Waking up in a hospital room I noticed my arms were scrapped and my legs were covered in small red bumps. Confused and scared I quickly pressed the emergency nurse button to my left. Just as the nurse was coming in I said,” What has happened to me? I am covered in abrasions!”
“You are on Hetekop Island when you encountered a mighty cliff, filled with jagged rocks and a mutated version of poison ivy atop Mountain Catlinn. The mountain is incredibly dangerous once you reach the cliff and the fruit, but the rest of the forest is harmless. You were out in the sun for five days, stranded right below the cliff where your impact occurred. Now five days out in the desert area is deadly, I am shocked you even woke up. For we have a very thin ozone layer making out summers twice the normal length. You, don’t remember any of this?” The nurse said.
“No” I replied tersely.
“Should I continue then?”
“Yes.”
“When you finally reached a hiker you were completely delirious, but this didn’t last for much longer because there is a mighty river called the Chimana that you drank from. Without this, which is our main water source, you would probably not have made it to our facility in time.”
Caught in an odd gaze toward the window I asked, “You said the sun beats down twice as long as normal? I said not waiting for a response and continued “Then why is it raining?”
“Because you’ve been in a vegetative state for three months, it is now fall; soon it will be winter then as it warms up summer will come back for six months. Are you cold?” the nurse asked, she must have noticed me shivering.
“Yes-ss.” I replied.
“I’ll fetch you a blanket you know average temperatures can reach 17 degrees all winter, but don’t worry summer days get to 98 degrees every day.”
When the nurse came back something incredibly strange happened, my ears began to ring and my head seemed to grow three times its original size. “Wha-at’s goo-ing onnn?” I asked knowing and not caring that I was obviously slurring my words.
The nurse just stood there, like a gift medusa would give. Not willing to answer me, not attempting to help me in any way. Finally the feeling subsided and my body returned to normal.
“Is it over?” the nurse asked, who I still never got a proper introduction from.
“Yes! What was that?” I yelled.
“You see our surface is usually at the same level, but sometimes the tectonic plates shift so much that our elevation goes down or up then returns to normal, that explains the ringing and the blown head. We all experience it, although the natives are use to it; it’s a procedure to leave the new patients alone when they experience it for the first time they can get somewhat rowdy.” the nurse said. “I am Nurse Carter, if you need me again.” She said leaving swiftly.
A few days after I had awoken the doctors came into my room to discuss what plants I had been infected by. As well as their still course of treatment I had and will continue to be on. The first and very sharp plant was a Clawed Floor Lillie. A Lillie that grows on the ground in a vine type fashion equipped with razor sharp claws on the tips of each petal. Normal Lilies’, I was told, are usually just poisonous when consumed, but these would put a one inch deep gash in your limb. I learned that these flowers are bright orange, red, and pink, while the claws and middles are yellow. The flowers themselves are quite small about 4 inches in diameter, but a single vine can consist of 23 flowers. These flowers are normally found near large water sources because of the instant hydration. The claws make this possible by making sure the animals don’t consume the nutrient filled liquid. Although the claws are the best feature of the Lilies some animals have been known to successfully consume the plant. This is by not eating the yellow insides which are poisonous and leaving the claw attached to the major vein. These animals are usually highly adapted Red Pandas.

The treatment for the large holes in both my hands and feet, which I had just noticed then, was an antibiotic made from squashed plants and fresh water. The more highly adapted people with the hospital facility had stolen some medications made by the tribes. These medications worked much better than antibiotics brought in from the mainland in result they were used more often. The main plant used in the antibiotic was called a Tahili. This is a small collection of brown, red leaves. The minerals in a Tahili leaf are known to crystallize the diseased cells long enough for the white blood cells to kill it or control it, finally, in my case, the fibrinogen to cover the holes. This plant is usually 6 inches tall and very rough, due to its small stature the plant is able to survive on low water meaning it can be found in a very dry area. This plant is often found as it reproduces constantly. Many herbivores can be found feeding on it.

