You find yourself stranded on an island. What happens next?

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Every Wednesday we ask our Brain Game contestants one interesting, thought-provoking or just plain quirky question. Their answers will be published anonymously in Young Post. Then readers vote for their FAVOURITE answer. We will eliminate the contestant with the LEAST votes every week until we have a winner. The ultimate Brain Game winner will win a Mobile Pixel Duex duo monitor, which has been sponsored by searchingc.com, one of Asia’s leading online shopping platforms.

Votes close at midnight on Sunday.

The contestants

Contestant 1

“That’s the wrong direction!” shouted Jess frantically.

“I know! But the wind is too strong,” I replied.

Jess and I were the only survivors of the shipwreck. We were in a life raft which was swaying wildly in the rough sea. I fell overboard, and when I woke up, I found myself on a small, deserted island. There were no plants or animals; only a few birds flew overheard.

I found Jess’ red backpack on the ground. I opened it. There was a jumper and some other clothes inside. Her smartphone was ruined. I couldn’t contact anyone now. Luckily, her map was wrapped in a plastic folder and her compass was waterproof. I tried to find the island on the map, but couldn’t. It was very eerie; an island with no signs of life. Then I thought of my geography lessons. I realised that I had washed up on a newly formed volcanic island.

It was always raining, so I could easily collect fresh water. As for food, I had no choice but to eat raw fish. I slept in what looked like an underground cave.

Months passed by and I became used to life in my “new home”. One day, I saw a cruise ship only a few hundred metres from the shore. I leapt into the sea and went for it, waving Jess’ red scarf as I swam for my life. The ship’s captain saw me, and I was soon
able to climb aboard, the crew greeting me warmly.

Suddenly a voice behind me said: “Gina, you’re alive!” I could hardly believe my eyes: Jess had been rescued by the same ship from another volcanic island nearby – and she had my bag. We had both survived!

Contestant 2

I wake up, dazed, on an island, with no idea where I am or what time it is. The island looks like a paradise: the ocean around me is crystal clear, and there is lush forest everywhere I look, but no people or animals. It is truly a sight untouched by man. I start to feel as if I’m dreaming a beautiful dream. I frolic around until I collapse, worn out, on the soft, sandy beach. After all, I’m bound to be saved within a day or two, right?

That’s when I’m awoken by them.

I see bright lights in the forest. I hear them feasting; their filthy mouths spitting out what appears to be some kind of white goo. “Tonight, we feast on another soul!” one chants. Others join in. Is there food here? Strange. There wasn’t even a single soul on the island a while ago.

Then I wake up again, still on beach. It had been a bad dream.

I walk inland and take in the view from the top of a waterfall. The landscape is silent beyond the lush green forest; no insects, no animals, and certainly nothing edible. There are several stone tables, though. Perhaps, this is where they feast.

As night falls, I’m already half-asleep. At first, I don’t notice the beings approach me, my arms being tied together, and my body being slowly dragged towards some sort of altar near the stone tables. Then a man, the leader, lifts my arm, and triumphantly exclaims, “Tonight, we feast on another soul!”. The white goo starts seeping out of my body, and the beings begin to feast on it with spoons and forks. The entire scene feels so real, so stunning.

Then I wake up, feeling drained. I don’t know what’s real anymore.

I stand on top of the waterfall. I can see a woman on the beach, dazed, with no clue as to where she is. She is like me, a poor soul unfortunate enough to be stranded on the island; but to my soulless brethren, she’s just another meal.

Contestant 3

I am standing on the beach, the sand warm and soft under my feet. The brilliant sun sends its rays through the palm trees. This is an island from a dream, or from a colouring book; radiant, peaceful, beautiful. It is completely undisturbed by humans, and I feel unworthy of being the first to spoil it.

In the very centre of the island is an enormous rock. It looks daunting. Timidly I press my palm against it. There are grooves on its surface where I place my hands and feet, and slowly begin to climb. Further up, I see a small opening in the rock – what could it be? Maybe someone has been here before. Emboldened, I scramble quickly upwards, until my fingers feel flat ground and I push myself up and into a cave. There is no fire, or any other sign of life; I call out half-heartedly, knowing already there is no-one there.

A cloud shifts and light streams into the cave. My heart jolts. There is a pile of ... something, in the corner, and I realise it is a set of clothes. I dare not give myself hope, but as I hold up what is definitely a pair of jeans, for a brief moment my heart soars.

Then my focus shifts to something else on the floor. Trembling, my hand touches it, and a gasp escapes my throat. My head throbs as I try to make sense of it. Surely it can’t be? But it is. A human bone.

Suddenly, it’s too quiet. I turn my head, and as I do, a horrible shriek fills the air. I clutch at my throat, but then I realise the sound didn’t come from me. No, that wasn’t a human scream, but the cry of a beast, of a predator. The last thing I see is a flash of talons, and a curved beak, before the blood drains from my brain, and I’m falling ... .

Edited by M. J. Premaratne

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*In case of disputes, Young Post reserves the right to make a final decision on the winner.

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