Uncharted by Tracey Garvis Graves Read Free Book Online

with a lot of trial and error,” I said. “I bought a book. That should help a little, I hope.”
    “Just how long are you planning on staying here? I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you’d make it this long. But you seem to like it here,” he said, chuckling. “So now I’m curious.”
    “I don’t know. Is there a problem if I stay? My visa is open-ended. Do you think anyone would care that I’m still here?”
    “Well, I suppose they’d have to find you first. Most seaplanes take a more direct route on their way to the resorts. Anyone flying in this vicinity would need a reason for being so far out on the northern rim. So if they did come across you, then they’d still have to decide you were worth stopping for. Most pilots probably wouldn’t take a second look, to be honest. It’s not that unusual for tourists to visit the uninhabited islands. They just don’t stay as long as you have. Unless you were standing on the beach with a roaring signal fire and a giant
SOS
drawn in the sand, a pilot probably wouldn’t bother to investigate.”
    I nodded my head. “Okay.”
    “You didn’t answer my question,” he said.
    “I guess I’ll stay here until I have a good enough reason to go someplace else.”

Chapter 8
    Owen
    It wasn’t easy building a house by myself. I stopped frequently to consult the book that lay open at all times, sometimes literally scratching my head as I tried to figure out what to do next. I didn’t have anyone to hold the boards steady, so I had to rig a system using tree stumps propped up beside the framed sections to hold them in place. I lost track of how many minor injuries they inflicted when one of them hit me in the head or fell on my foot.
    It was tedious and laborious, but that didn’t really bother me. While I worked I let my mind wander, and sometimes, when I pulled my watch out of my pocket, I couldn’t believe how much time had passed. I’d never done anything that physical before, and my muscles ached in new places every day. One day I was so sore I could hardly lift my arms over my head when I took a break to go swimming. But the muscle soreness soon faded, and I made slow and steady progress.
    As the weeks went by I spent more and more time in the woods. I no longer noticed the mosquitoes, the spiders, and the heat. Often I’d work until it was fully dark and the rats came out, but even they didn’t bother me too much.
    I remember being amazed the first time I realized that I’d somehow turned the pile of lumber I’d carried into the woods one board at a time into something that sort of looked like a house.
    •   •   •
    In mid-October, I picked up the satellite phone and pressed the button that said FORRESTER . When he answered the first thing he said was, “Is everything okay?”
    “Yeah,” I answered. “Everything is fine. Great, actually. I just wanted to tell you that I don’t want to visit the mainland this month. I was hoping I could give you my list over the phone and you could bring everything to me. Maybe stay for an hour or so.”
    “Sure,” he said. “Tell me what you need.”
    “I need more lumber for sure. I’m low on nails and screws, too. Oh, and wood glue. I should have been using that from the start. As for everything else, just bring the same things you’ve been bringing. Maybe a little more food. I’ve been really hungry lately.”
    “Okay,” he said. “Lumber and food. I can do that.”
    “Thanks. See you soon.”
    •   •   •
    When the seaplane landed in the lagoon a few days later, I could hardly contain my excitement. It wasn’t because I had a visitor—not really—because by then being alone felt natural. Sure, I took comfort in knowing that being on the island for five months hadn’t turned me into some weird recluse or anything. I still had the desire for companionship and conversation. But I wanted to show someone what I’d built with my own two hands. I felt proud of what I’d accomplished so