Kal, Male, 36

	- Narrator, disaster survivor and castaway

	- 6'1, 190lbs, straight, shoulder-length dark-brown hair

Bailey, Female, 13

	- Disaster survivor and castaway

	- 5'2, 110lbs, golden-brown tanned skin, shoulder-length light yellow-brown sun-streaked hair

Keekah, Female, 14

	- daughter of Manu, sister of Hakee and Mie, cousin of Poln

	- 5'3, 125lbs, mocha-brown skin, waist-length mostly-straight black hair

Gale, Female, 42

	- Survivor on Isla Gale

	- 5'5, 130lbs, dark tanned skin, waist-length dark reddish-brown hair

Manu, Female, 31

	- Survivor from Hahonoko, mother of Keekah, Hakee, and Mie, aunt of Poln

	- 5'5, 150lbs, mocha-brown skin, butt-length straight black hair

Hakee, Female, 17
 
	- Survivor from Hahonoko, daughter of Manu, sister of Keekah and Mie, cousin of Poln

	- 5'9, 150lbs, mocha-brown skin, butt-length straight black hair

Mie, Female, 11

	- Survivor from Hahonoko, daughter of Manu, sister of Keekah and Hakee, cousin of Poln

	- 4'7, 85lbs, mocha-brown skin, shoulder-length wavy black hair

Poln, Male, 10

	- Survivor from Hahonoko, nephew of Manu, cousin of Keekah, Hakee, and Mie

	- 4'7, 100lbs, mocha-brown skin, short, wavy dark-brown hair

Hona, Female, 28

	- Survivor from Hahonoko, friend of Manu

	- 5'2, 155lbs, dark-brown skin, shoulder-length wavy dark-brown hair

Tok, Male, 34

	- Survivor from Hahonoko, friend of Manu

	- 6'3, 205lbs, brown skin, shoulder-length wavy dark-brown hair

Amy, Female, 15

	- Stowaway from California

	- 5'6, 115lbs, pale skin, shoulder-length straight black hair

By late afternoon we had several large tasks accomplished. Bailey and the other women had caught three dozen crabs, several large fish, and many clams and oysters. A large pot of soup was boiling over our fire. We had also offloaded everything from the Hahokonoans' boat, including the trees which were laid out on the beach. Despite a considerable amount of water in the boat, none of the supplies were destroyed. Amy slept most of the afternoon but slowly helped us sort some of the items brought off the ship.

Before dinner, Tok helped me bring the old metal container to the new camp and we used it temporarily for shelter for the newcomers. We covered vulnerable boxes and containers that had been offloaded with tarps and plastic and anything else we had handy, stored as much as we could in the wrecked boat's hull. The skies stayed clear, however, and it looked to be a calm night.

There were three old mattresses onboard the Hahonokoans' boat, buried beneath mountains of coconuts, limes, and several husky fruits I didn't know. We stuffed them in the metal container and added their many blankets and linens for comfort. The mattresses had been in a cabin I'd not noticed, and when Tok had led me down there, the overwhelming smell of coconut was intoxicating and quite pleasant.

Gale took inventory as we offloaded, and well into our hearty supper soup of seafood, peas, beans, and onions, she was still doing calculations on what they had brought. She showed me the list and it was better than I'd hoped.

For food, there were dozens of pounds of dried lamb and pork and beef packed in salt. Hundreds of coconuts, mangoes, dried bananas and other sweet and tart fruits. Hot peppers, fresh carrots, even a hundred ears of a dark, fat type of corn which had been dried and would be great mixed in a slow-cook soup. They brought sugar, rice, potatoes, dried squash, dried peas, plastic jugs full of something that resembled poi, but smelled better. Spices of all kinds, including mint and cinnamon and a smoky black pepper that had me sneezing.

And rum. They brought several cases of rum. We still had about three dozen quarts of alcohol remaining, but I had to grin at the refugee's taste in survival necessities.

They brought ragged clothes, but even better, they brought untouched fabrics. Tough blends that would serve us well as everything from sheets to temporary shelters.

Blankets, tarps, soaps, and powders that Gale and I couldn't identify. Sewing and medical gear, large volumes of both. The latter was old and outdated, but it was more than we had and a precious resource so far from help.

There were wood planks and tools and fasteners to make three sturdy buildings. Manu wanted to start on those first thing in the morning so that we could use the metal container for storage.

