The Sunny Island

When Joshua looked at his hands, he knew what he has done. Almost immediately, he found Daisy.

“Bebe! What have you done!” She gasped, like her tear was about to burst.

“Come into my cabin.” He said calmly.

The cabin was, of course, made of wood, the only material Joshua can use on this island.

~∞~

He has reached every corner of this island last year in June, or so he thought. Daisy, Oliver, Ivy, Oscar and he walked along the beach for three sunny days. And in the last night, Oliver found the mark they left on the beach.

Oliver was a successful guy. Joshua found him the second day he arrived. Oliver came out of nowhere and suggested to build a house.

“A man cannot live without a house.” He said and started to chop down woods with his axe he found in the forest. Now the axe is Joshua’s.

~∞~

“I am sorry,” Joshua set on the chair Oliver built for him. “I didn’t know why I did that.”

He has washed his hands, and he covered his face with them. Though it was clear in his sound that his face was full of tears, he didn’t want Daisy to see him cry.

Daisy hugged him and whispered to his ear, “That’s okay baby, I am sure he would forgive you. Now, where is he?”

“He’s behind his cabin. I know, it is close to mine. And the police may come any second.” He was scared, and he cried like Daisy always do.

~∞~

They found Daisy crying next to the sea. Oliver guessed she might be a young college girl. Her hair waves in the wind. She was beautiful, but Joshua had carried only distain for her.

“She won’t stop crying,” he said to Oliver, “Go to her if you want. Save her and be a prince. But I know she would be a pleasant company, she cries too much and that is annoying.

“If you say so,” Oliver said confidently. “A girl like her deserves to be saved. I will invite her to dinner and build her a cabin tomorrow.”

He patted on the girl’s back and sat down next to her. She told him a story that was never been told again, therefore, Joshua himself never knew. But there are more that he don’t know, like what Oscar is up to everyday.

~∞~

“Maybe Oscar would know what to do. He must have hided stuff from the police, before.” Daisy suggested.

“You really think so?” Joshua asked. He felt the creep just by thinking of him.

Daisy nodded sweetly like a little bird. She found a piece of metal board from a drawer. Joshua had never open that drawer, and he was surprised how his girlfriend seemed to know this place better than he did. But then he remembered how Daisy love collecting little things and store them.

“He would like this.” She smiled. “Let’s go.”

“Alright, I’ll lead.”

~∞~

Daisy and Joshua found Oscar’s cabin, it looked exactly the same as Joshua’s. Sometimes he can’t tell them apart and opened Oscar’s door. The inside was identical too, only that Oscar would be nervous and chase him out of the room. It was like he had some serious secrets.

When Oscar first came, he was a quiet dude. He did not share his words through speeches, nor through emotions. He was still like an old tree. After a while, he started to interact with the others, but never did he spoke about himself.

Joshua would say that he don’t say much even till now, but Daisy would disagree.

~∞~

“Knock, Knock.” Said Daisy.

“Daisy?” Answered Oscar, “Just a sec.”

Oscar was putting a few glasses bottle into a box. These glass bottles are like the round potion bottles, only that Oscar didn’t know what they were for. He had been trying to figure out without using too much of them. Then he took a dagger and wore it on his waist. The dagger was a gift from Daisy. He covered the dagger with a black leather coat and opened the door.

“Hi Daisy,” He said, smiling. He hasn’t see Joshua.

“You look great!” Daisy said, taking his hand. “What is the coat for?”

“I just had this feeling you would take me out today.” He smiled and walked out of the door. By surprise, he saw Joshua. “What is he here for?”

~∞~

Oscar never ever smiled at him this brightly. Joshua was totally annoyed seeing him smiling at Daisy. He knew he should keep her away from him.

He couldn’t help reminding himself of the longest conversation he had with Oscar.

They were in the forest searching for woods. And Oscar began to talk.

“I wouldn’t be surprised seeing you all lonely in the end.” He gave a smug smile, seemed to Joshua a mocking smile.

“Hey, what do you mean by that!” He pushed him on the shoulder.

“Look at you! Do you even like any of us? We’re probably gonna be your lifetime friend. You only possible friends.”

He sounded so certain, that made Joshua scared. Maybe once in a while he still dreamed of leaving this island and meet some people. He would imagine finding some people, even if just someone who he don’t naturally disliked.

“Hey, why the down face? Don’t look so worried. We…all sort of need you here.”

“I know, I’m the first one here, I probably know more than any of you do.”

~∞~

“He…needs your help.” Daisy pulled Joshua closer.

“Don’t say it like that, bebe.”

“He killed someone, and I thought you might know some more things.”

“Uh-ha.” He raised his eye browse. “I might be more into those thing, but Ivy knows more…Who did you kill?”

