JONNY in ZENTERA
JONNY in ZENTERA
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Trust your nose, and be unforgiving.
It may sound cruel, but mistakes are not made by the pure of heart.
JONNY LUCIFER SHADIEU
Chapter 1 : Agoura Hills, California.
Jonny was a young boy who liked to be called Jonny. He had tan skin, beautiful black hair, an ominous set of brown eyes, a bright smile, and a family called the Sutcliffes. They lived in a one story house in a town called Agoura Hills, in California. It was an unassuming suburb, a short drive from Malibu and Zuma beach, where he attended elementary school. All his life he had wanted a cat, asked for one so many times, but his domineering parents never got him one, telling him he was demanding, spoiled, and expected too much out of them. They would say terrible things to this poor boy for not a single reason at all, abusing him for every little misaction they could possibly interpret - like not showing more interest in washing the dishes as a five year old boy. He would sometimes see cats on the street, and follow them around - he found them so beautiful. But they would disappear, as cats do, and not be seen again for long periods of time. Some stray cats would visit him on the street at times, and he’d enjoy petting them a moment - before his human neighbors would stare and gawk, making him uncomfortable and making him go away.
He did not care much for school. He was a gifted child, more than he could possibly know, and he liked to draw and play video games. He would draw in class, drifting away and listening to his teachers babble, staring at the girls in his class. He never got in trouble for this, just maybe they liked him. He managed to get his homework done one way or another, sometimes finishing it on his walk to school! He always managed to get As and Bs on his schoolwork, and didn’t engage in any sports. His parents didn’t think it was a good idea - for some reason, and never bothered to train him in anything. He was just a boy and didn’t mind. One day, he asked his mom to get him a game boy advance. She begrudgingly did it, because he was so annoying about it. He had seen some of his peers and friends playing Pokémon at recess, and was super jealous. He got his mom to take him to the game store, and got him a copy of Pokémon Emerald, a couple other basic Nintendo games, and a set of batteries. He said thank you, begrudgingly, always openly hating his mother, her brown skin, and being generally disgusted by his mom and dad. Jon D. Sutcliffe and Teresa V. Sutcliffe sat in the front of their car, complaining about their jobs and coworkers, telling Jonny he would never learn to work, and a lot of other nonsensical things, over the sound of Classical KUSC Los Angeles - a horribly boring music station.
He booted up his game boy, popped in the cartridge, and the sounds of Pokémon Emerald began to enchant his child mind. The Home Screen was opened, he fiddled around with the buttons, and found himself in the magical world of Pokémon on this short drive home! He was overjoyed. The thought of cheating at these games never crossed his mind once, and he was super happy to have an escape from his reality, even bothering to thank his awful tyrants of parents a couple times. The sounds of him battling Pokémon, losing repeatedly, winning eventually decorated the sound of their drive home, and his parents listened in enmity. Jonny hopped out of the car as they got home, said thank you and goodnight to his parents, begrudgingly let them kiss his head and said “love you”, as they made him, at the threat of verbal abuse, every single night, and played his Pokémon game under the covers for hours. He fell asleep after beating the first gym, in a magical wonderland, and escaping his hellish reality.
Unfortunately, or so they would have you believe, Jonny was hooked. He was losing interest in school, a previous straight A student in the first grade, and he was starting to get more B’s than A’s. His parents would express their disapproval at his report cards, telling him he’d end up a janitor or a plumber, to their young 6 year old prodigy. He took the abuse, with no choice, and went about his life avoiding everyone as much as possible. One day, after school, in middle March by Willow elementary, he went to the local park to sit down and play Pokémon. He was supposed to walk home from school, but he didn’t feel like it today. He sat down by a big oak tree, resting his back against it, and booted up his Gameboy. After losing himself, and beating a whole gym, he was halfway out of battery. He looked up after beating the fourth gym in the game, against the fire type leader, and found a black cat perched in the tree above him. He stood up, and looked at the cat. “Hello, Mr. Cat. How are you?” he asked aloud. The black cat’s haunting yellow eyes looked at the young boy in the creepy, chillingly beautiful and dark way a black cat’s eyes do, and he spoke to Jonny in his mind. “I’m okay. I’m a cat. Come up this tree, I have a game for you, and some things to tell you.” said the cat, in Jonny’s young but pure mind’s eye. Jonny climbed up the tree, from branch to branch, and perched next to the cat. “What is it, cat? What’s your name?” he asked. “Shadow.” said the cat. “Very cool. I wish you could be my cat, but my parents won’t let me have one, and you do seem to be just fine out here. What do you have to tell me?” the innocent young boy asked. “It’s about your family, for one, and every single little thing about your life. What if I told you, these things would be scared of a little cat like me? And honestly, Jonny - I run this place. I kill people all the time.” the cat expressed. He understood the cat must be capable of doing this, with his sharp claws, and even why he’d do it. But for some reason, the thought of humans being scared of animals never crossed his mind. He was much too busy, not being scared of animals, drawing, and playing video games - oh, and thinking about the pretty girls from his school, of course. “Well okay, Mr. Cat. I’m sure they deserve it, they’re so annoying and awful, but what should I do?”
“Come to this tree, in this clearing all you can, and listen to me. Do you hate your life Jonny? Does the food taste icky and gross? Does everyone seem to be jealous of you? Well, that’s well past being the case. There’s a faraway island called Zentera, inhabited by some of the most beautiful girls in the world, with soft pale skin and an amazing climate. They live with terrible men, and this place is unknown to others. I’ll even tell you, they sit around in their terrible lives waiting for a hero like you to save them.” said the cat. This cat was saying much and Jonny was learning fast… the food did taste icky, he didn’t like his mom’s food. He’d mostly eat prepackaged foods and was learning to cook for himself. “Zentera? An island? Well I believe you, of course, but how will I go?” he asked. “By boat, Jonny! Come to this clearing whenever you can, play your games, and we will launch our plan. Those beautiful black haired girls are waiting for you, and you don’t need school! I’ll tell you this, too. Beating those games, those gyms, and drawing things is actually quite good.” the cat expressed as he jumped out of the tree and into the forested land. The cat was gone, and Jonny really had to get home. He put his Gameboy in his bag, and had a clue about that icky food he didn’t like. Jonny scurried home, through the streets of Agoura Hills, as the wise owls and crows watched him from the trees and rooftops, thinking hard and ready to figure out how to beat the next gym leader! He wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but he’d figure it out! His mom was waiting for him at home, ready to question him. “And where were you, young man! Out stealing or something? God only knows what you’re up to!! You’re on time out!” she said as she shoved him into the room. “And give me this!” she said as she ripped the Gameboy advance from his bag. “You’re losing your damn mind!! Jon, what are you going to do about your son!” she screamed at her husband. Jon was an old white man, frail and weak, who liked to watch basketball, eat food, and play bridge online. “Jonny! Do your homework! Don’t get up to any nonsense anymore! You could get kidnapped for god’s sake!” he said as he slammed the door. Jonny reveled in horror at losing his Gameboy, not sure what to do with himself. Anything but homework…
Jonny opened up his snake book, alone in his room, excited to learn about the different snakes. “Haha! Loser lost his Gameboy!” his brother Harry said as he walked in their room. “Just leave me alone!! I’m reading!!” Jonny let out, as Harry grabbed him and put his knees on Jonny’s shoulders, holding him down. Harry started punching his chest, beating him up, and Jonny was helpless unless he wanted to bite his older brother. Jonny sat there and took it, and Harry got off after awhile, making fun of him for getting lost and losing his Gameboy. Jonny hid under his covers in his room, and kept reading about his snakes, and Harry went to his room, up to whatever it is Harry did. “Jonny! Dinner!” yelled his mom from the kitchen. They were having pesto pasta and vegetables, a staple in their house. Jonny was unappetized by the smell, and sat down to eat. He begrudgingly took a couple bites as his mother looked at him strangely , and the timid young boy said something. “Did you… do something to this?” he asked. “What! What do you mean, young man? Are you accusing your mother of things?” asked Jon D. Sutcliffe. Teresa was an immigrant from the Philippines, and Jonny was always ashamed of his heritage. “I don’t know! It tastes weird.” he said. “How dare you! Eat all your food and be grateful! Where I’m from food is..” Teresa started as she went on her usual rant about how hard her life was. “Eat all your vegetables, young man, then you can have your little game boy back you need so desperately! Clean your plate!” she said.
