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Day Two
Daniel was on a ship. Because of a cyclone, the ship was tossing and turning in the waves.
The captain and his close friend were in a hurry to save the passengers.
The passengers were panicking. The crew had already lowered the small rescue boats into the ocean, and they were helping the passengers board them.
That's when the captain's close friend called out from behind,
"Daniel!"
Daniel woke up suddenly from a dream of the past.
He looked around, hoping everything that happened yesterday was just a dream.
But reality disappointed him.
Far in the distance, the sun stood atop a hill, watching over mankind's activities.
Birds flapped their wings and chirped, speaking to each other.
Such a beautiful sight gave Daniel some momentary comfort.
Daniel stood up and woke the others.
Everyone, still half-asleep, gathered near him.
"Our survival begins today," he said.
"We need to split into two groups.
I'll go into the forest with a few others to search for food.
The rest of you stay here and gather firewood, build shelter, and spell out 'HELP' on the beach using rocks."
Daniel divided everyone into two groups. Six people went with him.
The rest stayed on the beach to do the other tasks.
Francis, whom he had met yesterday, was also with Daniel.
"Now that everything is clear, everyone begin your tasks," Daniel said.
With that, Daniel and his group went into the forest in search of food.
---
FEW HOURS LATER....
A girl named Juliet was angrily driving down the road after fighting with her mother.
Tears had dried on her cheeks. She was careless, speeding through.
And then it happened.
The car hit a child....
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Back on the Island
"Hey!" Daniel's call snapped Juliet out of her deep thoughts.
Her hair was red. She was a small girl with just enough weight to look healthy.
Juliet had a natural charm.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Francis asked.
"Eh, it's nothing,"
"Can't I at least know your name?" Francis asked with a sly smile.
"My name is Juliet. And yours?"
"My name is Francis."
At that moment, Daniel called out,
"Hey everyone, come over here! We've found food!"
Francis, Juliet, and the remaining three hurried toward Daniel.
"Where is it, Daniel?"
Daniel pointed toward a tall tree filled with fruit.
Soon, the only question that echoed was — who would climb the tree?
Before it turned into an argument, Francis stepped forward.
"I'll climb it. I'm a soldier. I've been trained for this."
Francis leapt at the tree like a cat, skillfully climbing up, and picked the fruits they needed.
"Come on, let's return to the beach," he said cheerfully, proud of their success.
---
Meanwhile, those on the beach were busy with their assigned tasks.
They had split into three teams.
One gathered firewood.
Another collected materials to build shelter.
The last team arranged rocks in the center of the beach to write the word "HELP."
One person from the last group said,
"We've finished writing 'HELP' with rocks.
Now we should place three big sticks vertically and lay dry grass beneath them.
"Helicopters flying above the sky and ships sailing through the sea will be able to see the black smoke coming from this. That smoke will attract them to this island."
Everyone agreed with the idea. The third team got to work on it.
The second team had already started building the shelter.
Daniel's group, exhausted from the trek, sat down to rest.
That's when Juliet said,
"Everyone, just think… We boarded the ship with dreams of a new life and a new year.
But we ended up stranded on a remote island. Maybe this is our fate."
"Do you believe in fate?" Francis asked.
"No… but people say fate is decided by God.
I don't believe in God either, so why should I believe in fate?" he replied with scorn.
"I'm telling you, Francis — fate is decided not by gods, but by time itself," Juliet said.
"You two, stop arguing," Daniel interrupted.
He wanted to avoid another debate about fate.
For a while, everyone fell silent.
Francis suddenly asked,
"Guys… didn't you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Daniel asked.
"What was that strange sound?" Francis said, concerned.
"Where did it come from?"
"I… don't know," Francis replied, unsure.
After a moment of thought, Daniel said,
"Oh… maybe it was just the sound of some animals. Don't worry about it.
Come on, friends. Let's go back to the beach."
They all started walking back.
Francis glanced back at the forest with a slight fear in his eyes, then turned and followed the group.
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To be continued...
Next chapter release date 15/6/25