Smoking Paradise Island

"A branch falling is not my fault!" He tried to defend himself as Carrie-Ann screwed her face up at him in mock anger and then dragged on her cigarette as she slowly got her breath back.

"Walking is one thing, running is just something that out of the equation," she stated exhaling her thick smoke which drifted off into the canopy of trees, so she dragged hard again.

"I know the feeling, hang on you two!" Tanya replied and dragged equally hard on her cigarette. She squatted down and opened the bag and then offered around the last of the bottle of water. "I can assure you that is the first time that's happened whilst I have been on the island." She stated before gulping down the fluid from the bottle and then offered it to Carrie-Ann who nodded and appreciated the offer and gulped some down too.

Carrie-Ann confided with the group once they were underway, "Don't you find it in the movies, even the heaviest of smokers, can always run away from the police or run after the criminals, I can't even run fucking ten metres anymore!" all three of them laughed with her, before making their way along meandering path between the trees and undergrowth what winded its way back towards the jetty.

"I hope that you have both been happy with the tour of sorts of St Trudy, it's a genuinely interesting place! You need to come here to understand the main island and the way it is." Tanya spoke as if she was reading a script and both visitors nodded in agreement.

Within a few minutes and jumping over a couple of other fallen branches they were back in the main square in the growing shadow of the statue of Trudy and heading towards the quay.

"Mike, where is the boat?" Carrie-Ann asked as she peered over the edge of the jetty.

"It should be there?" He stated, "I securely did the rope up!"

"Darling, it's not, we are fucked, oh hell, Mike how are we ever going to get home? We are lost on a fricken ghoul infested island, with definitely not enough cigarettes to last the night!" she dragged hard on the small stub of her current cigarette and then panicked as she flicked it away. "What the fuck are we going to do Tanya?" she almost shouted with her exhale.

"Light a cigarette, calm down Caz, please and maybe sit down as I am sure, as I think I've still got a pack each left!" Tanya said offering the pack which Carrie-Ann hurriedly took off her and nervously fumbled with the lighter until the cigarette was alight.

"Mike what are we going to do, a pack will last me the evening, but what about tomorrow?" Carrie-Ann almost hyperventilating screamed as Mike was on his hands and knees looking at the jetty and where the boat should be.

"Caz, we will get home this evening using the dinghy we arrived on. If you were actually wearing any knickers under that skirt, I would be probably being telling you to start untwisting them! The jetty is so fucked, the boat on the currents has tucked itself up underneath! Look." He said pointing at the white dinghy under the slats of the jetty.

"Are you joking, don't fucking pull my leg?" she glared at him and then dragged hard on the cigarette.

"Darling, don't think I would joke with you at this particular moment in time." He hmmed and ahhhed "We just need to free it from underneath the planks."

"Hang on; I know what, I will get in the water and help." Tanya took a deep inhale of her current cigarette, exhaled the cone out the side of her mouth and handed the half smoked cigarette to Carrie-Ann and then bent down undid her walking boats, hopped around talking them off, and then pulled down her green walking style shorts revealing that she too was commando, and then tugged off her green walking socks stuffing them in the top of her boots and shuffled to the side of the jetty and raising arms above her head locking her hands together showing off her dark tangled mess of her unshaved armpits and with a little bend of the knees she swallowed dived expertly with minimal a splash in to the water.

"She has done that before!" Mike stated as she watched her surface with a gasp for air and subsequent splutter before she started swimming back towards the jetty.

"Mike, stop replaying her naked backside and her perfect dive in your head and do something useful." Carrie-Ann suggested as she dragged on both cigarettes as Mike was staring at the space where Tanya had been. She looked down at her hands and the two cigarettes now side by side between her fingers and smiled at them and shrugged her shoulders as she exhaled, realising what she had done.

"Oh, I wasn't... yes love." Mike then turned to focus on the water as she repeated the inhaling on both cigarettes as he shouted "Tanya, can you swim under the jetty and grab and pull the stern down and hold it down a little, the motor needs to clear this lip here" he said pointing at the edge of the jetty and I will try and push the bow out from this broken slat here?"