Jonny looked at his food for awhile, back up at his super creepy parents for a second, back at the food, and thought of the game boy. He begrudgingly ate the food, unsure what the hell she was doing to this, and put his chair back in and asked to be excused as his mother did the dishes. He went to his room, bothered to do a bit of homework, and eventually she came in with the Gameboy. “What are you doing, with your life! Figure it out!” she said as she threw the Gameboy at him and slammed the door. Jonny was confused, uncaring about her normal insane behavior, and happy to have his Gameboy back. The food was making him gag, but he sucked it up with thoughts of Zentera, this mysterious faraway land he believed in, it becoming more and more obvious this cat was right - and he needed to escape. He was thinking about his crush, Emme, a brunette girl with pigtails he had barely worked up the courage to a couple times, as he played his games through the night.
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“It’s snot, Jonny. That’s what’s in the pesto. From the grocery store, and from your mother. And in the vegetables, and all the stuff, along with a whole host of other bullshit.” said Shadow. Jonny dry gagged and spit up a bunch of snot, while they perched in their spot on the tree, hanging out on a beautiful day in April. Birds, butterflies, bees and more decorated their stay in the clearing, off the side of the road in Agoura Hills. “Well… that explains that. I’m ready, Shadow, how do I go to Zentera. Please… tell me.” he asked. “Well, Jonny, keep in mind the world is not the same for you as it is for others. These humans, need these homes and weapons to protect themselves from animals. As far as the world goes, I don’t believe any animals will be giving you any serious troubles, and we will help you along the way. For starters, you’ll need a small boat. You can get a kayak from the store, right?” asked Shadow. Jonny thought for a moment, and remembered he could indeed purchase a small kayak from the local home improvement store for 200 dollars. He had saved up his little pittance his parents allotted him over the last couple months, and had 150 saved up. “You’ll have to lug it home on your back, just say you’re going to a movie or something.” advised Shadow, the large black cat with menacing oval eyes. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll skip lunch for a couple weeks and we should have it, Mr. Cat.” responded Jonny. Shadow had been giving him information on the reality of his situation, his lack of relation to his parents, and the imperative need to get out into the Pacific Ocean and live a good life. Zentera was supposedly deep in the pacific, to the southwest of Malibu, where he would be taking off. “The winds will guide your path and the universe will show you the way, my apprentice.” Shadow expressed. “I believe you, Mr. Cat.” Jonny had accepted this black cat as his master, and was fully in the swing of preparing to head off to Zentera. He had beaten Pokémon Emerald and captured Rayquaza using an ultra ball, after putting it to sleep. He had a whole host of Pokémon games he had “borrowed” from his brother, along with some other Nintendo games like Metroid, Super Mario, Zelda, and a few others.
Jon D. Sutcliffe and Teresa were planning a trip to Europe in the summer, and Jonny had no intention of coming along. The young boy had told them he had interest in learning to kayak, begging his parents to get him a kayak. They said, “If you can pay for it, you can have it! Save your allowance, 20 dollars a week plus five dollars a day for lunch! You should have it in no time!” expressed his father. Technically, he was right. He had received one hundred dollars for his birthday, from his millionaire parents, and had enough for a kayak. It was spring break, and one Friday afternoon he told his parents he was going to see a movie. A new Pixar film was out, and Jonny told them he had saved up to see it, and he’d walk all the way to the movie theater himself. “Well, okay! Just stay safe, and call on the cell phone if you need anything! Watch out for strangers!” expressed his mother. Jonny waltzed off to the movie theater, with no intention of seeing a movie that afternoon, and went to the local hardware store with his hard gathered 220 dollars. On his way, he even found a fresh 20 dollar bill on the floor! He was ecstatic, a huge stroke of luck as he got ready for his escape plan. The 6 year old boy with the beautiful black hair walked into the Do It Center, the local hardware store, and walked over to the recreation section. He eyed down the kayaks as strangers walked past, and luckily they came with paddles. One of them had room for two people and a little storage bin, where he thought he could put his stuff. It even closed up, and he thought it was perfect! He could fit a whole cooler and some more in this kayak. It was really really big though. He decided he could not possibly do this, and he might mess it up if he dragged it home. Luckily, there were 3 blue kayaks just like this in stock, and he had some time to get it. He decided to catch a film anyways, seeing how he found a fresh 20. Jonny was getting gaunt and skinny from skipping all his lunches, and nobody was sure what was up with him. He skipped over to the movie theater and decided to watch Spider-Man instead. He bought a big drink he could refill, and enjoyed the movie and his big drink, enthralled by the show, with his backpack in the seat next to him. He enjoyed being a kid, his fresh 20 having payed for his little night out, and went on his way home to tell his mother of his plan to buy a kayak. He was now on Pokémon fire red, and had much more to do.
CHAPTER 2 : Escape Plan.
It was the middle of April, and June was coming fast. The Sutcliffes would be heading out on their trip around June 20th, right after Jonny’s 1st grade at Willow Elementary ended for the summer. His plans were hatching, and he had managed to get a cooler from the Do It Center at the guidance of Shadow. Shadow had warned Jonny he would not be along for the journey. Food should come to him, in one way or another, and he could subsist on sea water by leaving it in his mouth. He would need to stock up on basic weapons, like knives and spears. He had been “working” for his mother, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, cleaning the house, basic chores, for some money. She would give him ten dollars an hour, and he was saving up. To a certain degree, Teresa was proud to see him showing good qualities and being nice and submissive, but she hated handing him the money. Jonny had placed orders on his family’s Amazon account for a spear, and 3 large knives. He had told her it was for his adventuring, as he had taken up hiking and backpacking by himself, while listening to music. One time, he even managed to catch a fish from a local stream using his own hands! Teresa had not much of an idea what he was up to, but Jonny was always a strange boy with strange interests. He coerced her into letting him get the spear and knives by handing her his hard earned money back to her, and she let it go after a few nights. He was getting closer.
“Well, water, Shadow. I guess that’s the primary concern.” Jonny had tried out the method of keeping the sea water in his mouth for a time, and it seemed to work. He was pretty sure he could stock up on enough food to last for awhile, and was saving up for a small fishing rod and tools. His mom had taken him to the store, and they lugged the big blue kayak into their family van by putting the seats down. “There, are you happy?! We did it! Always something new with you!” she yelled at him on the drive home. Jonny took his verbal abuse as he always did. He was starting to think this plan would work. With room for two passengers and even a decently sized storage compartment in his kayak, he had enough room to bring a bucket, a cooler, his weapons, a decent amount of food and water, and his fishing rod. He could definitely see this working. “You won’t be able to make it all the way to Zentera in one go, of course. Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So go west, and a little bit south, at a 20 degree angle and you should start heading to the tropical region. Your first mission is to find a deserted island somewhere out there - the wind will show you the way.” Shadow said on one of their evenings, on a Saturday night in late April. The season was turning and the flowers were blooming, and Jonny was already almost done with Pokémon Fire Red. He just had to beat a couple more gym leaders. With the work from his mother, his amazing work ethic, skipping school lunches, and a bit of luck - he was stocking up on supplies. He got a ton of double A batteries to fuel his Game Boy Advance to entertain him on his journey, and a couple notebooks from the local Arts and Crafts store with writing and art supplies. This would be a journey, and this young boy was like a man at a horrifying pace, his jaw chiseled and his vision clear. But - not literally. Jonny did wear contact lenses, and this may be a serious problem. He had a pair of backup glasses, but obviously this may give him issues on his journey. However, the snot in the food was getting worse and worse after he started calling out Teresa for her actions every once in awhile. Jon D. Sutcliffe spent his days in a daze, on drugs, playing his bridge games and watching basketball as his young son practiced going without glasses and relying more on his other senses. Jonny figured, this would work. He could use his nose, and ears.
