Chapter 5 ~ The Silver Tree

The Island

When the fog finally lifted Charity found herself drifting toward the most beautiful beach she had ever seen. The pure white sand stood out brilliantly against the teal blue of the ocean. The large sky above merged flawlessly into the water making it hard to tell where one ended and the other began. In a nearby coral reef colorful fish darted around happily amongst the rocks. The ocean splashed white capped waves against the untouched shoreline as a calming ocean breeze swept through the beach and rustled the leaves in the trees.

A lush green jungle surrounded the opposite side of the beach. All she could see for miles on either side were trees and sand. There were no animals. Not even a tiny bug. She walked to a nice cool spot underneath the shade of a tree. The trees formed a thick barrier that made it hard to see further inland. The only thing beyond them was a large dark mountain peaking through the clouds casting a shadow across the far end of the beach.

The scene was so peaceful Charity could hardly believe it was real. All the colors around her were so vivid it was like looking into a painting. Everything appeared so quiet and untouched she was unsure if the island was even inhabited. Suddenly a bird's call rang out causing her to look back into the dense line of trees. She had the strangest feeling someone or something was watching her. Unfortunately she was unable to find the source of the feeling.

A pair of small beady birds eyes watched her as she sat on the sand. She was unable to see them hidden behind the branches of the tree though she was looking straight at it. Then with a flash of feathers the bird was gone barely shaking the leaves which were concealing it.

Charity sat in the sand feeling the breeze brush against her face. She tried to soak in all the wonderful images surrounding her. She felt oddly calm and peaceful. The situation should have terrified her, but somehow she was unafraid.

Soon she knew she had seen everything she could from her spot on the beach. It was time to try to move. All the adrenaline which used to be circulating in her body was now gone, and she was left with only stiffness and pain. She slowly began to get up as sharp pain prickled her body. She walked with an awkward gait as she tried to loosen all the muscles in her legs. Her walk resembled a creature from a zombie movie as she tried to move down the beach to her abandoned raft.

The crash had left cuts and bruises all over her body. She bent down to grab the rope around the edge of the raft. The waves splashed rhythmically against her legs. The salt crept into her wounds as the waves hit hard against her. She pulled the raft across the shore trying to fight the pain. Unfortunately it was a lot heavier than she had imagined. After much effort she managed to get the raft all the way to the tree line. The bright orange of the raft seemed out of place against all the natural colors of the beach. She fell to her knees in the soft sand vocally releasing her pain. Her screams echoed through the trees causing birds to fly in every direction. She sat still on the sand hoping the pain would soon recede. She breathed in and out slowly calming her nerves and all the sore muscles.

Charity eyed the tree line contemplating going inland to get some fresh water and try to find some food. She stared into the foliage for a good long time before her stomach growled so loudly it made the decision for her. She took a deep breath and then walked with caution through the trees.

The ground cracked underneath her sandals as she walked slowly over the brush trying to make as little sound as possible. She wasn't sure what she was going to find within the large amounts of green foliage. She looked in every direction after each step looking for anything that moved. The dark trees loomed above her head with the branches reaching towards the sky. They closed so tightly together the light from the sun came through in silvers. The amount of bushes and grass at her feet shocked her since there was so little light for them to grow in. The dew still covered the plants that surrounded her splashing water onto her dry clothes.

Luckily she found a small clearing not far from the beach. A couple of large banana trees sat welcoming in the sun next to a small stream. She drank the water and found it was the cleanest, best tasting water she had ever had. She wasn't sure if it really was the best, or if it was because she was so dehydrated, but it didn't really matter. She drank until the overwhelming thirst was finally gone. After a quick rinse of her face and arms she went to grab some bananas from the nearest tree. They were still green, but they had the most amazing taste. Each bite melted seemed to melt in her mouth. The combination of warm sunshine and a full stomach made her very drowsy. She allowed her eyes to close as she relaxed peacefully. Suddenly a loud crack from somewhere nearby woke her from her day dream state.

Charity ran as fast as she could back to the beach. She looked up and down for a place to hide. The beach was an empty stretch was white sand open to everything. Finally she found a tree which was easy to climb nearby her raft. She watched silently from her high perch to see if anything had followed her. She sat on the branch barely breathing while the sound of movement echoed nearby. Once she thought she caught a glimpse of something moving, but in the end nothing was there.

About an hour passed before she convinced herself the noise was created by a bird or a rabbit and there was nothing to be afraid of. She gathered enough courage to come down from the tree continually watching the area around her. She knew she wasn't alone, but she still had no idea what else was out there.

The sun beat down upon the beach making the sand like walking on hot coals. The air around her floated in waves of her. She found a nice shady spot to protect her from the sunlight, but was still open enough to see everything around her. Charity sat throwing rocks onto the sand not know what else to do. It didn't take her long before she was bored. Eventually she would have to do something because the inactivity was driving her crazy.

