Time Travelers from the Umbrella House

Chapter 30 Farewell to Strange Island

Since Michiko disappeared two years ago, "Monta" has been following Ronnie. This put Ronnie in a much better mood, and the relationship between man and bird became more harmonious. They often played together, and Ronnie trained Monta in the hope that it would bring him some live ducks so that he and his sister could have some duck meat to eat. Every night, he would go to the beacon to light the fire and stand there for a few moments; it was the last place he and Michiko had been apart, and it brought back memories of happy times for both of them. He remembered the words they had spoken on their first birthday, the time they had been thrown out of the Monte Carlo gambling house, the month they had spent adrift at sea, and the moment he had pulled down Michiko's pants in the small garden, all of which had become a thing of the past when she had disappeared. By now Ronnie felt much older and often lamented the relentlessness of the years. "I've got to pull myself together, my sister still needs me to take care of her," he said to himself. Shaking his head, he gathered himself and went home. Alice was busy tidying up the house and when she saw him she asked, "What do you want to eat tonight? I can have a drink with you."

"Sister, I thought you said potato wine was bad,why do you want to drink it today?"

"Today is your birthday, have you forgotten?"

"We've been living on the island for nine years, sis, do you like your life now?" Ronnie replied.

"As long as I'm with you it's the same wherever I am, besides I'm already used to living here, do you regret it?" Alice asked nervously, afraid he would get any more strange ideas.

Ronnie saw the look on her face and laughed, "Sister, don't be nervous, I haven't thought about going to sea."

"That's good!" Alice started to prepare dinner. She made two fish, a crab, two cakes and a plate of dried fruits, and carried a jar of wine. "Let's celebrate your eighteenth birthday!" she raised her glass.

"Thank you sister, I will always remember everything you have done for me!" Ronnie took it with a smile and finished it. The two siblings drank from glass to glass until midnight, and both ended up drunk. It wasn't until noon the next day that they woke up, opened their dazed eyes and realized that there were three other people in the house, thinking they were in a dream. At that moment, a tall man laughed and said, "How much have you drunk? and it took us half a day of screaming to wake you up."

The siblings were confused and it took a while before they woke up at the same time and shouted in unison, "Who are you?"

"Do not be afraid, we are the guards of the city-state,we received a request for help that someone was trapped on this island, so we have come to rescue you," the tall man was busy explaining.

"You received a request for help from a girl?" Ronnie asked sharply.

"We don't know, we came here because we got this note," the tall man finished and handed him a note.

Ronnie took it and saw that the note said: "There are two people trapped at coordinates: 19°18′16〃N110°48′52〃W/19.30444°N110.81444°W/19.30444;-110.81444W location, go rescue them quickly."

"It really looks like Michiko, Sis,she saved us," Ronnie said with an excited face.

Alice was also filled with excitement as she muttered, "I can't believe we have another day to get out of here." Yes, this was a day they had been looking forward to for far too long. When it actually happened, they had an unreal feeling. After a long time, their hearts calmed down. Only then did the Tall One urge, "Pack up, let's go!"

Hearing that they had to leave this place, Alice couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart. Everything here had been built by the hard work of the siblings, and now that they said they were leaving, how could she not feel sad? But she knew she had to go, she could only shake her head and sigh, "Alas, in the future, the potatoes in the little garden and the fish in the pond by the beach will have no one to look after them."