Paradise Found

By Mitchell Hoyle

A warm breeze billowed the feather covered trees. Mara stood below, waiting for the exact moment when the gentle swaying would hopefully knock loose one of the alien fruits above.

Today was that lucky day.

Following a soft snap the fruit thudded into her outstretched arms. She grunted at the sudden increase in weight, stumbling a few feet forwards before finding her footing and letting a smile find its way to her face. The down covered fruit was the size of a bassinet and would likely be enough to feed them for the next three days. She cradled it close to her chest and began making her way back down the path with a renewed hope.

Their camp was a short distance away, a shallow cave carved into the facade of a cliff by the water. She placed the fruit down on a bed of dried leaves when she noticed a glint of metal on the floor. Theo’s glasses. He was always leaving them around. Shaking her head she picked them up and turned to walk down to the beach.

Her feet warmed as she stepped onto the cobalt sands, the sleek hull of their ship a short walk away, partially beached with the back half rising and falling with the waves. Theo wasn’t far from it, sat over a tablet which he tapped at mindlessly not hearing her approach. 

“Forget something?” She said sitting next to him.

Theo mumbled, not taking his eyes off the pad.

“Your glasses.” She leaned over and slipped them onto the bridge of his nose. 

He blinked a few times then readjusted them. “Ah. Thanks.”

She rubbed her ever growing belly and looked out across the effervescent sea. There was nothing but the horizon ahead, an empty canvas of sparkling waves fizzing with each cresting surge. “Maybe we should start thinking about what happens if you can’t fix it.” 

“I can fix it,” he said. “I made the code, I can fix the code. I just need a little more time.”

“More time won’t change the fact that the thrusters are nearly empty.”

“It doesn’t have to. With the carbonation in the ocean, and the new commands, I can use what little power the thrusters have to ferry me across the ocean to a place where I can get a signal to the space station.”

“And leave me on the beach alone?”

“I’m not letting you back in that thing. Not after we barely landed as is,” he said, his knuckles whitening around the tablet. “But I have to try. It was my navigational code that got us here, it’ll be mine that gets us out. Please. Let me fix it.”

The waves lapped at the shore like freshly poured champagne. She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He smelled of the sun, warm and clean with traces of the alkaline waters around them. “I won’t let you do this alone,” she said. 

He let out a sigh, the sun glistening in his eyes. “I know you wont.”

“So please, you’ve been staring at that same piece of code all day. At the very least give your eyes a bit of a rest, even for just an hour.” 

“Coming from you? That’s rich. Last time I checked pregnant women weren’t supposed to be running around an island all day.”

“I’m hardly showing,” she said, letting her fingers idly brush away the cerulean sand from his skin. “Besides, I found a nice grove of those feathered fruits. I think I’ll go back and see if I can grab another one before the sun sets.”

“No rest for the wicked, huh?” He pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Not even a little.” She smiled. 

Together they walked back to the cave but before Mara could leave, Theo suddenly pulled her back for a kiss. His arms wrapping around her in an expression of unexpected tenderness.

“Cheeky man.” She shoved him off with a grin before continued up towards the feathered grove.

The island really was beautiful, she thought as she navigated the twisting trails. There were no predators, the weather was stable, and the fruit trees seemed to replenish overnight. It was the paradise they had always dreamed of… even if Theo didn’t believe it yet. 

Part of her worried that he actually would fix the code and find a way to get them back, but after the changes she’d made she knew it was impossible… It had started as a few alterations when they’d first crashed, a tweak here and there to extend their stay, but after a while she realized she didn’t want to leave… she just hoped he would realize it too.

Making it into the grove she got into position under one of the trees. The wind eventually picked up, and with it came the rustling of feathers. But another sound rode the breeze… it was faint at first, but undeniable. The hum of machinery. 

Was that the ship?

She shook her head. It was impossible. The ship would never work with her code, she’d made sure of it. Her mind was just playing tricks on her. Readying herself again she looked to the fruit tree when a deafening blast ripped through the air. 

She clapped her hands over her ears as the sky brightened in the distance.

This wasn’t a trick. Something was wrong.

Leaving the feathered trees, she raced back to the cave but found it abandoned. “Theo?” She turned to the beach but it was equally empty with no trace of Theo or the—

“No…” she whispered, finally noticing the picture of destruction far off on the horizon. A tower of smoke rising from the scattered fragments of what had once been their ship.  

Clutching her stomach she walked to the shoreline, numb as the waves frothed around her feet. 

Then, something below caught her eye.

She looked down as it glinted in the last moments of the dying sun.

Theo’s glasses. Shattered, and left behind.