There was more on the list but my eyes glazed over. I was weary and nearly dozed as the conversation around me became engaged. Amy joined us after another nap, her pale skin had a bit of color and she was no longer shivering. She still worried me, but it was good to see her accept food and eat heartily.

Gale translated for us as we learned about the Hahokono refugees. Manu was 31 and had local medical training. She served the village as a council member and the primary physician. She acknowledged that her skills were remedial and largely aimed at reducing pain and suffering. She'd never travelled off her home island except during her one-year trial on a neighboring island. Manu survived, and had not worried too much about Keekah undertaking the same trial.

Tok was a fisherman at 34 who often served as a mate on long trips to deep waters where they caught bigger, oilier fish. He was a widower, his wife died many years before of a fever. He'd known Manu and her family for many years.

Hona, 28, was a recent widow, her husband died along with Keekah's father in the fighting a few months earlier. She had two children who died in the fighting, and two others that died when the bugs came. Her eyes showed her sadness more than translated words ever could. I felt sick for her loss, and I know I was not alone in that.

She was a gardener and sometime merchant. She had travelled infrequently to sell excess food and goods on behalf of the village, but never beyond the inner most islands in the group. Her husband had been a politician on the greater islands council and was often gone for months on duty to the West. In his absense, she raised their children and served as one of the proteges being groomed to serve on the village council.

Hakee was seventeen, had recently been engaged to a young laborer but the man had disappeared suddenly a few weeks before the uprisings and she hadn't seen him since. She had given up on him and accepted that he wasn't coming back. Hakee had a multitude of useful skills in the village and had learned some medical skills from her mother, as well as sewing, gardening, and manual labor. Manu clearly loved to brag on her daughter and Gale stopped repeating the glowing adjectives pretty quickly.

Mie was Manu's youngest child at eleven. The girl had been one of the first in the family to get the newly imported 'first-world' liberal education and had been progressing well, along with three other village children, taking lessons from a missionary family that had lived in the village for several years. She even learned a little English from them. The girl didn't share with us what she knew, looking shy and suddenly overwhelmed.

Poln, at 10, was one of the other children being taught and had become very good at drawing and horticulture by living with an old man after his parents, including Manu's brother, had been lost during a long kayak voyage to the East. The old man taught the boy how to care for plants and identify edible and poisonous varieties. He kept a journal which he'd brought with him that described what he knew. Bailey perked up at mention of that and I was sure they'd be comparing notes before long.

It was Amy's turn. We knew a bit about her already, but Gale prompted her to share anything she'd like to us to know. She sat silently a moment before speaking. The teen pulled her knees to her chest and sat her chin on top. “I always hated the beach.”

I couldn't help laughing at the irony. The look on her face was one of disbelief. At first. Then Amy's lips parted and she couldn't help joining me.

“Figures, right? I dunno... I'm from San Diego, California. I like to play soccer.”

As Gale translated, Hakee jumped up and retrieved something from one of the large bags. She kicked a soccer ball under Amy's chair.

The Asian teen broke into a big smile. “Cool. Yeah... cool. Ummm. Maybe later I can play some. Umm... I dunno. I never ate seafood before this morning. I used to hate peas until I couldn't stop eating them tonight. I can't tell what's real and what's in my head anymore. I'm glad I'm not on a boat though. I'm done with boats. I'll die here before I get on another one.”

She was serious once more and her face looked dark, unsettled. The shadow and light dancing across her pretty, sharp features just added to the effect.

We left her to her thoughts and the four of us previously on the island shared our stories and what we knew about how to survive.

I felt like we needed something more to bring us all together, and that's when I broke out a couple of joints. Manu smiled as she saw it, and Tok's grin was a mighty one. They knew what I was offering, and they accepted it heartily. They skipped Mie and Poln, but Hakee and Hona took a turn. I toked after Bailey and Keekah, and offered the joint to Amy.

She didn't move when she asked, “pot, right?”

“It is.”

“K.”

She took the joint and inhaled deeply. She coughed a bit but caught herself, then inhaled another before passing it to Gale.

I spoke to everyone at once. “This little island has been difficult, but it has provided everything we need to survive, in... in one way or another. None of us expected to end up here. Well, none of us but brave Keekah.” She beamed. “But here we are. Such as it is, we welcome you to Isla Gale or whatever you call it.”

Gale repeated my words and replied, “they call this 'Mahaookokimoko', the 'Long Fertile Ridge' is how Manu says it.

