Alone for two (The Law of Nature)

 It was loud and annoying. This did not mean the technology of the modern airliner, because the large turbines ran smoothly and with a subliminal hum.
What bothered me was the constant level of noise from my fellow travelers.
All around me there was murmur, blasphemy and sometimes loud laughter.
For the hundredth time, I regretted forgetting to take the MP3 player with me. And my cell phone, which I usually use to keep myself bored while waiting, was in my suitcase, because there was a strict cell phone ban during the flight.
At least I had a window seat. The sky was cloudless and below me, far away, the South Seas shimmered in a monotonous blue.
The huge, even surface was only disturbed by a small point, an island that looked almost like a stain in the middle of the ocean.

I looked away and closed my eyes. The flight would take another six hours and sleep was out of the question in view of my fellow travelers. So I decided to do something good for myself again and take another look at my pretty-looking, but unfortunately also pretty bitchy neighbor.
Her name was Carmen and at 21 she was exactly the same age as me. I had found out that much before she made me understand with rather harsh remarks that she did not want any further conversation with me. Well, I had been awkward enough to take such a blatant look at her cleavage, but I was only partially guilty of that. After all, I was only a man and therefore not immune to certain natural automatisms.

When she finally stopped next to my row of seats shortly before the start, looking for her seat number, I thought at first that I had hit the jackpot.
She appeared to me like an angel, with her long blond hair, deep blue eyes and long dark eyelashes.
I greeted with a smile. "Hello, I'm the Mark ..." I couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. Like an idiot, I looked silently into her pretty face, with a thousand thoughts and at the same time an endless emptiness in my head.
She wore a white, airy dress suitable for the hot weather, which ended just above the knees. "My name is Carmen, hello!" She replied lightly and stowed her hand luggage in the overhead shelf.

I made a friendly goofy face and when she leaned over to take an information leaflet from her seat, it was already there. Her dress itself was not cut particularly low, but in this position she inadvertently revealed a deep view into her cleavage. The moment lasted only a second, but it was long enough that she caught me doing it.
I ducked my head guiltily, but my pardon, loyal look was returned by now angry, sparkling eyes.
"Idiot. It really doesn't have to be like that! ”The friendliness in her voice suddenly disappeared. I apologized and tried to distract. "T ... I'm sorry. I'm 21, by the way, and you? ”She
said contemptuously:“ Me too, but unlike you, I'm an adult! ”
Ouch, that had sat. Somehow it's true, I thought to myself, the pretty girls are often the most arrogant. You don't have to be so irritable right away.

For a long time I said nothing more and sat in my seat lost in thought. After a while I tried to start a conversation with Carmen again, but it stayed with the attempt, because her answer was that I should "leave her alone, guys like me would be the very last".
As I remembered her reaction, I also got a little angry. Actually, I consider myself a nice, helpful young man, I really didn't deserve such treatment.
At least she couldn't forbid me to enjoy her pretty sight and so I glanced over at her more or less furtively from time to time. However, she no longer paid any attention to me.

I leaned back comfortably and closed my eyes again. After a while I finally began to doze off, contrary to expectations, when suddenly an explosion silenced all conversations. The huge passenger plane trembled briefly with a violent tremor. Terrified shouts came up. Then the panic began.
Everyone was screaming and screeching in wild confusion. "The plane is on fire, we're going to crash!" I quickly glanced out of my window and sure enough, the inner one of the two turbines stood out at a strange angle and was wrapped in a thick cloud of fire and black smoke. Larger and larger pieces of paneling detached themselves from the wing itself, flapping and staggering behind us like scraps of paper. I suddenly realized that the plane was irretrievably lost - and we all had to die.
The horror and fear tightened my throat. As a reflex, I held on to the headrest of the seat in front of me, because the plane leaned sharply to the left and accelerated with increasing speed. I never would have thought that a machine could screech like a wounded animal - but the airplane did. It was a terribly high-pitched noise that constantly underscored the horrified screams of the people. As we got faster and faster, so did the shaking. The vibrations increased to a wild staccato. I held on tightly.
The turbine outside still offered the same burning image and below us the surface of the water shot at me at breakneck speed. I could already see the white whitecaps here and there. All of a sudden, breathing masks flew from the ceiling. The impending death and the events around me put me in a state of shock and so I only perceived my surroundings as in a film, I became an uninvolved viewer of a catastrophe that took place in slow motion.