One day, Jonny feigned losing his glasses, on May 5th. He whined and begged, but he never cried. He said he might get lost on his way home from school, and he needed his glasses. He said he didn’t have the money to pay for it, spending everything on his art supplies. “God damnit Jonny!” yelled Jon D. Sutcliffe. “You need to learn how to take care of your possessions! For god’s sake! If you do this again, you’ll pay for your damn glasses out of your own pocket!” let out the domineering old man. “Well, we will take care of it tomorrow! I’ll schedule an appointment with the eye glass doctor. For god’s sake, Jonny!” he said while shaking his head. Jonny took this display of stupidity happily, it was exactly what he expected. His pair of glasses were smoothly hidden under his clothes in his closet, and they’d be getting a new pair tomorrow. Ideally - he wanted three. He went to the oak tree that night, after his family had fallen asleep by sneaking out, and told Shadow the good news. Shadow was pleased, and Jonny snuck back home after only seeing the cat a few moments. While he was there, he had asked about water from the ocean. “Coffee filters and a couple bottles, try it out. Don’t drink so much you die. Be smart.” answered the cat. He liked this idea and was ready to experiment, and the family had a trip to the beach planned for the weekend. He would bring a couple bottles, get some sea water, and try this out on his own. He didn’t have much money, after paying off the spear and knives, but he was still working and had even started stealing batteries and water bottles from the grocery store. He was a kid, and he knew it. What were they going to do about it?
Jonny and Harry were playing in the waves at Zuma Beach. The waves were big today, and the water was quite cold this time of year, and always. Jonny had spurred this little beach trip, with some begging and still no crying, and his family decided it was a good idea. Jonny was bodysurfing in the waves, swimming as they came and riding them into the whitewash, not paying any attention to his brother at all. It was really fun. He had the bottles filled up, two metal and a couple plastic, and they were ready in his backpack along with the coffee filters. He was ready to try it out. Shadow had said this was far from ideal, but was likely the best he could get in this situation, if he absolutely needed it. The filters would make the water somewhat better, and he could leave it in his mouth to survive if he ran out of water. He believed in himself and had no choice truly - it seemed everyone had totally lost their minds when he started calling out Teresa, and all the stuff in the grocery store was getting worse and worse! He had picked up a tarp, several pieces of rope, a space blanket, and some nifty inflatable pillows from the local camping store, and honestly he felt ready to go. Shadow had told him to practice putting the salt water in his mouth to increase his saline tolerance, remembering not to swallow. His training was going swimmingly and Shadow was impressed. The second pair of glasses was acquired and he was now in a much better situation. He had stolen so many batteries from the local stores he could play games for weeks, and was stocking up on crackers, preserved foods, and canned foods. He forgot to get a mess kit from the camping store! He’d have to get his parents to take him once again. He knew he’d need two anyways, and he didn’t have the money for it yet. On Jonny went, working and saving up his work and allowance money, his plan coming closer to fruition every day. By the end of May, he felt he was ready, but had to make absolutely sure before he parted from Shadow, Willow and the girls, and his life. He felt so lucky he could likely play his games on his journey. “Remember, Jonny. You’re not going to make it all the way to Zentera in one go. It’s good you have that big serrated knife, but honestly you’ll have to start figuring shit out. Things will go wrong, and you’ll have to survive through anything. Make sure that kayak and tarp go together well, or you’ll get wet or ruin all your stuff if you face any storms.” Shadow advised, one morning before school.
Jonny had thought of this, of course. Part of the reason it was so imperative for him to be able to see, was to find the first island he would be surviving on. There, he could survive on the moisture of the trees and have resources to make tools out of, and shelter. Shadow was a genius cat, and he was teaching the young boy everything he’d need to know at a shocking pace. By practicing tying knots, and implanting several hooks into the bottom sides of his kayak, he could tie the waterproof tarp to the top of the small boat, making it relatively waterproofed and capable of surviving a storm. It would also keep him warmer at night. Shadow came up with so many ideas for Jonny, and everything was degenerating in Agoura Hills so fast it was mattering less and less. It was obvious - he had to get out of there. The food was getting worse and worse, police cars would watch him on his walks for some reason, possibly they had heard he might be stealing, but he doubted it. Everything was getting really weird, really fast, and he was worried something might happen. He had set up his boat multiple times and it seemed great. His small fishing rod easily fit in the side, an expensive 200 dollar rod that was very thick, something Shadow told him he should get, so it would not break. He might be able to catch tuna or other mysterious sea creatures with this and it easily fit in the kayak. His water bottles fit in one large cooler in the second passenger seat, along with another cooler for the food items. He was, of course, stealing a ton of stuff, and taking 20 dollar bills every couple of days from his father’s wallet as he snoozed or was looking away. He remembered to bring a couple Harry Potter books and some fantasy novels he intended to read, like Warriors - a book series about cats that caught his eye, and honestly he was ready to go. The coffee water filters weren’t amazing, but thanks to these kayaks conveniently supplied and his apprenticeship with Shadow, a single small water bottle could subsist the young man for multiple days. Just needed to get to that island..
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One day, or evening rather, as Jonny came home from hanging out with his cat friend Shadow, a police car was stopped outside his house in Agoura. Jonny was extremely concerned, but not sure what to do. Everyone had totally lost their minds, so he decided to come by and check out the situation. He went by the front of his house, hid behind some bricks, and listened to the conversation. “He’s.. working much too much, making a lot of money, and he spends a lot of time out doing god only knows what! I’m concerned for his mental health, and I think he needs treatment.” he heard Teresa say. Jonny wasn’t too concerned - it was nothing about his stealing ways, and anyways, they really couldn’t do much to him seeing how he was 6 years old and never stole too much at one time. “We understand, ma’am. He must have some kind of disorder or mental health problems. We will take him to the mental health facility for children and get him diagnosed and medicated.” said the police officer's voice. “Shit,” thought Jonny. “No games for a couple days and these things. I better just come in, we’re almost ready.” Jonny walked in the house, innocently, waving to the policemen as they stopped him. “Sorry, bud, we heard you’ve been having some mental health issues and are going out an awful lot? Your mom says you need treatment, we’re going to have to take you into the mental facility for awhile. Is that alright with you?” asked the policeman to the young boy, with his backpack on. “What! No! I’d really rather not do that.” Jonny looked at his mom in disgust, what the hell was going on! She failed to look back at him or acknowledge what he was saying and said, “Just take care of him. He needs help.” Jonny was horrified, as the policemen started to grab him and put him in handcuffs. He would have run away, but all his stuff was so close. They pinned the young boy to the ground, put him in handcuffs, tied his legs, and threw him in the police car violently. They waved goodbye to Teresa, as they watched their “mentally unhealthy” son leave, this of course just being about the fact he was making hundreds of dollars doing menial chores for pitiful wages…
Jonny spent a few days in the mental hospital, being forced to take anti-psychotic medication, and managed to escape after calling his mom and begging to come out, saying he was scared of the doctors. Teresa was desperate; and lonely, and gullible, so she came to pick him up. Jonny’s plan was mostly ready, he even managed to have another camping bag and his mess kits at the end of May. He was going to get nets for fishing, but they’d have to wait. He was absolutely done and had to go - as soon as possible. His kayak was packed, he even had multiple ropes, as he had gotten them, and a bunch of other stuff he cleverly packed along with a makeshift mechanism so he could both sit on the tarp, and easily cover the kayak when he needed to sleep or weather a storm. His mother drove him home, saying “we hope you’ve learned your lesson”, “it’s for your own good” and the like. Jonny began to execute one of the final nails in his plan against his family. “Can I sleep with you guys tonight? I’m scared and have been having nightmares from the mental hospital. Just tonight, please mom?” he begged, still never crying. “Well, for tonight, okay! You can take the sofa! I’m glad you’ve learned your lesson.” she said as they pulled into the driveway, the young man feeling raped and over everyone’s shit.
