Stranded
Part Two
Ephram cursed and tossed two rocks away, furious about his twelfth failed attempt to start a fire. "You wouldn't happen to have a match, would you?"
Amy smiled. "Come on, Ephram, don't you know how to start a fire? Didn't you go on that "spirit-quest" with your dad and that doe?"
"Yeah, but that was different. It took a whole pack of matches and a flare gun to start that fire," Ephram playfully answered back.
Amy's expression suddenly turned sour and she looked down in sorrow for herself. "Colin could've started a fire…he went camping a lot with Bright."
Ephram snapped the dry twig he was holding at the mention of Colin. "Yeah, I'm sure Mr. Perfect could also build a three-story condo and train monkey waiters." Ephram's sarcasm mixed with anger as he continued. "Hell, he could probably just walk on water and carry you in his iron-strong arms, and get you outta this hellhole."
Amy surprised at Ephram's sudden outburst but knew where he was coming from. She gently walked over to him. "I'm sorry, Ephram. I didn't mean it like tha- "
"I know what you meant," Ephram interrupted. "I just feel like…" Ephram paused to phrase his thoughts. "…like I could move a mountain with my bare hands and my gesture would still seem only minimal compared to Colin."
"I know…I'm sorry, Ephram. It's not like that, I swear. You have no idea how highly I think you…" Amy trailed off and sat next to him, smiling. "Come on. We still have some time before the sun goes down. Let's see if we can put our heads together and get a fire going."
Ephram smiled back and nodded.
***
Giving up on the "rubbing sticks" approach to starting a fire, Ephram and Amy found themselves walking along the shore, searching for any debris. Ephram had been silent most of the time, obviously in deep thought. After what seemed like an eternity, Amy broke the silence.
"So do you think we'll be rescued?" she asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
Ephram shrugged, trying to mask his own growing fear. "I've been thinking about it, but it doesn't look good. We heard a loud noise after we jumped off the plane, and that was probably an engine burnout. But the plane couldn't have just dropped when we heard the noise."
Amy continued his thought. "So then the plane had to have crashed after we lost consciousness. But how long after?"
Ephram shrugged again, wishing he knew exactly what the hell he was talking about. "I dunno. Even if the plane crashed just five minutes after we jumped off, it could be further than a dozen miles from here. Plus, we don't even know how far we drifted when we lost consciousness."
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes. "So you're saying they'll never find us."
Ephram noticed what had happened and shook his head rapidly. "N-no, no, no. I'm sure they'll sweep the sea looking for us. And knowing our dads, I'm sure search copters are going to be flying in every twenty minutes."
Ephram felt a wave of relief wash over him as a smile returned to Amy's lips.
***
"What do you mean you can't find them?" Harold Abbott roared in fury at the airline representative's answer.
"I mean just that, Mr.- "
" –doctor."
"Doctor Abbott. We located the crash site an hour ago. We had copters sweep the sea in a ten-mile radius around the plane – nothing but debris."
Andy cut-in hastily. "What if they got out long before the crash?"
The balding, pale representative shook his head instantly. "Not possible really. It isn't typical procedure to evacuate the plane and then continue flying it."
Harold Abbott's fist slammed against the table. "It's not typical procedure for the plane to crash either!"
The representative cautiously backed away. "I'm sorry, doctors. The chances of your children being alive are slim to none. There's nothing more we can do."
Andy turned to Harold and shook his head. "This isn't over yet. Come on, we're catching the next flight to California."
Tears formed in Harold's eyes as he gave Andy a quizzical look. "Why?"
Andy's face grew stern as he tried to hold his composure. "I have a friend in the coast guard. We're gonna go rent a boat and lead a search detail. We'll search every inch of the damn ocean if we have to." Turning away, Andy whispered to himself. "I'll be damned if I lose another person I love."
***
"So what was the real reason for wanting to go to Hawaii?" Ephram asked as he struck a dry stone with a piece of steel debris they had found floating on the shore. "I mean, it doesn't seem like you to just visit your deceased boyfriend's retired grandparents just to drop-off some of his photos and old Miners jersey."
Amy blew very lightly as a small series of sparks struck the mound of dry vegetation. "The truth? I needed to get away. All the death, and the aftermath – dealing with the condolences from everybody in town…I just couldn't take it anymore. When I heard Colin's parents were going to ship some Colin-memories to his grandparents, I offered to take it there myself. I know it doesn't make sense: trying to run away from all the 'Colin-depression' by running a 'Colin-errand.'"
Ephram grinned and slowly sat next to her. "Well I'm glad you came."
Amy's eyes met his for a brief moment. A small wisp of smoke began to rise in front of them. "We did it!" She slid a handful of dry twigs into the slowly growing flame and hugged Ephram, who was still seated on a rock in shock of their accomplishment.
He smiled, but not at the fire. Instead he pointed to the sky. Amy sat next to him and looked, and saw what he was pointing at: the most spectacular sunset she had ever seen in her life. She turned her head to him and found his eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before she leaned in and kissed him. The wave of bright orange washed over them as the sun continued its descent. And despite all the hardship and problems he had just been through, Ephram had never experienced a happier moment – and then she pulled away, like a scorpion snapping its tale back after stinging its prey…