The Island

By Eero Tarik

Imagine... one moment you are cruising the Mediterranean, the next awake on the edge of a tropical lagoon, dazed, and not knowing why your ship is on its side out in the lagoon and destroyed. Imagine... when one of the survivors is kidnapped on that first night and returns the next morning, minus one arm! Imagine when you realise that you are not alone...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eero Tarik
• Release date: Aug 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463929896

Eero Tarik

A few years ago I started to write and publish short stories using a variety of pen names. In 2011, I wrote and published over a million words. I write using over a dozen pen names and have published over 700 titles that represent over 1,500 short stories, novellas and plays. My works cover 8 of the 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal system. If you had a list of the most prolific short story writers in all of human history I would easily fit in the top ten - and that is only from the last five years of my output as a writer. Recently I turned my hand to writing science fiction. I love imagining what might be in the future, but it may not always be rosy so you tend not to see the hero saving the world on the last page on my stories. For those looking for sci fi short movie ideas, why don't you try some of my ebooks? There are plenty of new and innovative concepts to discover. Speaking of discoverying... I recently discovered that I am genetically a Saami. I suspect part of that identity, and the thousands of years of isolation from humankind in my genes, also comes out in some of my stories. I write quickly, to tell a simple and entertaining story. I imagine we are sitting around the camp-fire in an era long gone. The story should be sharp and to the point so that it is memorable. I don't believe in filling 300 pages with mindless waffle. I don't plan my stories - I put my fingers on the keyboard and let them tell the story - the ending often unfolds from my fingertips without even thinking what it might be. My favourite sci-fi short stories of the ones I have published so far? I really enjoyed writing 2094, it had been forming in my mind for many years. In 2012, the cover of 2094 was sent to the edge of space on a hot air balloon and then returned - that was a great thrill. The Multiverse Traveler is another favourite and I am tempted to continue on with it into other stories. May I recommend, Androgyne, a recent addition to my bookshelf and a story I thoroughly enjoyed telling, and Avatar Gods which just felt amazing to write. I love the emotion it generates. It really adds to the atmosphere if you listen to the songs mentioned in the story. I also have experimented with putting music to my works, my series Fembot Wars has an album of music set to the theme of the ebook series. I have published the songs under the name of an avatar I created, a musical pen name. I recently began to write short plays for the ten minute play market, I hope you enjoy them. They are usually funny and to the point! Finally, I enjoy listening to music as I write, it provides the stimulation for moods. Here is my writing playlist on Youtube, for those interested... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ir9HC9vYg&list=PLJhp5_YdP2W5elxXaHTxZVoUxDNmW_W89 For more information and to contact me, go to my website which is listed below.

Book preview

THE ISLAND

Smashwords Edition

* * * * *

Published by Eero Tarik

ISBN :

The Island

Copyright 2016-2019 by Eero Tarik

This work MAY NOT be distributed through any file sharing mechanism. Any copy of this work obtained in such a manner is an illegal copy.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this work may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this work.

This is a work of fiction – none of the characters are real. Any resemblance to any person living or a current situation is mere coincidence.

Recent releases by the author…

Avatar Gods - A challenging short story about the future migration of humans to a virtual world, and their struggle against the US government. These lovers of freedom, who are living in their own Utopia, a space based virtual world, rally behind the stunningly beautiful Afroditee and her Temple of the Avatar Gods as they declare war on the US and change human history forever. Bright - fast - imaginative - emotional.

1000 Grains of Love – Love - so beautiful, so precious and yet so easily squandered. We all fall in love thinking our love is forever, it is endless. But it is not, Eros only gives you 1000 grains of love for your romance. This is a unique, mythical short story that explains how Eros works. The ultimate gift for any couple in love.

The Adventures of Sandee and Donna – A rollicking sci-fi, time travel, lesbian romance that will have you laughing so hard you fall off your seat - and leave you wondering if government is run as bad as this. Made the Top 40 charts.