He slept on the sofa, in his hospital gowns, after spending some time in his room tossing some clothes and other supplies into his two bags and coolers, ready to escape that very night and execute his coup de grace. His kayak was all packed up and covered, his rows inside along with his entire personal setup. He put his Gameboy in the personal entertainment cooler, atop its big mountain of Double A batteries, ready to be lightly brought into his Mom’s van. This was a heavy kayak, and despite his gaunt body, Jonny was strong and capable. Into his “parents” room he went, as they were already asleep, lying asleep on the sofa with his blankie, exhausted and just waiting for them to fall asleep more. After 2 or three hours, they were snoozing. Game time. He grabbed his mothers car keys by walking silently and barefoot in the dead of night, and smoothly holding onto them in his palm so they wouldn’t jiggle and make noise. With his blankie on his back, he silently and carefully opened the door as to not wake them up, and escape out the front door of his house. This part was done. The kayak was ready, by the door of the garage, and he had the issue of bringing it to the van. He had thought of this, of course, and gently brought the kayak on top of his blankie and began to drag it out. He opened the door, and brought it to the trunk of the car. After unlocking it, which made a tiny beep, he lifted it up by the front in a deadlift like position, and got one side into the van. Then, he went to the backside and pushed the rest of the kayak into the car, with the front seat forward. It fit just as it had, when they had brought it home and he had sat in the trunk. He closed up the trunk, his whole survival kit ready to go, and got ready to drive the first time in his life. Ideally this would be quiet, and luckily the car was parked on the street and not on the driveway, making him feel safer doing this. He hopped in the driver's seat, adjusted it a bit. He knew the mirrors had to be adjusted to see to his right and left, as he had asked his mother and father on drives he was subjected to the last couple months. He was asking them all about how to drive, and apparently you just switch it into reverse, drive, park, et cetera and spin the wheel, along with hitting the gas and brakes. He fiddled around with this, mimicking how they drove away, and luckily could just drive away. He knew the route to Zuma Beach and headed out, at 2:23 in the morning.
∞
Jonny was, unsurprisingly, very good at driving, and only a couple other cars drove by him on the roads, as he safely drove on Kanan road to Zuma beach. Shadow was gone, their plan ready, and he was totally over his family and community. He had sufficient supplies, and two packed bags, his school backpack and a camping backpack he got for trips. He rued the lack of a net, but he had to go, now. Jonny pulled up to the side of the road of Zuma Beach at 2:55 in the morning, and immediately got to work, his emaciated body made strong by adrenaline. He popped the trunk of the van after fiddling around with the keys and buttons, and shut the car off by turning the key, like his parents had done when they drove. Using his blankie, as to not scratch the bottom of the boat, he pulled it out using his full body weight and lay it on the side of the road. He had a long journey of 100 meters to the beach shore, and he had to get it down the side of the Zuma Beach parking lot. Step by step, he pulled it, bracing his back and exerting all his force, pull by pull. After 20 minutes of pulling and pulling, he was finally at the seashore. He tossed his blankie into the storage compartment of his blue kayak, and stopped to eat something. He got a small snickers bar from his bag, and took a sip of water, exhausted from the ordeal - only having made it out of the mental hospital that very night!
The tide was low, and the waves were 1-2 feet high. He’d have to make it past the wave line, where the waves began, around 300 meters out. These were small waves, but they’d give him problems. Shadow had warned him about this and he was ready for it, all his belongings safely stored and in the coolers. After making sure the oars were ready, along with an extra oar he got just in case, he was ready to head out. He pushed the kayak into the ocean, and jumped in, in his black basketball shorts and white t-shirt. He got his feet a bit wet, lucky it was a low tide and shallow water. The boy got to work on making it past the waves, paddling with all his might, grabbing one oar and rowing from one side to another. He made it 100 feet out, and a wave crashed into the kayak, getting him kind of wet and sending him back 40 feet. The boy was mighty and courageous and kept going, making it a bit farther before another wave got him. This processed repeated, and though he was wet, he was not soaked as he made it past the break line and into the open sea. The wind was kind of strong, as it usually was on the coast of California, but there weren’t any more breaking waves to worry about. He reached for a can of Coca Cola, drinking it and paddling on, side to side, into the night as the full moon hung high in the sky. The boy was off, unsure which direction he was going, through the mildly choppy waters as the stars in the night sky lit his path. Back at home, Teresa and Jon slept soundly, completely unaware their “son” was on his way, and done. Shadow knew of Jonny, and he believed his prodigy was ready to take on the sea and find the lost island of Zentera.
Chapter 3 : A Day On the Pacific
When Teresa awoke the following morning, at 5:00 A.M. to make her commute to work, she found the vehicle was missing, along with Jonny and her keys. She thought he had gone back to his room or something, and came back in the house screaming, calling the police and sending the neighborhood… and the whole country… and world… into a frenzy, searching for the lost boy low and high. Jonny may have been somewhat famous, little did he know. We will spare you the details.
Jonny awoke to a blue tarp covering his kayak, floating on a relatively calm sea. He had his air pillows supporting his head, light sleeping back, and some back support, and it wasn’t too bad. After making it out well past far enough, to the point the beach and land were well past the horizon, Jonny set up his kayak and fell asleep, not even bothering to play any games. He was scared, of course, but happy. He grabbed one of his many water bottles from the floor of the kayak, and took a sip. He felt Shadow was still with him, guiding his path. After taking a moment to wake up, he pulled back the tarp to the kayak, and took in his surroundings. He had went well past the islands off the shore of Malibu, and there was nothing in sight but blue. The sun was high in the sky, it was already almost mid day, and he took some time to watch it as he oriented himself. He saw it was going behind him, and he was somehow still oriented to the west. Shadow had said west, by 20 degrees south to come closer to Zentera. He didn’t bother with the 20 degrees and just paddled, for hours and hours, rowing from side to side, over mildly choppy seas, the sun beating down on his face and his childish complexion becoming rough and masculine, very fast. Only some crackers and water fueled the boy as he worked, for hours and hours, with nothing to see but some rolling clouds and open waters. After a few hours, a pack of dolphins came by to say hello.
