Melody saw Nell sail off from the shore so it couldn’t have been her. Who was she working with? She wonders as the sweet scent of the rag permeates to her nose again.
Knowing that chloroform is toxic and can even be fatal, she picks the rag up, carefully and throws it across the room, to a spot as far from her as possible.
As her arm lowers, it brushes against a dark hiker's backpack. It was there all along, but she couldn’t see it in the mostly pitch-black cave. She grabs it, hauls it close to her and ransacks it. Inside, there are supplies – what looks like a few days’ supplies. Her mouth salivates as she wonders how many days it has been since she last ate or drank anything.
The first thing she sees is a bottle of water. Good, this will help me clean out the chloroform from my system, she thinks, then downs it in one sitting.
The water awakens her hunger and already, her headache is fading away. Immediately, Melody is ready to scour at the food neatly packed just below the clothes, but she pauses, deep in thought. Why didn’t they kill me when they had the chance? The unknown circumstances of her situation spring fear inside her and she subconsciously leans back, holding the backpack until her back is leaning against the wall of the cave.
She gasps.
Stroking her hands up and down, she feels the rocky ridges along the wall. Then she realizes, Food? Water? Clothes? A cave away from the elements or predators? Someone wasn’t trying to kill me, they were trying to keep me alive! Who or for what, she is still wondering.
After eating, or more like scoffing down the food, she picks up the clothes, they are her size and cleans herself up. For a moment, she forgets that she is alone on some lonely island.
But the silence around her is deafening. She can only enjoy the provisions for a short while before she stands up, walks towards the mouth of the cave, looking for the entrance.
“Hello?” She calls out, gently.
There’s no answer.
She peeks out. Her cave is neatly tucked inside a raised pocket of the mountain. She can see parts of the island quite easily – the vast greenery veils any sign of life on the island, trees high and low weaving together, obscuring from her view, the ground below. She saw those when she was sailing in with Nell. Past the trees she sees a thin lining of the beach accenting the edges of the island with warm, earthy tones. Then the vast waters of the Atlantic sparkle as they stretch into the horizon.
She stands mesmerized at the view, grateful that she at least got to see this sight. It’s what she has longed for, to enter into the waters, to travel with no inhibition and explore the islands near Talon’s Point. The sight is breathtakingly beautiful, yet she can’t help but recall the old saying, be careful what you wish for.
Her mission may not be going the way she had hoped for, but that is not going to stop her. Melody shakes off the thought at once. She would rather see her obstacles as stepping stones to her success and her disappointments as appointments. Just then, she drowns her self-doubt in the deep waters and draws out her hope for success.
This dose of confidence is just what she needs to continue exploring. With how dark the cave is, she would like to find some wood to light a fire with and stay warm at night. She retrieves her eyes from the dreamy ocean and finds at her side, just below the jagged rocks, what looks like a little, cozy cottage. It’s near the mouth of the cave, so she thinks she can get to it without disturbing her surroundings too much.
Her heart leaps within her at the sign of life she was looking for. She runs back in the cave, with familiarity, and her sudden rush of excitement awakens a small bat, sending it flying out of the cave with speed, but Melody is not phased. On her mind are two questions: What can I use to get to the cave? And How can I get in?
After bringing her bag to the mouth of the cave, where there is ample light, she opens her bag of provisions again, searching. Shaking the bag upside down, a pen falls out, another set of clothes, power bars and water. She was really hoping to find a key.
Just then, she remembers something, and runs back into the cave. Where is it? There was something that fell out of the bag when she first opened it, but she didn’t pay it too much mind at the time. Now, she really needs to find it.
Blindly feeling for it on the floor, she caresses her hands along the uneven ground. Was it near this wall when I was sitting here? She tries to jog her memory. All she heard was a small clink when she unlatched the clips and loosened the top of the bag.
She feels for some pockets at the bottom, right under the ridges on the wall and, “There!” Her fingers brush against something and the clinking sound chimes again.
It’s the key.
Stretching out her fingers until they are flat and extended, Melody squeezes the tips under the ridges, lightly taps the edge of the key. Then she swivels her fingers on top until she has just enough skin on the surface of the key to slide it out. Slowly, she pulls back until the key is released from under the ridge and safely in her possession again.
Kneeling along
