Released in Sunday Vietnamnews, issue for Tet, 2010

Most men have dreamed of being stuck on a desert island with a beautiful girl. Many young women have hoped to venture to an uninhabited isle with an attractive young man. In their imagination, the mysterious island might have thick bushes of climbing lianas growing in a primitive forest that grows beyond the yellow sand dunes that stretch as far as the eyes can see. At night, waves lap at the shore under the moonlight, which spreads across the beach and beyond into the stony wilderness. Such was the gist of the story.

Everything began on the deck of a large, 5-star cruise ship called the "Music of the Blue." Full of gentle and elegant tourists, the cruise was going into Da Trang Bay. A social evening was held on the first night of the pleasure cruise. Two people in particular caught sight of each other: one was a handsome Southern European man. He was freshly shaved, had a Grecian nose and tanned skin beneath his grey shirt and white jacket. The other was a glamorous Asian lady with black eyes, a lily-white complexion, an inviting pair of lips and a well-shaped body covered by a low-cut red dress.

"She is so charming!" the young man thought to himself while considering how he might shift through all his rivals.

"What a handsome guy! But how can I drag him away from that group of beautiful girls surrounding him?" she asked herself.

The captain proposed an interesting programme that night: a cuttlefish angling competition on the open sea. Our two attractive holiday-makers were quick to sign up. Several dinghies were lowered into the sea to start off the contest. Unfortunately the weather was not as forecasted and the sea turned rough. The waves tossed the rubber boats about mercilessly and many disappeared beneath the surface. The last thing she remembered was feeling the high black wall of salty water throw her up in the air.

* * *

When she woke she found herself lying on hot sand beneath the scorching mid-day sun. After only a moment she realised that she had been washed ashore by the huge waves. In front of her she saw a large creature looming towards her. She squinted her eyes and waited. To her surprise it was the man of her dreams from the ship.

"Hello. Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Not too bad, thanks. Where are you from?" he said with a broad smile.

By this point he was staring at her voluptuous breasts that were peeking out from the tatters of her dress. Together they went in search of other survivors. Clothed in nothing but tatters himself, he led the way. She was a bit disappointed to realise he didn't have as good a body as she had imagined. After walking for a short while, they realised they had been deserted in an alien land.

"We might lose our lives here," he said sadly.

She burst into tears. The transition between enjoying such a luxurious evening on the ship to potentially dying in this wilderness caused her total grief. As they pondered their predicament the sky turned overcast with black clouds. They set about looking for a place to get away from the imminent heavy rain. She gathered several dry coco leaves and he found fseveral tree trunks. Pooling their efforts, they managed to rig up a small hut by the side of a cliff. Just as their simple construction was finished the rain began to fall in torrents. It was their first day in hell.

Day two on the island

They found a lot of fruit and caught several fish the of her little finger. They struck two stones together over some dry leaves to build a fire, which he had learned to do as a scout. He grilled the fish over the flames after they had died down a bit. With his mouth watering at the thought of food he placed some fish on a leaf and informally offered some to her: "Please, help yourself to some fish." After two days without food her hunger caused her to consume the fish in the blink of an eye. He stared at her in surprise and could only fill himself with the remaining wild fruit.

Day three

Fortunately they found a rusty knife as they strolled along the beach. A ray of hope flashed in both their minds when they realised that people had been on the island sometime in the past. Later, as they elbowed their way through the thick forest, they came across a green snake in their path. She screamed herself hoarse in fright, but, oddly enough, he screamed even louder and hid behind her, trembling in fear.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked.

"I'm scared of snakes," he groaned.

"What a coward!" she said as she snatched the knife from his hand. In one quick stroke the little reptile was cut in half. His face became paler and he nearly fainted.

"Tonight, we'll surely enjoy this tasty food," she said happily. At once, she picked up the snake, turned around and took it back to their hut. After she washed it she put it over the fire to grill. It's sweet smell wafted over him, but he shook his head incessantly.

"I can't eat that terrible creature," he said loudly.

A few minutes later, only a small pile of bones was left next to the dwindling flame. She had eaten it all.

Day four

He was so hungry he could barely stand. However, his survival instinct eventually kicked in and was able to follow her into the forest to look for food. They dug and dug and finally found some yams. By chance they also discovered a wounded bird. Bringing them back to their campsite, she grilled everything over the fire. She started enjoying the sweet-smelling dark-brown meat. He watched her slowly devour the delicious food.

"Would you mind saving me one wing, please? Do you really have the heart to eat it all?" he asked.

