Today exactly one month since Reyhan arrived on this island.
For the past month, Reyhan had been waiting for his first guest.
Day after day passed, the weather shifting between sunny skies and stormy rains, yet nothing came except for a few small birds.
Reyhan, who was initially full of hope, gradually became numb as no one ever arrived.
On the third day, Reyhan realized that he needed another food supply because his stock of instant noodles was shrinking quickly.
So, he took a simple fishing rod from the storage shed, dug up bait from the beach, and began fishing every day.
Thinking that he would continue fishing under the scorching sunlight, Reyhan decided to build a simple hut by the shore.
He cut down several coconut trees, used the wood to make planks, and used the leaves for the roof.
Then, the fish he caught would be cooked for the day's meal, and the rest would be dried for preservation as reserves.
.....
This morning, the weather was very bright, the cloudless blue sky making the sunlight even more dazzling.
As usual, a man and his dog were lying in the wooden hut by the beach. Reyhan was lying down, staring at the coconut-leaf roof, his thoughts unknown.
But this time, the sound of a dog's bark interrupted Reyhan's daydream.
Reyhan slowly sat up and looked at Rudy, who had somehow moved to the shore.
Rudy, who usually lazed around with him, was now jumping and barking enthusiastically.
This made Reyhan curious, so he approached and asked, "Hey Rudy, what's wrong?"
Rudy looked toward the sea and barked, "Wooff… woooff… woooff," looking full of excitement.
Reyhan still didn't understand. But after being together for a month, Reyhan could somewhat read Rudy's expressions and behavior. So he tried asking,
"Is there a big fish out there?"
"Woofff."
"No? Then is there a person out there?"
"Woooff!"
"Really? Which direction? I'll go pick them up right now!"
When Rudy nodded, Reyhan immediately felt a surge of excitement and joy he hadn't felt in a long time.
Without much thought, he went to his small boat, ready to depart. It was a four-meter-long boat he had built when he was bored. After all, sailing out to sea once in a while was refreshing.
"Hey Rudy, get on quickly and show me the way!!" shouted Reyhan to Rudy, who was waiting for his command.
.....
In the middle of sea, more than five kilometers from Reyhan's island, a human-sized piece of wooden debris was floating. On top of it lay an unconscious figure.
Reyhan reached the spot after rowing for a while. Seeing what looked like a shipwreck survivor, Reyhan couldn't help but want to help. However, he didn't act recklessly and instead let Rudy check the person's condition.
"Woooff wooof," Rudy barked at Reyhan after checking on the victim. From his nod, it seemed like he was telling Reyhan to come over.
Approaching the debris with his boat, Reyhan gradually saw that it was a rabbit-eared girl lying pale. She looked like a teenage girl, about 17–18 years old, wearing worn and torn clothes.
After confirming with Rudy that no one else was around, Reyhan brought the girl back to his home.
.....
At noon, when the sun was directly overhead, the rabbit-eared girl slowly opened her eyes. Reyhan, who had been watching over her, slowly approached with a coconut in his hand.
"Hey… drink this first," Reyhan said softly, handing her the coconut.
The girl unconsciously accepted it while staring blankly at the unfamiliar man in front of her.
Her eyes blinked several times, looking confused by the situation. She tried moving her lips as if to speak, but no sound came out.
"Don't talk yet, you're not in good condition right now. I suggest you drink first," Reyhan said, stopping her from speaking.
He then left the room to give the girl some time to process the situation.
.....
The confused rabbit-eared girl stared at the coconut in her hands, hesitating for a moment, but thirst and hunger overcame everything else.
(This fruit is so delicious, sweet, and refreshing,) she thought.
After drinking all the coconut water, she regained a little of her strength.
Then, after a moment of silence, she tried to stand up with difficulty.
Walking out of the room, she saw Reyhan cooking in the kitchen. Naturally, Reyhan and Rudy noticed her as well.
"My name is Reyhan, and this is Rudy," Reyhan said, pointing at his dog. "We found you drifting at sea, so I brought you here."
The girl's eyes trembled, whether from gratitude or fear. Her long ears twitched slightly as she lowered her head, as if trying to comprehend the situation.
Then she lifted her head and looked at Reyhan for a moment before speaking in a soft, hoarse voice, "Thank you for saving me… and also, my name is Liora."
Reyhan nodded and tried to ask for more information from Liora. "If you don't mind, could you tell me why you ended up stranded alone?"
Liora was silent for quite some time, but eventually, she told Reyhan what she had gone through.
.....
"So that's how it was… I didn't expect you to suffer misfortune one after another," Reyhan said sympathetically after hearing Liora's story.
.....
What actually happened could be summarized as follows:
1. Liora lost her parents during a journey from her village to the city.
2. She had no money and no experience living in the city, so she was deceived and kidnapped by illegal slave traders.
3. On the way to another kingdom to sell the slaves, their ship was struck by waves during a storm and destroyed. Liora had been drifting for two days and two nights without food or water.