He saw something unusual on his beach. He knew what it was and he didn't know how he felt about it. He recognizes it as a man. He has a flash back to the one who took his mother from him. He's angry because he was only 14 but something draws him to the body. He leaves the safety of the canopy he's known for so many years to confront his feelings of
Curiosity. He inches twords the body on the beach and watches it closely.
It's been many years since he's seen another person and he isn't too sure what it's like to be one. He picks up a stick and pokes him. He didn't move but he makes a small groan. He steps back and waits to see if he does anything. He didn't. He moves in and picks up his torso and drapes it over him while he squats. His arms just dangle and his head hangs. He looks down at the unconscious body and he feels something he never felt before. He leans over the body exploring the face more. He keeps getting closer until the body springs to life.
He drops him on the sand and runs back to his safe trees. "hey wait!" He hears but he's not stopping. "I can't keep up with you!" He yells as runs after him. "please wait! Are there other people here or are you some kind of Tarzan?" He stops. Tarzan. He remembers the stories and had always called himself that but had never heard it out loud. He keeps walking but he lets him catch up. "do you speak English Tarzan?"
"My name's not Tarzan it's..." He pauses. He can't remember his name! He gets angry and picks up a rock and throws it against a tree. The rock breaks and he jumps as Tarzan keeps walking. "My name is James. Where are we?"
"No where close to humans." The forest thickens and James grabs onto Tarzan's shoulder. James tries to ask more question but doesn't get any answers. The foliage gets thicker and thicker as they get farther away from the beach.
Tarzan moves quickly through the thick forest making it hard for James to keep up but eventually Tarzan slows down and James looks around in awe.
"Did you build this?" James says still in awe.
"my mom did."
"This is amazing." James says as he follows Tarzan up the stairs.
"Your mom? Tell me all about your self. I feel like you have a very interesting story. I mean you're an adult man living in the jungle."
"You're the stranger here. I need to know about you." They get up into the tree house and James looks around with out being able to say anything. It was just like something out of a book. There were wooden chairs tied together with rope made of vines, random items that most likely washed up on shore and then something James wasn't expecting. A picture. A picture of Tarzan wearing clothes and with trimmed hair. There's something familiar about it but I can't put my finger in it.
"When did you take this picture?" He tucks his hair behind his ear and looks at me awkward. "That's not me."
"It looks exactly like you." James says trailing off.
"Is it what I think it is?"
"If what you're thinking is my father dead, then yes." James looks down and sits in a chair. "Oh..." He says quietly.
"Do you actually feel bad?" Tarzan says with a single laugh that suggested condescention. "He was an asshole. Im here because of him. My mom died here because of him." Tarzan felt weird talking about it. He hasn't talked to another person let alone about that.
"What happened?" James asked looking up as Tarzan crossed the floor towards James. "Nothing. Tell me about you. Who are you? Why are you even here?" Tarzans tone isn't indicative of any emotion.
"Well my name's James. I was on a friend's boat when we went out too far and I fell off. Speaking of which has anybody else shown up on this island?" He shakes his head. "No."
"Is there any possibility?"
"No. I know everything that happens on the island and you're the only new thing."
"Is.."
"no."
"Why are you so defensive?"
"Why do you keep asking the same questions?"
"I'm just worried about my friend that I was with. I'm sure you can understand that?"
"No every body I've thought I was friends with ended up being worse than the worst thing you could find in this place." James is a little shocked and doesn't know how to react.
"Hey there's got to be something good about this place?"
Tarzan shakes his head and leaves through the door. "Hey where are you going?"
"I'm hungry."
"Well I'll come and help."
"The hell you will. You'll scare all of the pigs away before I can even get close."
"Well..... Okay.."
"Don't touch anything and just sit right there." before another word Tarzan disappears back into the woods.
"I guess I'll stay here." James says to himself. He looks around a bit more, mainly just finding cool shells and glass bottles.
"I haven't been this tired in a long time. I'm sure he'll be gone for a while so it wouldn't hurt to sleep before he gets back."
James feels a cool breeze that makes him shiver and he reaches down to pull his shirt over his stomach but when he opens his eyes all he sees are 2 eyes staring back at him. He sqweeks and sits up as fast as he could.
"What were you doing?" James asked, his heart still racing from the shock. "Come down here. I killed one." Tarzan leaves before James can ask anymore questions. James can feel the heat left from Tarzan hands on his stomach and cheek. "He has obviously been in the jungle too long."
James climbs down the stairs and meets Tarzan by the fire he had the pig cooking over. It was obviously a young one but it was still a good size. The thought of eating the tiny pieces he had ripped apart made James dry heave a little. James was too hungry to turn down the protein and he did his best to stomach the meat.
James didn't say much more while he was eating and neither did Tarzan. They finished eating and went back up into the house. James picks a corner and pulls the chair next to him and gets comfortable. Well as comfortable as possible. Tarzan climbs onto his bamboo bed and looks at James."what are you doing?"
"I'm getting ready to go to bed."
"You're going to get too cold. Come over here and get under the pig skin." James went to move but then thought about Tarzan and his hands earlier.
"No I'll be fine. Over here."
"You're stupid but if you want to freeze and get eaten by the bugs be my guest. Homophobia is not a good thing to have now that you're stuck here."
"Well I'm going to get off this island. My friends will call the police and report me missing. Plus I'm not a homophobe."
Tarzan laughs. "Yeah they didn't find me and my mom but they'll definitely find you." The sarcasm makes James hold his tongue. "When they search for me maybe they will find us and take us back home." Tarzan was a little shocked at the 'us' part.
" Us? This is my home. I have no life out there."
"You want to die here? You don't want to go back to modern civilization?"
"I have the education of a 8th grader. Modern civilization is a completely different universe. I like it here and this is where Ive been for most of my life and this is where I'll stay. No one out there wants me there."
"That doesn't mean you can't go back? I'm sure someone is out there missing you."
"That's exactly what it means. I have no one out there no where to go I don't even remember that much about people or how to be human."
"Well you're not doing a bad job. You seem more normal than I thought you'd be." Tarzan looks off into the distance and thinks for a little while but then stops and responds quickly.
"Well it doesn't matter because I'm not going back."
"Okay. I can't make you but I'm going back."
"Good." Tarzan says quietly to himself. He rolls over under the jungle version of covers and falls asleep without another word from either of them.
You have survived the first chapter!!! I wish you luck on your further endeavors.