"Well, this is the first thing I've eaten today. I should be on to my third by now, you know," she replied softly.

"You can't possibly be that greedy! I've had nothing to eat in the past four days," he said angrily.

She immediately gave him the rest of the food.

"Here you go. You're not as chivalrous as I originally thought."

Each evening they ventured to the beach in the hope of catching a glimpse of a passing ship. But each night their hopes dwindled and they returned to their hut in despair.

One month later

Both of them turned thin and weak very quickly. Food that had been plentiful when they first arrived quickly became scarce and they tried their best to adjust to their new life.

Winter had arrived. One morning as he woke up he caught a whiff of an unpleasant odour. "You should wash your hair and take a bath," he advised her.

"What an idea! How could I bathe in the cold open sea? You're hoping I'll die in the cold without any medicine, aren't you?" she said as she moved away from him. "You better stay away from me. I can hardly stand your terrible snoring. It sounds like a pig," she retorted.

"If that's the case, you can build another hut to live in," he replied with irritation.

"Both of us worked to build this shanty. If you don't want to stay you can go build your own."

"Fine. I won't stay here with you any more. You're greedy, talkative and abhorrent," he yelled.

He left at once in search of building materials from the forest. That afternoon he managed to erect a small cabin close to their existing one. Even worse, from her perspective, he planted a hedge as a barrier between the two huts.

Day after day, their dream of going home seemed farther away, although in their hearts hope remained. Over the waves, they could see flocks of seagulls hovering over the open sea for awhile and then returning to shore. They knew this proved there were no other land masses nearby. No matter how much they thought about it they had no idea where they were. One thing was for certain – they were stranded on a desert island. Heaving a sigh, he tried to make them both feel better.

"Robinson Crusoe was stranded on a desert island and lived there for twenty-eight years," he said, trying to set her mind at ease. "He led a simple life by hunting for food, growing crops and raising goats for milk and clothing. He even made pots to collect rain-water and cook his meals. To help him fish, he cut down a tree and built a kayak. A ship finally came to his rescue," he went on.

Just the thought of such a long time away from society caused her to burst into tears. She imagined returning to her home town, meeting up with her family and friends and dancing at parties with streaks of grey in her hair.

"Where would we find goats, corn and tools to make a boat?" she complained.

"Tomorrow we'll walk along the seashore to see if anything has washed up from the shipwreck. If fortune smiles upon us, we might have a few chickens and some grain. And if God blesses, maybe we'll be able to start a farm as well," he said with optimism.

"And our kids will form a new society," she whispered under her breath. She glanced at him and was not impressed; he looked like a bedraggled man from a black forest. On his part, he also found her untidy and in total tatters.

Starting from the day he built his own hut, they had became increasingly, and unexpectedly, more selfish, even with trivial things: tree branches, edible wild tubes and several pieces of torn clothing. One afternoon when he returned to his hut, he discovered that she was wearing his dirty white jacket.

"How dare you take my jacket?" he shouted.

"Don't you realise that the wind is strong? You want me to die so that you can be another Robinson without his man Friday, don't you?" she mocked him.

"You broke into my cabin. That's a crime in the eyes of the law."

"When did you become the jury on this uninhabited island? I'm cold and I don't have any warm clothes, that's all," she replied resolutely.

"Well whatever, you have to give it back," he said with a glance at the torn red cloth that was carelessly wrapped around her slim body. He walked up to her in a hurry, as if he might take it away from her then and there. She brandished her knife in response, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Stop it or else," she screamed.

"It's highway robbery!" he cursed her.

"You stingy rascal! If you had any sense of chivalry you would have given it to me a long time ago!"

"No, never for a devil like you!"

He held up his hands as praying for God's help.

Two months later

One day they chanced upon a true treasure on the beach. A rucksack with all of its contents had washed ashore. Some unfortunate tourist had probably lost it. They were lucky the ocean waves had sent it to them. Inside they found two shirts, several CD's, one big tin of sardines, a shiny set of stainless steel knives and a bar of soap, which was still intact in a sealed plastic packet. There was also a drenched book, two pairs of shorts, a pair of sandals, a large sealed bag of sliced bread, a comb, a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of shampoo. They divided it up and brought everything to their huts. The next morning he called out to her from his gate:

"I know you have a bar of soap. May I borrow it, please?" he asked.

"No, never! One bar of soap for me to use during our twenty-eight years on this island isn't enough. How could I lend it to you?"

"OK, let's barter," he suggested.

"How?" she said loudly from inside her hut.

