Stranded

Charlie and Anna, shipwrecked on a remote island, must stay strong and use their wits to survive. As the months pass with no rescue, the young couple faces the possibility of being stranded forever. Desperate to return home, they hatch an unconventional plan to escape, risking everything in a daring bid for freedom.

Transcript

In the quiet hours, as the world settles into stillness, every dreamer needs a guide. Embark on a journey of imagination in worlds filled with adventure, mystery,  science and maybe even…the impossible.  As I hold the Dreamers Compass, let me be your navigator to exciting destinations limited only by the far reaches of human creativity, ingenuity and imagination. This weeks tale? Charlie and Anna, shipwrecked on a remote island, must stay strong and use their wits to survive. As the months pass with no rescue, the young couple faces the possibility of being stranded forever. Desperate to return home, they hatch an unconventional plan to escape, risking everything in a daring bid for freedom.

So find your comfortable place, close your eyes if you wish, and let’s begin.

The hot sun shined down on Charlie and Anna. They sat on the beach and stared at the endless ocean. It had been three long months since they wrecked their small boat on this island.  At first, they hoped someone would rescue them. But as time passed, they knew they were on their own. Luckily, the island had enough food and water.  Streams flowed down from the hills while coconut trees lined the beaches and of course…the ocean was full of fish.

What if we're stuck here forever?, Anna wondered out loud. Charlie squeezed her hand. We'll figure something out. There’s got to be a way off this island. We just have to be smart about it.

Anna turned her head, looked at Charlie and scooted closer to him.  What about a raft?, we talked about it before.  Plenty of trees around here. Charlie shook his head. We could, MAYBE build a raft, but even if we did and the damned thing actually floated, I just don’t like the idea of sailing over the reef that wrecked us in the first place. Anna, we almost died in that shipwreck and let’s face it, that was a much bigger boat.

Anna sighed.  I suppose you’re right.  They returned to just staring at the endless ocean.

After a while, Charlie stood up, dusted the sand off and started walking back to their humble camp.  He suddenly stopped, turned around and ran back towards Anna.  What about a hot air balloon? We could float right over those stupid rocks!  Anna looked at him in surprise. A hot air balloon?  how does that happen?

It’s not all that complicated Charlie said. We just need a big bag and a way to fill it with hot air.  Anna jumped up.  Charlie, you know, there's stuff scattered all over from our wrecked boat.  We have the sails, ropes and sheets, some tools and I believe we may have a way to fill it with hot air.  What about the galley stove and the tank of LP gas.  Can we use those?  Charlie pulled Anna closer, gave her a big hug and said, Yes we can.  Anna, you’re a genius.

After a week of searching and collecting parts, which where now piled up on the beach, Charlie and Anna began to build their airship.  Anna sewed pieces of the sails together and sealed the seams with tree sap.  The balloon that will hopefully carry them to freedom was coming together, quite nicely.  Meanwhile Charlie worked on the basket and burner.  

He used small, bendable trees to make the basket frame and tied it all together with rope.  It really was a nice piece of Engineering. Very light but very strong.

The basket was easy enough but the burner proved to be a bit of a challenge. After some tricky modifications 

to the galley stove burners, he hooked up one of the LP tanks and was able to get a steady flame. With some tweaking of the gas and air mixture, that steady flame was turned into a small blast furnace.

They worked long, hard days, but Charlie and Anna started to feel hopeful again. They started to see a real 

chance of escaping this place and go home. It gave them the strength to carry on.

Weeks passed and at long last, they stood together on the beach staring at a very promising, possibly could just work, hot air balloon. Evening fell over the island as Charlie and Anna, exhausted from the final preparations, fell asleep.

That morning, while the sun rose, they hugged each other, ready to try their daring escape. No matter what, Anna said, I'm glad I'm with you. Charlie looked into her eyes and saw trust and a strong spirit.  Earlier he had promised himself he would never let her down, and here was the ultimate test.  

Charlie lit the burner and the balloon slowly filled and started to lift into the sky. Ropes held their creation to the ground while they loaded the basket with some food and water. Now standing inside the basket, they looked around and said goodbye to their island home.

After a brief kiss, Charlie cut the ropes.

Their creation slowly rose over the trees, cliffs and their jungle home. From high above the island was actually quite small, just a dot in the huge sea, a tiny mark in their amazing survival story. Charlie couldn't steer the balloon so he had to trust the steady breeze to carry them across the vast expanse of blue. His navigational skills determined they where going northwest. Hours passed as they drifted through the sky wondering what would happen?

Later that afternoon, Charlie spotted a smudge of green on the horizon.  Anna, look! I think it's land!

As they drew closer, they could make out the distinctive volcanic peaks of Fiji's islands. Lush mountains rising high above white sand beaches lined with palm trees. I can't believe it! Anna exclaimed, The wind brought us right to Fiji.  Charlie!, we’re saved! As they neared the beach Charlie adjusted the burner to bring them down lower. The colorful, patchwork quilt of a balloon descended gradually until the basket touched down with a jolt on the beach below. Within moments, a group of curious villagers surrounded Charlie and Anna, their basket and that big beautiful balloon. They didn’t understand what the natives where saying, but given their big smiles and welcoming gestures, the meaning was very clear. Welcome to Fiji.

Against all odds, they had made it to safety.

As they stepped out of that wonderful basket, Anna threw her arms around Charlie and kissed him. 

You did it! we’re gonna be okay. Charlie grinned, his eyes shining with relief and joy. We did it together.

Now, let's go find a phone, a hot bath and a cheeseburger.  I am sick of fish!

I hope you enjoyed the journey. Next week I reveal yet another adventure as together we follow the Dreamers Compass.