Bruce and Lilac have reached a cluster of deserted islands. Bruce is familiar with the area, and feels confident that he can avoid the small fleet of helicopters. Will they have to remain in hiding forever? Or can our resourceful heroes finally elude the criminals, and return to their exciting, productive lives?
"Oh, what an amazing spot, Bruce!" exclaimed Lilac, examining her surroundings. Not only did the location have everything needed for survival, it looked like paradise.
Bruce smiled at her reaction. "Let's hide the chopper, then have a look around. I'd been planning to show you this place, but not with a bunch of bumbling idiots trailing us."
She looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad we made it here. What did you want to show me?"
"You'll see," he replied with a grin.
There were several incredibly beautiful species of plants that he was fairly sure had never been discovered. And the weather was usually very nice, unusual for an area of the world which is almost always hot and humid.
Lilac's initial explorations turned out to be more than a quick look around, and involved the collection of many samples of plants.
After she was finally satisfied, Bruce and Lilac made a well camouflaged camp.
"This fruit is delicious," Lilac said as she stretched out comfortably on a hammock.
Bruce nodded, wiping the juice from his mouth. "It's the best I've ever tasted."
"I'm still waiting for the main course though. Where's my pizza?" Lilac asked, unable to suppress a laugh.
He smirked. "I'll have to talk to someone about the service out here... I've not seen one delivery boy since we arrived.
Lilac almost fell out of her hammock in a fit of giggles, then threw a very ripe piece of fruit at his head.
"What was that for?!?!"
She thought for a second, then smiled sweetly. "I decided to help with the delivery situation."
Wisely dropping it before she got any more ideas, he nodded and proceeded to eat the squishy fruit.
When he was finished, he stood. "If you don't mind hanging out around here for a few days, I thought we might lose our shadows, then head to Chile. We can't get anywhere near Rio, they're expecting us."
"I wouldn't mind staying a lot longer," said Lilac. She was definitely enjoying herself.
In the morning, Bruce and Lilac awoke to the sound of a low flying helicopter. Thankful for the dense cover, they remained still. After a few minutes, there was dead silence.
Bruce frowned at the unwanted wakeup call. "They're gone. I hope they give up soon..."
Lilac looked around at the lush jungle. "Since we're awake, let's go exploring."
Bruce grinned. "Have you ever seen a flower that looks like a butterfly about to take flight?"
Jumping to her feet like an excited child, Lilac quickly prepared for a hike. "Lead the way!" she urged, unable to contain her curiosity.
After several miles, Bruce stopped at a small creek. They had a good lunch, thanks to their foraging trip the night before.
There were also emergency rations from the helicopter. However those were uninviting, compared to what the island had to offer.
Well rested, Bruce led the way upstream. It was a gentle climb up the beginning of a high hill. When the water was barely a trickle, he slowed. In about half an inch of water grew a plant whose flower looked remarkably like a huge Morpho butterfly about to fly away!
Lilac stared at them, speechless for several minutes. When she finally composed herself, she got to work.
There was a large cluster, and she took three of them, including roots and soil. Before touching them, she took pictures from every possible angle. "I'm sure glad I charged my phone," she said, unable to stop smiling."
Bruce laughed. "You're the only person who could find a use for a cell phone in a place like this!"
When she finished, she looked around for a few more minutes, then sat. "Bruce, let's climb the rest of the way up the hill. The view should be spectacular!"
Bruce easily agreed. He had been up there before, and knew that it was in fact spectacular.
Just as they neared the top, he stopped so fast that Lilac bumped into him. At his feet there was a candy bar wrapper.
They quietly crept a bit further, keeping to the dense foliage. At the top of the hill was a lone helicopter. A short distance away from it, a medium-sized canvas tent was pitched.
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery
