The Island Pt. 01

She handed the binoculars to Sunniva, and she scanned the house and garden.

"Why don't we let your friend just empty his accounts? Seems like he's rather good at that."

"Well, I think your dear brother deserves a 'special treatment'. Give him a taste of what he made you go through. Serves him right. Don't you think so?"

Sunniva nodded slowly: "So, how do we get in?"

Brynhild smiled: "I have a plan..."

They sat quietly in the car for a while, then a white van drove up and was let in. A minute later a guy was cleaning the outside pool, another one polishing the windows, and two women pulled a couple of large, square boxes on wheels out of the van and through the now open garage doors and into the house..

"Bingo!," Brynhild said. "The cleaning service comes by every Wednesday. Same time, Same setup. See the boxes with laundry. That's our way in."

A few minutes later the women came back out with some identical big boxes on wheels. They put them in the back of the van and went inside again.

"Note that they go in and exchange the boxes with fresh laundry for the ones full of the weeks dirties. Then they go inside again and distribute the clean stuff before driving away. Our window will be when they roll the clean boxes inside - and before they come back with the dirty ones.

We will sneak in and hide. I know where. Trust me".

Chapter Eleven - Present Day - Moving In

by o_girl © 2024

At first daylight the Land Rover rumbled over the top of the hills and down to the village by the shore.

"This is it, Sunny. We own an island. All our own. Are you as excited as I am?"

"Of course. Let's get there and see what we find!"

They drove straight to the harbour, and Bryn made a perfect turn, pushing the trailer with the RIB down the sloped, concrete towing lane and into the water.

"Perfect!" Bryn smiled.

"Of course, I would not expect anything else!"

Bryn struck Sunny's shoulder with a soft, flat hand and laughed.

They got out and released the locks and used the winch to shove the RIB into the water.

Sunny tied the moorings, as Bryn got into the Rover and drove it the short distance to the small harbour parking lot. Apart from two weather-beaten tractors, they were the only ones parking there.

At the dock a few fishermen were unloading crates with the day's catch.

Both Bryn and Sunny had a notion that they were being watched closely from behind curtains and shutters.

Sunny checked the heavily loaded RIB. Nothing had shifted or gone loose during the bumpy road down to the harbour. Then she used the hydraulics to lower the heavy 240 HP Yamaha outboard down into the water.

Bryn checked the Rover, took a small handcart out of the back, and walked to The General Store.

Fortunately, it was open and the little bell gave an optimistic tingle, when she entered.

"Good morning!" She chirped, seeing the empty shop.

A man stepped through from the door behind the counter.

"Good morning, my dear! What can I do for you?"

He looked like he had been frozen in time. Much like the rest of the village: White hair in a circle around a bald head, pencil behind the ear. Skinny with a light brown smock, and a collar where his wrinkled neck stuck out. Bryn invariable thought the collar should have a sign on it saying: "Please do not lean out!" - and smiled to herself.

"I need some supplies! A lot of supplies actually!"

"You've come to the right place, love. Speak up!"

Bryn pulled her list out and started reading. The man jumped around with an agility one would not think a person his apparent old age was capable of.

Halfway through, he went back through the door and came back with a bunch of crates.

Bryn started stuffing boxes and cans in them as fast as she could.

The filled crates piled up on the floor.

Finally, they were through the list. They both huffed and puffed for a minute.

"Are you sure that's all, love!" he smiled between wheezing breaths.

"Yes. Quite. Thank you."

She paid in cash and he helped her get everything out of the door and load it on to the handcart.

"So, you are the ladies that bought the island?"

News apparently travelled very fast in this town, Bryn thought. They had only just finalized the deal two days ago. All paperwork was in order, and the greedy beneficiaries of Elsa's will had happily accepted their half-price bid for the place.

"Yes. We are on our way out there now. Going to take a look."

"Good luck to you then. I hope you are not planning to stay there permanently. You know they say the place is cursed?"

"Yes. Heard the rumours, but we are planning to move there in time, but first we will go take a look."

"Do be careful. It is a nasty place. No one goes there."

"Thank you for the warning, but we don't scare easily," she smiled and grabbed the handle of the cart and started moving off. She felt his eyes in her back all the way down to the harbour.

