Folk Tales No. 28

Robinson Island .....

No man is an island, but what if only two person shared an island.

So our story began.

One day on a nice sunny morning, I was walking along the beach as I always do unless its raining or the crabs are having a crabby day. I spied a boat filled with people landing on my beach. Now I been on this island for over 345 weeks and this is the first time I seen a boat and people. Naturally, I hid behind some bushes as I was in loins as this was a hot day. I saw the people from the boat dragged one of them out and dropped that person on the beach. They then rowed the boat away and never turned back. I waited for a while before I approached the person on the beach.

It was a man and he is alive, from his shallow breathing. So I took him up to my place and cared for him. From his clothes, I can see he is some officer in the army and even has his sword on him. Maybe his men mutineed and left him here to die. But I did what I could for him, and he eventually recovered.

‘Who are you? How dare you removed my uniform. I am an officer of the Court, and a rank of Colonel in the regiment. Whose land am I on?’

‘My name is Robinson and you are on my island. I found you on the beach and brought you here to heal.’

‘So be it. I will take this island in the name of the King, as all land is rightfully his. As for you, you are to be his subject and all those who lived on this island. You will addressed me as Colonel..... I can;t remember my name.....’ This is one nasty looking sick man, probably been out too long in the sun. And one of the sign is amnesia or we call it ‘brain fried’.

‘Hold ye horses there, Colonel. On this island, there is only me and you, and your King cannot own this island, as it belongs to to no one. And as for your name, Colonel; I dunno either. But since you came on Sunday, I will named you as Sunday.’ I felt sorry for this man to land on my island; he should had been thrown to the sea to rule the fishes.

‘Pardon me. My memory is few in parts. I am sorry, but I must do what I am trained to do. So you will be my subject and guide me on this island.’

‘Here take a swipe of Napoleon’s brandy.’ I offered him my personal cache of the best French wine.

‘Napoleon was here? I must meet him.’

‘No, this Napoleon was my friend on the ship. He is a doctor, and he keeps the brandy for days we want to forget we are on the ship and not on land.’

‘Oui, but you are to served me on this island. Its my right as the Occupied Army.’ Now I should not had wasted good brandy on brainless colonel.

‘Narry that thought. Here no one served no one. You can stay on this island, and feel free to see me but on my free day..... which is Sunday. I got other matters ranked in the week, so Sunday, I am okay. You cannot forget that as you are named Sunday.’

‘So be it, I shall explore this island and conquer it before this Sunday.’ So Colonel Sunday left for the other side of the island and I was happy with my side of the island. On the next following Sunday, he came over and said; ‘ You are right. There is no one else. But I need your help. I can’t find the things I need.’ So I taught him but only on Sunday.

After some Sunday’s, he asked me why do I do only those things to help him on Sunday.

‘Well, for one, you were rude and you demand instead of asking. So I giveth you still as I am charitable, but only on the last day of the week after I have completed all my other works. Just as I called you Sunday, I ranked you last in the my week to do your things.’

‘I am sorry, and I would like your help more on other days’, apologised the Colonel.

‘Well, on Monday, I have some free slots, so I can fit you in since you ‘asked’ me.’ And so we learn to live together on the island, week by week.

( if we demand, others will give but on only on the last resort; but if we asked, they could had given us more willingly. )