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Chapter 5


A boat gave a lurch, and then there was a horrible grating crunch. It shook them both from looking at the island

“Oh god, I don’t like the sound of that! – Sounds as if we’ve hit some rocks!”

Sam quickly went up on deck to look over the side to survey the damage, and sure enough, the prow of the boat was out of the water, up on some rocky outcrop.

The thing was, they could see just how shallow the water was, as it was clear.

“What was that, have we hit something?” Willow’s voice came from down in the lower cabin

“Yes, some rocks…it’s safe to come up” Sam said, before adding,

“I don’t know where the hell we are though – the only thing I know, where ever we are, it isn’t Lundy, THAT’S for sure!”

Willow came up the steps, rapidly followed by Billy, Izzie and Buffy bought up the rear.

Billy looked towards the island, and said in a surprised voice,

“Palm trees?”

“Wow…it looks like a tropical island…palm trees…look how clear and blue the sea looks!” Buffy said with a grin

“This isn’t right – what the hell is going on?” Sam scratched his head

“Well, while you try and work things out…can I suggest that Buffy and I take the kids and make our way to that gorgeous looking white-sandy beach – you men can carry the picnic”

Willow climbed over the side and down the ladder, the water came mid-calf deep. Buffy let Billy climb down next, and then swinging Izzie up on her shoulders in a piggyback, she climbed down into the warm clear seawater. They waded to the beach.

“I’ll um…I’ll get the grub…you’ve honestly no idea where we are mate?” Spike asked poised at the top of the stairs that led to the lower cabin.

Sam switched on the radio again, but still all he got was static hissing.

“Not one bloody clue…”

A few minutes later, Spike joined the others on the beach, having bought the two cool boxes out to them

“Where’s Sam, what’s he doing?”

“Inspecting the damage of the boat, he’s worried that the rocks could have ripped a whole in the hull”

Buffy squinted and raised her hand to her forehead, slipping down her dark glasses

“He’s coming now, look”

Willow looked up to see Sam making his way towards them.

“Any damage?”

“Not that I can see, thank god, just scraped a few barnacles off and scratched the paintwork a bit – but there’s no damage”

“Chicken leg?” Buffy held out a Tupperware box towards Sam, who picked up a plate and helped himself…

“Oh…don’t mind if I do, ta!”

Half an hour spent eating, and they all lay back stuffed and tired. Buffy smothered more sun-cream on the children and Spike; Willow did the same to herself and Sam

“Gods, I am SO hot!” Buffy rested her chin on hunched up knees, and eventually she said,

“It’s like a tropical island, and I know my geography isn’t all that it could be, BUT that isn’t the Atlantic, is it?”

On receiving no reply, Buffy looked at her companions. They were all fast asleep.

***************************


“Dad…Dad…Uncle Sam!” Billy shook the shoulders of the two adults

“Huh, um, wha- er- oh!” Sam woke and looked around bewildered for a second, blinking at Billy

“Uncle Sam!”

“What’s up mate?” Sam yawned and stretched

“The sea, it’s coming in fast…I’m worried that the boat might be floated off the rocks”

Sam stood quickly

“Good thinking…Spike come with me!” Sam pulled up a still yawning Spike, and they both strode into the sea towards the boat.

“Mommy, I want a drink” Izzie rubbed her eyes

“Spike, bring some water back, will you?” Buffy called

“Mom, can I go as far as those rocks over there please?” Buffy looked up to where Billy was pointing, to some rocks about 50 yards away.

“All right, but if you see anything weird, come back immediately okay – oh, and don’t touch anything you’re not sure about”

“I won’t!” Billy went haring off. Buffy began to shake bits out of the food containers and began to stack them back into the cool box. Willow sat up

“I wonder where we are – I mean this sort of stuff, kinda used to it, the supernatural with you and Spike – but Sam and the kids involved…it’s weird!”

“The kids have been involved before, remember I told you about that haunting we had, and Hepsibar and those devil worshippers in our cellar and all that”

“Oh yeah…still, weird though…look, the guys have reached the boat” Buffy looked out to see Spike just climbing on board.

*****

“I’ll get some water”

“I’m going to try the radio again – (the boat gave a slight swell as the tide came in and the scraping could be heard again) oh, um...no, I’m going to drop anchor first, don’t want to wear away the keel!”

Spike went down into the lower cabin to where the fresh water containers were. He filled two large empty pop bottles and was just going back up when he heard an almighty thud. Quickening his steps he came up and asked worriedly,

“What in the hells name was – “

“Don’t panic, it was just the anchor……hello this is the Redwillow…the Redwillow, calling Lundy, over………………come in Lundy, over” Sam flicked the switch from send to receive, on the radio transmitter, but all he could hear was static crackle. Switching back he said again,

“Lundy Island, are you receiving me, this is the Redwillow, over”

“Nothing?” Spike asked

“You can hear for yourself, nothing but static” Sam switched off the set

“Any idea of the time? – My watch says twenty to ten”

“Huh mine says five past eleven…neither of them is right………how long do you reckon we were asleep?”

