I chose to ignore the message in my head and the bottle. My only goal was to make it off the island alive. I tread out of the salty shallow water, then sink my feet into the warm sand. The breeze made it feel like I was on a beach in the Caribbean. Besides the fact that I could die, this was a nice vacation spot and I’m sure people have come here before for the beautiful scenery and isolation. Maybe a little too much isolation. All I had to distract me from the haunting consciousness of death were my thoughts. I wonder if I'll go crazy. My eyes scanned over the horizon, hoping to fall upon a chunk of land, or maybe even a boat. Nothing met my gaze and my heart dropped. The dreadful realization that I was alone sunk deep into my soul and I wanted to scream. I could almost feel the adrenaline rushing through my body. Fight or flight scrambled throughout my brain as I pondered what to do next.

 I panned my eyes back down to the bottle and picked it up once again. The cork slid out with a squeak then a deep “pop”, and the tarnished note slid out into my hand, almost like it was meant for me. What am I doing, I thought to myself. I reread the simple phrase in my head dozens of times, wishing I knew what it meant. “Help me” bounced around in my head as I searched for any other text on the note, flipping it around back and forth frantically, hoping to find something else. Nothing. 

The vicious sun beat down on my fair skin and made it almost unbearable to stand out on the beach. I waded through the sea keeping my head above the salty water. I got out of the water and trodded into the island, to where I could see the trees, hoping they would provide cover from the sun. I sat under the tree, wishing I had some type of entertainment; something to distract me. I should look for food and shelter. Who knows what comes out during the night. 

I got up with extreme remorse for the present and walked deeper into the jungle. After a short moment of walking, I heard a scream. Not a scream; a shriek. Blood-curdling and spine-chilling. My heart dropped and the feeling of emptiness and isolation was filled with fear and curiosity. I ran towards the noise, not caring what it was. I needed to see something, some type of life. I couldn’t bear being here by myself. Was my own curiosity going to be the death of me? Was it really the island that killed me?