I shrugged, didn't attempt to repeat the name. “Well, whatever you call it, welcome to our home. Tomorrow, we'll help you with the shelters. We need to talk about what to expect on the island and the chores we all need to do to stay healthy and stay ahead of dangers. There is a lot of work, but it passes quickly and with people who care about you helping, it can be quite enjoyable. If trouble finds us again... well, we'll deal with that as we must. Welcome, new friends.”

The joint was roached and we smoked another. By the end of that one we were all exhausted. Hona and Tok were snoring on the sand, and Bailey and Keekah had both leaned in to me and started to relax.

Gale roused the bunch and got the Hahonoko survivors settled inside the metal container. The night quickly chilled as Bailey, Keekah, and I cleaned up and put the fire to smolder. Amy sat still in her chair, eyes watching us closely. The three of us headed to clean up in the surf and I asked the teen if she was up for joining us.

She rose without a word and slowly trailed behind us. Bailey stopped halfway and waited for her, took her hand and helped her to the shore. Amy paused a moment, watched Keekah and I slip into the water. Bailey waited then joined us, motioned Amy to do the same.

The girl shrugged then disrobed quickly and sank below the waves. I had just a short glimpse of her naked body, but it was too dark to make out any features. We scrubbed up and headed for towels. Amy waited, hunkered down in the water. Bailey again waited for her.

Amy finally rose and covered herself with her clothes but didn't put them on. She walked slowly next to Bailey, careful to cover her young breasts and inner thighs. Bailey smiled at me when I handed them each a towel. Amy murmured a thanks and kept herself shielded from view as she dried.

I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable so I carefully kept my back to her and avoided the temptation that I'd given into with Bailey and with Keekah. I said over my shoulder, “Amy... there's plenty of clean clothes you can wear. I'm sure the girls can grab them for you from the hull.”

“Yeah, that'd be... good. Sure.”

Bailey led the girl, towel wrapped tightly, to the deck and helped her climb the ladder. Amy's strength was returning a bit and she made it up without too much delay. Keekah leaned into me and kissed me, smiled, kissed me again. She whispered, “last night too long without you. Missed you, Kowl.”

“I love you, Keekah... I missed you, too. Glad you are safe. Glad your family is here and safe.”

“Yeah... me also. Most of them...” She shook off the sadness and smiled back at me. “Yes. Safe. They will love you like me. You are good to me.”

We kissed while the other girls found Amy a set of pajamas that fit her. The pale-skinned girl was shivering by the time I joined her on deck.

It occurred to me then that I didn't know where Amy would sleep. The cabin was already tight with the four of us, but it didn't seem right to send her to stay down with the already snoring Hahonokoans, nor put her back in the uncomfortable stale hull. Body heat would certainly do her some good.

“Uh, Amy... we don't exactly have luxury arrangements here. But I think we could probably squeeze you in on the bed the four of us share. It will be a bit tight, but I'm sure we'll make do. Otherwise, you could sleep...”

“That's fine. Yeah, that's fine. I don't need much, really. I can sleep on the deck if there's not room... Don't really want to go back into the dark below...”

Gale climbed up and it was obvious to all of us that everyone but Amy was naked. The girl's eyes danced from body to body, then away, embarrassed but exhausted, clearly curious, but also a bit frightened.

We climbed into bed with Amy trailing us. I settled with Bailey in the middle of the bed and Keekah on my other side. Gale slid in beside Bailey and left just enough room for Amy to lay on the far side.

Keekah wrapped her body around me as I covered us all with a blanket and made sure that Amy had an extra one to keep her warm. I kissed Bailey's neck and snuggled against her. The heat from the girl's bodies was wonderful in the cool night air.

- - -

I awoke before dawn to feel Bailey's body slowly moving against mine, my penis hard and inside her vagina. I moaned softly into her ear, the sounds of sleep around us. “Morning, Love.” She rolled her head back and kissed me.

Slowly, so slowly she rolled her hips, only moving up and down my shaft an inch or so. It felt wonderful. Her pussy was wet and slippery, tight and so, so warm. Gale snored softly, facing away from us, and I could barely make out Amy sleeping beside the woman.

Bailey was quiet, barely breathing as she fucked me gently. Her pubes stroked just beyond her slick labia, tickling my thighs. I slowly caressed her soft ass cheek, gripped it, held it as I humped against her body.

Bailey's mouth opened, she gasped lightly, tensed, tensed, arched back at me, and let go. It was like a little earthquake. Small shivers, clenching, more shivers, sighs, tensing, and relaxation throughout her body.

