Krissy had been adrift for a few weeks before Tia’s raft came into view from over the horizon. It was of similarly shoddy workmanship — barely smoothed balsa logs just about held together by a few strands of fiber. It was a miracle that both of them had stayed afloat as long as they had. Neither had expected they would. They expected even less to float by each other. Krissy was cautious at first, not wanting to call out in case her fellow seafarer would have malintent at the sight of her limited food supply or for any number of other reasons that this stranger may seek to sink her raft. But the sea was cold and lonely. So she made conversation.
“So, you uh… come here often?” Krissy had drifted just close enough to be audible and Tia whipped her head around with awesome speed. Her lips curled into a smile.
“More often than I’d like. I’m Tia.”
“Krissy.” They shook hands across the ocean that divided their rafts.
“What brings you out here, Krissy?”
“Shipwrecked. Lone survivor. You?”
“Plane crash. A handful of others made it to the island but they didn’t last long.”
“What happened?”
“It got real lord of the files-y quick and they managed to get each other all killed.”
"Shit, that’s… wow yeah, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine-“
“Ah don’t worry about it, I’ve had a lot of time alone to mull it over.”
“And?”
“And I think I should see a therapist when I get home. Maybe several therapists. I need all the therapy.”
“I hear you. Lost a lot on that boat. If I even get back to my house it’s not really… well it won’t be home anymore.”
Only the gentle ebb and flow of the rolling tide filled the minute’s silence. Tia eyed Krissy’s food pile.
“You got fruit over there?”
“Oh yeah, let me just, um…” Krissy rooted through the pile and pulled out a small mango. “Catch!”
Tia snagged the fruit out of the air. “Oh man, you’re a lifesaver. Like actually I think I was a few days out from scurvy at this point.” They shared a laugh. For a few hours they traded provisions back and forth and recounted the various tribulations that took place on their deserted islands. It felt easier to laugh about it than to weep, so they laughed a lot.
It felt like home would be just over the horizon.