text: During lunch hour Bryan made the trip through the network of corporate skyscraper office buildings up to the 9th floor of the Bankstreet building to visit Kyle. Kyle was sitting in his cubicle staring at his computer when Bryan rounded the corner. “Hey stranger,” Bryan said in an upbeat voice. Bryan always had a positive attitude in the office environment. “Hey man,” Kyle said as he smiled at seeing Bryan. “How’s your day going?” Bryan asked. “I’m bored as fuck. Just going through the motions this morning. I’ve got a bunch of calls to make that I haven’t made yet.” “You wanna talk about last week?” “I dunno man. I’m still trying to get my thoughts together. It still just doesn’t seem real. I can only get small flashes of memories but I can see them so clearly.” “Like a dream,” Bryan said, nodding in agreement. “Ya.” “Well if you ever wanna talk about it just let me know, I’m right around the corner. I’m always here for you. Let’s get a drink soon, don’t be a stranger eh.” Kyle nodded as Bryan tapped his cubicle and headed off back to his work. Last week Bryan and Kyle had returned from a spontaneous trip to a Pacific island with their 9-5er friends that worked in the same complex of skyscrapers. Some worked for law firms, banks, insurance companies, and they had all decided to take a trip that would break them from their bubble of monotony. They had flown out last week for the two week trip to the island resort. Two rows in front of Kyle was a crying baby that had not stopped vocalizing some sort of discomfort for the majority of the flight. Kyle already hated flying and the short lived efforts by his friends to distract him with cards or sudoku or crosswords only made him more self-conscious of his need to distract himself from flying on planes, particularly this small prop plane flying over the Pacific that to be honest was getting manhandled by the turbulence for most of the flight and Kyle questioned what feats of structural engineering could possibly hold this tin can together. He took off his glasses and put in his contacts in case they had to ditch in the water. He had unlaced his shoes and reminded himself of the location of the life jacket under his seat. Near the front of the plane he could see Fred and Mandy making out again, the clean cut suburban looking middle aged couple next to them looking uncomfortable, straining to keep their eyes in front of them or pretending to sleep - somehow you can always tell when people are pretending to sleep. Across the aisle, Bryan had returned from his long visit to the restroom to compose himself and throw up from the effects of the edibles he had taken before the flight. Next to him his recent girlfriend Breanna was seeming perfectly comfortable with her trip as she had been watching the Planet Earth series nonstop since reaching cruising altitude. A few weeks before the trip Kyle had started making an effort to find a girl on Tinder that would come on this trip, someone to have fun with. He had never travelled with a girlfriend, and didn’t want to be stuck with Nico who was the only other single guy. He could hear Nico behind him snoring. It would be better this way for Kyle, it was probably better to not spend two weeks with someone he just met. Jules and Michael were playing cards a few rows up to Kyle’s left, and he wondered if he should try joining in on the game. No one was talking on the plane and didn’t feel like breaking the silence. All the friends had booked this trip last minute, hence the scattered seating arrangements. They would have all liked to be next to each other on the single-aisled prop plane with only two seats on each side of the aisle. Fred had recently come upon a large sum of money and decided to invite the whole group of his friends to a small Pacific island resort for his birthday, and after the rather tragic year Fred had had and the lack of outings the group had made together no one felt like they could decline the offer and more or less felt obligated to come. They all had the luxury to work remotely or take large amounts of time off anyways, except for Nico who was always willing to quit his job on a moment’s notice for a good trip. The plane descended below the clouds and the small stretch of runway on a peninsula approached on perhaps the only flat piece of land in this mountain-covered part of the Pacific. After landing Bryan b-lined it for the washroom and spent some more time gathering himself. The group headed for the only bar in the airport to have some drinks before their boat would arrive in 30 minutes to take them to their resort. The group made a concerted effort to get shitfaced to kick off their trip. Bryan had returned from the washroom and the edibles were lasting a lot longer than he had expected and he was not sure if he could make the trip on the boat. After everyone had downed a couple of shots, Fred got the text on his phone notifying him that their boat had arrived, and the group sloppily made their way with their luggage out of the airport and down a palm tree lined path down to the water. The driver greeted them with a large smile as a grouping of storm clouds loomed over