Living Legends

37) Aftermath

TWO MONTHS LATER

Hayley sat on the wooden dock, swinging her legs lazily over the blue-green water as she stared into the sunset.  Her camera dangled from its strap around her neck, exactly where it should be.  On her left was Gran, who had a half-smile on her wrinkled face; and on Hayley's right was tall, skinny Oliver.

            Things had finally quieted down after Hayley, Oliver, and Jack returned to Palmetto Bay.  After numerous interviews, both in newspapers and on television (all of which Jack had avoided), the case of the missing persons Hayley Slade, Clyde Pickett, and the rest of the men came to a close.  The coast guard had planned to use Oliver's coordinates to return to the shell-shaped island, but those coordinates had been inconveniently erased and Hayley's cell phone unfortunately destroyed.  Thus the treasure was kept secret.

            The story Hayley told to the press was this: she had wandered into the jungle during one of The Queen Francis' island stops, where she accidentally ran into Clyde's men.  They were planning a treasure hunt, and since Hayley had heard valuable information, they kidnapped her.  Jack had been stuck in the same scenario months earlier and stranded on another island.  From there, minus all the magical clues and actual discovery of the treasure, the rest was the same: Oliver rescued Hayley, they found Jack, and they returned home.

            Though this story fascinated the public, Jack's tale of how he'd escaped from the blowhole—which he told to Hayley in private—was even more appalling.  The current flowing from the tidepool to the blowhole had sucked him inside the cave, as Hayley had thought.  Jack described it as being pulled in all directions and tumbled like a ragdoll in a washing machine.  He had been thrown against the walls of the cave multiple times until he was bloodied and disoriented.  Just as he had been sucked up towards the sharp spikes leading to the blowhole, the current ceased to flow, and the waters receded.  As Jack's limp body sank to the bottom, the cave slowly became a pool again, and there he had lain amid the blood and gore of Clyde and his men.

            Once Jack came to, he had gathered all his strength and swam back through the tunnel and up to the tidepool.  He had lain in the sand weak, bloodied, and bruised, but eventually made his way to the clearing, where he had eaten leftover food and drank some water from the men's backpacks.

            "We must have just missed each other," Jack told Hayley afterwards.  "I probably arrived at the clearing after you and Oliver had already left.  The sandwiches and water built up my strength a bit, so when I suddenly heard three of Clyde's men marching through the jungle, I ran.  I headed straight for the bay, and that's when I saw you in the boat."

            Once again, Hayley was astounded at Jack's strength and will to survive.  After they returned to Palmetto Bay, Hayley's life resumed as normal.  She went to college, worked on her photography portfolio, and (reluctantly) continued her job at Coco's as a waitress.  She especially enjoyed her time with Gran.  If anything, their separation had brought them even closer together.

            "I knew that boat trip was good for you!" Gran had exulted one evening when they were sitting in front of her new HD TV (a hard-fought victory for Hayley).

            "Good for me?" Hayley had echoed, her jaw dropping in surprise.  "I was kidnapped, for heavens' sake!"

            "Besides that, honey.  All bad things aside, you had the experience of a lifetime as well as the opportunity to meet two very handsome young men."  Gran winked.

            Now, as Hayley sat on the dock, her cheeks flushed with remembrance.  Oliver she couldn't imagine as "handsome."  He was too awkward; too lanky.  He meant well, but he wasn't her type.