She nodded and treaded water and dragged her hands through her hair pulling it away from her face and flatting it down and then slowly front crawled over to the back of the boat. As Carrie-Ann exhaled and dragged again on both cigarettes as she watched on hovering over Mikes shoulder as the pushing, pulling, shouting, and splashing of Tanya hanging on the end of the dingy with water dripping off her nose, but between them they eventually got the dinghy out from under the jetty.

Carrie-Ann clapped and bounced on her toes as she whooped a little over the top and had to stop to cough, as the dinghy was swung back alongside. Mike leaned over the side and held his hand out and helped the dripping and naked Tanya climb back on to the jetty. Her instant priority whilst kneeling naked on the wooden jetty was to get the bag open and get a cigarette alight and eventually her fingers opened the bag and got to the pack inside. She placed a cigarette between her lips as the water dripped down her forehead and off her nose she offered the pack to Carrie-Ann who flicked the two cigarettes away and took a fresh cigarette. Tanya slowly stood up shaking the water of her hands as she lit the cigarette and shivered as she exhaled.

"Well, that was a little bit more exciting end to the trip than I anticipated!" Tanya said after her second deep inhale as she dragged her hand through her hair and removed a bit of seaweed and shook off some of the water.

"But well done!" Carrie-Ann stated smiling and looking a lot more relieved. "I was scared we were going to have to sleep in those rather spooky crumbling houses for the night!" and she dragged again.

"It's okay, I am going to have this cigarette, and then maybe one more for luck, and then consider heading back to the main island. Is that okay with everyone? I need a little bit of break, running and swimming is knackering, just need to do the cycling and it would have been a triathlon!" Tanya suggested between pants, and then had a cheek collapsing inhale on the cigarette and walked them off the jetty.

"That's very okay with me, and I am sure Mike won't mind!" Carrie-Ann stated and mimicked Tanya's cheek collapsing inhale, and Mike smiled, nodded and observed the two half naked women inhaling their cigarette smoke deep within their lungs

They sat on the edge of the decrepit fountain hurriedly but enjoyably smoking in the flickering sun light through the trees beside the decaying statue of Trudy before chain lighting in to the promised and rewarded second cigarette, once that butt was flicked and rolled in amongst the green vegetation they walked over and carefully climbed back over the jetty and put on their buoyancy aids and climbed in to the dinghy and after a bit of swearing and gentle coughing from Tanya as she struggled with the temperamental non-starting motor they headed back across the slightly choppier blue water to the main island.

***

"Oh, you're back, good afternoon you three, fancy joining me for tiny little late afternoon tipple?" Marion asked wine glass in her right hand and cigarette in the left as the group stood in the back porch area and slowly removed their walking boots.

"Thank you for the offer we are, I think, ok Marion." Mike said looking at Carrie-Ann "It's been a rather exciting and tiring day and feel like we just need time on our own to, you know, relax?"

Marion shook her head in "Please just stay for one drink" Tanya piped up, "I'm parched from the unforced run and swim and then I will drop you back in the buggy."

"Mike, that saves us walking, and I have done far too much exercise for my poor lungs today as it is!"

"Great!" Marion stated, "Tanya pour your guests a drink, and make sure Mrs Stevenson, I mean Caz, has got a cigarette, look the poor girl must be gasping." She said pointing the direction of Carrie-Ann

"Yes Mom!" Tanya said extending the e's and rolling her eyes as walked the three steps to the coffee table and picked up a pack of Marlboro reds and the silver zippo lighter with SPIL engraved on it and turned and offered it to Carrie-Ann who smiled and took out the cigarette.

Chapter 6 Wednesday

"Mike darling, I wonder what 'You are free to do what you like' semi forced entertainment we will have today?" Carrie-Ann asked after exhaling her third morning inhale of the day after recovering from her usual morning lung busting hack.

"Oh, sweets, are you not enjoying it?" Mike asked

"Babes, I love adore the freedom of the smoking, you know how much I love being naked, and that no one cares, I even love the fact that we could be easily beyond drunk staggering around at ten in the morning an no one would bat an eyelid" she paused to drag on her cigarette "but" she said as she held her smoke before exhaling "but don't you find it forced? We have to enjoy what they are doing? We can't do what we want?" and she dragged deeply again.

"But other than sit around naked and smoke, darling what do you want to do?"

Carrie-Ann manicured her cigarette and looked at Mike and shrugged her shoulders "I don't know darling."