“Finally you were infected by a very poisonous generation of a poison ivy called Indigo Fabric.” The doctors said as if words could kill.

“Okay and what is so horrible about it that you all seem to be frightened?” I asked confused.

“Legend has it that Indigo Fabric wiped out the entire native tribe, but five who had been out looking for new land. Indigo Fabric is a very large tree with poisonous leaves and slightly poisonous bark. One fall the wind was very bad; usually the tribes will stay indoors and cover their skin to stay away from the leaves. The difference this time was that the tribe had no idea the wind would come so viscously that season. The wind blew the leaves a mile straight toward the tribes’ huts and soon everyone was covered in red marks. This leaf doesn’t only just leave itchy and irritating red blotches, but makes it hard for you to breathe because some of the poison can be air born. Things were very bad for those tribes and to this day the indigo leaves that feel much like thin material or fabric are hardly ever spoken about.”

“What happened to those five lucky ones?” I asked engrossed.

“They, reluctantly traveled to another tribe miles away from the ghastly grounds of the Indigo Fabric.”

“Do you know how tall this tree is? I cannot believe I missed a blue tree.”

“Most of the Indigo Fabrics are 15 feet tall.”

Nearly all of my injuries and the severity towards my head caused me to stay at the hospital for weeks, but that I didn’t fret. I was able to learn about the nature of the island between shift changes, and many screams out from people just waking up like me. Scared and not knowing how they got where they were, they whispered to people not there. We got lonely, but who can blames us, we weren’t getting any better, none of us. We all suspected something was going on at the treatment center, but none of us dared to say anything afraid we might offend someone. So with all my down time I read every magazine on the table. I learned about a very silly, to me species called a Mr. Bunny Green. The magazine described it as literally a green bunny that adapted to the very green forest. It feeds on berries and light grasses, it’s about a foot long and to the tips of its ears is a foot as well. These bunnies are really harmless they’ve learned to clean themselves of rabies and other unhealthy organisms. In addition, they also have a very high population number because of their ability to blend in with their scenery. Although the plants they eat are beginning to die out.
I also became interested in a rare animal called the Aquitile. An Aquitile is a fish that swims on the very bottom of the river as flat as tile searching for fresh water krill. Because its diet consists of mainly krill and other small organisms it is a carnivore. Usually a full grown male is 18 inches long and a female can be around 13 inches long. The natives have only had the chance to capture about 15 of these fish, but with those captures they know that the Aquitile is a lime green color and when it does have to go up to the surface for any reason it is able to morph. This fish has been known to morph into a polka dot eel and a school of twinkle fish.

One afternoon I was lying in my bed with nothing to do so I decided I would take a walk down the extravagant hall when a nurse came in. I had never seen this nurse before and frankly that was odd because I’ve been here for what seemed like forever.

“Mr. James Pyre?” she asked.

“Yes?” I said guessingly.

“We’re evacuating all patients on this level, please come with me immediately.”

“Well what’s going on?”

Not answering me she hurried me off the bed and we hobbled down the hall on my healing foot. My head began to throb; I hadn’t moved so quickly in a very long time, I was beginning to feel as if I would faint. Once again I woke up in a strange place, with strange people to my every side, I must have passed out, I thought to myself. Regaining myself I noticed a man on a podium speaking in a very terse voice. Curious I leaned forward in my chair, but without notice I crashed to the floor, the ceiling was fading in to a black nothingness and again I was gone.

“James…”

“Hey get away from him!”

“Jaam-mmess”

Feeling like the world was twirling and I was on nothing, but a piece of driftwood on a lake, I opened my eyes. I began to register things, I was back in my room, no it wasn’t my room it was a big empty room. Filled with hundreds of other beds with hundreds of other people only they weren’t confused it was just me. Afraid to speak I just mumbled “Why?”

“James its okay you’re in the hospital. James you hit your head do you remember being rushed out of your room? James?”