The boy was out on his first day at sea, and the animals were sticking by him as he floated along, just kind of drifting for a while as he rested his tired arms. As he had practiced with Shadow, he tried to talk to the animals. “Hello Dolphins!” he said in his rugged but young voice. “How are you!” he shouted out, tiredly. “We’re well.” they said as they swam and jumped around the kayak. “Come in, Jonny! Leave the boat for a spell, while the water isn’t too rough. You’ll find a fish down here, or an octopus! Leave the glasses and get your spear!” they expressed to the boy in his perfect mind’s eye. Jonny was not one to lolligag, and he had already been getting undressed in the nude to poop in the ocean, and peeing off the side of his little boat. He quickly took off his clothes, revealing his body to the ocean sunlight, and jumped in the water feet first. The dolphins continued to swim and play and squeak as he dived down, holding his spear, kicking the water with his feet and looking around. Down he went, and he was surprised to find a large school of unknown fish swimming around, as the dolphins chased them too and caught them with their mouths. Jonny swam up to one, careful not to spook it, and attempted to stab it with the spear in one motion. He missed, and it swam away, and the rest of the fish swam farther away from him. He repeated the process a couple times, missing but coming very close each time, before the fish all seemed to disappear. He resurfaced for air after every attempt, and after 5 repetitions, he could not find any more fish. He was a bit defeated, but well past prepared just with the supplies in his little boat. Realizing it was time to hunt, he decided to take some big breaths of air on the surface, and swam down to see how long he could go, and how much water pressure his body could tolerate. He did this only 3 more times, leaving the spear back in the boat, getting all the way up to a minute and 30 seconds, or more, by the third repetition. He swam back up, to rest his body a bit and eat some food, letting the sun dry him off. He did bring a couple small hand towels, but he saved them for now.
The sun made him sufficiently dry within 30 minutes, as he lay down, his skin rapidly becoming bronzed and harsh. He had no regrets. There was something incredibly calm, about the sound of the ocean waves, the animals who would come to visit him, the breaching whales in the distance, the little fish that swam away, and the whole atmosphere of the situation. He continued rowing as the sun came closer to setting in the sky, with a couple more hours of daylight. On to the west he went, on his first day at sea, the past and his old life already a distant memory, the future impossible to know, but at least he felt for once - he was in control, and his life was his, and his alone. The dolphins were out in the distance , jumping out of the water, swimming towards the setting sun, when suddenly a large thresher shark burst out of the water next to him as he rowed, flopping around a bit and displaying it’s beautiful body and long tail, flying through the air, next to his boat. The boy sat there in a trance, unafraid, as the large shark fell back into the sea. He looked down and stopped rowing a moment, as the shark disappeared from his vision. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty of what he had just experienced, and continued rowing on to the west, as much as he could before the sun set. For a couple hours more it was like this, his boat fishless and his body emaciated and tired from all the hard work. The sun started to set in the sky, as the winds picked up, making the waves more powerful. He knew this could happen, and would happen, and he set up his tarp and secured his belongings as best he could, not bothering to take in the sunset. Dark clouds began to roll in as the atmosphere had a haunting presence, the once beautiful ocean turning into a nightmare quickly. He knew this was only the beginning, as his boat began to sway over the growing waves. Under the tarp he went, scared and unsure what to do. He secured the top of the boat with the tarp as well as he could, as rain began to pour from the sky as the sun slipped into the sea. Perhaps this night, was only beginning, and he had no chance of sleep as he went up and down on ever growing waves.
He got out a couple of packages of crackers, to help him deal with the stress. “The hunting wasn’t too bad.. I was very close. I bet soon we could get those fish, I just need to practice my diving and scavenging. Right now, we just need to survive this night.” As he thought this, rain was pouring down on the tarp, and Jonny had a bright idea. He had a small bucket, where he was keeping his water bottles, and he decided he should fill it up. Though the waves were big, maybe 10-15 feet swells, they were not crashing, and his boat was simply going up and down. This gave him a nasty headache, but it was much better than being slammed underwater or having his boat get filled up or something. An hour into this repetitive, brutal experience, he had managed to not sleep at all. His electronics and drawing supplies sat safely in the storage compartment, in coolers, and he kept his eye on them. Emptying the bucket’s water bottles onto the floor of the kayak, he timidly reached out of the kayak and unfastened one side of the tarp. Making a small opening, and holding it open, he brought out the bucket to catch the pouring rain as his blankets in the corner of the kayak began to get kind of wet. For 30 full minutes, Jonny sat in this position, with no end to the storm in sight. Painfully slowly, but surely, the rain pitter pattered down into the bucket, filling it up centimeter by centimeter every couple of minutes. He had filled it up almost half way, but not quite after 30 minutes, and decided to pull it back in so as to make sure it wouldn’t spill. He brought it back into the kayak, delighted to find fresh rainwater in his bucket, and safely back in his kayak - though his blankets were unpleasantly wet now. He dipped a couple of his smaller plastic water bottles into the bucket, to empty it in and make sure it didn’t spill. He managed to fill up 3, but it was only the first night on his first full day out, and he didn’t have much room. The bucket would have to go. He decided to just drink the rest of the bucket water right then and there and refill it with the water bottles scattered on the floor of the large kayak. He did this, as the storm raged on, not becoming more dangerous, but still being horribly unpleasant. He secured the tarp and went back inside, incapable of doing anything, but very well hydrated with the fresh water. The worst part, he believed, was the plastic from the bucket. However, he was grateful to get some kind of light out of this terrible situation, almost all of his water bottles back to being full again. On and on the storm went, the rolling waves bringing him up and down on the windy sea, the rain coming down on his tarp and into the sea, getting all his stuff unpleasantly wet as it kept going for hours and hours. All through the night under the beautiful night sky he could not see, as the waxing moon danced through the sky, the storm raged and he didn’t get even a moment's sleep. He just lay there, thinking, thinking of what to do, thinking of how to survive this and make the best of it he possibly could, thinking of the future, and leaving his past behind him. When you are out at sea, alone, survival is the only thing that could possibly matter.
♾️
The morning came and the sun shone through the tarp, emanating a bright blue light into the boy's eyes. He somehow fell asleep, and did not remember it. It seemed the storm had subsided and there was barely a wave or gust of wind in the great Pacific, somehow. He was uncovered, his body brutalized, and he had no interest in rowing some more, as his arms were so sore they felt like they might just come off! Figuratively, of course, but in other words he was quite tired, and may injure himself if he kept on rowing like this, especially after such a brutal night. His blankets were wet and unpleasant, but the sun was back, and he was very surprised at how hydrated he was after drinking from the bucket the previous night. He had no need to pee, yet, but for the first time since a while ago in his training with Shadow, he was excessively hydrated. He decided to give his shoulders and elbows a break today, simply letting the little boat drift along as it would, sometimes gazing out into the horizon to see if there was any uninhabited islands. He still was not close at all to the tropical region Shadow had talked about, the water and air still harsh. He undid his tarp, and revealed the top of the boat as he got to work today. Overall, he had done quite well considering the unlucky storm, and the cracks of thunder that had spooked him in his sleep. He took his clothes off, getting naked, and lay them at the front of the kayak to dry, along with the blanket on the back. Naked, gaunt, bronzed and matured, the 6 year old boy stood up and stretched his body a bit. Though he wanted to try to spear more fish, he really had to give his body a break. He decided, after such a brutal night, he had earned some fun. I mean, there was no one around to please anyways. As far as he could tell, the world was his, no matter how small, pitiful, and wet it was. A pack of dorado swam right past his boat, and he quickly reacted by grabbing the spear and stabbing it into the water at one of the fish. He had a stroke of luck, and he felt the spear pierce the flesh of one of the fish as it struggled. He failed to pierce it all the way through as it swam away, but it was mortally wounded and weakened. Into the water he lept, his adrenaline pounding, losing all awareness of his previous soreness. The salty ocean water penetrated his nostrils as he chased this fish as fast as he could, a knife in his hand, as he swam to the best of his ability at the bleeding fish.
