Leaving

(No matter what, I had to update. Here's the first installment.)

With enough scallops for the day, Er Dongsheng carefully headed back toward his temporary camp. Those eerie Paper People had already attacked; he had to stay alert at every moment. And besides...

It was nearly time to leave!

Er Dongsheng did not want to stay here a moment longer. Even without the eerie Paper People, he always felt as though something was watching him on this island. He had no idea why.

He ate a hasty meal, put the remaining scallops in his basket, and got to work.

He planned to build a bamboo raft—a huge one! His wounds had healed, and he was ready to set out to sea and look for a way forward elsewhere. Waiting here to die was no solution.

Building it was simple enough, and the island had plenty of materials. Its bamboo made an excellent frame, while the incredibly tough bamboo vines were better for binding than ordinary vines.

The raft had to be big. Facing unknown dangers on the water, a large vessel always gave people an inexplicable sense of safety! A huge raft would not only be safer but would also hold plenty of food. Once he was at sea, who knew whether he would find another little island where he could replenish his supplies? To store enough food, the raft had to be big!

Er Dongsheng decided on a double-layered raft! He would pack thick leaves between the layers to keep water out. He had no desire to drift across the sea in a cabin that was wet everywhere. He would enclose the sides with bent saplings of bamboo and bamboo vines, then half-cover the top with thick grass and leaves. The design was like an enlarged version of a