Day 3

Nagai Sho. That’s my name. I hope I don’t forget it. I’ve heard a lot of stories about how stranded sailors turn up insane when they are found after months or years of being shipwrecked. I hope I don’t end up like them. I know that journal entries are supposed to start with “1” or something. But this is technically my third day on this abandoned island. Or at least it looks abandoned…

The ship got sunk by that freakish storm the other day and I found myself washed up here a couple of days ago. Some of the debris came with me, but no other person. I don’t know if anyone else survived.

So far, I’ve gathered rope, a large part of the fabric from our sails that somehow came out in one piece, and writing materials that I’m using for this. I never knew our crates and barrels were so water-tight. A chest got washed up too. Probably from the Captain’s cabin. I haven’t opened it.

Funny thing, I found a whole crate of rum as well. Full bottles and all. I can’t even drink.

Day 4

Did a bit of exploration. I figured that this used to be a fishing village when I woke up on the first day. Quite hard to miss that fact when stilted houses lined the shore and the cliffs. Those that were right by the beach, at least. For good reason too. The tide comes in quite high. Needless to say, I am taking shelter in one of the beachfront houses whenever the tide rises at night.

I say that it’s a fishing village, but oddly enough, I haven’t found any boats. If the inhabitants left the island, I suppose that would explain it. Otherwise… Well, I haven’t seen any dead bodies. Let’s just assume that they took the boats and left the island. Speaking of bodies, none have washed up on shore yet.

Anyway, about the exploration. I went inland, as far as I could, and found a spring on the way. I guess that’s the source of freshwater for this place. I went into most of the houses too, to see what I could salvage. There was flint, rusted knives, some clothes, blankets. There’s quite a bit lying around. I suppose the previous inhabitants left in a hurry. Can’t help but wonder why.

Come to think of it, I noticed a cave on the other end of the beach this afternoon, when the tide was low. I thought I saw someone there. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

Day 6

Found a barrel of apples this morning. A nice surprise. That’ll feed me well enough for quite a while, assuming they won’t spoil. I’ll have to figure that one out.

One thing that happened today; I went into the cave. There were some things in there, trinkets and stuff. Someone’s definitely been in there recently because I found the Captain’s gold compass in there. I wanted to take it but I felt someone staring at me. Fucking creepy. I heard no one. I saw no one.

I left after that. Went fishing. Did miserably. At least I ended up with one fish the size of my palm. Quite proud of that though, actually. At least I have apples to go with that. I should probably eat the bruised ones first.

There’s something strange about this island though. I’m curious but part of me doesn’t really want to know.

Oh, I switched my trousers and shirt for the traditional robes I found in some of the houses. Frankly, they’re more comfortable. But I can see why they’re not worn out at sea. The fabric reaches close to the ground and billows around in the wind. I’d say they’re far too prone to getting wet.

Day  7

I’m spooked. There was a bag of shellfish and quite a few fishes outside the house this morning. There’s definitely someone else on this island.

After a week on this island, Sho had found a rhythm to his routine. The surprise food this morning threw him off quite a bit though. What was he going to do for the whole day without the need to search for food? He didn’t really want to explore more either. The knowledge that there was someone else here with him, someone who probably watched his every move, wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.

In the end, Sho decided to stay in the house and clean up a little more, make things a bit more comfortable. He wondered if he should build a raft or something to try leaving the island. But without the compass, Sho wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Getting lost at sea without adequate supplies would be a much worse fate than staying on this island for the rest of his life.

As night fell, Sho started a fire in the sunken hearth in the middle of the house. Putting a pot of freshwater over the fire, Sho added in a few strips of the seaweed he found and dried out, along with some of the shellfish that was dropped off at his doorstep this morning. Hopefully, the boiling will eliminate any possible toxins.

A full moon rose on the horizon and Sho settled on the walkway right outside the house, bare feet swinging over the edge, just above the water as he set up a fishing rod and leaned back, relaxed. There was no need to catch anything. But having something to do, to anticipate was better than sitting around doing nothing.

While waiting for his stew, Sho tried to formulate a plan to leave this island. He would definitely have to gather food supplies first if he wanted to do so. Leaving would be easier if there was a fishing boat still docked somewhere on this small island though. But if a friendly ship came by, and he manages to catch their attention, that would be even easier. Sho wondered if his shipmates were alive. Hopefully, they survived. Maybe they did and they were looking for him, or not. Maybe. Hopefully.

The line on the fishing rod unravelled, with the catch on the other end speeding off. Casually, Sho picked it up and started reeling the creature in. It wasn’t too difficult. There wasn’t much weight behind it. Before long, he pulled his catch out of the water. It was a squid. Its ink could be useful for writing if that was ever necessary. But he didn’t need more food to keep now. It would just go to waste.

Unhooking the squid, Sho threw it back into the water and set his rod down. He didn’t expect that he would actually catch something. He shifted, folding his legs in as he stared at the moon. Sho soon got bored though. Humming a shanty he picked up from his time at sea, he stood up and went back in for his stew. Sho quickly ate his fill, but there was still half a pot untouched. He pursed his lips as he put the lid back on the pot. It should still be edible tomorrow.

