they were approaching was also one they were fairly certain they’d seen smoke coming from not long after the crash. Fearing what they might find if they went ashore, they anchored themselves in a deep water cove, vowing to wait until morning before exploring the shore.

Susan awoke sometime after daybreak to find the boat moving beneath her. Startled, she hurried to the stern to find Greg there at the helm.

“Good morning,” he said, sounding much more like himself. “Feeling better?”

“Am I feeling better? Isn’t that something I should be asking you?”

“We both deserve to feel better actually,” Greg confirmed. “I am. I was hoping that you were too.”

“I slept better,” she acknowledged, turning her attention to their surroundings. “Where are we?”

“About a quarter of the way around the island we stopped at last night.”

“Have you seen anything?” she asked. She didn’t need to specify what. From her tone he knew what it was she feared.

“Not so far.”

He’d barely said that when they rounded a point and were greeted with a scene not unlike the one they’d witnessed two days before.

“Do you want to go ashore?” Greg asked.

Susan stared at the bits of brightly colored fabric partially buried on the sandy shore.

“No. Do you?”

Greg surveyed the island.

“Not really. This island is small. The only other beach we passed wasn’t big enough to land. If there were anyone left, they would be here.”

Susan nodded vaguely, biting her lip. Greg arched a brow.

“I know we don’t want to … but maybe we should … just to be sure we’re seeing the same thing. Who knows, maybe we can find some sort of a clue that might tell us more about who did this or how these people were found,” Susan said.

“We don’t have to stay long,” she said, correctly reading his expression.

Greg’s arched brow grew higher.

“Unfortunately, you are correct. We need to know more if we are to escape this same fate,” Greg reluctantly agreed.

Susan met his eyes, offering unspoken support as their decision was made. Greg directed the Oyster towards the shore and they set anchor as close to the sand as they dared.

Once again Greg and Susan waded ashore and walked amongst the remains of former passengers and fellow survivors from the crash. Here there was no evidence any sort of shelter had ever been made. A gray raft sat amongst the trees, and a huge bonfire was in the middle of where the passengers lay.

“They didn’t even have a jungle to hide in,” Susan commented.

“This island isn’t that large. They had no place to go,” Greg said in dismay. “But the presence of the fire is a constant between the two sites.”

Susan nodded. “Can you see anything else that might be a clue?”

“Not much, apart from the presence of the raft and the debris which clearly identifies them as passengers,” Greg said.