When she arrived Trawler Jones was already standing on the dock and talking to Sunny.

"Ah. Hello again, Trawler. Nice to see you!"

"And you too, my dear lady"

Bryn grinned: "Now I have been called "Dear", "Love" and now "Lady" - this must be my morning - hehe."

"I see your boat is a bit more modern than my old skate. I suppose you won't need my services again?"

"Well. One never knows. Does one? At least we are happy to have one friend here. Everybody else seems to think we are more or less crazy. The General Store man just gave me one more warning against going to the island."

"He would. Everyone here thinks it is haunted or full of bad luck. I do hope you won't be affected by it?"

"Not a chance, Trawler. not a chance."

"I bid you a good day then, fair ladies,"

He put his hand up to his greasy cap and smiled, then turned and walked off. He was heading straight for the Inn. Probably going for his regular spot in the corner, Bryn thought.

They loaded the provisions in the RIB and secured it, then cast off and putted out of the harbour well within the limit of the allowed maximum of five knots.

As soon as they were free of the piers, Bryn pulled the lever down and they raced and bumped on the small waves.

A lot of eyes watched them leave the harbour.

They landed at the sandy beach in front half an hour later. Secured the RIB and erected their tent in front of the cave.

All provisions, tools and boxes went into the cave.

Sweating they sat down and embraced each other.

"Congratulations, my love. We now own our own, private island", Bryn kissed Sunny on the forehead.

"Yes, let's hope it will work out. No turning back now!"

"We can get an entrepreneur to build a dock along here." Bryn pointed to the north side of the cave. "It already seems shallow, and I'll get into my wetsuit and have a look at the conditions under the water, but seems like a good concrete foundation would be the way to go?"

"OK. Good. We will need a proper dock, so I go with your suggestion. Let's examine the possibilities, but first let's try and make a path inland and see what we find?"

"OK. I'll dress up and get the bush clearer going." Bryn rose and started rummaging around the many boxes and crates.

Wearing a heavy work suit, helmet and googles, she poured fuel on the bush clearer and was soon making a lot of noise as she cut through the undergrowth on the right side of the cave.

It was only a few meters of tough going, then the vegetation became a lot easier to cut down.

Swinging the rotating blade at the end of the machinery rhythmically from side to side, she had quickly cleared a good way in.

She kept on till she ran out of fuel. Then walked back.

Sunny had unpacked, arranged the tent with their two-person sleeping bag on a flexible camp-bed inside. Found some flat rocks and arranged an outdoor camp kitchen and a fireplace. Seeking around the edges of the sandy beach, she had found enough firewood to keep them supplied for the first night.

When Bryn returned, she had a small fire going, and coffee and cake ready as they sat down in their camp chairs and looked out over the sea. The mainland was just visible as the morning fog had lifted.

"After you stopped that noisemaker, one can actually hear a lot of birds. So, the place seems populated. I like that. Just hope no larger animals lurk in the undergrowth?"

"No chance. Even though it is a fairly large island, it is not big enough to sustain larger animals. We might find a fox or two, but that will be it. Not to worry, Sunny."

"Now. I did have time to have a closer look at the cave, and I want to show you something."

They got up and Sunny lead on to the end of the cave and lit up a series of white lamps on tripods. Suddenly the cave seemed brighter than outside.

"Look here. It is definitely not recent graffiti. More prehistoric. This looks like a bull, and the matchstick men are chasing it with something that could be spears, and here's a family group. Looks like leaves with legs, but are definitely people. I don't know what these round figures are and there's a few more almost invisible signs, but I'll try and interpret them later."

"Great, Sunny. So, we are not the first ones here. People were here in ancient times. I like that. We will be part of history."

Bryn took a step back and as her foot sunk into the soft sand, something made a different sound than the sand. She went down on her knees: "What do we have here. Something that disintegrates when you step on it, so definitely not rock. Have a look."

They brushed the sand aside carefully with their fingers.

"It's bone. Very old bone," Sunny said. "The dry conditions in here must have preserved them, but be careful. They are very fragile."

"Maybe we have found Elsa? Could be interesting?" Bryn smiled and brushed on with all ten fingers.

