It is Friday, June 13th, a fifteen year old John, his older brother Justin, younger sister Lexy, mom, and dad are flying in their new personal jet from Miami to Barbados, which is an island in the Caribbean. This is the summer vacation they have all been looking forward to for the past half-year. They left the Miami airport at 10:00 a.m. and have since been airborne for eight hours. “How much longer is this flight?” asked John impatiently. “I don’t know, sweetie. Why don’t you read some of your summer-reading book?” his mom answers distantly while trying to concentrate on an article that she is reading in the newspaper about some recent plane defects. In response, John shrugs off the question, knowing that, like always, he will cram all the reading into the few days that he will have left before school starts again in August. He looks around trying to figure out what to do when a loud screeching, tearing noise is heard followed immediately by extreme turbulence. Everyone is thrown from his or her seats hitting the floor hard. A deep blackness overtakes them all.

The light slowly comes back to Justin’s eyes. He blinks a few times, adjusting to the bright sunlight reflecting off of the sand in front of him. He gets up slowly, soaked by the salt-water. After a few moments, he remembers what had happened. He immediately goes searching for his family members by shouting their names as loudly as his weakened voice allows. Finally, a faint call comes back to him. It is Lexy, and it seems as though she is just a little farther down the beach. He runs and finally gets to her. Her leg is cut, but other than that, she came out unscathed. “Where is everyone?” she says shakily. “I don’t know. You are the only one I have found,” panted Justin. About a mile away John, his mom, and his dad are stumbling around on the beach, trying to make sense of what happened. Scott, which is the dad’s name, makes an assumption based on the fact that there is plane wreckage scattered about the beach, that there was something wrong with the plane that made it crash on this island. There is a forest of tropical trees about 100 yards from the shoreline. Because the trees are so tall, nothing is viewable from beyond the tree line. Tammy, the mom’s real name, and John agree on the idea to try and find Justin and Lexy. They inform Scott of their decision and start on their trek down the beach. Soon enough, they come across Justin and Lexy. There is much rejoicing. At this point, the family decides to make shelter on the beach and gather food to last them until rescue arrives.

It has been forty days since the plane crash. The family has run out of the food they had scavenged in the forest, so they decide make one last journey together. The unkempt and starving family walks through the tropical trees, ducking under vines and hopping over logs. They finally reach a clearing in the forest. This is where they all decide that they will spend there last few hours of life together. As they all settle down, the sound of twigs cracking is heard in the forest. It is getting closer. The family is very afraid; Lexy has gripped a tight hold around John and all of the family members scoot closer together. “Are you all alright?” asks a rather plump man dressed in tacky tourist clothes as he walks out into the clearing. The whole family stares dumbfounded at the plump man. “What, you all never seen a tourist before?” asks the man quizzically. The family remains speechless. “There is a Holiday Inn just through those trees if you all want some place to stay,” says the man, quite awkwardly. John manages to get some words out of his mouth,”Where are we?” “Well you’re in Barbados, of course!” answers the man. The family sits there for several minutes still soaking in what they have just learned. The plump man shrugs and heads back to the Holiday Inn. The family follows shortly after, feeling extremely stupid.