Trapped in Paradise

      Suddenly, a wave the size of the Brain Tree rose up and struck the side of the ship with such force that several things that were bolted down were washed overboard!

      "Captain!" called a Brown Wocky. "The supplies have been washed overboard!" The captain, known as Captain QuiggQuigg, cursed his luck under his breath.

      "Well, go save whatever's left, and bring it below deck!" yelled Captain QuiggQuigg. The Brown Wocky flashed the Captain a salute and jogged off to where two other Neopets were struggling to keep a life boat from going over. All of a sudden another wave hit the boat and punctured a hole in its side.

      "We're going down!" screamed a Yellow Gelert. Captain QuiggQuigg gasped in horror and hopped over to the Brown Wocky.

      "First Mate King, man the life boats!" hollered Captain QuiggQuigg.

      "Aye aye, Captain!" replied King, saluting the Captain again. He then took off running towards the other crewmembers and told them of the Captain's orders. Captain QuiggQuigg then took out a life jacket and ran over to a life boat and began untying the ropes. However, high above him in the crow's nest was a Blue Aisha by the name of Darren. He had been high up looking for any sign of land for them to dock their ship. And for that reason he was unaware of the hole in the hull of the S.S. Flycatcher.

      "Whhhhooooaaaa!" screamed Darren as the crow's nest rocked uncomfortably back and forth. Suddenly the ship lurched forward and Darren was sent tumbling over the edge. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he cried out, horrified. All of Darren's limbs felt numb as the sea rushed up at him. The rain stung his face and ears while the wind chilled him to the bone. Finally there was a cold, sharp sensation of him hitting the water and then everything went black. Meanwhile all of the crew had been loaded into two lifeboats and were already paddling away from the S.S. Flycatcher.

      "Wait! Where's Darren?" asked King. Captain QuiggQuigg looked out desperately over the choppy waves looking for Darren.

      "There he is!" cried the Yellow Gelert. Captain QuiggQuigg peered through the driving rain and saw Darren floating there, his eyes shut tight.

      "Hang on, Darren," called Captain QuiggQuigg, "We'll save you!" But before he could even reach for one of the oars, a wave swept Darren up and carried him out of sight...

      ****

      Darren awoke to the sounds of a Tuceet warbling in the distance.

      "W-Where am I?" he moaned. He was on his belly on the beach of a Deserted Island. Darren's vision was blurry but he could make out the vague outline of a Neopet walking towards him. He rubbed his eyes and lifted his eyes up towards the Neopet towering above him.

      "Are you okay?" it asked. By the voice Darren could tell it was a girl. It was a Female Shadow Lupe. "Are you okay?" she asked again.

      "I-I'm fine," replied Darren, standing up. His knees were trembling and he could barely stand. He swayed a bit before falling into the arms of the Lupe.

      "Stay here! I'll go get help!" exclaimed the Lupe. She turned to go when Darren grabbed her arm.

      "No..." he gasped "Water..."

      "Of course!" replied the Lupe. She picked up a coconut filled with water that had been lying in the sand and pressed it to his lips. "I was going to drink this, but you need it more," said the Lupe. After Darren had drained the coconut he sat down on the sand next to the Lupe. "Are you okay now?" asked the Lupe. Darren nodded.

      "I'm Darren," he said.

      "I'm Silver," replied the Lupe. They smiled at each other for a moment before turning to stare at the ocean. "How'd you get here?" asked Silver.

      "I was shipwrecked," replied Darren.

      "Oh you poor thing!" exclaimed Silver. She took off the shawl that had been wrapped around her shoulders and placed it on Darren's. "You need it more than me," said Silver.

      "You like to help others, don't you?" asked Darren. Silver blushed and nodded. "Does anyone else live here?" Darren asked.

      "Nobody except my brother," replied Silver. She then tossed back her head and howled. Almost immediately a Blue Lupe came crashing through the bushes and onto the beach.

      "Who was it, sister? Who hurt you?!" exclaimed the Blue Lupe.

      "It's okay, Ben; I'm not hurt. I just wanted to introduce you to my new friend Darren." Silver laughed.

      "Oh..." mumbled Ben, turning red in the cheeks.

      "My brother and I were castaways too. We washed upon the beaches of this island five years ago," Silver explained to Darren. As Silver and Ben smiled cheerfully at Darren, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them. They had been trapped on the Island for FIVE YEARS. "Oh, but we're quite comfortable," said Silver, noticing the look on Darren's face. "We've managed to grow food and find shelter here. We're living as happily as any other Neopet."

      "Would you like to take a look?" asked Ben. Darren bobbed his head eagerly.

      ****

      Weeks passed and Darren got more and more comfortable with his life on the Island. Ben and Silver became like family to him and he could soon explore the deepest, darkest parts of the jungle and could make still make his way back by lunch. One day, just as he was fishing on the beach, he saw a ship in the distance. If Darren squinted hard enough he could see a few letters printed on the side of the ship.

      "No," he whispered. "It can't be..." Darren ran back to the hut where he, Silver, and Ben lived and snatched up a telescope that he had in his pocket when he was washed overboard.

      "Darren, where are you going?" asked Silver.

      "I think there's a ship out there!" replied Darren, hugging her tightly. He then relinquished his grip on Silver and dashed back towards the beach. Silver gasped, dropped the Loveberries that she had picked and ran after Darren. Soon Darren was at the beach. He focused the lens until the ship's letters came into focus. S.S. Flycatcher. "WAHOO!" exclaimed Darren joyfully.

      "What's going on?" asked Silver.

      "It's my old crew! They've come to rescue me!" Darren cried.

      "Rescue you??! I thought you were HAPPY here on the Island!" said Silver. Then as quick as a wink the smile on Darren's face sank into a frown.

      "You're right," said Darren. "What am I going to do?" Before he could do anything, however, the ship docked on the beach and First Mate King leapt off the deck and into the soft sand.

      "Oh Darren! We thought we'd lost you forever!" sobbed King, hugging him so tightly that Darren couldn't breathe.

      "I missed you guys too!" said Darren, patting King on the back.

      "Well, come on," said King. "We've got to get back to Krawk Island before another storm hits." Darren looked back longingly at Silver.

      "You and Ben can come with me," whispered Darren. "We three can begin a new life on Krawk Island and forget all our past troubles on the Island."

      "I can't! Ben and I have been on the Island for too long. We're not civilized like the other Neopets." Silver sighed. "We'd never fit in."

      Darren glanced back at the jungle and Silver and then turned to King.

      "I'm sorry, old friend, but I can't come with you," said Darren.

      "Why not," exclaimed King. "We thought you were trapped!"

      "I am trapped," said Darren, putting his arm around Silver's shoulder. "I'm trapped in Paradise."

      ****

     To make a long story short, Darren stayed behind on the Island with Ben and Silver. Darren had found a family and a home, he had found true happiness.

The End