Divide and Explore
After a year of complete isolation, Charles takes a difficult decision.
- Charlotte, my dearest. We are not going to go anywhere here. We are not going to survive forever here on this God forgotten island. I cannot stand that our fate is to live a life in struggle in the wild.
We need to find civilisation. Other people. We need help. We need an escape. I've tought about this for days. And as I was thinking, my hands were already repairing the old lifeboat that once saved our lives. Maybe it's time that I take a chance to let it save us once again.
- Are you saying you want to leave us?
- Yes, my Charlotte. We need to know if there's other people on this island that can help us. The only way to do it is for me to take the lifeboat and go explore.
- Oh Charles! I know by the deep of my heart that you are right, but it still breaks me to think about you facing the perils of the unknown!
She throws herself towrds his chest in a desperate embrace and a sad kiss.
- Charlotte, please. I feel as you do. But I need to leave. I need to tell you that I already have prepared some provisions for the long trip. I will seek the whole perimeter of the island, and, if I don't find anything, I will try to go further more, until I find someone. I will leave in at dawn, when the tide is low.
- Let me kiss you one last time then, my dearest husband. Let us make love for one last time. Till we meet again, soon.
They make love with a sad intensity, knowing that they would never be as close as now for God know how much. The despair and sadness in their eyes says it all.
Later on, while Charlotte weeps silently in her bedroom, Charles explains his plan to the children.
- Mandingo, Camilla, I will leave tomorrow at dawn with the lifeboat. I will go searching for some people that can help us. Camilla, you need to behave as one of your class, be a young Lady, respect your mother and help her with the garden, keep on studying and try always to be safe. Mandingo, you are going to be the man of the house. You need to keep my family safe until I come home with some help.
The children say nothing, keeping sadly to eat their meal. There is so muche that they've already been through in their short life, now there's another bad news. They just accept it as it is, like they accept the sunrise every day.
They spend a few hours sleeping all together in the bedroom, waiting for the tide to get low.
At dawn, they all went to the beach with Charles, giving him a last kiss, a last hug, a last look in the eyes.
Then Charles boards the lifeboat and starts to row away.
Charlotte bursts in tears as her husband disappears in the dawn's pink light.
- We are alone now, my little Camelia - sobs Charlotte.
- We are alone.
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