Written by: Tanishq Shakya - 28011, Grade IX
Posted on: 10 June, 2024
“THE SHIP IS DROWNING!!!!” were the last words they heard. After some time Grace opened her eyes somewhere, a place she didn’t know. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there. Slowly after a few minutes Evan and Isla also woke up. They saw some of their other friends in that place unconscious. They couldn’t see anything properly at the beginning but then they slowly started gaining consciousness. They figured out that they were on an island. The three of them waited for some time to figure out what had happened while the others Bianca, David, Ray and Amanda woke up.
In a short time all of them came back to their senses. They all were very confused about what was happening and how they ended up on an island. The only thing they remembered was that they were heading to The Emerald Coast with other students of Solstice Academy and then they were unconscious. They wondered what happened to the other students who were on the ship with them and where they were. But now, they had a bigger problem to face. They had to figure out how to live on an island where there was no help they could find. At first they had a bit of hope that they would find some help on that island or find someone else there. They searched the island with a bit of hope but that also didn’t last for long. It was mid day by then and they didn't have much time to think about anything. They just had to figure out how to survive there. They decided to make a tent to spend the night and collect some fruits to eat. They separated into groups and divided tasks. One group went into the jungle to collect fruits and the other group tried to make a tent with huge leaves, vines, branches and anything they could find. Making a tent or collecting fruits were a lot harder than they sound. Somehow they managed to make a tent and the other group was also able to get some fruits. It was already getting very dark and with each minute passing by the forest in the island started to look scarier. They were not full even after eating the fruits they collected so they decided to sleep for the night and discuss what to do further the next day.
Early in the morning everyone woke up. They were tired and hungry but they needed to think of a plan to survive on that island till someone comes to rescue them or till they find help. As they were looking in the island they found a bag which had a water bottle and some food. They didn’t question anything about the bag and took the food and water. Everyone was thirsty and they had no clean water to drink except the water left in the water bottle. All of them fought to drink the water but then Amanda got furious and annoyed and she decided to leave to group and work on her own. She stormed off while Isla and Bianca tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen. After cooling their minds the group decided to search for Amanda. After about half an hour of searching they found Amanda unconscious.
Now, they became very serious about living on the island. They decided not to fight but to work together. Slowly they started coming up with a plan. Evan found a waterfall on the island from where they could drink fresh water. They made a small shelter using logs of trees to make it stable and large leaves to protect from water. They also got better at collecting fruits. It took a lot of time and practice but they were successful.
After a few more days suddenly a ship made its way to the island. Once they looked closely they figured out that it was the same ship that they came from. They were very excited to go back. Once the ship reached the island, the students went on the ship celebrating their survival. It was then the teachers told them that it was all a plan. The teachers clarified that them getting stranded on the island was all a plan to grade them according to their teamwork. Amanda getting mad and leaving the group was also a part of the plan. The island was not very far from Emerald Coast and they were being watched at all times to make sure they were safe. All of them passed the test with excellent scores. The students were happy to come back but they didn’t know how to feel as for the past few days they were very scared.
“Was all of that really necessary…?” The students questioned.
