An albatross soared along the beach, joining the other birds drawn to what appeared to be a boat’s wreckage. There it saw a person lying face down on the sand, motionless. The albatross tilted its head, as if it unsure whether the person was alive or dead. Despite being pecked by the other birds, the person remained unmoving like a corpse.
The albatross joined the other birds, curious and excited for a possible meal. But just as it was about to peck at the flesh of the "corpse," it twitched, shocking and driving the birds away.
Despite being startled by the unexpected movement, the birds did not flee. They instead maintained a safe distance while peering carefully at the "corpse." They didn't have to wait long though because they noticed movement and heard a groan not long after.
The “corpse” that been lying motionless in the beach just a while ago was actually still alive!
With the exception of one curious albatross, the birds began flying away one by one, seemingly upset at having missed out on a prospective feast.
Before long, only the sound of the waves pounding on the shore could be heard. The curious albatross locked its gaze on the human, who had turned to face the sky. The human opened its eyes not long after, only to squint due to the strong sunlight.
“Where am I?” The man inquired, looking lost and perplexed.
Unfortunately for him, there was no one around save a lone albatross to answer his question. The man sat down his hurting body and studied his surroundings, attempting to figure out where he was.
He sighed as his sight came to a halt on the wreckage of his boat.
The man shook when he saw what was left of his boat and felt fortunate to have escaped the storm with his life.
"Perhaps they were right... Maybe I don’t have it in me to be an explorer." The man said to himself with a self-depreciating smile.
Lloyd is a 27-year-old fisherman whose ambition is to become a well-known explorer. He had worked hard to realize his ambition, learning to build his own boat and conserving his meager earnings as a fisherman. He had given up a lot for his dream, and despite his age, he was still unmarried. Fortunately for him, is devotion did bore fruit after years of difficulty, strange looks, and jeers from his fellow villagers.
Lloyd has few friends because he was regarded as unusual by his fellow villagers, which is why when he finally sets sail on his first expedition, only they appear to see him go. The fact that only his closest friends showed up during one of the most important day of his life didn’t bother Lloyd that much. That said, a small part of him wanted to disprove his critics. He wanted to show them that his decision to become an explorer wasn’t wrong.
So with hope on his heart, Lloyd sails into the horizon, alone.
The first few days of his journey went well. The weather was pleasant, and his supplies should keep him going for several months. Furthermore, despite being on his first journey, Lloyd had no intention of sailing the sea blindly. After all, being a fisherman, Lloyd is fully aware of the danger of the sea.
Lloyd chose a sea path commonly utilized by sailors because it was his maiden expedition in foreign waters. Before sailing into the unknown, he wanted to collect as much experience and information as possible. His first stop was a port town to the east, which he arrived at safely after a half-month of sailing. He waited for many days in the port town to replenish and acquire information before departing.
He then traveled from port to port to familiarize himself with the sea route before heading south in search of a mysterious island that was not depicted on any map.
Lloyd has failed to glimpse even a shadow of the strange island after two months of sailing. This, however, has no effect on his motivation. He had anticipated that finding the mysterious island would be difficult. Besides, his food and water supplies are still adequate, so he won't run out very soon. He also only intends to search for the secret island for three months. If he hasn't discovered the island by then, he will return to land to resupply.
However, as his journey progressed, Lloyd began to realize that the sea had gotten less calm, and he began to face larger and larger waves. He even encountered waves that caused him to be concerned that his boat would capsize. Fortunately, luck was on his side, and he avoided being swept away by the waves. Nonetheless, as the weather began to deteriorate, his concerns rose.
Is there a storm on the way?
Lloyd considers returning to shore, but is hesitant because there are still weeks before the three-month deadline. Would he return and squander those months of sailing, or would he return to shore and avoid the storm?
Although feeling conflicted, rationality ultimately prevailed, and Lloyd chose to turn his boat around. However, as fate would have it, escaping the storm proved impossible. And his boat was hit by large waves after large waves late into the night. But despite his best effort, Lloyd was no match for Mother Nature and his boat capsized after being hit by a monstrous wave. After that, there was only darkness…
"I can't believe I made it through that alive."
Lloyd shuddered as he remembered the enormous wave that had capsized his boat. Lloyd had never seen anything like that in his years as a fisherman.
After a sigh, Lloyd reflected, "That was pretty scary..."
While Lloyd was reminiscing, his ears caught some noises.
“It sounded like people.
Alarmed, Lloyd forced himself to rise up, despite the discomfort and pain, and cautiously inspected his surroundings. He saw the foliage had moved not long after. Then three, browned-skinned, lightly clothes men emerged from the shadows.
“Who are they?! Natives, perhaps?”
Lloyd assumed that the brown-skinned, light-dressed men were natives since they had tattoos on their bodies. And, like Lloyd, they're keeping a wary eye on the mysterious guy who has come on their island without warning.
“Hey you! Who are you? Where are you from?”
One of the natives walked forward and pointed his spear at Lloyd before speaking in the language he had never heard before. Lloyd was startled by the spear and had to take several steps backward.
