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Mich awoke to the gentle rocking of the boat as it sailed through the water. It was still dark outside, and he could see the moonlight reflecting off of the water. He listened closely and heard the low hum of the motor as the propeller spun and moved the ship forward. He yawned and stretched, then rolled over in his bed. He picked up his watch that was on his nightstand and looked at the time: 12:25 am. The girls must be asleep, he thought. He put his watch down and laid his head back on his pillow, but then he heard a noise coming from below deck. It sounded like a high pitched whine.

Mich got out of bed and went to the door. He quickly made his way to the engine room. Black smoke seeped from the engine room door.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed. He opened the door and rushed in. He grabbed the fire extinguisher hanging on the wall and pointed it at the flames, which were already beginning to die down. He held the extinguisher steady as he used it to smother the fire. The engine sputtered and squeeled, then came to a hault. "Damn it! I can't afford to lose another engine! We're not far from land. I need to find a place to dock."

Mich put the fire extinguisher back in its place then shut off the engine. The boat coasted along until it finally slowed to a stop. Mich looked through the porthole at the ocean, and saw a small island off in the distance. It seemed to be an uninhabited island but he couldn't be sure. There was no sign of civilization from his vantage point, but there was always the posibility of primitive natives on the island. Mich was an explorer, but not a tourist. He made a quick decision to take the girls to the island. He didn't know what was there, but it couldn't hurt to check it out. He dropped the anchor, then went to check on the girls. It was still late, and they were all still asleep. He decided to wait until morning.

While he was waiting, he prepared the dinghy for travel, and gathered the survival gear that they might need on the island. He had no idea what was on the island, but he always liked to be prepared. Mich put the supplies into the dinghy and covered them with a tarp. He checked on the girls again, then made his way back up to the steering deck to keep watch on the island.

The sun was rising on the horizon and it lit the sky with an array of colors as it rose over the water. Mich watched as the sunrise illuminated the water around him. The ocean was still and quiet, and a light breeze blew across the deck. The gentle sound of the waves rolling against the hull of the boat was soothing and peaceful. Mich closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of fresh sea air. The island was now in full view and it looked like it was completely uninhabited. Mich stepped away from the steering wheel and walked back toward the bow of the ship to get a better view. As he approached the bow of the ship, he heard a loud thump behind him.

"Ow!" a voice said, "Shit, that hurt!"

Mich turned around to see Rachael lying on the floor of the deck. He quickly rushed to her aid and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

Rachael rubbed her head where she hit it on the deck, "I'm okay. I'm just...what are you doing out here so early?"

"I heard an engine noise," said Mich, "I went to check on it, and the engine is shot. Luckily, the old girl got us to this island...but I don't see any sign of civilization. I think we may be stuck here for awhile, and it may be for a few days."

Rachael frowned. "Great. We're in the middle of the ocean with no way to get home."

"We'll find a way," said Mich, "I'm sure we can find something on this island that we can use to make repairs, but in the meantime we have some time to kill. I was thinking about making a quick scouting mission to the island to see what we can find. The girls should be up soon. Why don't you go get them and pack up some food and water? We'll take a small dinghy and scout out the island."

"Okay," said Rachael, "you sure you don't need any help with the engine? I was an engineer in my past life, you know."

"Ha!" said Mich shaking his head, "in your past life. That's funny sweety."

Rachael rolled her eyes at her father. "Whatever, dad. I'll go get the girls. Do you want me to pack up some supplies?"

"Sure, just bring as much as you can carry," said Mich, "I'll come back in a few minutes to get the girls."

"Okay," said Rachael, "but you better hurry up before Lilly wakes up and starts trying to climb stuff again."

Mich laughed, "I'll be fast." He went back to his cabin and grabbed his gun and whip. He liked having his guns at all times, just in case. He didn't know if the island was inhabited or not, and he didn't want to get caught unawares. Mich grabbed his backpack from his closet and loaded it with all of the supplies he had packed earlier. He filled his pockets with ammo for his pistol and shotgun, then grabbed a small toolkit from his nightstand. He made his way up to the steering deck and got into the small dinghy that was waiting at the end of the boat.
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