the water behind him, the driver seeming unphased by the elements his boat floated upon. Bryan told the group he would stay back and catch the next boat to the island, but was informed with a large smile from the driver that the incoming storm might prevent a boat from getting to the island for the next few days. Breanna then shut down his excuses and told him not to be a bitch and get on the damn boat so she wouldn’t be left alone. The boat was a long and thin canoe-shaped island hopping boat with a shelter in the middle propped on four posts, under which the driver stood as he looked out upon the ocean casually as he drove the boat. The motor putted along, and the group now regretted the post flight drinks now that they faced the chop of the Pacific, the ride being much longer than they anticipated and they could not get on solid land again soon enough. The sound of the motor rose and fell as it broke and reentered the water. The driver seemed to continually grin at their state. Bryan was huddled under the overhang, hoping that he would catch less chop in the center of the boat and that he would come down from his high soon, while the rest of the group sat along the benches on the rails of the boat, trying to hold their stomachs together as the rode past the lush mountainous islands wondering which one would be theirs. They rode past other islands with resorts and other establishments clinging to their beaches. Dusk was starting to fall and the beachside bars illuminated the coast and dark waters, with many string lights strung among the buildings and into the forest, looking like stars in the sky. People were partying and lounging on the beaches, and they could hear music emanating from the shores as it bounced off of the green mountains. In the distance they could see a group of people in hula skirts dancing around funnily on the beach. A couple dressed in 80s track suits tore by them on jet skis and gave them big smiles, heading to one of the islands the group had just passed. Most of the buildings were made of colourfully painted wood planks that the paint was now chipping off of due to the elements. It seemed that all that joined these island settlements was the water between them as the islands themselves were unnavigable and had no roads of any sort, the mountains rising quickly behind the beaches. These resorts were all like someone clinging to the edge of a boat in treacherous waters. Michael sat looking out at the scenery, physically the most composed and keeping-it-together of the group, but wondering if he was properly taking it all in and if it was all going too fast. Michael had issues with imposing expectations on his past trips which always cast a cloud of judgement over his trips. He never could fully be present on a trip but would be thinking of how the trip should be. Whether he was enjoying the trip enough or whether he was making the most out of it. He was already thinking of the return flight home and how quickly the trip would go and how he would be back at his job before he could even settle in and enjoy his trip. The driver pointed ahead in the distance at their island as they had rounded another island. It was lush and green, like the tip of a green thumb sticking out of the ocean. It was round all the way around and did not have many inlets or breaks in its shoreline. It was more a green mountain sticking out of the ocean, less an island with a mountain on it. As they approached the coast they could see the resort and its bungalow huts perched on the lower slope of the mountain. When they disembarked the driver took off immediately back into the ocean and they found their own way up to the resort. They checked in at the main building which had a lounge and kitchen, and they were given flashlights by the lady employee to find their way to their bungalows. They walked along the fresh concrete paths through the lush tropical forest to their rooms, the sounds of loud tropical bugs accompanying them the whole way. As they walked Fred was asking Mandy where they should screw, and he suggested they should go down to the beach tonight; he had never had sex on a beach. The resort seemed fairly new. Their rooms were perched on the downslope side of the path, the walls facing out to the water completely open to the air, the beds encircled by mosquito nets. The next morning Kyle was first to the beach. On his second corona he could see Nico trying to get laid, talking to a young girl in a bikini with a group of friends at the beach bar. They laughed. Nico shook her hand and looked pleased with himself and drunk, and he made his way back to Kyle laying on a beach chair under an umbrella in the tropical sun. They discussed what they should get up to on their first day on the island. Nico wanted to meet up with that girl later. Kyle insisted they should do some sightseeing and check out the island on foot. They made their way up to the main building to get more information on possible excursions. The same young lady that had checked them in was working behind the front desk, and it seemed like she was always there and never left. Whenever the others passed she was always