New Homeport Island (26 page)

down the vase and piled sand around it, as did Jennifer. We were
 both on key and they certainly noticed. They stood up but kept
 their distance. There was no stand for the rack of fish so I placed
 the stick across the vases. Tammy had followed us and gestured
 to Megan a come here gesture, Megan glanced behind herself
 and point at herself mouthing the word, “Me?”
Megan avoided getting too close to the rations and slipped
 through the brush telling Tammy, “I need to eat tammy.”
Tammy responded, “We have more fish back at our camp.”
Smity noticed this and in a hush said, “Lyon, disloyalty to the
 captain now might get you killed.” I replied, “Don’t go
 completely crazy on us now dude, I can’t guaranty we’ll be
 getting this many fish every week.” Smity said,  “Just be careful,
 where are you getting the water from.” Jennifer replied, “We
 have to evaporate the sea water in the boilers we made.” Smity
 smiled a delirious smiled and asked me if that were true and I
 said, “Yes, they’re mad from mud, like a ceramic, so don’t get
 too excited.” Smity said loud enough to be overheard, “So your
T.A.D. that’s good, see you again soon Lyon.” We headed back
 and Tammy, Megan, and Michelle sat talking and eating. Mitch
 watched and eavesdropped with an occasional chuckle.
Michelle said, “Rob, Tammy said the captain has
 mentioned cannibalism so many times they think he is planning
 on it but doesn’t seem to want to be the first…” Tammy
 interjected, “I think they’re going to kill the first person that
 goes cannibal and then all eat both of them. But now there’s the
 fish.” Michelle added, “But that’s how damn crazy they are now
 and they keep getting asked who’s still loyal to the captain.” I
 responded, “Ya, one of the gunner’s mates mentioned that, we
 may need a security post soon.” Mitch said, “I’ve been feeling
 like someone’s been watching us.” Mike Elper blurted out,

“Definitely dude” Michael added, “We were hoping that was
 just the pigs.” Michelle said, “Me, Ebony, and Mike should take
 the watches, you others just keep up the fish and water.” I
 replied, “Tomorrow I’ll work on arrows and a sling.”
At the landing Artimus was interviewing Koleson. Artimus
 said. “Well quartermaster, you up to these tasks?” Koleson
 replied, “We going to get off this island sir?” Artimus
 responded, “One thing at a time. The operational demands of the
 navy have slowed their response time, the nation’s security
 maybe at risk.” Koleson replied, “Ya, so are we getting off this
 island sir?” Artimus leaned in and said, “Look you dumb ass we
 have to maintain order around here. I know what a fag you are,
 but you I know well from our bridge watches together. So pull
 your bitch ass together and just do and say what I tell you to.”
Koleson replied, “Then what the fuck are we even talking
 about? Is there some other captain around here?” Artimus
 replied, “You know…just go get Petty officer Smity for me and
 relax, okay?” Koleson looked around and called out, “Hey,
Smity…you fuck, get over here.”
Smity came over and glanced at the captain then back at
Koleson and asked, “What!?” Koleson replied, “He wants to talk
 to you.” Smity smugly responded, “That is the Captain. A ‘He’
 is what you suck.” Koleson grabbed Smity’s genitals and gave
 them a two shake then walked off. Smity yelled at him as he
 walked away, “Fucking fag!” then turned to the captain and with
 all the politeness of a waiter at an upscale restaurant asked, “Can
I get you something captain?” Artimus replied, “No, bitch boy
 just clued me in on something…for many of these kids, I’m the
 only captain here and not having a captain is something they
 wouldn’t understand. Adjust your screenings appropriately”.
Smity said without a flinch, “Aye, Aye captain” and returned to