"You see Caz, I am just going with the flow, having a holiday and not trying to get stressed, but think the beach bar is open today?" Mike suggested as an idea.

Carrie-Ann shuffled around on the bed, "But you know Mike in a couple of cigarettes time, either Tanya or Kate or someone else will be popping through the front door, helpfully offering for us to do something with them. This holiday is with you Mike, not them!" she stated, and she rolled on top of Mike's groin. With her cigarette dangled in the corner of her mouth, she strokes his hair as the smoke billowed between them "I love you darling, I really do, I hope that half girl half pixey Tanya hasn't turned your head?"

Mike smiled and laughed, "I am not sure what she is trying to do, but I certainly love only you, and you should feel my love between your legs at this very moment?"

Carrie-Ann nodded "Oh, very much so my darling!" She said as she reached across and flicked the ash from her cigarette above the ashtray on the bedside unit and replaced the cigarette in the corner of her mouth and wiggled her hips.

"Well focus on that!" he smiled as Carrie-Ann reciprocated, shuffled down, moaned as she inhaled on her cigarette and started gyrating faster and faster.

***

"Hello, good Morning!" Kate said as she pushed open the door. "Is anyone up yet?"

"Yes, on our way" Mike called back as he shuffled out of the bedroom and stretched, pulled up yesterday's shorts and headed out. "Good morning, how can we help you?"

"Ahh good morning, Mr Stevenson, I have brought your fresh morning croissants for breakfast!"

"Oh, thank you!"

"Also, just to let you know if you wanted, I could if she wanted, take Carrie-Ann to the beauty salon to get her nails done for an hour or two. Before you head up to the beach with Tanya?" Kate stated before dragging on her cigarette.

"Err, I guess so, that will be great for her?" Mike mused questioning with his eyes what he was going to do.

Kate laughed and then dragged again on her cigarette, "Absolutely, and John can take you fishing if you wanted?"

Mike nodded enthusiasm turned to head back into the bedroom as the naked Carrie-Ann walked out of the bedroom yawning.

"Mike..." she yawned moving her long blonde hair around on her head... "I need a shower and shit before we do anything exciting this morning" She stated and dragged on her freshly lit cigarette.

"Once you have done that Kate has offered to take you to the Salon to get your nails or something done, her treat?"

Carrie-Ann rolled her eyes, glared at Mike and then studied her hand. "Yeah, why not!" she yawned again. "Let me go to the bathroom first, I need to shit!"

***

"Ja, Good morning, Kate," Katya smiled with overly made-up face and her bottle blond hair with dark roots showing said as the bell on her door rang as Kate opened it. They walked into a large room to be hit with the smell of hair products intermixed with lingering fresh cigarette smoke.

"And to you too!" Kate grinned. "I've brought one of the island guests Carrie-Ann with me this morning to do your work on her nails, is Chardonnay free to do my hair?"

"Ja, of course she will be." As she looked across as there was the sound of a toilet flushing and bleached blonde women in a very short white skirt and bright pink t-shirt shuffled out of the door in flipflops sniffing and wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Char darling, can you do Kate's hair for me?" Katya asked and then lit her cigarette.

"Yeah, whatever!" she said in a high-pitched whine of a voice "Yeah Kate, your usual, Yeah?" she asked chewing gum as she leaned over a picked up the white pack with gold logo and pulled a cigarette out and then lit with her pink lighter with gold SPIL logo on the side she had picked up from beside her ashtray.

"Yes please, thank you Char! Did you have fun up at the pub last night?" Kate asked as she got herself comfortable on the chair in front of the mirror.

"Yeah, it was alright wasn't it, yeah?" Chardonnay replied as she continued to frantically chew on her gum. "Yeah, got to be quick with you, Yeah, as yeah, I have got Alice in, yeah to do her roots again, yeah!" she stated before dragging on her cigarette and leaned over and flicked her cigarette near the ashtray.

"No problem, Char, crack on!" Kate replied as Carrie-Ann and Katya stood silently watching the performance.

"Carrie-Ann, come with me," Katya said taking her around the corner to a little table with a big bright lamp leaning over the desk. "Do you want a cigarette?" she asked as put her own SPIL gold between her lips "and Have you an idea of colour?" she asked as the cigarette bounced in the corner of her mouth.