A burly guy, who had only bragged about his adventure vacation adventures before, now pressed himself into his seat with a terribly pale face and whimpered to himself through tears. The couple across the street quarreled, the man blamed the woman for having booked this flight of all places. The captain blared some incomprehensible announcements over the loudspeaker system. And Carmen? She had put on the breathing mask and the seat belt. Leaning forward, she took her head in her arms so that her elbows were propped up on her knees. That's exactly how the friendly stewardess explained it to us at the beginning of the flight. I did the same to her and while I stared at the floor in front of me, I listened to the desperate screams of my fellow passengers.
Suddenly it gave such a tremendous jolt that it drove the air out of my lungs and I couldn't even cry out. Then it went black before my eyes.

* * *

What a horrible taste. The first thing I consciously noticed was the sand and salt in my mouth. I spat, opened my blood and salt caked eyes and looked around. What was I doing on this beach, in the middle of the floating debris? Suddenly the memory returned, the fire, the crash, Carmen ...
I sat up. Apparently I got away with it without major injuries. It had to be a miracle! I only suffered a laceration on my head and my right ankle hurt tremendously. But otherwise I was completely unharmed.
My clothes were already sun-dried, but soiled through and through. One sleeve of my shirt was deeply torn and I was also missing my left shoe.
I now dared to stand up completely. Immediately a sharp pain shot through my ankle, but I stayed on my feet anyway. As I got rid of each shoe, my eyes wandered around.
It was noon, because the sun was in the middle and shining in the sky. I was washed ashore on an island and apart from the many debris, which mainly consisted of the remains of our airliner, the scenery resembled the epitome of paradise. Azure blue water as far as the eye could see, a beach that consisted of wonderful white and very fine sand and behind me stretched a lush green palm jungle.

I hobbled on the lookout for more survivors and searched all tangible flotsam for objects that might be useful to me in this situation. I found neither one nor the other. There was no trace of other people, dead or alive. And the remains of the plane were invariably useless garbage.
Exhausted, I sat down at the edge of the forest and finally fell asleep.
This time I didn't wake up on my own, but was awakened roughly. In front of me was Carmen, who nudged me with her foot. Unfortunately, she stepped in front of my damaged ankle, so that tears welled up in my eyes.
“It was clear that you, of all people, were lying around here. Have you seen any others? ”I blinked at her. She was still the unkind personified, and that because of this extraordinary situation. Her dress was dirty, but other than that, everything seemed to be fine with her.
"No," I replied. “I haven't seen anyone but you. Thank god you survived. Are you okay, is everything okay? "
"In order? Sure, my plane crashed, I was stranded on an island and the only other person I can find is you. Stupid question, nothing is okay, how stupid are you? ”She turned on the nonexistent landing because, as I only noticed now, she had no shoes on either and stomped off.
I got up. I hobbled after her as fast as possible. When Carmen noticed this, she stopped again for a moment. "Get lost. I don't need you, please stay away from me. ”This announcement was clear, even if I found it absolutely incomprehensible. In such an exceptional situation you should stick together, shouldn't you?
But arguing was of no use. She was sure to come to her senses.
Before Carmen woke me so painfully, I obviously had to have slept for several hours, because the sun was now much lower on the horizon.

I decided to search the beach again. Most of the debris had since been washed away. All I found was an arm-length metal rail that was part of a small piece of wood paneling. It came closest to the definition of a tool, so I took it with me.
It was getting darker and so I returned to my place in the forest. There was no trace of Carmen. I started to worry and decided to see if everything was okay with her. Clutching my metal rail like a sword, I set out to look for it. My ankle protested at the continued strain, but I gritted my teeth.