Finally she decided to make a sign for anyone coming to look for her. Charity began to pace around the beach at the tree line trying to come up with a plan. Using a large banana leaf and a vine, Charity made a hat to cover her head against the blistering sun.

What if a ship or a plane finally came by and they did not see her? They could just leave and she would be stuck on the island forever! She thought.

As beautiful as the island was, she wasn't going to let that happen if she could help it. She walked around looking for the biggest rocks on the beach. It took a while to find all the rocks she needed, but in the end she had a nice sign that spelled out HELP in large letters which could easily be seen from the sky.

The sun burned her skin as she worked tirelessly to finish the sign. The sandals she wore gave very little protection to her feet against the hot sand. Unfortunately she was unable to drink the ocean water. Her chapped lips and parched tongue felt like sand paper in her mouth. She knew she would soon have to go inland to get some water.

Since the sign was finished, she felt a little better about leaving the beach so she went cautiously back into the trees. She reached the stream, and drank the cool clean water. She collected some fruit from the trees, and made her way back to the beach. This time there were no funny sounds so Charity felt no unease, but she knew better than to let her guard down. After so many hours spent on the strange island and not spotting at least a bird caused her to question where she really was.

A breeze flew across the beach pushing sand her way as the trees swayed back and forth. As the sun began to set beneath the water, the now familiar sounds of the birds began to quiet. The heat from the day turned in a cool night air. The day had been no longer than any day that came before, but to Charity the day went on forever. She had never been so happy to see the sun set. The ocean was bathed in hues of orange and red. The light sparkling on the waters' surface the sky remained as cloudless as it had been all day as the moon started to make its appearance on the horizon.

She looked out into the ocean for the hundredth time that day hoping to see a ship, plane, or anything that could take her away. The ocean gave her no hope. It just continued to push water back and forth across the beach.

The sunlight danced off the sand making the small grains shine like they were diamonds. Everything looked so beautiful and untouched. She took a walk down the beach to stretch her legs. Every muscle was still very sore, and she was sure lifting rocks had not helped. As she looked out at the beautiful sunset of the sky a large bird the size of a pelican swooped down and sat on a fallen tree next to her.

The bird's feathers were a brilliant color blue that shone like sapphires in the sun. Its beak looked like it was made of pure gold. It sat so still it looked more like a jeweled statue than a real animal. It was the most amazing bird she had ever seen. She smiled happy to see a living creature especially one without sharp teeth. As she looked at the bird, it just stared right back. Its intense stare sent chills down Charity's spine. Their eyes remained locked for almost a full minute before she broke eye contact.

"It's just a bird," She told herself as she continued to walk along the sand.

The bird turned its head to the side and watched her every move. At this point she thought she must be going crazy. When she walked a fair distance away the bird flew out of the tree and hopped down onto the beach following her.

"Stop following me!" She yelled. The bird stopped and looked at her. After a then it continued to hop down the beach toward her.

"What do you want?" She asked not expecting an answer.

The bird just continued to follow.

"Leave me alone! I don't have anything for you!" She screamed. The bird still watched her.

Charity ran down a length of the beach trying to get away from its watchful eye. She stopped when her legs could take her no further. The bird flew behind her and landed beside her again. It was no use trying to out run an animal with wings. It continued to stare at her once and a while it moved its head to the side, but the eyes remained locked on her. She found a small pebble at her feet and prepared to throw it near the bird. She hoped to scare it off for good, but as she slowly picked up the stone the bird flew off toward the middle of the island. The only thing remaining was one giant blue tail feather. She picked up the feather twirling it between her fingers. She shook her head still confused by the birds behavior.

The light was almost gone, and she needed to find a place to spend the night. She decided to head back down the beach to the sign she had finished earlier in the day. She grabbed the raft, and using all her strength she leaned the top against a tree using a branch to hold it in place. The raft made a great makeshift tent blocking the breeze from the ocean. She grabbed some leaves at the edge of the jungle to use a blankets and a pillow. She sat near her sign and watched as the last of the suns rays fell beneath the waves. She really wished she was in her warm bed. Even just having a pillow would be nice.

Charity had never seen a night so clear. She had lived in the city all her life and the lights never allowed her to have a view like this. The Milky Way streaked over her. It was the most amazing sight. She only wished that she had someone with her to share it with. She had never felt so alone, or wanted her parents more than she did at that moment.

The moon was half full and its light shone on the grains of sand along the beach. The dark mountain of the island loomed above her as she sat enjoying the night. Even though the moonlight hit the mountain it remained pitch black. It was almost as it absorbed all the light hitting it. Charity didn't notice this oddity as she watched the shooting stars falling all around her.

The sounds of the ocean lulled her off to sleep. She dreamt she was back home, and her parents were telling her how much they missed her . They will never again send her on a stupid trip like this. She dreamt she was safe at home in her own bed, and for a moment she believed it to be true.

During her peaceful sleep she was completely unaware of the tiny eyes that watched her carefully from the trees, or the blue bird that perched himself on the branch above her head.

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