his patrolling the groups like campus security at a nineteen
 sixties sit in. They all sat eating the fish that had been delivered
 and Smity was playing the politician with the exception of his
 mocking gestures and verbal abuse to anyone complaining, he
 made sure everyone expressed some gratitude toward the captain
 for the food they had received. But those that knew the people
 that had delivered it understood that the captain had nothing to
 do with the food or water they had been receiving and they were
 coming to resent the ‘pentagon’.
As Smity strolled the landing camp he said to himself, “Idle
 hands are the devils best friend” which was overheard by Rick
Broden and Sam Tomley. Sam asked Rick, “What the hell does
 he expect us to be doing?” Rick sat there in the sand with Sam
 broken and disillusioned he took up a large pinch of sand and
 tossed it into the air and said, “D.C. – P.M.S., waxing a
 passageway…painting something, he doesn’t understand where
 the hell we are.”  Smity stopped cold in his tracks and played
 frozen statue for a moment then turn to look at them, he now
 realized his misunderstanding as to the natives and the phrase
‘going native’ but considered maybe they still had the
 misconception. He then replied, “This is a savage island. There
 are threats everywhere, and it’s not a drill. Maybe you guys
 would like to stand a watch or two.” Smity pointed at the dried
 mud walls of the pentagon and continued, “those walls won’t
 offer much protection if we were attacked, and honestly some of
 the officers are concerned with the possibility if mass hysteria.
So, find a heavy rock and set a post.” As they got up to find a
 heavy rock to use as a defensive weapon and a heavier rock to
 use as a barrier, Rick blurted out, “Idle hands are the devils
 workshop, not the devils best friend.” Smity smirked and

replied, “That is how that goes, and you two will be the watch
 captains.”
With that it was done, the first positions had been assigned
 and their loyalty to the captain hinged on a simple point of
 purpose and identity…Rick Broden and Sam Tomley would be
 the watch captains, the authority that would bring them and the
 sense of security it afforded would be something they would not
 easily relinquish and would maintain under threat of subjugation
 to someone else notion of what their purpose should be.  
Posts had been set around the landing as sunset approached.
While over at the boiler site, inspection and repair of our fishing
 net was our top priority aside from gathering wood for running
 our distillation boilers. Michael said, “It’s getting colder.” and
 he shivered a little. Michelle replied, “Ya, the wind picked up
 again” Mike put down his work and said, “Well I’m headed
 inside” he smiled as he went into the cabana. Mike stood there
 in the cabana and looked around then ask, “Why is it again that
 these don’t have walls?” Jennifer responded, “Were going to
 make tent like curtains for it. Mike smiled a big smile and
 scoffed, “That’ll help…well, I’ll work on that…inside!”
All the plant material we had gathered to use for the net
 making was lying nearby and now we were making the curtains
 for the cabana. The increase in wind was chilling at first but as
 we huddled together and back to back we realized it wasn’t that
 bad. The work went fairly quickly as we joked about our love
 lives and how drunk we would get as soon as we returned. As
 night finally fell, we had so much work done it was nearly three
 separate blankets we shared.
Michelle nuzzled my back and Athena elbowed me in the
 face, over the course of the night they had both kneed me in the
 groin, I came to believe this is why men are supposed to be on

top. Michael only got kneed in the groin once by Jennifer, and
Mitch only had to take Dave’s hands out of his crotch once.
Tammy woke up in the middle of the night and squatted for a
 piss in the sand way too close to camp, between the moonlight
 and the boiler fires she was highly visible, the guys joked that
 they had never found that particular fetish exciting before, but
 there was something about the way tammy squatted with the
 firelight reflecting off her rump and the blue moonlight shading
 the rest of her body, that was just inspiring.  
The next day I woke up and my upper lip was itching, I
 never liked having a mustache, I sat up and glanced around for
 anything that I might be able to shave with. I walked the beach
 picking up shells and found one as thick and ridged that it
 needed to be to handle any type of sharpening, and used a stone
 and sand to gently grind away the sides of the edge, being
 careful not to cause jagged points. I tried scrapping at my beard
 stubble with it be it may as well been a butter knife. Everyone
 had woken up and sat giggling at me trying to shave with a shell,
 so I took a smoldering stick out of one of the boiler fireboxes
 and singed the stubble and scrapped it off with the shell. When it
 came to my upper lip I was a little more concerned with burns,
 but the itching drove me nuts it must have taken over an hour
 but much of the stubble did scrape off.
After I had finished I walked back over to Mike, Athena,
 and Michelle sitting in the cabana, they had resumed work on
 the curtain. Tommi, Mitch, and Dave went fishing and everyone
 else was still milling about. Michelle grabbed my face asking,
“Did it work?” as she leaned in inspecting my face. She added,
“You actually got some of it off, you’re totally going to have to
 do my legs for me.” As she laughed pulling up her pant leg and
 showing the hair on her legs. Athena blurted out, “That’s