"I have a tube of toothpaste you could borrow."

"You must give me some shampoo, too."

"No. That would be too much of a loss," he replied decisively.

"Then no more bartering," she said, ending the negotiations.

"OK! You're so greedy and cunning!" he accused.

She stood close to the hedge in an enticing position.

"My dear neighbour, I know you have a comb," she said.

"Yes!"

"Well, then give it to me."

"No, never."

"What do you need it for, your hair is very thin," she said.

"I need it for future bartering," he replied with a sly smile.

"You son of a bitch!" she said in an angry voice.

* * *

Eventually they discovered many more wild vegetables. They found seeds and grew them in front of their own huts: each on their own plots of land, of course. They also gained more bartering skills. They used square pieces of wood that they called "golden coins" to exchange produce and services.

"Hey friend, please make a plastic cover for my kitchen garden," she asked him one morning.

"OK, but you'll have to pay me ten golden coins."

"That's too expensive. Five coins at the most."

"Eight would be my last offer."

"Six, only six! No more, no less," he insisted.

"OK, you made a good bargain this time. The next time you'll have to be more reasonable," he added.

In time he brought his torn grey shirt to her.

"Would you mind mending this shirt for me. There are three holes in it."

"Twenty golden coins," she told him after looking at the garment carefully.

"What an exorbitant price!"

"If you think so, you can just take it home. It's your choice," she told him. "You should know that I saw a few more than three holes in it. The more you put it on, the larger they'll become. The coming winter will seem much longer then, won't it," she said trying to persuaded him.

"How about fifteen coins?"

"Too cheap!"

"Fine, I'll accept your fee."

* * *

Ever since the day they had decided to use the "golden coin" he noticed that her negotiation skills had improved a lot, far better than his at least. Day after day, he became poorer and poorer. He finally had to borrow golden coins from her at a very high interest rate. On the contrary, she became more and more cunning. One day she sensed that a heavy sea was brewing so she gathered all her vegetables from the garden and stored them in her hut. When the storm raged over the island, his produce was totally destroyed. Then she sold her vegetables to him at an exorbitant rate, but he couldn't do anything about it. Eventually he was up to his eyeballs in debt. He was worried. In such a poverty stricken state, he would soon become her slave. He would have to work for her to pay off the debts without any return. He began to form a dark scheme.

* * *

One day she counted all of her coins. To her surprise, she found a lot of new coins in her treasure chest. They were so new that she could smell fresh wood. When the new coins made up one-third of her fortune she went on a fact-finding mission. One morning, she stealthily followed him into the forest. She was surprised to find him making new coins using her stainless steel knife. Smiling happily she secretly returned to her hut.

That afternoon, standing in the middle of his courtyard, he asked her solemnly: "Please, sell me five yams, three dried fish, two bundles of vegetables and some fruit."

"Are you going to make me a feast today?" she pretended to be amazed.

"It's a fine day today and I've decided to make a feast for myself. But please, come over for dinner this evening. For once you seem to be very amiable," he invited her generously.

"Thanks! But do you have enough money?"

"Of course, quite enough and some to spare. I haven't thought about money in a long time."

"Okay then. Three hundred coins for the lot."

"What?"

"Three hundred coins," she repeated.

"That price is ridiculous! Here are thirty coins, take them," he said, taking some new coins out of his pocket and handing them to her.

"Well, you still owe another two hundred and seventy coins."

"What! It's always been thirty coins," he objected.

"But today is different. Food is becoming more scarce," she replied. "Our crops failed because of the bad weather. Frankly speaking, I want to hang on to what I have against any more bad weather," she added.

"You're a mad woman! Are you such a God that you have the right to increase the price at random?"

"Hmm. It's up to you to accept or not. In my opinion, you'd do better to choose a simpler menu and leave the rest for me," she said.

"You are so hard to get along with!" he said, squishing the yam he was holding.

"What about you?" she said, winking her eyes wickedly.

He gaped. Mashed yam fell from his hands with a plop.

* * *

One night, while she was tossing about in her sleep she sense a black figure wearing a mask jumping into her hut. "Surely, it must be him," she thought to herself. He looked at her for a few minutes then thrust his hand into a bag she had made out of little twigs that was full of her coins. She got up quickly.

"You swindler! It's only the two of us on this island. What's the use of wearing a mask?" she reprimanded as she looked around for her knife. He quickly snapped it up with his right hand while the other kept a grasp on the bag.

"I'm far stronger than you, you know. Might makes right here."