"No. like the graffiti, this is old very old, and if it is human it is not a grown up.

Definitely not."

They worked on in silence for a while, and each time they had swept some sand away, they scooped it up with their hands and placed it at the side of the cave.

"I think this is a skull. Look here!" Sunny let her middle finger slide along the edge of a rounded, yellowish orb sticking out of the sand.

It took them a couple of hours delicate work with their fingertips, but then they had uncovered everything.

"It's a baby skeleton. Look at the rib." Sunny picked and lifted a delicate, small piece on bone up and held it in the palm of her hand.

"I don't hope we are uncovering some recent baby murder," Bryn said.

"No way. Look at the cranium, and the bulge over the eyes. This is definitely prehistoric. Maybe even Neanderthal."

Bryn went and fetched an empty crate from their pile of stuff, put a rag in the bottom, and together they carefully lifted the remains and put them into the box.

It was not complete, and was very, very fragile.

"I think we have about 60-70 percent of the skeleton. The rest has smouldered away."

Sunny carried the box out into the sunlight, and together they kneeled and looked down at the contents.

"Yes. Typical Neanderthal. Skull shape with the protruding forehead and the bows above the eyes, body shape with short limbs and heavy bones. I'll take some pictures and we will find a better resting place for it later. Let's go see if the back of the cave holds more secrets"

They let their fingers slide through the sand around the place where the baby skeleton had been.

They found a couple of flint tools that might be spearpoints or handheld scrapers. Sunny pointed out that judging from the break surfaces on the flint that the shapes were formed by humans and not natural.

The only other thing they discovered was a large human femur, that had been sharpened in one end, and had lines. Maybe made with the flint tools. It was difficult to interpret but as Sunny pointed out, marks around the hollow canal in the middle of the bone looked like the marrow had been extracted, and the scratch marks suggested that it had been worked on with something like the flint tools they had discovered.

Bryn shivered as Sunny explained that it might have been turned into some kind of sharp tool, but it was definitely from a grown human, and the meat and marrow had been scraped off, extracted, and eaten!

They carried their provisions to the back of the cage, away from any predatory animals.

The most delicate stuff and food went in lockable aluminium containers.

The sun set in a glorious orange-yellow haze over the mainland, and the lighthouse woke up and started it's rhythmic flashing as they sat and enjoyed another ready-made dish from The General Store.

They did have a small fire going, but used their portable, gas-driven storm kitchen for the food and the coffee.

It had been along, tiring day, but they both felt content and happy. This seemed like the adventure, they had longed for, and the peace and quiet they wanted.

The birds in the trees behind them sang the sun down as the grasshoppers and frogs intoned an evening concert.

They climbed in the tent, undressed, and dived down into their roomy double sleeping bag.

A small battery-driven light hung from the ceiling and cast a soft light on their faces.

Bryn let her fingers run through Sunny's hair.

Softly and gently. tracing the hairline and letting a finger follow down the ridge of her nose.

She let her other arm slip around Sunny's waist.

"Are you happy, my love?" she whispered.

Sunny smiled back, inched closer and sucked Bryn's lower lip into her mouth.

Then released and made her the tip of her tongue just touch as it caressed her lips.

Bryn's hand went behind her neck and tickled the hairline. Responding to the kiss and enjoying her partner's taste.

Sunny's nails traced the knobs on Bryn's spine. Slowly up and down. They both made small noises of joy.

Bryn's hand moved from the back of Sunny's neck - and her fingers did the walking: Over her shoulder, down her breast - making a few detours around the areola before continuing over the navel and further down.

Sunny gasped as Bryn's middle finger reached the top of her opening, and she felt her body shiver as the fingers continued down on each side.

She moved her knees apart, opening up completely, while gasping again.

Unable to bear the tension, she greedily sought Bryn's mouth and her tongue pushed in as far as it could possible go.

Bryn responded by sucking hard on it and using her own tongue to press it up against her palate.

A minute later Sunny's one hand had found Bryn's opening and she let her fingers slip inside. Sliding back and forth and caressing the walls.

They both shook and moaned.