It started to go down, its pack leaving it behind, slowing down and weakening as it swam off balance. It had been stabbed in the tail, a deep wound, as Jonny caught up to it with his awkward, knife holding swim. He got it, and stabbed it in the throat, killing it and feeling the life leave its body. He was naked, with nowhere to keep the knife, and his boat was now 100 meters away. He knew sharks could smell blood from miles and miles away, and hurriedly grabbed the fish and swam as best he could back to the boat, desperately. Kicking and kicking, he arrived safely, with no sharks in sight, and the pack of dorado tuna long gone. He couldn’t possibly believe his luck, finally realizing he had won so soon, in such a big way. The fish was beautiful, not too big, but still! He had a fish, on only day 2 at sea, and his spear using skills seemed to have improved. He was already swimming like a shark in the water, rapidly adapting to his environment and evolving. He put his knife down and took in the dead fishes’ corpse with his eyes and nose. It smelled beautiful, making him ravenous, and he immediately got to work at flaying the side muscles of the fish off. He messed up a bit, hitting some of the bones, but he was desperate and it smelled so amazing. He took a bite out of the side of the fish, putting his knife down, and found it tasted beautiful. He chomped and chomped, and chewed, not even bothering to clean it, as its guts and organs fell out onto his naked lap. He threw them overboard, and quickly ate a quarter of the whole fish. It was big - dorado are big fish, and he would have good food for awhile now. He was amazed at how beautiful the raw, fresh fish was, straight out of the water. Jonny took some time and effort to make strips out of the remaining meat, around 3/4ths of it was left, as he lay them on top of the clothes at the front of the boat, to be cured by the sun. He took a moment to calm down, rest, and digest his food, the beating sun lulling him to sleep over the calm seas.
∞
Jonny was in a dream, working the furnace in the boiler room of a large ship. His face was greasy, his hair falling off in the harsh conditions, and he was alone providing power to the whole ship. He could hear the captain yelling some orders at the crew mates, something about sharks circling the ship. He kept working, the poor boy, his head shaved in this dream realm. On and on he went, piling the coals and stoking the flames in his denim overalls, when suddenly he heard a bang at the side of the ship. It was extremely loud and powerful, something must have clearly gone wrong, and the entire ship started to tilt in its axis. He heard nothing from the crew as he put down his shovel and went to check out the sound. He closed the door to the furnace room behind him, going to check out the scene just in case. To his shock, as he turned the halls of the ship, a huge opening was bored into the side of the hull and water was pouring in at an astounding rate. Before he knew it, the water was all the way up to his knees. The furnace was going to go out and he had to get out of there. He ran up the steps in his coal stained overalls, and went to alert the captain. “Captain! The hull has a breach! We’re going down!” shouted the young boy. “Jonny! What the hell are you doing up here! Get down there and work the furnace, or we will never make this shipment in time!” yelled the likeness of Jon Dobbin Sutcliffe from the captain’s room. As he said this, the ship was sinking more and more to the side, and sharks were circling around in the water. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, and Jonny looked to the side of the ship to find a crew mate’s corpse actively being ripped apart by a pack of sharks. Jon Dobbin Sutcliffe, the captain, payed it no mind and didn’t even seem to notice, as the ship sunk further and further. Jonny decided there was nothing to do but get away, as he jumped feet first into the ocean and began swimming for his life. His denim overalls held him back and weren’t good to swim in, but he kept going for hundreds of meters before looking back. Blood was filling the water, its scent emanating and powerful. Jon D. Sutcliffe stood in the captain’s room, unaware, as the crew’s agonized screams filled the air. Jonny turned away, kept swimming and awoke from the dream.
∞
Jonny awoke from the dream, the sun still beating down on his face, his skin becoming more and more used to the constant exposure. He felt healthy, and strong, the body of the fish giving him strength, life, hydration, and intelligence. “Damn! Should have kept the guts for bait!” he thought to himself as he looked at the fishing rod. The sea was still calm, his slices of Dorado fish hanging out on top of his clothes, which were now dry. He decided to save them for later, he was not hungry, and had a long, long distance go go. He had perhaps made it 100 miles or so, spending much of his initial time and energy rowing away from the mainland for his life. His body was still sore, of course, as it always would be on this perilous journey, but after tasting the fruits of the strong fish’s body, he was ready to row. He began to whistle the tunes to some Beatles’ songs he had heard in his life, like Yellow Submarine, Yesterday, In My Life, and many more classics, go entertain him as he rowed, from left to right, towards the falling sun. Whistling and singing, the boy was quite a sight to see. On and on he went, as rugged as can be. With the setting sun and the calmed seas, he rowed for an eternity. Hours and hours, came and went, but on his path, he was hellbent.
Hours and hours came along, some animals playing in the distance, a couple small pitiful sips of water and not much food at all fueling his skinny yet powerful arms. Thoughts came and exited his mind, but he was in a high state of meditation, as one always is when graced with the presence of the ocean. But here, together with the goddess for so long, his meditative state was much more powerful. An hour passed, and nothing but a couple rolling clouds and a few large swells passed the boy, rowing from right to left. His arms were becoming more and more used to the motion, he began to get his back and body more into it, bracing his feet into the floor of the big blue kayak. “For a second, do I wonder why I left? Is not, even an ounce of control, the most heavenly gift one can possibly have?” he thought to himself. As the hours passed, he had made it many more miles out, and it was time to rest. He had a couple of the small slices of fish, and bagged the rest into one of the coolers, a divine gift that would sustain him for many days. He pulled out his Gameboy, the sun an hour or two away from setting, and lay back in his big boat, popping a fresh pair of batteries in. It had survived the storm, with multiple levels of protection including plastic bags, and the charming digital sounds delighted his weary head and arms. Though matured, heartless, and brutal, he was still just a kid. He had fire red in and he was just getting started, feeling so happy to have earned this fun time and escape from reality from his hours and hours of rowing in the sun. Before the sun set, after beating a gym in the game, he decided to start taking notes in one of his notebooks using a pencil.
“I’ve made it out deep into the ocean and I don’t think anyone wil find me here. It’s ben 3 days and there was a scarey storm. I hid in the boat an codnt sleep at all. Now it is beter the water is warmer an the sea is not so big and scary. I mis shadow and feel really alone an tired, scared sometimes, I hope I find Zentera but I codnt stay home. I caut a Fish today and it tasted reely good an I cod row all day. I’m tire now an just wan to play my game. I’m sick of the ocean sometimes. sometime it is nice when the animal come to say hello, other times I get lonelee and Mis going to school and seeing Emme. But maybe I wil get used to it. - Jonny, day 3
Jonny closed his journal and returned to playing his game, as the sun started to set and he couldn’t see the unlit screen anymore. He also had a little night light he could use that took batteries also, but he decided he had had his fun and packed it up again. He thanked the moon and stars that he had made it this far, that he and his boat survived the storm, that he had animals to come visit him every once in awhile, and of course for the strips of fish in a plastic bag in his cooler. He managed to stand up in the little boat, able to stretch his body and legs, which he did for a long time. He wasn’t sure if the boat was a kayak, canoe, or just a boat, or something in between the two, but he guessed any name would suffice. It was kind of like a hybrid between the two, he guessed. With his legs and arms stretched and nothing else to do, he put up his tarp and got ready for sleep, still awake. His penis and balls were growing and he was starting to discover his body. He had watched some porn and found some images back at home, only recently, and had some kind of idea what sex was. As he lay awake, he was thinking of his teachers, women he knew, and girls in his class, and their butts, pretty faces, and bodies. His penis grew and he started to touch it. It felt good. The meat and sunlight made it hard and he started to stroke it. He used a couple fingers to masturbate his adolescent penis, thinking of his crush back at school and taking off her skirt or short shorts. He stroked and stroked, for a couple minutes, before feeling the need to go faster and faster, his first ever load of cum from masturbating coming out of his penis. He suddenly felt a lot calmer, and could fall asleep, the white viscous liquid on his bare belly, unsure of how to clean it and not disgusted by it at all. He fell asleep, under the tarp, in case the night became harsh. He drifted away, only perturbed by a few moments of wind and waves in his sleep.