Joshua knew he was joking, Ivy can’t be stupider, that’s why she ended up with Oliver. “Who else can it be? Just the five of us on this island. Oliver, of course. And I’m not expecting that girl to give us ideas.”

~∞~

He actually knew better. Thinking about this, Joshua recalled that Ivy might not have been such a dummy before seeing Oliver.

When he first found her in the forest, she was sitting in a tent like house she built for herself. In front of the house was a pile of charcoal and ashes, surrounded by stones. Clearly, she had made herself some fire and nice, warm dinner too.

“Oh hi, what’s your name?” Joshua asked.

“Ivy. Got here by accident. You?”

“I don’t even know, just woke up here someday.”

“Name?”

“Joshua, call me Josh.”

“Okay Josh. Are you with others?” She took out a bag and started to talk things in. Leftover food and a few usable tools.

“Yes, Oscar, Oliver, and this girl called Daisy. We can build you a house.”

“Sounds great.” She gave a typical ‘okay, I’m ready’ smile, and walked beside Joshua.

For one moment, Joshua thought he liked her.

~∞~

Oscar lead them to Daisy’s house. Josh hasn’t been here for quite a while. He looked at this house they built together. This house that looked exactly the same as the other ones.

“Why don’t I go talk to her first.” Daisy suggested, “She must be heart broken.”

Joshua and Oscar nodded and stood unwillingly with each other, a few steps away from the house.

Daisy knocked and Ivy came out.

“Daisy! Look at this dress I found! It’s so pretty, isn't it! Oliver is gonna love it!” She showed around her dress, pink, like the color she claimed herself to be.

“Oliver was gonna love it. I am so sorry…” Daisy cried, her tears just couldn’t help it.

“You mean he’s dead?”

“Yes, I am so, so sorry. I should have brought this to you lighter.”

“No, are you SURE he’s dead. As in, his cold and will never see and talk and sense anything again?”

“Yes. Aren’t you sad?” Daisy wept her tears and looked at Ivy’s almost-gonna-laugh-too-hard expression.

“No. I mean, yes. But like, what happened?”

“Joshua killed him.” Daisy couldn’t believe it. For from the bottom of her romantic heart, she believed them to be the perfect couple. So did Joshua from a distance.

“Well let’s go bury him.” She said. “Let me get my bag.”

~∞~

Ivy had with her, in her bag, all the things she could possibly need. And she told Josh all about it.

“And you know,” she laughed, “ There was one time my friends and I went to the beach, and everyone was like, ‘oh we need sunscreen’ and I was like ‘here!’ Cold water? Here! And everyone was like ‘why did you bring so much things!’ And I was like, always prepared. I mean like, that’s me!”

They laughed, so hard and carefree that they didn’t notice they were in front of Oliver’s house.

And the moment Ivy saw Oliver, she became a completely different person.

Josh never heard that carefree laugh since then. Till later.

~∞~

“Guys,” Ivy ordered. “Put him in this bag. Daisy, take this shovel for me.”

“Are we just going to bury him?” Daisy asked, couldn’t stop crying.

“I don’t see why not.” She picked up the body with Joshua. “Follow me, I know a place. I mean, like, we’re in a forest, he’s murdered, you guys are afraid of the police for some reason. We could do him a funeral but, I’m not really into that kind of stuff you know. This is fine, and maybe tell a few funny story of him.”

“Does none of you think it’s sad!” Daisy cried like a flower in the rain.

Maybe we should leave this place together, Joshua thought.

A few days later, the four of them wondered at the beach. Under the blazing sun, Ivy handed out sunscreen from her bag, while Joshua listened to her stories. Oscar ran to the sea and got a hand full of salty water to splash on Daisy. She dodged and laughed, not so loudly, just enough to show she’s happy.

They saw a boat, just about far to enter their sight.

Ivy gave Josh a whistle, gave Daisy an orange flag, gave Oscar a mirror and herself a paper with smoky fire.

They waved and shouted and held one another.

The boat came, and a man walked on to the beach.

“Thank you for coming to save us, sir.” Joshua said.

“What do you mean by us?”

“I am Joshua, this is Ivy, and Daisy. There, Oscar.” He introduced.

“Josh,” The man looked confused. “Should I remind you that you are pointing to the air? Look, I don’t get much time, so could you just come on. Unless there is really someone out there in the woods.”

“But they are right here.”

“Just come on, boy, I don’t know if you’re crazy or something.”

“But…”

On the boat. Joshua slowly laid down his stuff on his sit, as the sunny island disappeared.

A whistle. An orange flag. A mirror. A burned paper. Sunscreen.

And a bag filled with everything.