Shea X Chelsea: Home (engl.)
She felt as happy as she hadn’t been since a while, when she walked over the bridge built in the summer two years ago. Since she had made the first step on the bridge that lead over the troubled water of a river, she knew what true happiness is. She had found her (Island of) Happiness just because of this wooden bridge. And now every time she walked over from the civilized society to the wild and natural jungle, she felt the freedom floating into her body and soul. And when she walked through the colorful woods and listened to the song of the wild birds and watched the play of nature, she felt that her home was here. Her home was THIS place.
She stopped in front of and wooden house with a roof made of leafs (she didn’t know how this shelter could stand the rain and the strong storms this island was known for). The young woman raised one hand and was just going to knock on the door when a voice – well known to her – called her name. She turned around and saw the young man she was looking for, running in her direction.
“Chelsea!”, he shouted again and the great smile on his face showed how happy he was to see her, “Chelsea, you came!”.
“Oh course, I promised!”, she said and grinned back at him, “But now… Why don’t you say `hello´ to me, first of all?”
“Oh, sorry. Shea didn’t mean to… well… Hello, Chelsea.” He looked kind of embarrassed, so Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“Oh come on, this was a joke… But to greet me in the first place is really more polite, though…”, she added in a low voice, so that Shea couldn’t understand her words.
“Doesn’t matter.”, he said after he had looked at her with an irritated glance, “Why don’t come into house with Shea? Just finished hunting!”
She smiled at his funny way to speak, but then she shook her head. “No.”, she replied, “Let’s just go somewhere into the jungle. That’s much nicer than being in one room with all those creepy statues…”
She shivered at the thought of all those statues in Wada’s and Shea’s hut – she always felt like those stone-monsters, or whatever they are, were watching her. “By the way, are they your `gods´, or something…?”
“Gods?” He glanced at her for a few seconds, than he started to laugh. “No, no, not at all. Those are… well… Shea doesn’t know exactly, to be true…” He laughed again, but this time he sounded kind of nervous. That’s why he started to walk and took Chelsea’s hand, so she had to follow him.
“You don’t know?”, she muttered, but she accepted the fact that it was embarrassing for Shea not to know about those creepy stone-thingies.
For some time they walked side by side in silence, just listening to the symphony of nature and their own footsteps. Chelsea starred on Shea’s hand that hold hers tightly. She really didn’t mind that anymore. She was already used to this. It was kind of amusing for her to see how much Shea had changed since she met him for the first time…
“Here we are!”, Shea claimed happily and looked at the clearing besides the riverbank. He sat down on the grass in the shadows of the jungle-trees and told Chelsea to do so, too.
“Haah, long time since we’ve been here, isn’t it?”
Shea nodded as an answer and glared at the glittering surface of the water.
“You know, I just had to think about the first time we’ve met… Remember that?”
“Oh, yeah… I do…”, Shea said and sighted. He didn’t like to remember that day; not because he met Chelsea that day – yeah, he was so happy he had met his precious Chelsea -, but because he had acted like a complete fool. Or at least like an uncivilized native (and he was one, after all. He couldn’t change that so easily).
“I got lost in the jungle, and then you attacked me out of the nowhere.”, Chelsea laughed and nestled to the man at her side.
“Yeah… I thought you were a wild animal…”, he mumbled, totally embarrassed right now.
“So I look like a animal to you?”, she joked at him and acted like she was offended.
“No! Totally not! It was just… I didn’t know there existed other humans on this island, and I hadn’t seen a girl before, so… I thought it must be an animal… Sorry Chelsea.”
“Oh no!”, she sighted, “You can’t tell when I’m joking, can’t you?!”
“Hm?”
“You can’t…! But that doesn’t matter right now… Well, after that you’ve just took my arm and `showed´ this ´strange animal´ you’ve found to your father, didn’t you?”, she asked sarcastically.
This time Shea understood how she meant this and he grinned. “’Course I did! Shea wanted to know more about this beautiful animal. And he was told that it was a girl.” He put his arms around the `beautiful animal´ and hugged her tightly.
“And I’m happy to have attacked you, ‘cause that’s why I met Chelsea! My Chelsea!”, he claimed and smiled confidently at the brunette. She hugged him back and nodded. “If you say so.”, she added quietly.
“Ah, but there’s something I really would like to know, Shea!”, she shouted suddenly, so that Shea let her off his embracement.