I must have walked about a kilometer when I smelled the typical smell of a fire. Following my nose, I started running with renewed courage and indeed, it didn't take long and I found Carmen. My mouth stayed open in amazement. She had also settled on the edge of the forest - but how! A small emergency tent that had been set up shone orange towards me. Before that, a small campfire crackled, which had been kindled in a sand pit. And on a modern-looking box that must have come from the plane, Carmen was sitting and eating something. Only now did I realize how hungry I was. I stepped closer. She noticed me and her harsh tone made me wince. "What do you want here?"
"I wanted to check on you ...". Tired, I sank down by the fire. "What are you eating there?" Carmen rose from her box and pointed to the label on the lid. “Emergency Package” was printed there in large black letters.
"Oh!" I exclaimed. “You're lucky. Can I get something to eat too? ”
I had already reached out my hand, but Carmen angrily slapped it aside. While I paused in surprise, she hissed at me: “You must be crazy. Find your own box! And now get out of here, I don't want you here. "

I was speechless. Then anger rose in me. "Tell me, what's your problem?" I burst out. “We crashed here, we have to stick together. What kind of childish behavior is that ?! ”. Carmen was obviously not impressed at all. "Just go away! I don't want you here, I have everything I need. ”I paused for
a moment, undecided. Physically, the slim girl was far inferior to me. Should I just take what I wanted? But then reason triumphed. She would still see where this egoism would lead. And I was undoubtedly too proud to beg. So I hobbled angrily back to where I was at the edge of the forest. I was happy when I arrived because it was now pitch dark.
Unfortunately it was too late to start your own fire. I could no longer set up camp for the night either.
Out of necessity, I just crouched in the sand and wrapped my arms around myself. It was cold, I was hungry and only now did I slowly realize how close I had escaped death. I began to tremble all over and with the noises of the jungle at night I fell asleep exhausted.

The next morning I woke up early. Although I was frozen through and hadn't slept much, I was full of energy. How could a tropical night be so cold? I would use today to build a makeshift shelter and make a fire. Carmen should be stolen from me, this snipe would definitely not get along as well in such a situation as me.
I searched the beach again, but by now almost all the debris was washed away. My growling stomach quickly made my mood sink again and so I set out to look for something to eat in the palm forest. After a laborious search, I found a few fruits and berries that were unknown to me. They tasted sweet and good, but the bland aftertaste of worry remained that they might be intolerable or even poisonous for me. But did I have a choice? Carmen had the rations in the Emergency Box. I, on the other hand, had to see where I was.
Now that I had something in my stomach, I decided to look again after my only fellow human being and went to visit Carmen in her camp.

I found the place at the edge of the forest without any major problems. The fire was still burning. Without making myself noticeable, I crept closer. Then she came out of her tent. She discovered me straight away. "You again."
"Uhhh, good morning." I greeted. "How was the night, what are you
going to do ?" "That's none of your business." But then she added something to her answer. “Search and rescue teams will certainly come soon. I'll just wait. ”
After all, she hadn't chased me away again.
“How did you get the fire? Can't I get some of the emergency rations after all? And some water? "
She promptly showed me a bird. “There was a lighter in the box. You certainly won't get that from me. And I'd rather keep the food, who knows how long I'll be stuck here. ”
Obviously she was still uncooperative. Annoyed, I turned away and left.

I tried to expand my accommodation. With the help of my metal rail, I chopped off small branches and built myself a rather dilapidated windbreak. Then I gathered leaves to camp for the night, and finally I tried to make a fire.
A little off the beach the branches of an old tree that had been washed up long ago had been. The heat of the sun had made the wood brittle. Over time it had turned pale and dried out completely. I had brought a thin branch and a slightly thick branch with me. In the thicker branch I cut a small bulge with my metal rail into which I pressed some dried grass, which also came from the branches. Now the tip of the thin twig was placed in the bulge and then I began to rub the small wooden pole back and forth between my palms in the best Indian fashion. After a short time, a spark glowed. Unfortunately I was wrong and so I kept rubbing. Time passed. So is my optimism. After a long struggle, I finally gave up. I must have rubbed for hours, my hands were red and already had calluses. My arms also hurt. What idiots said on television that this was the way to start a fire? I was getting really angry with Carmen and her stupid lighter. Frustrated, I lay down on my poorly made-up bed. My ankle still hurt. It was evening again and I fell asleep just as cold and hungry as the night before. My ankle still hurt. It was evening again and I fell asleep just as cold and hungry as the night before. My ankle still hurt. It was evening again and I fell asleep just as cold and hungry as the night before.

