The captain looks out across the beachhead where they’ve established their camp, then back towards his ship moored in the bay. Parrots screech in the palm trees. He wipes his brow and turns to order his men to start clearing out the jungle around them.
Then he sees he is alone. He sees that the camp is nothing more than a few rusted pegs and torn canvas, and the ship in the bay is nothing more than an island of flotsam. How long has he been here? He looks at his chapped and bleeding hands. When was the last time he drank anything?
Paddy Dobson
22nd June 2023