“I’ve got no idea…come on, let’s get back to the girls”

********************

“Here you go…where’s Billy?”

“Gone off to explore those rocks over there”

“You let him go alone?”

“We can see him, and I told him if there was anything weird he was to come straight back – and he knows not to touch anything he’s not sure about!” Buffy said defensively

“Don’t worry Spike, he’s a sensible lad, he’ll be okay” Willow said before taking a long swig out of one of the water bottles.

“I know that, he is my son after all, but we don’t know where we are – or what this place is. Anything could happen!” Spike said frowning

Buffy stood

“Okay, I see your point, I’ll go and-“

“No, I’LL go…you stay here” Spike strode off

“Mommy…where are we?”

“We’re on an island, baby” Buffy gave Izzie a reassuring little squeeze

“Hey, Bubbles…look what I’ve got…fancy a game?”

She looked at her ‘uncle’ who was holding up a florescent pink Frisbee. Without a word she looked at her mom, who smiled and relinquished her hold so she could stand up to go play.

“Will…if we don’t know where we are………then how in the hell are we going to get back?”

“I was wondering that…perhaps – I don’t know, perhaps we’re here for a reason? – And once we’ve sorted it or dealt with it or whatever, then we can get back home”

“But…what about home, aunt Peggy, she’ll be panicking and-“

“Buffy, I’m like you, totally in the dark, I don’t have any of the answers – I’m just surmising that all will be revealed in time”

************************

“Dad! Look at this – it’s amazing!”

“What’s that son?” Spike reached the rocks where Billy was lying down looking into a rock pool. Next to him on the racks was his book-bag

“See that there, it’s a Tiger Striped Spiny sea-urchin, but they’re only usually found in tropical seas like the Indian ocean!”

“Really – fascinating” Spike smiled at his son. He felt a bit guilty for being short with Buffy just, but it was just them not knowing where they were that un-nerved him.

“What time is it by your watch Billy?”

“Don’t know dad, the battery must have gone, look” Instead of digital numbers, all Spike could see was a blank little grey screen.

“Never mind, don’t suppose it matters”

“We should really get back to the others, we need to find shelter before it gets dark”

“Shelter? – We’ll just go back to the boat” Spike said

“Er, no dad………the boat is cut off from us now, the tide is well in”

“What – oh!” Spike looked up and out to sea, and the boat although it could be seen DID look rather a long way off from the shore now…

“Come on the, lets get back to the others” Billy sat up, picked up his bag and went to put his magnifying glass in it’s case when he stopped and slowly drew out the map that he’d originally found in the present box that Willow had bought to the cottage

“Oh dad, look!”

“What’s that – is that that old map?”

“Uh huh!”

“What made you bring that?”

“I didn’t! Honestly dad, I really didn’t – I just put my two books and my magnifying glass in here, I don’t know how it got in here – it wasn’t here when I took this out earlier!” Billy looked at his dad with a mixture of wide-eyed surprise and innocence. Spike ruffled his son’s hair and smiled

“Don’t worry Billy, I believe you, after all that’s happened today, it’s just one more weird occurrence!”

***************

“They ARE coming back, don’t worry, look!” Willow said pointing to Spike and Billy trudging through the sand

“But how could it have got SO far away so quickly – one minute those rocks the boat was on seemed so close, and NOW………!”

“We’ll just have to spend the night on the island, that’s all, and go first thing in the morning” Sam said, hoping is aunt Peggy wouldn’t be having a fit by then.

When they got within hearing distance Buffy said

“Have you seen how far the boat is out now, there’s no way we can get back there tonight?”

“I know” Spike said flopping down on the blanket

“Billy pointed it out to me………and another thing” Spike said. Willow, Sam and Buffy looked at Spike expectantly

“What?”

“Show them Billy” Billy put his hand in his bag and drew out the map.

“What did you bring that for?” Buffy asked

“That’s just the point mom, I didn’t!”

“That looks like our reason then” Willow said quietly, and Buffy concurred

Billy looked up to the sky and said

“It’s getting dark, we should look for shelter…is there any food left – and we should try and look for water too, clean drinking water”

“Just how long are you planning on staying here?” Sam asked

“Long as it takes…come on,”

“Look, it’s silly all of us going…why don’t you and Willow stay here with Izzie and Billy and Sam and I will-“

“I’m coming with you dad, you might get into trouble and need me…now I reckon that you need to get up onto those rocks mom…the sea won’t come any higher than there”

“How do you know?”

“Because look…here’s the line where the algae, seaweed and limpets stop – the water comes just above them, but no higher else they’d be limpets and stuff all over the rocks”

Billy’s logic made sense and they began to pack things up and carry them up to relative safety

“Try not to be too long” Willow said

Billy, Sam and Spike set off into the lush looking green undergrowth to find shelter………





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