Chapter 3
(Aaron)
I woke just as the first rays of light began to peek over the horizon and filter through the trees. I stretched my back and shoulders, reaching out into the empty space beside me. Sitting up, I scanned the camp and what little of the beach I could see for Jack. I called out, pulling myself to stand. Perplexed, I headed towards the beach and saw him. Off in the distance, Jack was waving two large palm leaves in the air, jumping and spinning like a wild dancer. I started towards him, shaking my head in bemusement and smiling at his elaborate dance.
As I got closer, I realized that several birds were circling and occasionally diving towards him. Suddenly concerned, I sprinted forward before coming to an abrupt halt. The ground was moving with hundreds of tiny creatures--no, not crabs. Turtles, baby turtles.
"Thank god you're here. I need help," he panted breathlessly. I ran up the beach, grabbing two leaves of my own to battle the screeching gulls. I made my way back to Jack, stepping carefully around the baby turtles as they pulled themselves from their nests and hauled themselves towards the safety of the sea.
I then did my best impression of Yoda, spinning my leaves like lightsabres. I kept my distance from Jack so that between us, we could protect a larger area. I couldn't help but laugh at what we must have looked like: two deranged, nearly naked scarecrows. I can't say we were entirely successful, but after 30 minutes we had seen many hundreds of turtles safely to the calm, lapping waves, and the birds thankfully moved on.
"Well," I started, "I can't say I was expecting to spend my morning trying to karate-chop some seagulls."
Jack shook his head, smiling, his chest heaving with exertion. "Tell me about it. I stepped out for a quick piss and suddenly I'm auditioning for 'So You Think You Can Scare Birds.'"
I pulled him into a hug. "Me too. I'm glad I noticed you were gone so I could help." We then wandered up and down the beach searching for stragglers. We reached into every hole we could find to make sure no turtle was left behind. Many seemed too weak to scuttle down the beach, so we carried them down to the water. As soon as they touched the water, it gave them a sudden burst of energy, and they shot off into the deeper water.
We continued our efforts for another hour, ensuring as many turtles as possible made it to the sea. It was tiring work, but seeing those tiny creatures make it to the water was incredibly rewarding. Finally, I suggested, "Shall we have some breakfast? I think we've done all we can."
Jack nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I'm starving."
After eating, we stripped out of our shorts and walked waist deep into the water, as I sneaked a sideways look at Jack and caught him doing the same, "Instead of peeking, you're more than welcome to come and get a better look."
He smiled and closed the gap between us, "Okay, I will." He said boldly, planting a kiss on my lips. The waves began rocking us back and forth as we kissed and groped at each other. "We should head back; those clouds don't look friendly." He said, pointed out towards the horizon where a huge black cloud was forming. We waded from the waves, which were rapidly beginning to grow and ran back to the shelter.
Each throwing a towel over our shoulders we quickly dried off and dressed, "Lets, make sure everything's against the rock wall in case the storm heads this way."