"You brute and mean ruffian!" she cursed him, crying loudly at the possibility of losing her treasure. "I'd rather live Robinson without Friday than live here with such a bastard like you," she went on.

"You could make a better choice, you know, say, to leave the island," he grinned.

Eight months later

They unexpectedly found a flat rubber dinghy on the far side of the island one day. It looked as if it had lain there for a long time. After looking it over carefully they were happy to find that it was nearly intact. All they had to do was inflate it. They took turns blowing it up until they were blown out. Several days later it was full. They quickly made two oars out of tree brouches.

"Tomorrow, we'll hold a solemn ceremony then launch," he said with emotion.

"Are you sure it can stand the strong winds and waves in the heavy sea?" she asked.

"For one person it can, because it's a single boat. But I hope God will bless us."

"We must prepare enough food," she said.

"Do we have enough food for at least one month?" he asked. "Maybe we'll be spotted by a ship near the island, but if not we should be prepared."

"We have just enough for one mouth. I pray that the Buddha will support us," she said.

That night it rained cats and dogs. He could not sleep; nor could she. He went to his door and looked out. In front of him, the sea was pitch-black. He glanced at her hut. Tossing and turning on the bed she had made of tree branches and dried leaves, she imagined her neighbour's dreadfully large figure. She stood up, sighed then paced back and forth in her hut.

"The small dinghy is just large enough for one person," his words echoed through her mind. "Maybe he'll abandon me on this God-damned islet and return to the mainland on his own. There is only enough food left for a one month trip. He might be nurturing a dark scheme to kill me in order to use the boat freely. Obviously, he would dare to do so, after he tried to rob me yesterday. I'll have to sit up all night to keep him from doing something so silly," she said to herself and placed the knife by her side.

On his part, he also doubted her behaviour. "She's so greedy. She might kill me for food. That would keep her fed for the entire trip home. How could I forget how she relished eating the grilled bird, fish and snake in the twinkling of an eye when we first arrived here?" he whispered to himself. "Tonight's the decisive moment. Surely she has made everything ready. I must stay vigilant to protect myself. So he took out his rusty knife and practised some defensive martial arts moves.

At that moment, he heard many footsteps outside. He rushed out immediately.

"Stay where you are," she shouted out, brandishing her sharp knife. "Did you know that I was a judo champion in secondary school?" she warned.

"Don't move, or else…," he mocked her. "One more step and you'll be eating dust," he added.

"I don't think so!" she said sadly. "Damn you, you ruffian," she shrieked.

"What about you? Why did you tiptoe to my hut, knife in hand, at midnight?"

Raindrops blurred her eyes and she tried to wipe them away. Taking advantage of the moment, he jumped forwards and easily seized her knife. He burst out laughing.

"Now everything rests in my power, you see. I'll be the lord of this island and the captain too, whereas, you're nothing but my slave. You'll have to obey my orders," he stated solemnly.

Then a most unexpected thing happened: they heard whispering outside. Both of them were startled. Strong footsteps became more and more clear. A few seconds later their huts were surrounded. She grabbed onto him in fright.

"Who are you?" he asked the strangers in English.

"We're sailors. We're trying to escape the storm. We only plan to stay here for a few hours before leaving early in the morning."

"Please, help save us," another voice said in English.

"Oh thank goodness! Luckily for us, they aren't locals," the intruders said happily.

A big figure stepped towards him. They shook hands and discovered they were both from Europe.

"I'm the captain of a merchant ship called the ‘Arrow in the Ocean'. It's just over there," the man said in introduction.

"And I'm the captain of the ‘Black Coral'," said another tall man standing next to him. "It was only by chance that we both showed up here at nightfall," he went on.

The stranded pair suddenly found themselves in seventh heaven. In the end, their stay on the island only lasted eight months. They did not have to endure the decades that Robinson Crusoe had suffered.

The next morning the weather turned fine. The two captains had thought they were a married couple and that they would both board the "Arrow on the Ocean". It wasn't until the two young people told them they were single and wanted to stay that way, and that in fact they wanted to leave on separate ships, that the captains agreed to split them up.

Finally he set sail with the "Arrow on the Ocean" on its journey towards the Mediterranean Sea. She joined the crew of the "Black Coral" on their way to the Bohai Gulf. When they said goodbye, they acted with formalities from the civilised world by wishing each other luck and happiness. "May God bless you!" and "Amitabha Buddha!" were the last words they said to each other.

A few minutes later, the two vessels blew their horns and sailed in opposite directions. Soon only two black dots could be seen in the horizon.

Translated by Van Minh