* * *

Time passed and days became weeks. By now I had adapted quite well to life on the island. I had long since overcome the ankle sprain.
By necessity, I learned quickly. I had ground my metal rail with stones and thus received a usable, long knife.
In the palm forest I came across a small river that supplied me with drinking water and now and then with a fish.
I was extremely proud of the neat little house that I had built for myself. I learned to weave strong cords from dried lianas, with which I tied thick bamboo poles together to make windproof walls. There was even a hinged door and window with shutters. I carefully selected a location for my bamboo house where the beach and the river came very close. So it was on the edge of the forest, with constant fresh water in the back and the wonderful sandy beach in front of the door.
I now knew which berries and fruits I could eat and sometimes I even killed a small animal. I would never have believed how much joy it can be when a painstakingly built trap works successfully. And making the fire was now a routine and quick process for me.
The nights were still cold, but during the day it got so hot that I walked around with my torso bare. My boxer shorts were enough for me as clothing.

The relationship with Carmen, on the other hand, hadn't changed at all. She still didn't want anything to do with me. She was only interested in the river and I was happy to show it to her. I had hoped for gratitude and a better relationship, but she remained dismissive and bitchy. How could such a beautiful being be so persistently mean?
Apart from this fact, I started to feel really comfortable on our island. Our little piece of land had to be very far away, maybe it was the outermost outpost of an archipelago. It was my own little kingdom, well and of course that of Carmen. But I hadn't sighted a ship, or any other sign of civilization. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that not only had our plane had a broken engine, but the navigation systems must have also been damaged. Because obviously the island was far removed from any normal flight routes. There was no other explanation for the fact that I could never make out an airplane or a contrail in the sky.

Far away from the worries and hardships that modern civilization brought with it, I became more and more an outdoorsman and began to refine and improve my bamboo house, the furniture and my quality of life with joy and attention to detail. I had even recently completed a chair and the accompanying table.
I woke up one night. In addition to the usual noises of nature, a sound had mixed up that had startled me. I got up. Actually, I was reluctant to leave the cozy night alcove that I had built for myself, but in case a wild animal got lost in my house, I absolutely had to look.

I didn't find an animal, but there was a mess on my table that I hadn't left behind. Fruits were scattered around and the grilled piece of meat that I had covered with my old shirt was gone. When I took a second look, I noticed that a few fruits were also missing. I checked the hook on my door, which was neatly tucked into the eyelet. It couldn't have been an animal. Either a poltergeist was stranded on the island - or… Carmen must have been here.
A feeling of pride filled me. So she had seen my hut. Otherwise she had never come in. But now she too must have noticed how much skill and effort the house had been set up.
Then I got thoughtful. Why had she secretly visited me? Hunger must have made her do it. Had their emergency rations, which must have tasted terrible, perhaps run out? I went back to my bed and decided to visit Carmen the next day. I still enjoyed looking at her, I think I fell a little in love with her. How else was to explain my anticipation when the opportunity arose to see the pretty girl. My heart was pounding. With my thoughts on her, I fell asleep again.

The next morning I put my plan into action. I went to her in a good mood and friendly, but she was as dismissive as ever. With their usual insults and insults, there was no question of what happened last night.
I noticed, however, that for once there was no fire burning in front of her tent. And actually the tent wasn't one anymore. The storm the night before last had torn and tattered it completely. Even so, Carmen acted as if she were a queen in her palace.
I returned home feeling disgruntled and with a healthy dose of anger in my stomach. No, such a treatment ... with all understanding, at some point the point will be reached where the limit of tolerance is exceeded. I couldn't get on with this bitch. I decided to ignore them from now on. Eye to eye.