I was right behind her. As her orgasm spread through her, I moved against Bailey once, twice, three times, held, in and out again slowly, held, felt my balls burning and semen racing up my shaft. I grunted in her ear, pulled myself into her again, and released my seed in her body. It flowed out in soft pulses, filled her softly, warm sperm splashing into my lover's little vagina.

We breathed slowly together, beginning to sweat despite the cool air. I kissed Bailey's cheek, swept the hair from her face, and pulled her to me, tasted her lips and tongue, held her close to me.

I looked up to see Amy's eyes looking into mine, peering just over Gale's sleeping body. How long she had watched, I didn't know. I froze, unsure whether to ignore her or apologize. She smiled a sleepy smile and laid her head back down. I didn't know what to the think or what to say to her later, but the smile seemed genuine and I hoped that meant she wasn't angry or uncomfortable.

Bailey and I slid out quietly a short time later and got the fire going before pulling out fishing poles. The air was still a bit chilled, so I ran back and grabbed a blanket from the deck storage, sat next to Bailey, and wrapped us together.

Bailey seemed quiet. “What's on your mind, Kitten?”

She leaned into me, “nothing much. Just thinking about things, ya know?”

“I do. Lots to think about. Lots of new people to work into our world. Been a while since we've been around so many, huh?”

“Yeah... I'd kinda gotten used to it... kinda liked that it was just the four of us.”

“Me too... yeah, me too. We'll adjust, make the best of it. Might even be good for us to have more people here. More hands, right? Maybe not so much work for us individually.”

“Hmm...”

She went quiet again. “Worried about us, Sweetie?”

“Not really, no. No, I'm not worried about us... just... I dunno. When it was you and me and Keekah and Gale... I knew where things were with everyone one, right? Now... It seems silly but I don't know the new people at all and I feel... hmmm...”

“Unsure where they fit into our world?”

“Yeah, I guess that's it. We'd just been us, we all knew what was going on. I guess I'll get used to it.”

“You will, and I will too. We've got each other, Bailey. Nothing will change that.”

We both yanked on our poles and soon landed two fat silver fish.

Bailey leaned into me again while we awaited the next bite. “Should we start wearing clothes again? I mean, no one else is naked. And I think Amy is really uncomfortable around us naked people. She probably thinks we're pervs.”

“Well, you were the one that woke me with your wet pussy this morning...”

She giggled, “couldn't help it, you were poking me in the back, hard to sleep like that...”

I laughed. “I think Amy saw us.”

“Really?!”

“I don't know how much. But after we'd finished, she was looking at us for sure. She smiled and put her head down, so I don't know that she took it badly.”

“Jeez... I was trying to be quiet... Do you... Do you think she's going to sleep in the cabin with us every night?”

“I dunno, really. At some point, probably not... the four of us... we need that space to be together like we were before...”

“Would you share our bed with Amy, too... in that way?”

“I dunno. What about you?”

She thought a moment. “Kal... I'm starting to accept that I like girls... ok? I mean, really accept it. So... me... yeah, I guess. She's pretty. Skinny, but that's ok. Very pretty. Would you... share her if I wanted to? What would she be to you? To us?”

“All good questions, Bailey. I... I mean, on one hand, you know I'm a perv, you said so yourself.” She laughed. “So, yeah, of course a part of me would enjoy that. But,” I kissed her cheek, “What you and I have, what we have with Keekah and Gale... most people can never fit in together like us. We're really unique, and I knew a lot of polyamorous people in my life. None as young as you and Keekah, or Amy, of course, but people who loved multiple other people. Nothing I saw before comes anywhere close to what we share. I don't ever want to risk what we have, not for anything. I'm the luckiest man in the world, and I never want to risk losing you because we went too far.”

She sighed, “I get it. I know. We'll just see, right?”

“Yeah. No need to rush anything. Right now, let's get her healthy and get the others settled in. We have a lot to do just to keep things rolling. Sharing our bed with Amy might be a necessity right now. Later we can decide if we want to share more than that with her, assuming she's willing, of course.”

Another big bite hit her pole and she let the drag play out a long way before she was able to start progressing the catch toward the beach. It fought hard, felt very heavy. I landed three small fish in the time she fought that one. I worried that the line would snap but it held strong. As it got nearer to the shore and the sun started rising to the East, I could see it wasn't a fish.

A large turtle or tortoise had taken the bait and was tiring as Bailey brought it in. “Nice! Oh, Bailey, that will be an especially great treat. Ever had turtle soup?”