there. Her English was surprisingly good. She was a very beautiful island girl, and she informed them that there weren’t many proper trails on the island, but there were some routes up the mountain and along the ridge that she could have one of the employees take them along, they would just let her know what time and she could arrange it, as long as it was before nightfall. She informed them that these were not moderate hiking trails, giggling, and that the group should be in relatively good shape and they should give themselves at least half a day if they wanted to complete the whole route. Nico was not in good shape but was confident in his ability, he had been taking spin classes at the new studio in his office building. They let the lady know that they should be able to handle it. The group decided at dinner that they would do the hike the next day. The next morning they had some drinks and lounged on the beach, some forgetting about their scheduled hike. Kyle started to round the group up and they went back to their rooms to get out of their bathing suits and into their most athletic wear, sliding into their most appropriate shoes for hiking. Michael had only packed flip-flops and somehow no one had noticed that he boarded the plane in flip-flops. They walked up to the main building where the young front desk lady was chatting with a fit man they assumed to be their guide. They introduced themselves and the guide scanned them. He told them he hoped they were ready and hadn’t been partying too much, followed by a cheesy laugh. Nico looked at the guide's calves and began to look at himself the way the guide had and was now doubting his level of fitness. They followed the guide to the edge of the resort, then entered the forest onto the thinly worn trail that was approximately one foot in width. Branches and other vegetation brushed them like reaching arms as they tried to push them aside. The forest was so thick they could only see as far as two or three people in front of them. But it began to thin out as they started uphill onto the steeper slope of the mountain After half an hour of hiking in the humid pacific air the group was sweaty and some were already beginning to tire. A couple in the group had already gone through all their water. The guide still trudged forward at a good pace while the group tried to keep up. The guide kept enforcing that they’d have to keep up if they wanted to return by dark. The guide stopped, realizing some were struggling to keep up, and suggested that if any wanted to turn back they should do it now before the hike got tougher. Nico decided to turn around and take the path back, as well as Fred and Mandy who wanted to screw, and the rest of the group would carry on. They could see it was still a good distance to the top of the mountain which kicked up steeply in front of them. The guide hacked down some coconuts with his machete and showed them to a fresh stream to replenish themselves for the rest of the hike. The conditions were muggy, all their shirts were drenched in sweat. They clawed their way through the hanging tropical plants. At some points when the trail got steeper they could get a view out from the tops of the trees of the pristine blue ocean, the waves looking like faint wrinkles, and the white beaches far below. Kyle, Michael, Jules, Bryan, and Breanna all began to feel their endurance tried now a couple of hours into the hike. “I think we should turn back,” Michael said, at the head of the group behind the guide. Bryan quickly brushed Michael aside and called for the guide to stop so they could talk it over. Jules and Breanna had gone off to take pees. When the girls returned and the group was debating whether to continue, a big explosive bang rang out across the islands and the forest floor shook under their feet, the group having to bend their knees and brace themselves against the nearest trees. “What the hell was that!” Jules yelled out. “Must have been an earthquake. Jesus,” Michael said. They could see some smoke rising over the top of the other side of the mountain and Michael and Bryan ran quickly to the top to get an eye on the situation. They could not see where the smoke was coming from in the distance, but as Bryan pointed out to Michael, there was a surge of water receding from the shore, almost all the way up the lower slope of the mountain. It must have been a tsunami. Some smaller waves followed, coming high onto the shore but not as high as the first they had seen, dismantling any docks and shoreline establishments. As it receded it pulled the structures and wooden debris with it out into the water. They could see some people in the water. When Michael and Bryan returned they asked where the guide was. Kyle gave a few calls for him but heard nothing. When he did not return the group began to search the area for him, peaking through the hanging vegetation trying to spot him. “He was literally standing right there with his machete before that big bang,” Bryan remarked, pointing at the spot he thought he last saw the guide. The group had quickly lost the trail in search of him. “No we came this way. I remember that