Sho lay down on the bedding he set a short distance away from the hearth. It took him a while to figure out how far was too far and how close was too close, but he finally found the right spot. With a satisfied palate, he had intended to go to sleep but the salt from the seafood and the seaweed had him needing a drink. And he didn’t exactly feel like drinking water. He glanced at the untouched crate of rum that sat in a corner of the space.

Without much hesitation, Sho went over to the crate and pulled out a bottle. Popping it open, he sat down on the plank walkway again and started to drink, watching the moon and counting the stars as he did.

Sunlight hit Sho’s eyes as he cracked them open. His head hurt. Why did it hurt? Sho lay motionless, tucked into his bedding as he tried to recall what happened last night. He didn’t remember getting back into bed, but there was a vague memory of drinking from one of the bottles…

As he tried to sit up, his vision swam and a peal of light laughter hit his ears. Sho snapped his head towards the source, making the room spin again as he did. Closing his eyes, he groaned.

“I’ve never met a pirate who barely makes it through a quarter of a bottle,” the voice teased. Forcing his eyes open, Sho squinted as he tried to see who was talking. His aching head immediately felt soothed by the sight before him.

An impossibly beautiful man sat next to the hearth, so beautiful that he tugged at Sho’s heartstrings. The man was smiling at Sho, watching him as he rested his chin on an arm placed on the knee of a propped up leg. Sho found himself staring into the man’s dark eyes filled with mirth, his smile drawing him in.

Suddenly, he snapped out of his reverie. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Sho asked, “What makes you think that I’m a pirate?”

The stranger hummed in amusement. Cocking his head to one side, he brushed his long dark hair over his shoulder and said, “That brand on the inside of your wrist is telling enough.”

Sho subconsciously shifted his right hand away, keeping his expression impassive as he kept his eyes on the stranger. As pleasing as he looked to his eyes, something didn’t feel quite right.

“Don’t be so uptight,” the stranger coaxed, stretching his legs out, lounging. As the fabric of his long robe shifted, Sho noticed that it shone with an iridescence as it flowed over the stranger’s form, an odd trait for cloth, if that’s what it was made out of.

“Who are you?” Sho asked, his tone level.

“Does it matter?” The stranger smirked at him.

“If you’re going to come into where I dwell, I might as well get to know you,” Sho said, trying to convince the stranger to give up his name.

“You don’t need to know my name to get to know me,” the stranger said, leaning forward with a wider smile. “Besides, I don’t have a name.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Perhaps,” the stranger said. “Perhaps I had one. But if I ever did, I don’t remember anymore.”

Sho continued to stare at him, unsure of what to make of it.

“You, though.” The stranger pointed a slender finger at Sho. “You have a name, don’t you? Tell me?”

“No,” Sho answered. “If I’m not addressing you by name, you won’t address me by name either. There isn’t anyone else to get mixed up with on this island after all.”

The stranger burst out laughing. “How sure are you that we’re the only two people here?”

Sho grew tense. “Are we not…?”

“It’s alright,” the stranger said, waving a hand as his laughter subsided. “You’re right. There is no one else here.”

The stranger’s confirmation didn’t offer much comfort to Sho. He wasn’t even sure that he could trust this person.

“You really won’t share your name with me?” the stranger asked.

Sho shook his head.

A grin appeared on the stranger’s face. His teeth were particularly white. “Afraid I’ll steal your name?” he teased.

Sho shook his head again. “Just so that we’re on equal grounds.”

The stranger’s grin turned into a smirk. “If you say so,” he said, sounding unconvinced as he turned to look out of the entrance of the house, towards the sea.

“Were you the one who left the food outside the house yesterday?” Sho asked. The question had been nagging at him for over a day.

The stranger’s eyes slid toward Sho. Looking at Sho out of the corner of his eyes, the stranger replied, “Of course, who else could it be? Did you enjoy it?”

Cautiously, Sho nodded. “There’s… still a lot I haven’t eaten, actually,” he said. “But thank you.” After a pause, he added, “Still… why would you…?”

“It’s been a while since I had someone else with me here,” said the stranger. He went back to staring at the sea. “Since you were so bad at spearing fish, I thought you’d starve without help,” he continued, smirking. “Also,” he added, “take it as a thank you for not taking anything from the cave.”

Sho grew tense again, reminded of the hostility he felt when he entered the cave.

“I would appreciate it if you never went back in there,” the stranger said, standing up. Sho remained silent as he began to walk out of the house. Stopping by the barrel of apples, the stranger paused and looked at it intently.

“You can help yourself to them if you want,” Sho offered. “I haven’t figured out how I’m supposed to finish them all anyway. They might just end up going to waste.”

The stranger’s eyes lit up and he picked up an apple. Flashing Sho a smile and a wink, he muttered a soft “thank you” and left, a delighted smile on his face.