When the native guy observed Lloyd was frightened of his spear, he chose to lay it down to show that he didn't intend to harm him. He then continued to speak to Lloyd as if posing questions.
Lloyd's heart calmed down a little when he saw the man lay down his weapon. Lloyd assumed the man was asking him who he was after hearing him speak again. Lloyd couldn't help but be perplexed because he cannot comprehend their language. Despite this though, he still tries to interact with the native man through gestures and words.
“I am Lloyd. I got here by accident after my boat was capsized by a storm.”
Hearing a language he could not understand, the native man felt perplexed. But seeing Lloyd’s condition and the wreckage near him, he figured that he was someone who washed ashore because of the storm the previous night.
Knowing not what to do, the native man turned to the other men and spoke with them as if asking for their opinion.
“Hey, I don’t think he can understand me. What should we do?”
Yeah, it’s troublesome… I think we should bring him to the elders.”
“I agree.”
Although a little perturbed to hear a conversation he could not understand, Lloyd deigned to stay put as not to alarm the men. Not long after the men return their attention to Lloyd. The men that had spoken to him earlier then gestured at Lloyd as if telling him to follow them.
Lloyd felt like that he has no choice on the matter and decided to comply. With his current condition, outrunning three men would have been impossible. Fortunately, the men don’t seem to have any ill intent towards him so despite his wariness, Lloyd slowly followed.
It’s been two years since Lloyd “arrived” on the unnamed island. During those two years, Lloyd was not only able to befriend the natives and learn their language and culture; he was also accepted as one of them.
Lloyd considered himself fortunate that the island's inhabitants were amicable. Lloyd would have died long ago if he was stranded on an island with hostile natives, or even worse, those who practice cannibalism.
But despite the friendliness of his new friends, Lloyd’s desire to explore the world was still strong. In the two years that he has been living with the natives, he was also exploring the island and was trying to find a way to leave. Unfortunately, no ships had passed by the islands in the previous two years, which was not surprising given that the area of the sea where the island was located was largely unexplored, or so he heard.
That said Lloyd was not the type of person that would give up easily. No passing ship? No problem! He’ll just build his own boat. He has the experience, after all. Besides, large trees are abundant on the island so wood is not a problem. As for tools, he could also just make them himself. Iron tools are a no go considering that they’re very rare on the island but he could make do with stone and wooden tools.
Fortunately for Lloyd, he didn’t have to build his boat alone as his new friends are more than happy to help him. Despite living on an island surrounded by water, the natives made their livelihoods hunting and gathering. They consume fish as well, but only those located in streams. They have never fished in the sea before. When Lloyd told the elders that he intended to build a boat, they also asked him to teach the young men in their village how to make boats and how to fish.
Lloyd of course, was more than happy to oblige, not only was he getting free labor, he could also pay the natives for their kindness. And so, the boat building project started by Lloyd took off.
Despite the assistance of the natives, the boat took half a year to construct. But when compared to the years it took Lloyd to build his first boat, six months seemed like a short time. That was to be expected though, given that only Lloyd was working on the boat at the time, with a few close friends assisting him on rare occasion. This time, though, he had the support of the entire community, and his new boat was finished in record time.
“So you’re finally leaving, huh.”
“Yeah. It’s been two years after all.”
Seeing the completed boat, Lloyd’s first friend on the island, Nomar could not help but show a complicated expression.
When Lloyd was washed ashore on the island after his boat was wrecked by a storm more than two years ago, Nomar was one of the first to come to his rescue. He was also the one who introduced him to the village elders, which led to his acceptance into the community. Furthermore, it was Nomar who had aided him the most during the period when the people had yet to accept him.
Lloyd was hesitant to leave because he considered Nomar to be a close friend. Lloyd, on the other hand, couldn't give up his ambition and live on the island for the rest of his life. Lloyd could only sigh with so many mixed emotions swirling in his heart.
"There's no need to second-guess yourself. We're sad to see you go, but we understand that your heart belongs somewhere else. After all, this island is just too small for someone like you who wishes to travel and see the world. Just make sure to not forget your friends, you hear?"
"Many thanks!" I will never forget everyone's kindness as long as I live. Also, once my adventure is over, I will undoubtedly return and spend the rest of my days here."
“Hahaha! That’s a promise then! ”
A week later, Lloyd finally set sail but unlike the last time, the whole community went on their way to see him go. Looking back and seeing his new friends, nay, his new family seeing him off with well-wishes, Lloyd almost could not stop his tears. And so he swore to himself that he will return on the island and repay the natives in kind someday.
Lloyd will join an expedition led by a famous explorer after returning to civilization. Lloyd realized after his near-death experience that he couldn't merely sail around the seas on his own. He required a larger ship, ample finance, and crew members who shared his passion.
He will sail the seas for many years under the famed captain's command, but he will finally get his own ship and crew. He will uncover several trade routes and islands, and he will achieve his dream of being a famous explorer. And after several more years of exploring, Lloyd will finally retire to make good of another promise. So, after selling his ship and disbanding his crew, Lloyd set out in a small boat into the unknown, never to be seen or heard from again.