nothing, close your eyes Rob.” I closed my eyes and felt the
 stubble on Athena’s calf brushing up against my cheek. I opened
 my eyes and she rested her leg on my shoulder continuing to rub
 her calf against my cheek. She looked at me intensely asking,
“When do you want to start?” I replied, “Let’s find some more
 food first.”
At the landing Artimus stood outside his pentagon fort
 calling out names for morning muster, “Clarkson, Spayner,
Swishzer, Brosuer, Casius, Deckly, and Wildly. Morning
 quarters for you will be held in the pentagon. The following
 people will be present as master at arms; Smity, Broden,
Tomely, Dragie, and Casley.” Master chief Hauldbalm uttered to
McCree, “I guess he doesn’t need me anymore…too bad he
 didn’t need that ship anymore we might’a gotten home
 somehow.” Charlie McCree sighed, “I’ll ask him.” As Charlie
 walked over to Artimus she said, “Captain…” Atimus
 interjected, “The rest of you will get your instructions once
 we’re done.” Charlie blurted out as Artimus walked to the
 pentagon entrance, “And the Master Chief?” Artimus replied, “I
 don’t have anything for him.”  
Wildly followed the group in with a degree of anxiety and
 uncertainty he had been called in not as a master at arms but
 among the officers and chiefs, he had only been a third class
 mess specialtist. As they entered Artimus said, “First things
 first…” Clarkson interjected, “Find the water and food?”
Artimus looked at her with a subtle hint of dismay and corrected
 her, “Burial detail. Mormus has been asleep for going on three
 days mumbling about how he needed his hat…the ship is going
 down, and there is something vital he can’t forget…his hat. And
 he fared better than several others.”

Clarkson did a bizarre facial expression of a quick
 dismissive smirk, almost as though it were just an involuntary
 twitch, and rolled her eyes. Swishzer started to cry and Wildly
 suddenly found himself out of breath. The majority of the
 briefing was on how to conceal this from the survivors they
 were attempting to convince were still very much a crew under
 the captains command.
Sitting out at the posts stationed around the pentagon were
 a series of human maladies given a disgraceful unshapely form
 that being ‘sailors’. Gunners mate guns third class petty officer
Eric Milson stood up and stretched his legs and looking at his
 former zombie crew, pasty white and in a malaise from lack of
 food and low water intake. Eric decided to go for a walk. He
 headed to a cluster of trees and decided to see where it went.
Eric climbed that tree like a half monkey half lumber jack and
 lumber he did right up the tree. Eric Milson had been a clumsy
 guy a little taller than was comfortable on a destroyer. He
 actually reached the top and noticed all he could really see was
 the same as before, an ocean and trees. The smaller trees were
 hard to disguise between a tree and a bush, there were also flares
 of yellow flora from what seemed to be bamboo. With his legs
 wrapped around the tree trunk he extended his arms like wings
 and rocked to and fro. He decided to build a tree house, and
‘screw everyone else.’
With some effort Eric realized the reeds he had found were
 absolutely not bamboo, it lacked rigidity and strength, there
 were short sections strong enough but nothing really wide. He
 thought maybe just a net then glanced around for rope and saw
 nothing but twigs. So, Eric lay down beneath the tree looking at
 the bright blue sky and fantasized about his tree house and all
 his friends celebrating his accomplishment. They would pass

around beers and toast Eric’s strength and fidelity to his friends,
 he would barbeque chicken and ribs as well as hotdogs and
 hamburgers for the kids. And Eric would have kids, with his
 wife Fiona Apple .
Back at the boiler site we toiled away, fishing and making
 our curtain. David Miles called over to me, “We’re testing the
 sun dial. What time is it?” I looked back at him in a daze and
 waited for him to realize the impossibility of his question. He
 looked over at me and gestured with the shaking of his hands
 then looked down at his wrist and then shook his hands again.
Finally in defeat he asked, “Well, what time is it?” I said,
“That’s why we need a sun dial.” at exactly the same time
Michelle replied, “Time for all of us to get a new watch.” David
 looked back at us and slumped his shoulders down a little, he
 pointed at the shadow of the stick we had placed in the sand and
 said, “That’s what time it is…I guess no one knows.” There was
 a whimper in the latter half of his statement as though those
 words ‘…I guess no one knows’ actually pertained to us being
 lost at sea and had nothing to do with the sun dial or the time.
Chapter Seven
A lost frontier
It had been a couple of days on the island and survival was
 all we had attended to, which did however triggers some lustful
 drives in us but at the same time we were too focused on saving
 each other to chase that horse too far.
We had two cabanas, with a cobble stone courtyard, four
 ceramic boilers used as stills, a make shift fishing ‘boat’, a few
 small ropes, a fishing net, and some clothe curtains that may one
 day be sails though they were too shear for that. As the day