“What’s it?”, he asked, panting because of the sudden surprise and the according shock.
“Oh, did I scare you?”, she asked, kind of amused, but turned her head in the direction of Wada’s house and the mysterious tower behind this.
“I just wanted to know more about the Wada-clan – Its history, or some stories… anything about it!”
Shea’s look paused at her for a moment, and then his eyes followed hers.
“Why want to know about it?”, he asked suspiciously.
“Oh, just… because I’m too curious…?” Her reply was more a question than an answer, but she didn’t want to say out loud what she thought that moment: “Because I might belong to it someday!” She wasn’t confident enough to make so obvious hints right now.
“Please, just tell me about it!”, Chelsea whined and made Shea laugh.
“Okay, okay! Will tell you about it… What should I start with?”
“Maybe… Just tell me why Wada is the only one left of his tribe, except you, of course. That might be enough for today.”
“Well… about 50 years ago, this island was populated just like it is right now. And the Wada-tribe lived here in the jungle, avoiding the society of the main island. The clan-leaders of those times, before the island became deserted, feared the influences all those modern people could have on the tribe, and so… it was Wada the 13th who finally resolved to destroy the bridge to the main island. And that’s why the bridge was destroyed for so long – because they feared the modern influences…”
“Wow, that’s what I would call integration-intolerance of both sides.” Chelsea laughed, but not because she was amused; she just couldn’t understand why they had to destroy this bridge. It had been very expensive to rebuild it!
“I guess you’re right.”, Shea said, because he didn’t even know what “integration-intolerance” meant.
“Yeah, yeah! Pleaaaase continue!”, Chelsea whined again and made Shea shaking his head because of her childishness, kind of amused (again).
“After the bridge was destroyed, they didn’t hear the news from the main island anymore, of course. And so they didn’t even know about those horrible storms… Wada the 14th was the first one who realized that something was wrong. He swam to the main-land and found it nearly deserted. All the people were gone and the houses were barricaded. And then he found a baby…”
“It was you, wasn’t it?”, Chelsea realized that this was ways more interesting than the previous parts of the story.
“Shea guess so… or I have a brother I don’t know about.”, Shea laughed, and then he continued: “He took the baby and wanted to get back to his tribe that was waiting for the news of their leader… but… that was when the storms started to blow. Wada hid himself and me, and waited for the storms to stop. He waited two days, until he could head back…”
Shea paused for a moment. Chelsea could see that this story affected himself in his heart, even if he wasn’t a full member of the clan.
“When Wada and I came back, everything was destroyed. And all the tribe-members were dead. Wada knew that the tribe will die off, because we don’t have a single woman anymore.” – Chelsea growled offended – “And since then… Wada is like he is.”
“You mean… he’s so quiet because of that?”
“Yes, exactly!”
“Wow… I didn’t know your tribe has such a dark history…”
“`Dark´? But why? The sun was shining very often!”
“Oh, just forget it.” Chelsea grinned and stood up. “Let’s go back… I still have some work to do.”
“Oh…” Shea’s look became very sad and he glanced at her with his shining, brown eyes.
“No, don’t look at me like this! You know that I…”
But then she sighted and smiled cheerfully at him.
“Will Chelsea come back tomorrow?”, the young man asked and stood up, so that he had to look down at her.
“Yes, Chelsea will come back. I promise!”
“Okay, Chelsea… I hope tomorrow will come soon.”
“Oh, dear, I don’t hope so. There are still lots of work to do.”, she replied, but she laughed before Shea could misunderstand her words.
“Will be counting the minutes, I promise.”, Shea said like Chelsea always did.
“But don’t forget to think about me while you are counting.” The young woman said honestly.
“Don’t worry. I don’t even know how long a minute is…”
“Haha. If that’s how it is, I really don’t have to worry.”
Then she got on her tiptoes and kissed Shea softly. He was surprised for a moment, but then he kissed her back.
“So, but now I really have to head home, before my animals start to worry.” She laughed at her own joke and took Shea’s hand then.
“I really love you.”, she said, and her words were true and honest.
Shea smiled t her. “Shea knows. And I love you too, Chelsea.”
Then he let her hand go, and she disappeared between the green trees.
“She is going home.”, Shea muttered to himself and looked at the place he had just seen her a few seconds ago. “Home…”
