Trash Island: A Survivor Adventure

By Forrest D. Lee.

If you like a story of survival, here is one of a young man who finds himself on a deserted tropical island, where only his instincts and knowledge lead him to thrive.

The island also has a mystery that little by little peels back a previous history of other survivors on the island. With the solving of the mystery, a new chapter opens up in the life of this young man.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491862872

Book preview

Trash Island

A Survivor Adventure

By

Forrest D. Lee

Foreword by Sandra G. Lee

Author of Father, Forgive My Father

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AuthorHouse™ LLC

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2014 Forrest D. Lee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/20/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-6286-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-6287-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014903162

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

I dedicate this book to those of you who dream of adventure,

But may not think that adventure is in your future.

Remember . . .

No one can know

What the next day may bring.

Look forward to tomorrow,

And keep an open mind and heart.

You can make adventure happen . . .

But it may require work and taking a chance.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword By Sandra G. Lee

Preface—About the Book

Chapter One—The Early Years

Chapter Two—New Beginning

Chapter Three—A New Friend

Chapter Four—New Adventure

Chapter Five—Hawaii Bound

Chapter Six—Disaster

Chapter Seven—The Mass

Chapter Eight—Discovery

Chapter Nine—Camp

Chapter Ten—Mystery Rocks

Chapter Eleven—Tide Pool Gifts

Chapter Twelve—The Cave & Fire

Chapter Thirteen—The Mystery Deepens

Chapter Fourteen—Island Routine

Chapter Fifteen—SOS Project

Chapter Sixteen—Signal Fires

Chapter Seventeen—Names

Chapter Eighteen—The Live Tank

Chapter Nineteen—A Gift

Chapter Twenty—Mass Returns

Chapter Twenty-One—A New Method

Chapter Twenty-Two—Another Secret

Chapter Twenty-Three—A Big Gift

Chapter Twenty-Four—Rescue

Chapter Twenty-Five—Reunion

Chapter Twenty-Six—Homecoming

Chapter Twenty-Seven—Bill’s Story

Chapter Twenty-Eight—Surprise Plans

Chapter Twenty-Nine—A Visit & a Question

Chapter Thirty—Twelve Years Later

About the Author

Acknowledgements

My appreciation and thanks to my wife Sandy for her support and encouragement, and for her contribution of first-hand knowledge about publishing. Thank you for the many, many hours of computer work that it took to create the manuscript and complete the editing.

My thanks to Janelle at our local print shop for helping us with labeling for the map on the back cover. Thank you so much for helping us in a pinch to get the last remaining item completed.

Thanks to our Lord for guiding my thoughts, and placing ideas in my dreams on which to build the story.

Foreword

By Sandra G. Lee, Author

Father, Forgive My Father

What an adventure and continuing saga this has been. As the author’s wife, I have been there from the onset, hearing him talk about dreams he was having, and that he thought it was a pretty good story… maybe even a BOOK!

During the winter of 2012 when it was becoming a reality, I would get up each morning to my husband asking, Would you like to hear what Ben did today? . . . or Do you know what happened to Ben now? It was an ongoing saga that I was looking forward to each morning. The more he read to me of what he had written early each morning, the more I realized that, yes, he did have a good story, and it should be told.

The author of this book has made use of lessons he learned earlier in life, and he uses this wealth of information to write what I feel is a handbook for survival. He gets the point across that if you have the will, the knowledge, and a faith that God can get you through anything, you can survive even the remotest uninhabited corners of our earth. You will discover that Ben learned these lessons well while he was growing up, and then carried those lessons, skills and faith into his adult years.

You ask, Who would find the book interesting or entertaining? Or… who would benefit from the book? I started out thinking that only young boys or men would be drawn to it, but that was only in the beginning. As a woman, I found the story very intriguing… it offers adventure, knowledge and skills training, mystery, surprises along the way, and even a bit of romance. It has something for everyone.

Preface

About the Book

I think it was about the year 2010 that the idea and the name of this book first passed through my mind. Sometimes two or three months would elapse, and there it was again. I finally gave in and started to work on Trash Island in 2012. Most of the writing occurred during the winter months and in the hours before dawn after a night of dreaming about Trash Island.

I hope the readers, regardless of age or gender, will immerse themselves into Ben’s character. Enjoy his highs and lows as he tests his skills, knowledge, and faith. Follow Ben as he learns how to live and thrive on Trash Island. Be there as he seeks clues and inevitably finds the answers to the mysteries of Trash Island. The clues and events that follow lead him to a new life. Feel the love he finds and enjoy the ending as you dream your own sequel.

Few illustrations are provided, but with the map and distinct descriptions, I let you, the reader, picture Trash Island and all of the events in your own mind. Enjoy!

Chapter One

The Early Years

Let me take you on a fictitious adventure… an adventure that will show you the importance of a close family, strong faith in God, and a wide knowledge that lessons learned as you grow up can be very valuable.

Here is a little background about myself. I was born in 1969 in the town of Baker, Oregon. My parents named me Benjamin, but I was always called Ben or Benny. My parents John and Beth Willows had grown up in Baker; they met in high school and married soon after graduation. My Dad worked summers in the local sawmill and Mom worked as a waitress at a local diner. My folks purchased a five-acre plot of land in a development where there were small starter homes. Most people added on later to increase the size of their homes.

After two years my older brother John was born; a year and a half later I was born, and two years later my sister Becky came along. Having two older brothers, Becky grew up a Tom Boy. Our parents did many things for us kids… Mom read aloud to us in the evening, and when we were old enough, she encouraged us to read something each day. Dad built a garage and shop out in the back of the house and we were encouraged to build and explore how things were put together.

My parents liked to go to the Saturday auction sale each week. At one sale Dad bought two bikes for $5.00 each. With Dad’s supervision, John and I spent a week taking the bikes all apart, and painted each part. When we reassembled them they looked like brand new.

John and I became, as Dad called us, little pack rats. We would tie our wagon to the back of our bike and search the neighborhood for free stuff… things we could take apart or materials we could use to build things. From an early age we were encouraged to save money, and our folks started savings accounts for each of us. We had chores and were given 50 cents a week allowance. With cans and bottles we found, John and I could save $5.00 a week. It became a competition between us.

Sunday was called Family Day . . . we went to church and after the noon meal we might drive through the countryside. Sometimes Dad would work with us in the shop.

Our land and the other’s land in our development faced the road, but the back of each five acres ended in a wooded area. As we got older we asked Dad if we could go into the end of our property and build trails and forts. Dad gave us nippers and small hand saws and showed us where to stack the brush to burn. We spent most of one summer exploring and making trails and building forts. A classmate of John’s lived straight back of us and we teamed up with him to clear trails. Between our places we found a stream at the back of the property and dammed it up to make a 2 foot deep swimming hole. One neighbor said we could have his old chicken coup if we would tear it down. We tore it down and Dad hauled it home on a trailer. This find made us a whole fort.

When we were old enough our folks encouraged us to go into scouting. I followed