The Time Traveller and Rochelle – the second in the Time Traveller series, this episode will make you laugh, and cry, and challenge your humanity.

CONTENTS

AT SEA

LAGOON

DOWNING STREET

DAY ONE

GOLD

GREED

NIGHT

SURGERY

RETURN

VISITATION

KIDNAP

EXODUS

OTHERS

VILLAGE

MEETING

PAUL

GLOW

BEACH CAMP

A BIT OF TRUTH

SUSPENDED

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

THE ISLAND

AT SEA

Steve watched as the ship drove into the back of the next wave and sent the spray blowing back towards him. A thin shield of glass protected him from the fury of nature, but the intent was clear. The ocean was angry and directing its rage at the ship.

An hour ago, they had been cruising along peacefully at full steam on a calm Friday evening. No stormy weather had been forecast; conditions would be clear on this December night on the Mediterranean. And yet, somehow, they were now in the throes of a violent storm with waves exceeding 20 metres coming up behind the ship, smashing into the stern and driving them forward. It was as though the ocean wanted them to move forward faster, as though they had an appointment to make. The ship shuddered along its 100 metre plus length as another wave ploughed into it, the bow then rising to meet a new crest before sailing down the other side.

The ship was large for a luxury yacht, stretching to over 120 metres in length, and yet in seas like this it felt very much at the mercy of the elements. He marvelled at how something that had seemed so big in port now seemed so pathetically insignificant when compared with the fury of Mother Nature.

He took a deep breath. He shouldn’t have even been on this charter. He was meant to be off for two weeks but a last-minute illness to the ship’s regular purser had seen Steve called in to replace him. Thankfully it was only going to be a four-day cruise, a brief celebratory cruise for an Arab sheikh and some of his big wig business buddies with a few political wannabes from around the globe thrown in for good measure. And, of course, there were the ‘entertainers’, both male and female, provided for the amusement of the sexually depraved guests.

He had expected it to be reasonably uneventful, other than putting up with a group of adults behaving like spoilt children. He was used to that; most passengers were hopelessly self-important. There was something like 80 guests and 40 crew on board that night and he was relieved that they were inside the vessel, away from him, and he was enjoying a few quiet moments for himself. They annoyed the crap out of him, and it was only the first night of the cruise. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

The storm was relentless, he hadn’t seen anything like this before, not something that came up so suddenly and without warning. He was about to turn and head back to work when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He glared ahead into the blackness of the night. There, he saw it again. Up ahead there was some kind of pinkish glow. He knew the captain would be on watch, he would see this as well. It was an oddity on an odd night.

They surged down the face of the next huge wave, spray tossed back and over onto the ship as the vessel breached the other side and then began its difficult climb to the top of the following wave. Steve kept his focus on the scene ahead and realised that the pinkish light he had seen was only just in front of them now. It looked like a pink wall of light in front of them, sitting across the top of the next wave. It didn’t look solid, but it was like nothing he had ever seen nor heard of before – and the ship was about to push straight into it.

There were suddenly a series of blasts on the ships horn, it was obvious the captain was seeing the same thing he was watching.

The ship rose up to the top of the wave and then the bow pierced the pink light. Steve didn’t know what to expect, he braced himself against the closest railings, but the ship simply drove into the wall of pink light and then seemed to pause in mid-flight. For a moment there was just an odd glow of pink in the air around them.

Then, suddenly, there was the blinding bright light of daytime ahead of them and Steve realised that they were on the top of a 30-metre-high wave, but below them there was a calm, flat lagoon.

Oh fuck, he muttered, and he instinctively grabbed the handrail and held on. He knew it was a long way down and the ship was going to drop like a rock. The 150-metre-long ship hung in mid-air for a moment, and then gravity took over. Where it had been atop a 30-metre wave one moment, it now sailed into thin air, with a tropical lagoon below it. There was only one path down and the ship took it.

The bow began