“I wouldn’t call wanting a shower after days in the wilderness fussy.” I arch an eyebrow. “What are the special bath stones?”
“I noticed them when we were gathering seaweed,” Elliot says, and walks closer to the shore. There’s a bit of raised land, and he bends there, picks something up, and returns to me with a pumice stone.
“Oh!” I say happily. “A special bath stone. Of course.”
Elliot offers it to me. “It’s not a bar of soap, but it’s something.”
I look at the pumice stone, marveling at it like it’s a small miracle in my hands. “It is something indeed,” I agree.
For the next hour, Elliot and I take care of ourselves and bathe in the small cove. We use the pumice on our feet and take turns rinsing out each other’s hair. I remember that you can use healthy branches of soft green spruce needles as toothbrushes, and Elliot figures out that they make good back-scratchers, too. I even spot a major haul of salmonberry brambles by their pinkish glow, and gather enough just-ripe berries to give us a delicious snack as we make new shoes.
It’s hardly enough to satiate my hunger. The chill is still in my bones. But easing some of the physical discomfort helps, andas the sun peeks through the hazy clouds, I feel like I can think more clearly than I have in days.
And I’m still thinking about touching Elliot, I note.
“Should we flip the wood?” he asks.
I sit up on the flat rock where I’ve been resting, my hands flat behind me, once again ignoring any and all innuendo. “Indeed.”
“We could gather some wood to keep dry under the shelter, too, for food fires,” Elliot suggests. He looks out over the ocean. “What about a gianthelpon the beach? Something that can’t be rained out?”
“The fires are a much more effective signal, but I suppose something rain-proof could be more prudent at this point. And yes. A small shelter fire is a fantastic idea.”
Elliot shrugs. “We’ve already put all the energy into the signal fires. We might as well spread the wood to dry first.”
“Agreed. And we can work on beach signals with our remaining energy.”
Elliot looks up at the sky. “If all else fails, maybe we could build a raft and paddle to that other island?” Alarm immediately rises up my spine at the idea, but he thankfully abandons it on his own. “Seems difficult.”
The sun is shining brighter now, so I get up to my feet. We’ve got a plan, and good reason to believe someone is already coming to rescue us. With better shelter and a bath, this is the best things have looked since we fell off the casino boat.
Elliot and I head back to the cliff. “Our clothes should be dry,” he says. “Can you imagine how heavenly dry clothes will feel?”
I scratch my thigh. “Maybe not heavenly, but I’ll be glad to reunite with my trousers before our rescue boat approaches.”
As we step through some shrubbery, there’s a loud creaking and cracking sound that seems to come from above us andaround us at the same time. Elliot lets out a startled yell, and I spin, looking for the source as I jolt to full awareness.
The massive oak beside us tips, uprooting the earth with it. A heavy dead branch falls immediately beside us, thwacking the ground, and Elliot starts to run.
I grab his arm and pull him to me instead, throwing us toward the tree. As I do, it falls where Elliot just stood with a massive thud, and branches explode around us.
The fallen oak is crashed into the rocks across from where we stand, and the rocky cliff is to our back. Branches surround us from every side, and Elliot and I are both gasping for breath as we hold each other tight.
My heart is racing, and I’m dizzy.
I ease slightly back, but don’t fully let go. “Are you okay?”
Elliot nods quickly. He pats himself, but there’s barely enough space to move, and he takes a branch in the face, which causes me to stumble backward and catch myself on the rocks.
“I’m okay,” he manages, breaking the branch off and tossing it aside. “Holy shit. You?”
I nod, relieved as I get back to my feet. “I think so.”
Elliot looks at the fallen tree with wide eyes. “That almost killed me. How did you know where to move? It seemed like it was everywhere.”
“If a tree falls, you move toward the trunk. I know it seems contradictory, but that’s the fastest way to the other side.”
Elliot nods. There’s sweat on his face, and something jostles through the branches behind him, startling us both.
