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Eden made a little noise, but then her breathing evened out, and he knew that she was asleep. “A nap might be nice,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Sleep well, my little vixen.”
Only seconds later the comforting veil of sleep slid over him, and he fell deeply asleep, reassured by the sound of Eden’s breathing and the feeling of having her in his arms. Around them the forest began to shimmer, the leaves on the trees shook as if in a strong wind, and the water rose and fell on the shore as if time no longer mattered. When the forest became calm again, the land around them had changed, but they slept on, unaware of what awaited them when they awoke.
Theo was the first to surface from the deep slumber, and he opened his eyes groggily. He was having a hard timegetting his brain to focus, but he finally managed to look around him. The feeling that something wasn’t quite right slowly settled over him as he watched the waves slipping onto the shore and then retreating. Unable to find the reason for the sensation, he untangled himself from Eden, slowly got to his feet, and stretched his cramped muscles. Amazed that he’d slept so deeply and for so long, he looked up and down the shore, trying again to figure out what was wrong.
He heard Eden stirring behind him but didn’t turn around. “How long have we been asleep?” she asked. “It feels like forever.”
“It’s only been a couple of hours,” he said, glancing up at the sun. “I can’t believe I crashed like that. I never nap during the day.”
“It’s all the exercise and fresh air,” she said, walking up next to him. “We probably needed it.”
“I guess,” he said, unable to shake the feeling that something was off. “Maybe we should head back. It’s already late afternoon, and I was hoping we could go to dinner together.”
“You mean a date?” Eden asked, a big grin on her face.
“That’s exactly what I meant,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Our first date.”
“Then let’s get moving. I need a shower before I change my clothes,” she said, pulling him down the beach. “I’ve never been on a real date before.”
“You’ve been on fake dates?” he asked. “Is there such a thing?”
“Yeah, when your mother sets you up with someone she thinks is acceptable, but you find revolting,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I guess that never happens to you, though.”
“Oh, I’ve been on a few of those dates,” he said, laughing. “I just never thought of them that way.”
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, their handsclasped together, and it wasn’t long before they reached the spot where they’d had their picnic, but to his surprise, there was nothing there. He stood staring at the empty space for a few seconds, then looked over at Eden, who had the same confused look on her face.
“Isn’t this where we left all our stuff?” she asked, looking up at him. “I would swear this is where we were.”
The feeling that something was off came back only much stronger, and he turned a full circle, looking at the beach and the forest, then looked down at her. “This is it, I’m sure of it,” he said. “Maybe Max sent someone for the basket, and they took everything by mistake. Let’s head back to the village, I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“I’m sure you’re right. It’s just weird, they didn’t even leave our towels,” she said, looking a little uneasy. “I can’t believe anyone would steal them, it’s just so strange.”
“I’m sure it’s just a mix-up,” he said, no longer able to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach, but not ready to share. “We’ll sort it out when we get back.”
***Eden***
By the time they were halfway back to the village Eden had begun to notice that the landscape around them didn’t look quite right, but didn’t say anything, afraid that Theo would think she was imagining things. Only a minute later though, it became clear to her that it wasn’t her imagination, and they both froze, staring at the empty space where the marina was supposed to be. Instead of the bustling docks filled with boats and happy guests, there was just empty water sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight, and for a second, she was so shocked that she couldn’t breathe.”
“Ummm……. Theo, where is everything?” she finally squeaked. “Are we lost? Did we go the wrong way?”
He looked back the way they’d come, then over at the empty bay, then down at her. “I don’t think so…I mean, we couldn’t have,” he finally said. “But this doesn’t make any sense. It couldn’t have all just disappeared.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked, trying not to panic. “This must be a bad dream or something.”
Theo pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay; we’re going to be fine,” he said. “We’ll figure out what’s going on. We just need to stay calm and stick together.”
She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him. “Right, stay calm and stick together,” she said. “I wanted an adventure, but…”
Her words trailed off when Theo suddenly tensed up, then pushed her behind him. “Theo, what’s…” she started to ask, then saw the men standing on the beach, all dressed in some kind of loincloth and holding very large spears with sharpened stones on the tips. “Oh…….”
One of the men stepped forward, then gestured toward where the village used to be. He said a few words she couldn’t understand, then gestured again. “I think they want us to go with them,” Theo said. “There’s a trail that leads into the jungle that I can see from here.”
“Should we go?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Do you think they’re going to hurt us?”
“I don’t think so,” he said, putting his arm around her. “You’re safe with me, Eden, I promise. I can protect you if it comes to that.”
She looked up at him. “I know,” she said, then looked back over at the men. “I keep thinking that I’m dreaming, and I’ll wake up soon.”