spot,” Jules said, correcting the direction Michael was taking. “Either way it’s not a big island, let’s just head down and follow the shore back to our resort. We couldn’t see anything on this side of the mountain when we were up there,” Michael said. The group had been hiking for almost five hours now. Back at the resort Nico was trying to call the group about what had just happened, but there was no reception. The sun was now beginning to set as the group began to make their way down in some haste. As they clawed their way down, making no regard for the easiest route, Breanna rolled her ankle on a rock and got extremely frustrated at everyone and the whole situation. After some hiking she began to feel faint, and was having difficulty putting weight on her leg. Kyle and Bryan propped her up on each side of her, her arms around their shoulders so she could hop on her good leg. The group tried again to yell for their guide, but got no response. The clouds were now blocking out the moonlight and there was not much light left to go by. The group finally came across another resort higher up on the mountain after about an hour of hustling down. In the main pavilion of the resort there was an ongoing ayahuasca ceremony with the floor covered in cushions. There were people in a full frenzy, running around or hallucinating bad things while a couple of shamans scurried between them trying to calm them, only a couple of them remained lying down in the cushions. The group asked for help for their friend, and a shaman took a look at her ankle, pointing out two small fang marks on the outside of her ankle that the group could not have noticed, around which the skin was now starting to swell. The shamans said they could not help them at the moment as they were in a moment of crisis, but they could give them some natural rubs and herbs. The shamans seemed more stressed and less zen than they thought shamans should. Another shaman came to them and told them that they should get down to the shore and catch a boat to the mainland where she could get an anti-venom. She was beginning to feel more faint and they could see some bruising beginning to appear on her ankle. Kyle switched out with Bryan as the other crutch and they made their way from the resort down to the shore, having to almost fully carry Breanna at this point. On the beach there was one light off in the distance down the coast, but they did not recognize any of the coast and could not tell if it was their resort. They began to head towards it. Breanna was beginning to lose consciousness and her leg was getting worse. As they walked along they could hear the puttering of a motor approaching and the headlight of a boat was heading for them. The boat beached itself and a man greeted them, asking if they needed help. He told them that their resort was on the opposite side of the island, which they couldn’t understand since they hadn’t crossed the mountain at any point, but it meant that their friends might have been struck by the event and may have been a part of the debris Michael and Bryan had seen washed out. He said he had taken some resorters to the mainland already, and that he could take them there now. The group wanted to check on the resort and if their friends were ok, but Breanna needed medical attention. They pushed the boat off the beach and set out towards the mainland. The boat bumped and pushed aside bits of garbage and debris as they rounded the island to the side that was hit, the light of the boat shining on the dark water in front of them, the driver dodging what large pieces of debris he could see. As they rode along they could see the damage done to the other island resorts. Boats scurried between them trying to perform rescue efforts. A dot of light in the sky began to grow above them like a shooting star. It faintly lit up the night sky but began to illuminate the sea like the sun in broad daylight. The heat of the light grew and after a few seconds it had become so great and bright it blinded all around. The group was brought to their knees, covering their eyes with their arms while trying to keep their heads down. Jules lost her balance and fell from the boat. After a large splashing bang followed by a hissing sound, the night went dark again. They were still blinded and could not see anything, but could hear Jules calling for help in the water. After some time of laying blind in the boat, they regained some of their vision and were able to pull Jules from the water back into the boat. The group pulled themselves together amidst all that had happened, so startled and confused they could hardly think of what to do next, but the driver continued on to the mainland. Breanna was given an anti-venom and a hospital bed and was to make her recovery overnight. The others were sleeping on the ground or slouched halfway down chairs in the hospital room when Nico, Fred, and Mandy walked in and woke them up. A look of shock came across all of their faces, followed by sheer relief as the group embraced each other and shared tears as they were all finally back together. They would end their vacation and take the next flight home.