Chapter 4 : Fishing
The sun penetrated the tarp of the kayak and Jonny awoke from his slumber, his eyes opening slowly with his head against the air pillows. It was day four, and last night he had thought of fishing today. As the sun arose, low in the sky, he decided to try it early in the morning. He had some vague memory that fishing was supposed to be good in the morning and around sunset, and he wanted to test it out. A foggy mist hung on the sea as he undid the fastening to his tarp and got ready to take on his day of work, towards the mysterious isle of Zentera. He grabbed his fishing rod, set it aside, took a few sips of water, and got a fishing handbook he had brought along from one of his bags. He started the morning reading the instructions on how to tie a hook in. The instructions to a “clinch knot” was the recommended way to secure hooks to line, and he began to practice with his line and hooks. Unspooling a bit of lead from his already set up rod, he began to tie a hook when he realized he would also need his sinker, of course. He would need a three way swivel, a couple clinch knots, and a heavy sinker for these deep waters. How deep he should go, what he was fishing for, he didn’t know. Just… something. Practice.
After tying a three way swivel to his main line attached to the rod, he cut off a couple shorter pieces of fishing line to the and tied in a large, lead, oval sinker and one of his many hooks. He would need to be careful with his limited supplies, as always. He closed up his fishing bag, a smaller separate bag, putting the fishing handbook into it as well. Into the storage compartment it went, in an unused corner, and Jonny grabbed one of his small plastic bags with Dorado strips to use as bait. Closing the door to the storage compartment, he went back to his rod to check his knots. All three were in and his line was untangled, held together by three seemingly secured clinch knots. He remembered to be careful not to reel in too far, at the danger of ruining his rig. Casting was a subtle skill, not too difficult and perhaps not even necessary, but it was quite fun. He had gone fishing with his family a couple times, one of his relatives was very gung ho about it and showed him the ropes. He had forgotten, only a child, but he turned through his memories in his mind’s eye and remembered the act of casting. There was only one way to learn, and that was practice. He remembered, a bad cast would result in a “birds nest”, or the spooled line on his rod become tangled and hard to deal with. He would have to pull it all out, or worse, if this happened, so he tried to be very careful. Without even bothering to put bait on, he practiced his casts a bit, wearing a light waterproof jacket that had served him well on cold mornings and bitter nights. With his hood on, still early in the morning, he released the line to his rod and let the sinker into the sea, sitting down with his legs crossed and watching the sinker fall into the sea. It came off the line, swaying from right to left, as he had left it the last time he used his thick fishing rod. He was beginning to run out of line before hitting the bottom of the sea, seriously concerning and quite scary, but understandable. He pulled up his line all the way, guiding it from side to side with his left thumb, as it came out of the ocean with a little drip. With his rig intact, he took a small piece of Dorado strip and attached it to his hook, looping it in for security. Jonny brought his fishing rod back out, and began swaying his sinker and baited hook from side to side a couple times, getting used to the feeling of the rod. With a couple sways, he was ready for his first cast, flipping the switch to unlock his line as he imperfectly timed it, the rig only getting out a couple feet but still falling into the sea without any major issues. He let it down and down, maybe 200 feet or so, and stopped his spinning reel as he began to wait for a nibble. He never cared much for fishing. It could be very fun, and very rewarding, especially considering his given circumstances. But there was always the chance of sitting there, for hours, moving from spot to spot, not even feeling a nibble, and feeling your time was wasted and going unfed. This had happened a couple times on his fishing trips with his family. A boring sport, but perhaps it was just a lack of skill or understanding. The way Jonny saw it, everything was an art form, and you could always be better at things.
After an hour of bringing his line up, moving, recasting, fixing a couple birds nests, and feeling only a couple nibbles, he decided to put the fishing rod down and secure the rig. He put it down, somewhat defeated, as one always is when things don’t go your way, but happy to feel the sun coming up and the warmth come to his skin, allowing him to remove his jacket and wear one of his many light workout shirts. Back to rowing he went, on to the west, as the fourth day started. He wondered, would he ever find Zentera? It had seemed so long already, his old life already fading in his memory. The loneliness was harsh, and cruel, but he was actually feeling a little better. His glasses had been in their cases pretty much the whole time, except when he was purposefully looking out for any potential small islands. However, he was still not extremely far out, and not aware of his surroundings. He could potentially be seen and taken in by some police boat or someone else, and he’d like to avoid that and get to Zentera. So the boy paddled, from right to left, over calmish seas once again, pondering if there really was a giant squid in the ocean as he had seen on his favorite Animal Planet documentaries. He looked down into the depths unknown, before getting scared and creeped out, and focusing more on the surface, where he felt safe. The realization that his whole line didn’t reach the bottom of the ocean was really scary to Jonny. Who knew what was down there?
♾️
Row row row, that’s all the boy did know. The sun came up and went down again as Jonny delved deeper into the depths of Zen, at a shocking pace. The loneliness creeped into his bones like an infestation, sadness and pain becoming a standard, becoming a new normal. The loneliness was overwhelming, but he was a strong young man with extreme resilience. His life was over, he was no longer an innocent child going to school, taking little tests, playing games and eating dinner with his family. He was now like a man, battle tested and becoming stronger by the minute, something else to behold every single day. The hours passed by on the fourth day as the sun came up, and went down again as he could row for longer and longer, his arms becoming sinewy and powerful despite their small size. He would sing songs to himself, thinking of Beatles songs and humming the tunes, and began writing his own pieces since he had nothing else to do. He came up with a little song in his time rowing today.
“I’m on the sea, oh
I’m on the sea, woah
Just running away from home!
To Zentera, I will go - oh
And I’ll find my own new Rome!
I’ll build house out of straw
I’ll eat fishes and fruits and ants, raw!
I wanna go, I wanna go
So sun, guide me home!”
These were the words to his little song, and it brought joy to his harsh life. He was tired. The sun was still somewhat high in the sky to stop working, and he was in a moment of tranquility, but totally exhausted. He had managed to become somewhat comfortable in the boat, his body adjusting to the sway and drifting. The sea was still and a school of fish swam below him. He was sad, profoundly sad, deeply sad and there was no catharsis, no hope, only dismay. This life of pitiful loneliness and struggle, was terrible. Did he make a mistake? Did he walk into the depths of insanity for no reason? No. He knew exactly why he did this, and it was disgust. Here, at least he had his pitifully small, but clean boat. Not enough entertainment, but enough to be very grateful for. He missed Shadow. He missed going to school and seeing the girls. He missed being in his room, alone, and playing games. He missed solid ground. And sometimes, you just need to be sad. He lay down on his open tarp as rolling, heavenly clouds passed by, colored a deep, creamy shade of orange by the setting sun. The water was the same, cold and harsh, and he was in a kayak. So… he had a long way to go. A long, long way to Zentera. And his arms, his back, his whole body, sore beyond belief with not much room for respite. His life on the sea was like an extreme level of torture, but there was something so surreal about it. The young man had the air of a complete Zen Master, as he lay down, not bothering to watch the sunset or cover his boat, just laying there with his eyes open in his wet oversized shirt and basketball shorts. Tonight, joy was not had. Jonny was depressed, an obvious side effect of the sheer loneliness, but he was not weak, or pathetic. His visage held an air of undeniable respectability at all times. He lay there like a skeleton, suffering yet present and alert, all through the night, until after a long while he fell asleep.
∞
On the fifth day, Jonny rested. He dreamed of beautiful things and had a deep, yet brief sleep, before some mild waves woke him up around sunrise. He felt happier after resting, and didn’t pound the paddle too much today, just keeping himself on course for southwest and playing some games on his Gameboy Advance to pass the time. It was a good day, he wasn’t suffering too much, and he felt happy. The waves were mild, not tranquil, but not a nightmare.
