He knew he should appreciate the beauty of what he was seeing. The rainbow horizon. The yellow fading to gold to red to purple. The long stretch of black where the sky and sea met. The light filtering through the gathering clouds. He knew it was beautiful.
But, after spending 47 days on the island, he had seen the same view 46 times before. It no longer held the magic it originally had. It no longer gave him a sense of optimism, that despite his dire circumstances there was a bit of adventure to what he was going through. That feeling of adventure had waned as the first days had turned into weeks and then into a full month of isolation. Loneliness. Lost. Forgotten.
No, the view no longer held any beauty or excitement for him. He was resigned to the fact that he may see the same sunset for the rest of his life. The same stretch of beach. The same breakers. The same horizon. The same nothing. Nothing moving on the water. Nothing flying overhead. Nothing he could signal to for help. Nothing he could swim to. Nothing that could help him survive.
Except, the clouds were a welcome sight. He was excited about them. The rain they would bring would give him clean water to drink for many days. He would just have to hope they volume he gathered would last until the next storm.
Turning his back on the beach and the setting sun, he scrambled up to the makeshift shelter he had created from palm fronds and driftwood. There was much that needed to be done before the storm hit and he didn’t have much time. He could already smell it. He could feel the change in the air.
Then again, he thought as he worked, perhaps there is still a bit of adventure left after all. He smiled and sang as the sun vanished below the horizon and the dark clouds swallowed the sky.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
This post brought to you by moi’s Picture Writing Challenge #27. It’s well passed overdue, but I don’t think he’ll mind me still using the picture and linking it back to him. I doubt he’d mind if you did the same. So, what do you see? Write it, link it, post it so we can all enjoy the same view.
This view is just marvelous!!
It is a stunning photograph. There’s nothing quite like a beach sunset.
Wow, that is a gorgeous picture!
Great story :-)
I can’t take credit for the picture, though I do completely agree with you.
I can take credit for the story, so, thank you. :-)
Stunning photo by Natasha; jealous of photogs with talent! Clouds, rain, horizons, let’s just hope the rain that was caught to drink didn’t contain anything that would make him/her regret it later, ha ha, see how I keep talking about Monty’s Revenge? (Beautiful and captivating words, how do you get any work work done?)
Current job has some down time between morning and afternoon. I’m busy from 5:30 to 8:30ish and then busy again from 11:30 to 2:30. So, I’ve got a bit of time some days.
The practical side of being stranded on a deserted island. But even the practical can be lyrical when done by an excellent wordsmith.
Aw, thank you. :-)
A lovely idea and excellent writing. I could be there today!
Thank you.
I’d rather be in the mountains than at the beach. But, I don’t think I could ever get tired of seeing a sunset like that.
While it seems you are trapped on an island, I hope that you will be home to the Queen for dinner. She may also need to be saved from a spider or two. I understand how it would be hard to leave with that stunning picture and a storm coming that provides you with fresh water, but you could get fresh water out of the tap at your home and run the shower if you want to hear the rain…
Made it home, enjoyed the water on tap, and haven’t even had to relocated any spiders. All in all, its been a pretty good day.
Yay!!
Yeah, had to deal with a spider at 4:45AM this morning….
Oh no! How was one spotted in the dark that early in the am?! lol
Lights were on in the kitchen as I pulled my lunch out of the fridge to pack my bag on the way out the door. It was sitting there, on the wall, mocking me… “here I am, what are you gonna do about it?”
Oh no!! Blech!
Pretty much.
He was not saved. It was too early for those kind of precise maneuvers.
I don’t blame you one bit!! In my home it would not be saved even if it wasn’t too early! lol
I love your picture challenges, Matt. This last picture is awesome. You took all the mystique out of the sunset and the beach and turned it into a hope that there would be water enough. Love it.
Thank you. :-)
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I guess if you are marooned the beauty would quickly fade :D
I wonder if it would… Do the people who live on tropical islands tire of the view? Does it become mundane and ordinary? If I were stranded would I look forward to the sunset because it’s beauty would remind me that there is hope, that I had made it through another day? I think it probably depends on the person.
True, I person that lives on an island does so from choice, if your marooned it indicates some kind of accident or disaster which means you not there of your free will.
personally I think I would love it too.
As long as water and food were attainable… I can’t imagine that I wouldn’t love it.
That’s the clincher.
Sitting here in my coffee shop I look up at the corner of Broadway and 51st Street (Al Jolson Way according to the landmark sign) and all I see is mountains of snow and slush everywhere. New York City snow. The kind that’s hard and blackened at the bottom. People cross the boulevard bracing against the cold winds whipping off the Hudson River. It’s hard to buy into the notion that the above photo could ever, ever, ever lose its magic.
There’s only one way to find out. I propose a field trip to the tropics! Who’s in?
Absolutely awesome picture and great words too.
I’ll thank you for the words, can’t take credit for the picture though. ;-)
Would it be so bad to live there for the rest of his life? He could always hope that another person would marooned.
Another person? To ruin the peace and quiet? Meh. I think he’s probably better off on his own.
Perhaps. But another person ensures that there’ll never be a dull moment.
I guess that’s true… sometimes I’d rather be bored than annoyed, though.
Can understand, though I don’t echo the sentiment. Boredom is awful.
I hear you. I’ve been there. Recently, however, I’ve had a string of major annoyances involving random people (mostly the idiots who live near me – and I understand what that says about my choices of places to live) to the extent that a bit of loneliness and boredom sounds quite lovely.
I wish you peace and quiet, friend. Idiots are the worst kind of annoyances because they never cease.
The saddest thing I’ve ever heard. :-/