The Island From Hell

Chapter 17

It wasn't easy persuading the children to eat bitter roots and flavorless leaves for lunch. Like most children, they complained and whined about having to eat them. Calling them gross and asking for something else. Also like most children, they didn't understand that this was not the time to be picky. However Charlie was able to win them over by promising them that if they ate their lunch, they would get a special treat. That's how Miss Barring always convinced Charlie to eat her vegetables as a child.

"This is so yucky." Maisie complained as she tried to choke down the bitter root she had bitten off.

"I know." Charlie said. "But it's good for you."

"Then why does it taste so bad?" Max asked.

"I honestly don't know." She chuckled. "But it is kind of ironic."

"Can we stop eating this now?" Max asked. "I've eaten two leaves and three roots."

"Me too." Maisie added.

"I suppose that should be enough until we reach that fruit tree." Charlie said. "But we have to stay hydrated. Drink as often as we can. Alastor do you know where we could find fresh water?"

"There should be a spring just half a mile from here." Alastor said.

When they reached the spring, the children realized they were much more thirsty than they first thought. Max just dipped his head right into the water, jugging as much as he could. Charlie helped spoon the water into Maisie's mouth and waited until both had drank enough before she quenched her thirst.

"I wonder if there's anything around here we can use to contain a little of this water and take it with us." Charlie said.

"I'll see if I can find a gourd-nut tree." Alastor said.

"A gourd-nut?"

"Yes. They make excellent canteens. The gourd part that is. Didn't Stolas teach you that?"

"Stolas?"

"Yes. He's a botanist isn't he? He should know that gourds were often used to carry water by natives."

"Wait a minute, how do you know Stolas?"

"Well I...I..." He trailed off when it occurred to him that it was odd that he knew one of those scientists that arrived here, when it seemed he had never met the lot of them. "I...I honestly don't know. It just seemed com out of nowhere in my brain. Then again, I have been spying on your camp for some time. I probably learned about it while watching him."

"Oh okay. I- Hold on, you've been spying on us?!" Charlie put her arms around the children and took a step back. "Oh gross! What are you, some kind of a pervert?!"

"No!" He quickly said. "I wasn't spying like that! I was just trying to make sure none of you were a threat. Besides it had been years since I last saw humans, can you blame me for being a little curious?"

"You know I'm starting to think that my friend Vaggie was right when she told me that all men creeps."

"I am not creep!"

"So what do you call spying on people?"

"You're a zoologist. You spy on animals. What's the difference?"

"For your information there's a huge difference. Number one, I spy for research and for the good of animals and they're environment. And number two, animals don't have certain organs that they would prefer to keep hidden and private."

"If you think that I was watching you undress the other night, then you're wrong. I maybe half animal but I'm not a hormone-crazed savage."

"Well how do I know that? I don't know you. For all I know you could be just waiting for the right moment to jump and violate me!"