“mmm” I said in response.

“James there has been a situation. An attack of 40 Febcotujens has invaded the hospital luckily it wasn’t your level, but we did evacuate the first, second, and third floors.”

I began to come back to life and said, “What are Feet-caught-jeans?”

“No they are Febcotujens. They are about three feet tall, yellow with a turquoise afro and incredibly dangerous. They feed on anything and everything meat; they have razor sharp teeth and are at the top of the food chain. Don’t worry we are keeping a good lookout for them and we have specialists coming in to clear them out.”

Nodding my head swiftly I settled back down to sleep.

Before I knew it I was awake and jumping around, the Febcotujens were gone and I could finally continue my vacation, with a tour guide this time. The last article I remember reading was one about a blue kangaroo so this was what I was out in search for. I knew exactly what I was looking for when I stepped out of the hospital doors with Fernando, my guide. A blue kangaroo called a Kangaroo Spring, it gets its name from the spring like legs that it uses to jump high into the air. When it knows the elevation is about to change, this is because it has red little hairs that detect a change in elevation before the actual attack happens. I wanted to find this thing, I was so excited and very ready. This animal lives in the desert area of the island so I made sure to bring plenty of water and food. The Kangaroo Spring eats plants and can reach the size of a grown man and sometimes larger. A very dangerous animal Fernando told me, but I was looking for adventure.

“Fernando, do you ever think you live on a really strange island?” I asked

“Yes, who wouldn’t?”

“Oh well I’m glad you know this place is crazy.” I said

“Hold that thought, do you hear that?” Fernando asked quickly.

“Yeah.” I replied noticing the strange screeching noise steadily coming over the horizon.

“Then run!” Fernando yelled and began to dart in the opposite direction the Kangaroo Springs lived.

Chasing after Fernando I realized what the problem was, hundreds of raccoons were running straight towards us. Finding shelter in a cave Fernando explained how vicious these raccoons really are.

“You see raccoons are scavengers, but if there is any animal that stands in its way of getting food they will attack you. They have claws and sharp teeth and many, rabies.”

“They looked really big, even from that far.”

“Oh that’s because they are twice the size that you know them to be.” Fernando said.

“Will they come back?”

“They shouldn’t I am sure they were racing towards the river. I hope they didn’t attack our precious Kangaroo. Now get some sleep we start early off again tomorrow.”

“Thanks Fernando.” I said drifting away.

The next morning Fernando and I left our cave and headed north, the air got drier and the land beneath my feet got hard and rocky. We were almost there I knew it. We began to walk on our tippy toes for we heard the light pat of a Spring’s paw. Once we got close enough to be considered dead we lay down and sheltered ourselves with a large bolder. We saw the Kangaroo mothers and babies trying to absorb all the shade that was available. Then I noticed something I had never seen before in my life. A kangaroo jumped over to a small tree and plucked it out of the ground then moved it next to the one her babies were under. She then invited her newest two babies out of the pouch and they lay under the small tree proving shade. The mother, of course laid in the sun, this simple act was amazing. Fernando and I laid there watching the Kangaroos relax for hours, it was just the fascination watching the Springs, so odd, blue kangaroos, I thought to myself. As day turned into night Fernando and I searched for our way back to the cave, we came across the Indigo Fabric and a lot of Clawed Floor Lilies. When we thought the adventure was over for the night we saw a Green Tipped Pitch bird. This is a very large, pink and green bird; it usually scavenges for food and relies on its high pitch scream to scare away predators.

“Many call it a ball with wings.” Fernando said with a giggle.

“You know that is really what it looks like.” I said squinting my eyes trying to see better in the dark.

The next morning Fernando and I set off for a search for other rare animals. This trip will last for two months, we will experience winter and summer, we will find things people never thought about. My leg and arms have healed and I am ready to set out for adventure again. Here’s to living life because one day life will flash before your eyes and mine will be worth watching.