∞
And on the sixth day, he awoke a new man, used to the suffering, yet of course still physically just a boy. He was reinvigorated, soreness and emaciation was a simple fact, and his sinewy arms were becoming stronger and more powerful. He still had a lot of dry fish, it was actually pretty good and unspoiled, and he wasn’t too concerned about any supplies as of now, still with plenty of water and food. The fish truly saved his life, when he came by his boat. Filled with impatience and a lust for solid ground, for an island, a private deserted island. Though his vision was not sharp, he could make do of it and kept his glasses safe in the storage compartment. He got his paddles at the crack of dawn and began rowing to the southwest, at a horrifying pace.
His arms would row the water from right to left, right to left, as he silently worked in his finely bronzed skin. The boy and his boat looked like a shark already, effortlessly gliding over the seas and swells in the depths of the Pacific. He remembered what Shadow had told him, to find an island over there and work to find the aisle of Zentera, where the water is green and warm and humans are a distant memory. After his day of sadness, he felt a lot better, his brain and body much more accustomed to the dire circumstances. He would not wallow or fail to be useful - he was simply exhausted and virtually hopeless. But, Shadow would talk to him in his mind’s eye, and he would feel better. There were signs the water was becoming more tropical, just a bit. He hadn’t seen many boats at all, only a couple big cargo boats in the distance he avoided. The boy was a menace and dedicated the sixth day all to rowing, like a machine. He rowed even into the night, taking periodic breaks, showing not much interest in eating, drinking too much, or looking to catch food. For now, he would row, until he was too tired again.
For four days, he was like this, subsisting on measly portions of the dried fish, saving the rest of his non perishable food safely covered multiple times in the storage compartment. Animals would come by, dolphins would swim by his rushing boat, along with schools of fish, squid even, and many other things he didn’t know the names of. He had quite an enchanting experience with a sea turtle, large sharks would jump out of the water as he rushed by and he would feel no fear at all. He even managed to spear a couple fish as they swam by in schools, repeating the process of drying them in the sun, making food a surprisingly replenishable resource. It had not rained and he was doing damage on his previously refilled water bottles, but he would still be fine for a while. Sometimes he would put some sea water in his mouth and leave it there, careful not to swallow, and it helped to temper his thirst if only a bit. He prayed for rain as his rain bucket and catcher sat, serving only as storage, in the compartment holding one of his bags. But the boy was strong, agile, fast, in tune with the environment, like one of the animals - and he felt this way about himself. He was definitely more animal than human…
So, for days 6 through 10, Jonny was like a speeding bullet going through the pacific, his rowing only becoming more efficient as he chased the setting sun. Though there was no rain, there was also no storm, and the sea was calm and becoming tropical startlingly fast to the young boy. He was having fun again, his life like a dream, with so many various animals he had seen and had come to visit him. Some sea birds would come sit on the boat for awhile as he rowed, he had no need to fish because he had speared some of the fish who came in schools, and would have food for awhile on this alone. But, on the 11th day, his arms had become sore and weak again, and it was time to rest them. So, as the sun came up on the sea, calm once again, he decided to spend today with his rod. Drifting through extremely mild waters, with no end in sight, he cast his rod deep into the sea and would sit for 30 minutes or so before changing locations. It was like this for a couple hours.
Sitting there, bored, after 3 or 4 full hours, with nothing else to do, suddenly his rod shot down into the sea with a fury, his world suddenly filled with adrenaline and the wrath of a beast from the sea, who had taken his bait, and he was in a battle. It pulled down on the side of the boat, and he felt he may let go of his rod, not ready for such a sudden change in pace. He gathered himself, in a fight for survival, this rod extremely important to his life. He would not let go of it so easily. The great fish pulled line off his rod, in a vengeance, for what felt like forever. With his heart pumping, so caught in the moment, so much on the line but with such a great potential reward, he sat back deep into his boat to make sure he or the boat didn’t fall into the sea, and began fighting to reel in the fish. With all his might, he could only pull it in a little bit before it began ripping line off his reel once again, a mighty creature. He was only six, and this was a man’s fish, or he may have won much easier.
After 10 to 15 minutes of this torturous process, reeling in a couple times, having the line furiously ripped off, Jonny began to truly win the battle. The fish was tiring out, and still on the hook. For a couple minutes, he managed to pull it in, the fish nowhere in sight, lurking below the depths. He felt like it was a tuna, it was behaving so strong and that’s how it felt on his bent rod. His rod was so strong and dense, yet it bent like a rainbow into the sea under the weight and power of the fish. He pulled it up and the process became a chore, the fish clearly losing but desperately hanging on to life, the boy feeling safer by the minute. After 45 minutes, he could see it, lurking below him in the depths of the ocean, before it shot back down again, much more limply - the life leaving its body. He reeled it all the way up, careful not to break or snap his line under so much tension, and hoisted it into the kayak, directly beside him. It began flailing around and he desperately looked for his knife, finding it after a couple moments, and stabbing the fish in the face as it continued flailing and bleeding everywhere. It was definitely a tuna, maybe 70 pounds or so, gigantic. To him, at least (Tuna grow much larger than this). He continued stabbing the fish until it stopped flailing, and looked down at his prize with its blood all over his face and shirtless youthful body. He rejoiced, letting out a glorious yelp, at its fresh, dead corpse and the realization he would have food for… awhile. He was surprised how… not difficult … it was to find food. He really thought it would be a lot harder than it was.
Mr. Fish, an adolescent yellow fin tuna, put up quite the fight against the boy, but didn’t come close to getting all the line off his rod or ripping him into the sea. This was his first experience with a fish of this size, all by himself, so deep in the ocean. Unfortunately, Mr. Fish was taking up some serious room. The soreness from his arms finally caught up to him, and he realized he may need another off day. Of course, the body of the fish had some water in it, some hydration, and nutrients, and he could potentially eat this alone for … weeks? He was jarred at how much food he had. The boy was like an animal now, resisting the temptation to simply sink his teeth into its side, and instead took one of his sharpened blades and cut off a hunk of flesh, shaped it into some sushi like he had back at home, and chowed down before wrapping the rest of the fish in a plastic wrap he brought along, and hiding it in the side of the boat under the covering tarp. He was… a winner. But he was tired, and the sun was still high in the sky, so he wiped some of the blood of his little two person kayak and lay down on some air filled pillows, not truly asleep, but resting as the sun beat down on his face.
He was… a winner, with a full belly, and the fresh meat of the fish helped to satiate his hunger. When it would rain again, he did not know, but he could potentially make his water last weeks, even up to 2 months if he really conserved. He prayed for rain, or perhaps an island, as he was in uncharted territory and could probably hop on an unfound island and find plants with water. He was, thinking too much, of what to do next, of the next 500 million possible outcomes, as he wasted his day away and the sun became lower in the sky. It was like he was on a psychedelic nowadays, all the time, his life surreal and majestic, beautiful, loneliness a distant thought in his mind, his animal friends beautiful companions. Life was beautiful, the sunset was gorgeous, the sea monsters hid deep in the ocean and the more sightly creatures came to visit, life becoming more plentiful as he headed to the tropical region of the pacific, southwest from Malibu, his takeoff spot.
Jonny was a happy boy, and a winner. A true winner, not a winner in spirit. Not a participation trophy - but a life or death struggle, where he came out on top, and won an incredibly valuable trophy. He knew nothing else, other than the ways of truly winning, that anyone else may have a different view on what “winning” is… He was innocent, untouched, and too busy … winning.
Chapter 5 : A Shark in the Water
