Brandon Enns - Islanders

Ashton grabbed the paper from Erin’s hands and read it through again. “We need stars? Kind of a tough start during the day.”

“Stars lead you astray… home… Which direction is home?” Erin asked herself.

“Northeast.” Trevor turned to gauge their direction. “Mainland is this way.” He pointed out to the ocean from the beach they were standing on. “And we are northeast of Belize, so we are standing on the east side. North is around the bend here.”

“Right. So opposite of home. South side then?”

“We need to stock up on beer before we go hiking,” said Ashton.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to be extremely polluted if I’m going to take this seriously,” Trevor chimed in.

“Okay, let’s go,” said Erin.

Skye looked at Ashton. “I need the pit stop anyway.”

“For what?”

“Lady problems.” Her eyes locked with Ashton, frustrated with him for not catching her obvious drift.

“No, you rabbits. Let’s focus on the task at hand,” said Trevor.

They all walked back to the cabin, Ashton chasing Skye to their duplex. “You guys! Come on!” Erin yelled. They continued running up ahead. Watching them run, Skye’s uniquely thunderous laughter, the sun so bright, the smell of palm trees; it was all one big blast of déjà vu. She shuddered and turned away from the moment that had already been ingrained in her mind, perhaps in this life or the next.

Walking south with a cold beer in her hand and Trevor’s heavy arm around her shoulder, she was stress free for once.

Realizing how dreadfully thirsty she was, Erin gulped back half her beer in a hurry. Her legs calmed. The sun scorched through the pasted SPF 50 on her skin. Erin was never much of a drinker but was starting to discover that it might be the way to go.

As they neared the tree line on the south end, they passed a small garden planted with potatoes, carrots, corn, tomatoes, and probably more. Erin loved gardens. It took her back to her time growing up in Hunts Point. Although most of the imagery in her mind consisted of old abandoned buildings, back alleys, prostitution, and overall dirtiness, she cherished her section in a community garden. The others working around her were all so friendly, most often older women, which was no surprise. She felt a true sense of community there. Her tomatoes were firm and full of flavor. Every morning she would start with a BLT, hold the L. She’d buy a fresh loaf of Mountain Grain bread from Gerald’s bakery and cook her bacon in the oven, not too crispy. It made her feel so cozy.

As they entered the thick array of palm trees, she stopped in her tracks.

“What’s up?”

A thought crossed her mind. “Give me that paper again.”

Ashton walked over and handed it to her, and her eyes instantly went to the latter part of the clue. “Hearts bonded forever, solidified in the garden.”

“So we should be looking right here in the garden?” asked Trevor.

“It appears so. I guess it’s opposite from our home and from our duplex, so whichever home he was referring to that makes sense.”

“What, we just start digging then?”

“No… He would have made it more definitive than that.”

“What then?” asked Trevor.

Her mind went back to work while the others just watched her. Finally, they started looking around the garden for additional clues.

When the stars lead you astray… This is set in the late 1800s. North Star used as guidance, or is that too basic?

“How about this?” she said quietly, reserved about voicing her opinion until she looked at their intent faces, waiting for her to give them the answers. She spoke up louder this time. “Maybe it’s referring to the North Star guiding someone home. And home for them was the mainland, which is east. We head west. Seems to me this garden would be too convenient, unless Stefan has zero faith in us. It’s an easy decoy to start.”

“Look at you, Sherlock,” Trevor said with his handsome, devilish smile.

They headed west, working their way through the trees, looking for another garden, or some representation of a garden. Maybe there was deeper meaning to it, but she felt like they were on the right path.

Skye was now on Ashton’s back as he trudged through the trees.

Then something came over her. She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling a flood of anxiety. She wanted to curl into a ball in the sand, and Trevor noticed how distressed she was.

“What’s wrong?”

A vicious ringing in her ears blocked out her surroundings, her vision was blurred, her heart spasming out of control. I’m having a heart attack. She gasped for air but it wasn’t coming in, her lungs rejecting the much needed oxygen. She was disoriented, her brain no longer able to function as she collapsed to the ground. The last thing she could remember relating to the panic attack was the feeling of someone chasing her. Then, like a wave washing everything clear, she felt completely normal.

“What the hell? Are you okay?”

“I—I don’t know. What happened?”

“You just freaked out, that’s what happened! Anxiety?”

She had had attacks before, usually because of school.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Seriously.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. I must just be low on electrolytes. Can you hand me that Gatorade you brought? And a granola bar.” She was slightly hypoglycemic. Must have triggered it, she thought.

He handed her over the drink and bar. Her hand was shaking as she put the sports drink to her lips. The taste of orange sugar was quenching, flooding her system, providing great relief.

They had been walking aimlessly for about forty-five minutes, and the others were starting to get restless.

“We don’t even know what we’re looking for,” Ashton complained.

“These trees are blocking my tan, babe. And any sun that gets through is going to give me lines. You guys care if I walk topless?” It wasn’t really a question.

“We don’t mind,” said Trevor.

He said it with a joking tone, but it pissed Erin off. “Yes, we mind. Maybe some white lines will be good for you.”

“Damn, girl. Maybe your top off would be good for you.”

Up ahead in the distance, Erin could spot the west beach. “Beach isn’t far. Let’s take a break if you guys want.”

“Yes, please.” Skye raced straight ahead.

Frustrated, Erin ran her hand through her hair. She hadn’t felt competitive like that in a long time, if ever. It was strangely important to her. Trevor seemed to be invested now at least. It helped that he left his phone back at the duplex.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“You wanna go for a swim? Rethink our strategy?”

“Yeah that sounds—” Over his shoulder, Erin spotted an opening. “Come on.” She bolted passed Trevor, and he followed.

The setting was breathtaking. Instead of sand, there was a small field of grass and one lonely tree in the middle. Around the edges of the grass were some shrubs and flowers. The bright colors and earthy floral smells drew a large smile.

“The garden. This scene familiar to you at all?”

“A place to avoid getting sand in our cracks while we do it?”

“It’s sort of like the Garden of Eden.”

“Oh, yeah!”

She walked over to the tree. The trunk was twice as thick as any of the other palm trees. She ran her hand over an engraved carving. There was a heart with four names inside. JAMES, MARY, WILLIAM, ANNA. She ran her finger over the carving.

“Hearts bonded forever.” She grinned proudly at Trevor and then placed her focus back on the tree. She looked around the backside of the tree and found a shovel. “I guess we’re supposed to dig.”