Carrie-Ann flipped open her Marlboro red pack she was clutching between her fingers and then accepted the light from Katya.

"I normally go for subtle, but hell, lets' go for red today, shall we?" Carrie-Ann stated, "It will shock Mike!" she grinned at her own amusement and then brought her cigarette to her lips.

***

"Do you manage to catch many fish?" Mike asked as he followed John slowly down a path through the undergrowth carrying their fishing

"Nope, but for an hour or two I can have a quiet smoke and get out of Kates hair, just to have some peace with my own thoughts!" he laughed to himself and continued his way slowly down to the sea where there was a little wooden pier jutting out over the water.

"Are things, you know, okay?" Mike asked as he helped set up the little fold up stools that they had carried down with them.

"As much as it can be" he grumbled as he opened his box of bait.

"It seems delightful out here." Mike suggested taking in the vista in front of him.

"It can be, but pressure from the mainland is the biggest issue for most people here, rather than things on the island." John stated as he sat down opened another box and took out his pack, he casually offered it to Mike who shook his head, John shrugged his shoulders and placed a cigarette between his lips and fired up the cigarette. "Ahh that's better." He stated after exhaling. He tucked the cigarette in the corner of lips and then set up getting the lines ready.

"Do you want a hand?" Mike asked looking in as John grunted and coughed and sorted out the hooks.

***

"Are you going to the beach later?" Katya asked as she sat there filing the edge of the nail.

"I guess so it's, err, Wednesday?" Carrie-Ann asked unconvinced. "Tanya will appear and tell us what we are doing, I am sure!"

"They are like that for all newcomers, once you have been here for a while, they forget all about you, except when rents are due!" Katya grinned and then sat up and dragged on her cigarette.

"They are desperate for us to love this place, but I am quickly falling for it!" Carrie-Ann mused and used her spare hand to drag on her cigarette.

"These islands are addictive as the cigarettes we smoke here." Katya said knowingly as an exhale from Carrie-Ann flew over her head. "You go home to the mainland, and within a couple of days of being stuck inside in the rain with your relatives, you are desperate to light up a cigarette, pull off your bra, step out of your knickers, and get back to having a beer on the beach."

Carrie-Ann nodded on thoughtfully and appreciated the information and dragged on her cigarette again.

"You must know everything that is going on in this island?" Carrie-Ann mused as she flicked her cigarette.

Katya laughed "Well people do spend a great deal of time talking to us, I think that's why Alice comes in practically every three days to get her red roots done, she wants to listen to the island gossip."

"Go on, what is the worst thing about this island, what is everyone bitching about?" Carrie-Ann asked determinedly.

Katya waved her hand, patting away the thought. "To be honest, the island gets on really well, even on Saturday nights after a couple of beers, no one is fighting anyone, as everyone is equal here, there is literally nothing to fight for, our cigarettes and alcohol are all provided. There doesn't even seem to be completion between the men for women, as most of us are all in couples anyway." She dragged on her cigarette "SPIL are good to us, yes they charge for our time, as we not vital for the islands existence, but hell we do have a lot of fun." She grinned and dragged again on her cigarette.

***

"Go on, what's the downside of being stuck in a small smoke-filled paradise?" Mike asked as they cast their lines again on the hope of catching a fish.

John coughed "Our stress is not the islands, but at home, our daughter is desperate for us to get home with her. The month at home was hard. We are really worried about having to actually leave our sanctuary here permanently; I don't think we could afford the amount cigarettes and alcohol we like to indulge in at home." He winked and dragged on his cigarette.

"So, what is happening?" Mike asked as he looked out to sea and the end of the reel.

"Oh, Kate is getting it in the neck from our daughter, smoking and drinking too much, not being at home, enjoying ourselves too much and not caring about her." John rattled off before dragging on his cigarette and then scratching his thick stubbly chin as he exhaled.

"But John isn't that the whole point of this island?" Mike asked.

"Many on this island are childless couples, or for family issues have run away or for 50 weeks of the year live here, and then go back and face the family at Christmas or easter and then run back here as fast as possible. But not allowing families here it is killing the future of islands, there is no way of getting around it."

"I can see that being difficult."

"We will be going back 'home' for Christmas, show our faces, prove we are alive and well. It will be toughest of Kate coming back again in January; as Isla will be playing every emotional trick in the book to keep us at home with them."