The Invisable Island

It was supposed to have been a field trip for the teachers and the coordination. The boat ride was not the best nor did it feel like the safest; small boats, rough waters and high waves. Getting to the island seemed like it was taking forever.

Unfortunately, I had missed the first boat and ended up going with other co-workers; most of whom I did not know. I felt like a fish out of water. While most of the staff had gone back to face-to-face classes, I had stayed home for the past four years waiting for the virus to lose its power. People had changed. I had changed.

When we reached the island, our clothes were drenched, so we needed to change into the school uniform. Even that had changed. The uniform for the women consisted of a very tiny pair of shorts that looked like a skirt; shorts-skirt. It was gray and the hems were red. There was a white t-shirt with the school´s red logo on the upper left-hand side. It must have been really cute on the young students, but on me, nearly 60, it looked hideous. I felt like an old woman trying to show others she was younger by wearing clothes that were designed for a much younger body. As footwear, white, red and gray sneakers - pretty comfortable. Everyone was in uniform. The only difference was that the men were wearing gray slacks or gray cargo shorts. We looked like an army troop.

What was said at the meeting could have been sent in an email, like every meeting that we had had prior to this one. I guess, they wanted to make a change and try out the island so that it could be used for field trips. Whatever the reason, it wasn´t mentioned; as usual.

Time to return. I had to go to the restroom. Sadly, a few teachers and I were left behind. They should have waited. They should have counted all those in the group before leaving, just like we do when we take students on a field trip so that everyone returns safely.

We ran to the beach and were approached by a suspicious looking man who said he could take us. We really had no choice, soon it would be dark. To our surprise, he headed in a different direction. When questioned about it, he just laughed. The laugh sent chills up my spine.

The island we were taken to was covered with BBQ pits. To my horror, the meat on the BBQs were people. It was an island with cannibals. There weren´t registered cannibals in the country. Therefore, this must have been a result of the hard times and lack of food during the great virus. People had lost their jobs and were starving. People were dying anyway; meat is meat some thought.

I needed to save my life. As the ship captain was forcing my co-workers off the boat using a harpoon threatening them, I tried to escape.

I really can´t remember how I did it, but I managed to stay on the boat and fled when everyone had gotten off. I felt bad and relieved at the same time. What a selfish act, but I was no superhero at this point. The ship captain didn´t care, he did have a relatively good catch for that night. I turned on the motor and headed back to the original island where we had had the meeting. I went back to the lodge, decided to spend the night and try to return home on the next day.

As I was reaching the lodge, I noticed some houses next to it and saw a mother and her three children arriving home. The children were wearing the school uniform, I figured that they were students from the school I worked at. As I approached them, though my gut told me not to, I startled them. I noticed their uniforms were not fit for their bodies. My gut screamed louder and I just ignored it. I asked them if they studied at the school and after a few minutes the mother said they did. However, she looked at my uniform and then theirs before answering.  I quickly asked what time the boat left in the morning that headed for school. She said 5am. I thanked her and headed for the lodge. The look the mother gave me was the same look the ship captain had given us before taking us to the BBQ island. Had he really taken us to another island or was it just the other side of this same island?

I ran to the lodge and locked myself in the bathroom waiting for the sun to rise.

 

January 10, 2022 ( Based on a dream)

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