“Never. Hey, help me get this in!”

It took a bit of maneuvering but we finally got the turtle to shore. It was easily three feet across. Gale walked up as we were cleaning it, said, “Good morning, lovebirds! Wow, nice catch!”

“That was all Bailey. She landed a keeper with that one.”

“Nicely done. I see you two are up early, needed a little time to yourselves?”

Bailey smiled, said, “I took care of that before we got out of bed... but it has been nice just talking, hasn't it?”

“Definitely. Cool morning, calm conversation, great catch. Lot to do today, but this has been a nice start.”

Gale pointed back at the boat. “Keekah was stirring when I slid out of bed, think Amy's awake too. Once I've got the pot going, I'll rouse the others and see if they'll join us for breakfast. Think I'll break out a few of those unusual spices they brought.”

“Gale, that sounds great. Listen. I think we need to have a serious talk with everyone. Nothing bad, just... lay out our expectations, you know? Like... I think we have to all understand that we have a communal system here that must be preserved. No one can horde or selfishly control anything. It won't work. Also, shared work. Everyone who is able must contribute. That sort of thing.”

“Makes sense, sounds like a good idea. No miscommunications.”

“Exactly. The only thing I want to hold out of that deal... The unusual items in the hull. The gold and other valuables. The drugs. Pot's ok, we got plenty of that for everyone to share, but what's down in the hull needs to stay off limits unless I say so. Also, the gun is mine. I'm not giving that up and I don't trust any of the newcomers enough to let them handle it. I'll keep it hidden for now. But, between the three of us, I'll use it if I have to to protect us. I hope it never comes to that, but I won't hesitate.”

“Understood, Kal. I agree. To all of it. I'll keep mum on the stuff in the hull. But... someone is bound to go down there. There are clothes, and most of our reserves are still in there.”

“One of the big containers is a storage locker with a working lock. Yesterday, I popped down there and put the items we want hidden inside. If you need it, the combo is 33-6-17. Everything but the gun is in it. I slid it to the back and put the empty containers around it. If anyone asks about it, tell them to talk to me.”

“Done. Hey, hurry up with that turtle, I see some hungry heads poking out.” Keekah and Amy were standing on the deck, the dark-skinned girl's naked body so beautiful to see. Amy wore pajamas and looked like she was doing ok. They met Gale as she got the fire going. Keekah brought out the coffee supplies and had a large pot going quickly.

Bailey and I finished cleaning up the turtle and fish and slid the cut up meat into the stew. Bailey kept the turtle shell, figuring it might come in handy some day.

Within the hour, Gale had the soup boiling and the rest of the crew up and gathering firewood. Keekah and Amy joined Bailey and I with the fishing poles, figuring we needed to get a new batch of drying meat going soon. Amy glanced at me once or twice with a smile on her face, but she never mentioned seeing Bailey and I have sex earlier that morning. She said very little and seemed content just to stare off into the calm blue water.

We collected fourteen fish of varying sizes and I cleaned them before joining everyone for breakfast.

A lot had changed in the previous couple of days. The feel of the island had changed. The people on it brought new experiences, new skills, new worries. But beneath it all, despite all the changes on the surface, I still had Bailey leaning against me, eating the delicious turtle and fish soup. Keekah flashed me big grins and chattered in two languages. Gale played the perfect organizer and caretaker for everyone and kept me moving forward.

I reflected for long moments that morning about all I had lost in my life. My wife Kate. My lover Nina. The easy, comfortable life of wealth and travel. I tried to weigh it against what I'd gained, and I found that I couldn't. It wasn't a fair comparison. That life, the one that had set in motion the one I now lived, felt decades away. It had lost its colors, its meaning. Somewhere deep inside I still missed and mourned the women I loved, perhaps even longed for a return to the life I'd enjoyed.

But this was real. Bailey. Keekah. Gale. The newcomers. The island itself. That was the only reality I had, and trying to compare the good of the now against the good things lost in the past is a futile and rather pointless exercise. It almost didn't matter. There was no going back, and what I had now, the wonderful women, the bounty we'd found to survive, it was all the riches in the world to me.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, took in the love and the meaning I'd found on the island, and tried to focus on pressing into the things that I needed to accomplish that day, certain that every move I made had meaning. Every touch, every calorie collected, every drop of water conserved. I was rich beyond imagination in that every single thing I did added value to the now, and that... that I could never compare to what I'd lost so, so long ago.