"Brilliant Idea, I like it, I like it" Madison said enthusiastically.
"And then, after the week, we broadcast the videos the girls took, and ask the viewers to call in and vote for their favorite girl" Peter Neves summarized to the meeting.
The organizers listened to the latest gimmick, to try and win back the failing viewing figures of the Miss Universe contest.
Madison, the Chairman of the annual Miss Universe contest, had been getting more and more concerned that less people were watching, or even bothered about the contest.
His subordinate's idea pleased him, and he was more than willing to give it a try.
The idea was to fly the Miss Universe finalists to a remote island, and leave them to their own devices.
Basic accommodation would be built for them, and a generator wired up to afford them some degree of comfort. Food, drink and cooking facilities would be adequate enough to lessen any hardships for the girls.
After the ordeal, the girls would be brought back, and upon the individual's merits, a winner would be picked.
The meeting was concluded.
The decision had been made; they were going ahead with it.
Six months later, the girls were on their way to the remote island off the Malay peninsular.
************
The camp having been established, it was time to get the workforce off the island, and they were very happy to be going.
The local workforce from the mainland had refused to go to the island, and it was only the temptation of a lot of dollars, that had persuaded them.
Passed down in their folklore, this island was cursed, and evil spirits were said to live there.
This was laughed at by the organizers as silly superstition, and besides, it was cheap to hire from the local authorities.
***********
The Miss Universe contestants arrived the next day.
They had been told to keep their possessions to the minimal. This they had heeded to, and so were soon settled into their new environment.
The accommodation was built so that two girls would share a bedroom, each having a single bed.
Washing and toilet facilities were in an outside structure, of the same wood and bamboo material as the main accommodation, but without a roof.
The kitchen and sitting area was inside the accommodation at the front of the structure. Each girl had been given instructions, on how to use the radio in case of emergencies.
There were twelve finalists for the title of Miss Universe, and each girl was determined to see that they passed this survival test.
The girls were:
Miss Barbados Miss Brazil Miss China Miss France Miss Costa Rica Miss Iceland Miss India Miss Israel Miss Morocco Miss Russia Miss South Africa Miss USA
The girls decided to take it in turns to do the cooking and various chores, such as cleaning. That first night Miss India and Miss South Africa were to cook.
While those two were cooking, the other girls went down to the beach, to watch the sun go down. They were in high spirits and were joking with each other, unaware that in the tree line, eyes were watching them.
The sun slowly sank from the girls view, leaving its coloring on the deep blue night sky. The girls huddled watching the spectacle, silenced by its beauty.
Miss USA was the first to break the silence.
"You know this island is haunted" she told the others.
"What, who said it was"? France asked.
"I was speaking to one of the Malaysians, in the hotel last night" USA said.
"He said that many years ago, pirates used to sail these waters, looking for boats to plunder" USA went on. "One of the most feared, was a pirate called Adam Carter."
The girls listened to USA's story with curiosity befitting a four year old.
"He was a merchant in the eighteenth century. He and his wife left England and went to seek their fortune in Singapore. He soon made a fortune and was happy with how things were going, then trouble came to him."
"What happened"? France asked USA wishing her to hurry the story along.
"His wife ran away with another man. Adam Carter spent a year looking for them. When he eventually found them, he killed them. He returned to Singapore, but the authorities heard about the killings and he had to flee" USA reiterated the story.
"What happened to him"? Iceland asked.
"He boarded a boat going to Indonesia, but on the way pirates attacked, killed everyone except Carter. Because he was a foreigner they were going to hold him for ransom. He knew he would be executed if he went back to Singapore, so that night he slit the pirate leaders throat as he slept" USA had the girls attention completely.
She continued "Seeing what he had done, the other pirates attacked him. He fought like a demon, and killed many of them. Those that remained threw their swords down, their spirit broken by the foreigner's courage."
"Is that it"? France asked.
"No, I was pausing for breath" USA told her "Carter became the pirate's leader. He knew about the merchant ships that left Singapore. His crew and him attacked these ships and robbed them. Their crew and passengers were murdered. Women were raped and thrown overboard, to drown or attacked by sharks."
"How did he die"? France asked.
"For many years he patrolled the seas, robbing, killing and raping. People were scared to put to sea. Eventually the English sent a warship from England to find and kill him. When they caught him, he tried to flee, but they blew his boat out of the water. Bodies were recovered, but his was not. The English said he was blown to pieces." USA told them.
"The matter was forgotten, but locals say, he survived with a few of his men, and made his way up the Malay peninsular. He disguised himself as a local. Over the years people were mysteriously robbed and murdered. Women's bodies were discovered, brutally raped and murdered." USA paused for breath again.
"Eventually locals band together, and went to seek him. They found Carter and his men, and took them to a secret place." USA continued.
"Did they kill him" France asked.
"The locals were afraid to kill him incase they upset the Gods, so they marooned them on a secret island." USA told them. "Nobody would say where it was, for fear of their deed, so over the years its location was lost."
"Someone must know" Iceland said.
"Some locals say it's this island, and because of that no one will come" USA said.
"That is creepy" France said "Thank goodness him and his men are long since dead."
The eyes in the trees dimmed and then vanished, a branch sprung back after its disturbance.
*********
The girls having finished their supper went to the sitting area and sat chatting about the challenge ahead.
"This is going to be easy" Miss Barbados said "My house back home isn't as nice as this."
Costa Rica agreed "My family would die for this place" she said.
"Well, don't get too comfortable, we've got to pass the tests yet" USA told them.
