She snatched up a bath towel on her way in, tossed it over the shower's glass panel and then reached in to work the taps. Leaving them on to allow the water to warm, she then slid into the water closet to handle more pressing issues.
Moments later, feeling much relieved, Sarita left the water closet to check the temperature of the shower. The water was perfect and she stepped under it with a little sigh that died in her throat as she tipped her head back and spotted the camera lens.
Mouth tightening, Sarita lowered her head and pretty much raced through her shower after that. She then turned off the water and quickly wrapped the towel around herself sarong-style as she got out. Moving to the counter she ran a brush through her damp hair and brushed her teeth as she debated whether to go back to sleep or not. Sarita wasn't tired anymore, but if they really were going to try to leave the island that night, she should probably sleep as much as possible today.
Grimacing, she met her gaze in the mirror and shook her head slightly. There was just no way they were going to be able to swim to the mainland. First, they had no idea what direction the mainland was. Secondly, there were sharks and other predators out there in the ocean, and she didn't fancy playing Jonah in the belly of a whale. And then there was the distance. She hadn't seen even a hint of land in any direction as they'd walked around the island. They could be ten miles from the mainland or a hundred. Neither of them had any idea.
No. Sarita just couldn't see swimming for the mainland. But maybe they could build a raft or something. Turning off the taps, she dried her hands and then leaned against the counter to think. They might not be able to leave tonight if they went by raft, but at least there was a better chance of surviving.
How long would it take to build a raft? She pondered that now. Cut down some trees, tie them together using sheets maybe. Make some kind of shelter to keep Domitian out of the sun, and make some paddles or something so they didn't end up getting pulled out to sea by currents.
That thought was alarming enough that Sarita pushed away from the counter and moved back into the bedroom. She glanced toward the bed, but all there was to see was the sheet wall Domitian had created. Leaving him to sleep, she slipped into the walk-in closet and grabbed another swimsuit to put on under her towel. Once she was as decently dressed as she was able in this place, Sarita headed for the office with its shelves of books.
When she didn't know something, Sarita researched it. At home she would have been checking the internet, Googling "how to make a sturdy raft" and "how to navigate unknown waters by the stars" and "what you should take if you expect to be stranded on the ocean." Unfortunately, there was no internet here. Hopefully the office had something useful on one of its many bookshelves.
It didn't take Sarita long to see that the books in the office wouldn't be much help. There were a couple of shelves of novels, but the rest were old scientific journals on genomes and DNA splicing and whatnot. If she'd wanted to create one of the poor creatures in the jars in the basement, she probably would have been all set, Sarita thought grimly. But there wasn't a single book that looked like it could tell her how to navigate by the stars or build a raft.
She was turning away with frustration when her gaze landed on one of the novels on the shelf, an old classic, Robinson Crusoe. Figuring it was better than nothing and might have at least one or two useful bits of information, Sarita grabbed it, cursing when the book next to it tumbled off the shelf and fell to the floor.
Muttering under her breath, she bent to pick it up, reading the title as she straightened. It was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Sarita saw, and there was a bit of paper sticking out at the top. Curious, Sarita opened the book and stared at the folded pages inside. It looked like a letter. Carrying everything to the desk, she set the books down, settled on the chair and opened the letter.
Dear Margaret,
Sorry this letter is so long in coming, but life has been a bit chaotic of late. And I apologize but this will be a short letter because it's nearly bedtime and Ramsey will be home soon.
First the good news; Ramsey and I are expecting our first child! Oh, Maggie, I wish I could have told you this face-to-face. I know you'd be as happy for me as I am about it, and we'd be hopping up and down and squealing like schoolgirls.
I did try to convince Ramsey to bring me home for a visit so I could tell you this in person. Sadly, he says there is just no way we can make it back to England before the baby is born. As disappointed as I am, I know he's right. There is so much to do!
I mentioned in my last letter that we were living in a charming little house on its own island, but that we were looking for a larger home nearby. We found several nice houses, but none of them seemed to have everything Ramsey needed, so he determined to build a new house instead, and bought a nearby empty island.