The sun was setting, and his burnt skin felt soothed by the cool sea breeze. Henry finished his work by pulling in the last load of shrimp. The net was full. The shrimp fell in piles on the deck, tiny crabs were scurrying sideways to get away from the place, and small fish were jumping among the shrimp, but something unusual caught the fisherman's eye. Normally, the nets would catch debris or rubbish from the seabed, such as boots, boxes, cans, and the occasional bottle. However, this bottle had something in particular, besides being a bottle of expensive wine, inside it was a series of rolled-up pages.
Henry removed his gauntlets and examined the bottle closely. He pulled back the cork to reach inside. The pages were intact, scrawled in an unknown language. Possibly it must contain an important message, but even so, he would have to wait until he got home, he knew well enough who could decipher the long message contained in those pages.
It was not until nightfall that Henry was able to reach his home. He always walked up the mountain path to get there, and it took him a long time because of the load of fish and shrimp he carried on his shoulders.
After being greeted with appreciation by his family, Henry asked about Julia, his daughter, who was the only one of his children who decided to study a career after finishing school.
They were about to have dinner, so he finished grooming himself before showing the pages to his daughter.
Julia was very interested in what her father had found. The strange language written on the bundle of sheets of paper was Portuguese. Luckily, Julia had a computer and used the translator to decipher the message.
Many of the pages had different dates, suggesting that it was written in different periods.
"Dear stranger," began the voluminous bundle of papers.
"I really don't know how to begin this letter, but I feel very fortunate that it has been found. I am lost; I can't say I am alone, for a 17-year-old girl to be shipwrecked with her parents and land on a desert island is not quite living with the best company, I hope you understand what I mean.
This was very unexpected.
Anyway, let's start from the beginning...
It all started with the summer holidays on a luxury cruise ship; things were going great, and life was perfect. The place was totally fancy, with a spectacular concert venue, more than 10 pools with warm water (phew, how I miss warm water), 24-hour room service, a large bar with exotic drinks, and many other amenities that I no longer have, as far as you can assume.
Unfortunately (that's the only word I can use to describe what happened, in a polite way), a big storm hit our boat, causing us to lose our way and crash into a reef. People screamed all around, a big blackout, mad ones pushing and shoving and stomping, it was a catastrophe.
Thankfully, we managed to get on a survival raft, drifting for more than two days until we finally reached this island. I can't complain, it's a beautiful place, with white sands, crystal clear waters, palm trees and a variety of exotic flowers and thank heavens, fruit as well. But, to my misfortune, there is no civilization signal and to top it all off, my mobile phone is dead. No more Instagram, TikTok, not even Twitter, can you imagine?
I have no idea when I'll be able to check my social media again."
Julia paused, pursed her lips and looked down.
Poor girl, she doesn't know Twitter's name changed
She shook her head and kept reading
"Normally, ordinary people, I mean, like me, would go crazy being trapped in a place as small as this, cut off from the whole world, without the remotest possibility of communication with the rest of the planet. But for my parents, it was like continuing their holiday. They never had the comforts and luxuries I was given as a child, they used to live in a small village, forgotten by time, where they had to chop wood for cooking, fetch water in large containers (every day) far from home and the medical service was a man who came to their house once a Lent. So for them, this was normal.
As soon as we arrived, my mother rolled up her sleeves and the first thing she did was to make a broom and clean and organize much of the beach; obviously, I had to help her. While we were doing that, we collected fruits and herbs to feed ourselves. My father, on the other hand, went into the interior of the island and found a nice place where he made a big fire and built a home, much like the place where he was born, with walls, roofs, rooms, even doors!
It is amazing to witness what necessity does, everything he had at hand was used for something, my father completely dismantled the raft and used much of it to make the roof, some machetes, spears, and fishing rods. My mother was delighted to find some plants, from which she made the weaving material for some hammocks.
It was a relief, to be at the top, no more ants or bugs were crawling on my body and face. Just remembering it gives me the creeps.
It's clear that this didn't happen overnight, but my parents could be living in hell and they wouldn't even notice."
Everyone in Henry's house was mute, attentive to what the letter said.
"One day, while my parents were asleep, I set out to explore the island and was surprised to discover a hidden cave. When I gathered up the courage to enter, I was thrilled to see that the cave was full of treasures: ancient coins, perhaps Galleons? I don't know; as I mentioned before, my phone died a long time ago, so it was impossible for me to know what kind of coins they were. I found necklaces and precious stones, too. I was in awe of the beauty around me and felt like I was the queen of Portugal."
"She said she had a treasure?" asked Julia's mother, her eyes wide.
Everyone at the table moved closer to hear more clearly. Julia kept reading.
"With a handful of them, I could buy a helicopter and return to civilization, to the modern era, to electricity. Dreaming didn't cost anything.
Anyway, I must confess that life has become a daily routine on the island, between lighting the fire and fetching water and food, the days slip by like the sea in the sand. Fortunately for us, the island had a source of fresh water, a spring about 45 minutes from our new home. The annoying thing was to go there and back every day for water. Which we did before dark to avoid any danger. I miss how easy it was to turn on a faucet and have water come to your hands without having to take a step.
From my point of view, it isn't all bad; I spend the day swimming, I enjoy walking around barefoot and wearing little clothing, and I have a tan that all my friends would kill for.
I find the local flora fascinating, according to my mother, almost everything is eaten and if not, it is medicinal or firewood.
Dad has found a new hobby: gardening. He likes to grow his own food. He loves to watch the seedlings grow and get stronger, despite the insects and other bugs that tend to eat them.
It's Christmas, or so we think, Dad has cut down a tree and we've decorated it as if it were a Christmas tree. Of course, we will use it for firewood when it dries, but the thought is what counts.
Merry Christmas, dear stranger...
I miss my friends...
Happy New Year, dear stranger
This year I'm sure someone will rescue us and if you're wondering why I haven't thrown this letter into the sea it's because I still can't get a bottle to carry it in.
Thank goodness! I have found the perfect bottle, the sea always drags things and deposits them on the shore of the beach, bless global pollution and how careless people are.
It is ironic to think that my father was right, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
I hope this letter quickly reaches someone who will rescue us.
By the way, about the treasure, I lied, but I had to get your attention somehow. Please send help; I'm tired of banana leaves. I would die for a roll of toilet paper.
Sincerely yours,
Gabriela De Sousa.
A wrecked girl on an island."
"And that was the last page," Julia added.
Everyone was silent
Henry, her father, cleared his throat
"What's the date on the letter?"
Julia searched through the pages until she found the first page, they both glanced at the date and were astonished.
The letter was dated five years ago.
"Possibly they must have been rescued by now," said the father, not quite sure.
"I've got an idea!" exclaimed Julia.
She opened the search engine in the browser and researched about the girl and the shipwreck. Her brow furrowed for a few minutes, then her face relaxed and a smile was painted on her lips.
A digital newspaper had a small report about the rescued castaways. After two years of searching, the authorities finally found them, fortunately, the people were in good physical health.
On a particular note, Mr. and Mrs. De Sousa were so used to life on the island that they decided to visit it once a year for the rest of their lives.
