Dawn rose up to see the two men sprawled at the bottom of their boat, tired and hopeless.
One of them sniffled quietly.
"Stop that, Nimo. You are not a woman to cry like a baby when faced with a bad situation. If we are to die, let us meet death like men."
"Leave me alone, Kijo. I warned you it wasn't a good day to fish but you wouldn't listen. Now we are lost with no sense of direction. We are going to die with no food or water. Perhaps we will get swallowed by a whale."
Kijo laughed.
"Don't be silly, my friend. We are not dying today. I guarantee we will get saved soon. Just watch."
Nimo snorted.
"Oh, i forgot i am in the presence of the great soothsayer. I wait for that moment when hope returns to my heart."
There was quiet as each of them were lost in their own thoughts.
They drifted for what seemed like forever, even the 'great soothsayer' was beginning to lose hope as the hot sun beat down on their shone heads mercilessly.
Their throats hurt from dryness...they needed water and fast too. Their stomachs simultaneously sang songs of hunger and provided the only sound in the vicinity apart from that of the waves around them.
A strange sound interrupted Nimo's musings, making him sit up. He looked around him with anxiousness, searching for the source. What he saw brought joy to his heart.
"Kijo, look! Land! You crazy man, you are a witch. You said it, we are not going to die today!"
Photo by: Hetty van der Zanden (
Tears of happiness streamed down his face.Even Kijo did not have the heart to tell his friend to stop crying like a woman this time.
The waves carried their boat and deposited them on the little island. Birds chirped merrily all around them flying about the trees.
With joy, they bounded out of their boat, pulling it behind them as they walked futher inland.
They hastily climbed a fruit tree to harvest ripe coconuts.
Laughing happily, they ate and drank, stopping to kiss the ground in gratitude.
They later found a cave in the evening. Exhausted, they spread leaves on the ground and proceeded to sleep. Little did they know they had walked in to their deaths.
This was no ordinary island. It was a magical land which came alive at night. They would later wake up to fight the battle of their lives a few hours later.
I personally wish them luck but i honestly don't think they would survive. Nimo was right, they should never have embarked on this trip.
They had signed their death warrants the moment they stepped in the boat.
Written for the writing contest hosted by 