It was evening. I let the fire in the kitchen corner burn down to a small flame for the night, as always, and went to sleep. Then it occurred to me that Carmen might sneak into the house again. So I decided to stay awake and catch her red-handed if necessary.
I had to endure a long time. But my waiting was rewarded. Something was happening at my door. Carmen crept in quietly, with feline yet graceful movements. I sat up with a jerk.
She was terrified, and before I could say anything, she had stormed out the door. So for that night the excitement was over. I leaned back again. She certainly thought I would pay her another friendship visit tomorrow. But she was wrong. Not with me anymore! But what were these nightly burglaries supposed to be? If she needed food, why didn't she just ask? I finally nodded off at these thoughts.

A strange feeling woke me up. It still had to be night, I noticed that immediately. I opened the left eye first, then the right. I immediately threw myself on my side. Where my head had been just a moment ago, a big stick slammed down. Carmen stood before me like a goddess of death, the determination in her eyes flashing at me in the flames. She was just about to strike again. I jumped up and threw myself on her. After a short but all the more violent fight, I wrested the stick from her. Since she was still kicking, hitting and scratching me, I held her on the floor with all my might. She huffed from the exertion.
I was undecided. What should I do? If I let her go now, I couldn't be sure that she wouldn't attack me again at the next opportunity. And judging by the angry expression on her face, that wasn't an unrealistic thought. Who knows if I'll wake up in time the next time. Why did she hate me so? Verbal abuse is one thing, assault is quite another.

Extreme situations require extreme measures. So I dragged and dragged Carmen, who still fought like a wild cat and did not respond to any of my questions, to my self-made shelf and grabbed two of my braided liana ropes.
Working in nature was very good for me physically. Even in the civilized world, I was more of the athletic type. But now I was more muscular than ever. Carmen, on the other hand, was still slim and petite. Even though I had a lot more strength than she was, it was only with great effort that I managed to cuff her narrow wrists together. I was not impressed by their screams and growls. Finally I sat on her legs and tied her ankles with the second rope. That was much easier because Carmen could only use her tied hands to vehemently beat my back, which I didn't mind.
Finally I was able to take a short break. My prisoner realized that there was nothing she could do and stopped.

"What was that supposed to be?" I turned to her. Instead of an answer, she cloaked herself in proud silence. I frowned at her. "You could have hurt me seriously, do you realize that?" Again I got no answer. She just stared in silence at the roof of my little hut. I noticed that further questioning made no sense. Nothing could be gotten out of her.
I thought for a moment whether I should let her sleep in my bed for the night, after all it was much more comfortable than the hard-trodden floor. On the other hand, why should I spend an uncomfortable night for this, for this violent mean burglar? That was not to be seen anywhere either.
Then I came up with the idea of ​​an excellent compromise. I picked up Carmen, who was still saying nothing, and carried her carefully to my sleeping alcove. I carefully placed it in the soft, moss-like grass that formed the ground. Actually it went well together, the flickering of the small night fire, my natural bed, her ... - Well, the shackles disturbed the romantic sight a bit.

Her eyes widened as I sat down next to her. I lay on my side, facing her, and then naturally put my arm around her. It felt so incredibly good. This closeness and this warmth - now my very personal paradise was perfect. We looked at each other in silence. I watched her for a while longer, but she remained motionless. Finally I closed my eyes and pretended to have fallen asleep. In reality, I wanted to enjoy this night together for as long as possible - and of course to know whether she would try to escape as soon as she felt unobserved. The thought flashed through my head that I would not notice in time if she bit my face or arm. But then I thought of that strange look in her dark blue eyes as I lay down next to her. There was no longer this anger to be seen, as in the fight before. No, rather this expression appeared to be seeking protection or even vulnerable. Or maybe I just imagined it. I had to remind myself with all my might that she wanted to beat me down just now.
Well, hopefully tomorrow would bring answers and peace. At least it couldn't go on like this.

Despite the short and very exciting night, I woke up early in the morning.
On the one hand I had back pain due to an unfamiliar sleeping position, on the other hand my bed felt a lot better than usual. All of a sudden I was wide awake. Was Carmen still there? Yes, there she was, still tied up. Her breathing was calm and even. Her eyes were closed and her pretty face was turned to me. I just couldn't get enough of her. I carefully brushed a strand of hair back from her face. My eyes wandered down to her body ...