Sunny's other hand had travelled down the spine for the last time. Now she let the hand with an outstretched middle finger run in the crack between Bryn's buttocks. Found her back opening and caressed the sensitive skin around it.

They both exploded at the same time, shaking violently and making the camp bed rattle.

Slowly they came down together.

Their mouth disengaged and they smiled at each other through the red haze.

"I love you so much", Sunny whispered.

Bryn caressed her face with her wet lips. "I love you too, my dearest."

Their heartbeats returned to a normal rhythm, as they stayed entangled and lay listening to the sounds of the night.

At one-point Bryn reached up and turned off the electric lamp, so only the rhythm of the lighthouse lit up the tent.

They slowly sank into a deep sleep. Entangled with each other.

Chapter Twelve - 5 Years Ago - Brotherly Love

by o_girl © 2024

Next Wednesday the cleaning service drove up to George's house as usual, but this time with a hidden luggage.

The evening before the girls had prepared everything. Star had provided them with the original plans of George's house, and they had no trouble getting into the cleaning service compound.

They started from home late afternoon.

They had parked the inconspicuous white Suzuki in a large parking lot with a residential block on one side and a small shopping mall on the other.

No one took notice of the two young blond and long-haired (wearing wigs again!) women in flowery, light clothes and with colourful backpacks as they were walking into the mall and out on the other side.

They crossed the road and vanished into the undergrowth on the other side.

They walked on briskly for about an hour till Bryn made them turn into the bushes beside the path.

Here they emptied their backpacks and turned them inside-out. The lining was matte black and the bright outside was now inside and invisible.

All of their outer clothes went into the backpacks, and were replaced by a set from inside their bags.

They now both wore black, tight-fitting trousers, a black pull-over with long sleeves, black gloves, and a black balaclava that only left their eyes free.

Finally, they put their black DocMartins boots on again and were on their way between the trees.

Half an hour later they lay in a shrubbery overlooking the cleaning company's compound.

All was quiet and the sun had gone down.

Like shadows they crossed over to the low fence around the compound.

It was just a standard fence. About their height and with no barbwire or anything that prevented them from pushing a part down and crossing over.

Using the shadows, the managed to stay out of the single surveillance camera and the few lampposts, until they found the back door.

Bryn had a series of keys, and tried a few before one fitted and the door swung open.

In a few minutes they had made their way to the garage and found the right van, opened the back almost silently and slipped inside.

Using penlights, they closed the back and crawled to the other end of the van.

They made a small nest and found a relaxing way to sit.

It was perfect timing. A few minutes later they heard the night watchman making his rounds outside.

They dozed through the night but were fully awake the moment noises told them the place was coming to life.

Four people got into the front of the van and they drove the short distance to George's house.

The girls were alert like two springs and as soon as the back opened and the first boxes with laundry got pulled out, they sneaked between other boxes to the end of the van.

Bryn smiled as she noticed the back of the van was almost touching the garage opening.

The two black shadows moved out of the van along the inside wall of the garage to a door leading to a storage room.

It was open and they slipped inside and closed it behind them. Found ample space at the back and sat down leaning against the wall.

Now it was just a question of being absolutely still and waiting.

--

After a long wait sitting absolutely still most of the time Brynhild whispered: "It's time."

She opened her backpack and pulled out a phone. Clicked it open and mounted a SIM-card. Then stuck an earplug in her right ear.

She turned the phone on and texted: "Contact. Ready."

It hummed as it vibrated and she showed the screen to Sunniva: "Contact. Wait."

She whispered: "This is the only room without movement sensors and Star is checking the surveillance cameras. He will tell us if George is fast asleep and then turn the sensors off and lock all doors and windows."

Sunniva nodded, but remained quiet and sat still.

After what seemed a long pause the phone in Brynhild's hand hummed again. She showed Sunniva the screen again: "All done. Go."

They rose slowly and stretched their bodies. Then quietly opened the door being careful not to make any noise.

The two shadows moved very slowly through the house. Up the staircase from the garage to the hall. Here they paused for a minute looking round and finding the stairs leading up to the next floor.

Bryn knew exactly where they were going. She stopped at a closed door and paused again. Then pressed the handle down very, very slowly and pushed the door open.