Skyhawk II, a four seater plane, was waiting for us in the town of 1770/Agnes Water in East Coast Australia. Bruce, the pilot, asked us to draw straws to choose who was going to get the front seat. I wasn’t lucky that day. Castaway Island was only fifteen minutes away, but thanks to Bruce the flight seemed much longer. Just as we were admiring the view of the ocean and sandy beaches from above, he asked the guy at the front seat to take a photo of me and the guy at the back. He dropped the plane suddenly, we screamed and the photo captured our screaming faces. We could see silhouettes of sharks swimming in the ocean underneath, but just as we relaxed, Bruce would make another loop. I was wondering, how long before we land.
We were left on a desert island for one day and one night, fifteen of us in a camp by the beach, to enjoy the nature. As soon as I left my bag in a tent, I took a knife and a cup and walked to the rocks at the edge of the long sandy beach where the camp was, to get some food. Oysters, straight off the rocks. It wasn't easy getting them off and they were small, but the ones I managed to get were so delicious, probably more so because I picked them myself. They tasted of sea and although I only had a few I was pleased. It felt good to know I could survive if left stranded on a desert island, even if it was only for a day.
While swimming in the ocean that afternoon I noticed a shadow of a large fish and image of the sharks we saw earlier on, crossed my mind. I was the only one around. My heart started racing and I quickly got out of the water. In the evening we were chatting around the fire with a hearty meat stew on our laps. The air was chilly, but the sound of the ocean waves and the clear starry sky made me forget the crispiness in the air.
Next morning we went for a walk across the island, passed the lighthouse to the other side. I climbed between the rocks of the caves, walked across the zigzag pattern in the sand. We were surrounded by yellows and blues, bits of green and black boys holding spears. On the way back I encountered a big spider lightly swaying on his cobweb, his back part white and looking like a deflated balloon. Every so often strange and sudden noises in the bush would remind us of the wilderness we were in. Back in the camp we had a few hours left in the sun, talking to my fellow campers and getting ready for another exciting flight back. I heard the engine sound, the Skyhawk II landed onto the beach, three new passengers arrived with smiles on their faces, happy to be on the island or maybe happy to be out of the plane. It was time for us to head back. This time Bruce placed a camera on the front board and asked us to watch. After dropping the plane the camera flew up in the air. And the coffee someone left at the back of the front seat flew straight into my lap. Didn't know you were serving coffee Bruce.
K Kos
