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Switzerland Island
by
Janice Wu
If you mix three ladies, a jet, and a need for a voyage, what do you get? You would get Juana, Taffy, and Mula all aboard on a jet for a voyage to Switzerland! Albeit it may sound like a trip for pure pleasure, it didn't get planned that way.
"It'll be okay, sweetie," Taffy cajoled in her usual soothing tone, "He wasn't good for you anyway, and he doesn't know what he's missing." Taffy placed a hand on Juana's shoulder as she used the other hand to maneuver the jet.
"Yeah, girlfriend!" exclaimed Mula from the backseat of the jet. She poked her head between Juana and Taffy's seat. "He was a no-good, dirty, scumbag. I knew I didn't like him from the moment I laid eyes on him."
"But I loved him, you guys," Juana whimpered. A tear started to slide from the corner of her eye. Mula offered her a tissue, then contemplated for a few seconds, and then handed her the whole box of Kleenexes. After she was satisfied with her good deed of the day, she retorted sharply, "Girl, you were in a stage of your life so desperate to love and be loved, that you took anyone and just went with the flow. He wasn't Mr. Right, just Mr. Go-out-with-this-girl-to-add-to the-book-and-have-fun."
As Juana kept her eyes trained to her hands in her lap, Taffy shot a look of admonishment toward Mula. Mula just shrugged and plopped back in her seat.
"Girl, you know I love you and all, but hey, I'm just stating the facts." Mula said, finally breaking the stony silence.
"We were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together, have children, and even get a German Shepard named Fido. We've discussed this over countless dinners, and it seemed so perfect. Now, it's over. He left me at the alter! Both of you were my bridesmaids, all dressed up for this special occasion, but he was a no-show. I'm such a complete twit for listening to him!"
"I'm so sorry, but this trip to Switzerland will definitely cheer you up. I promise." Taffy responded.
Juana sure hoped so, because she just wanted to curl up in a warm, cozy cabin, sip hot cocoa, and talk with her two best friends for hours. Then as Taffy and Mula went out to do a little skiing, she would mope around in the cabin and cry about him.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Taffy screamed at the top of her lungs. Both Juana and Mula were abruptly awakened from their sleep.
"What's going on?"
"Thhhe j-j-jet!" Taffy stammered. Juana and Mula realized what happening. They were about to crash, and things didn't look too good.
"Do something!" Mula yelled! "I don't want to die! I'm too young to die!" I'm going to die! Save me! Help!"
"Mula, be quiet and stop overreacting. I'm trying my best to steer this jet. Chill, okay? Things will be okay." Taffy replied nervously.
"Chill! I'm about to die, and you want me to chill?" drama queen Mula cried. Because Taffy was knew that Mula's panic attacks weren't very pleasant, she started to vigorously push buttons on the jet trying to look as if she knew what was doing. She ordered everyone to put a lifejacket on, for they were heading towards water. The jet plunged in the water making a stupendous splash and din. Somehow, they all found themselves surfaced on water huddled together. It was a miracle!
There was a long interval of pure silence as the three of them stared at each other's countenance. Taffy seemed relived that everyone was still alive, Juana looked as if she was a deer caught in headlights, and Mula who had a scowl on her face looked furious.
"Why did you make us put these lifejackets on?" Mula demanded. "I could have at least drowned instantaneously. Now, we have to suffer from starvation as we float here aimlessly. Oh, the pain and horror! We would have to see each other die. I cannot bear this any longer. Release this lifejacket from me! We're going to die, you hear? I repeat, we're going to die!" A small giggle escaped Taffy's throat. Mula glowered at her, narrowing her eyes. "Do you find this dreadful situation to be humorous? Would you care to explain?"
"Well, if you are finished with your monologue, "Taffy paused and looked at Mula. Mula bopped her head up and down quickly indicating a yes. "Turn around." Mula rotated her head, and her body immediately followed as she saw land right in front of her.
"Land! Hallelujah! Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" she exclaimed. Juana and Taffy simply looked at each other and shook their heads, sharing a knowing look. Juana looked away and covertly rolled her eyes. They decided to drag their water-laden suitcases to shore and to find shelter as soon as they could. The sun was beating down on them, and they were in wool clothing and thick, heavy socks, for their trip was originally to Switzerland. After hauling their suitcases and tired bodies to shore, they sat on top of their suitcases and sighed. Mula was extremely worn-out, because she had brought an extra large suitcase. Juana and Taffy's suitcase combined couldn't equal Mula's stupendous suitcase. Mula was notorious for being a heavy packer.
"This is awful! We don't know where we are, we're stranded, and we're lost. What are we suppose to do now? Oh, and by the way, I'm burning up like an oven! This place is torrid, and I brought only winter clothes." Juana complained as she rested her head atop her hands.
"Calm down, dear." We'll just cut up our winter clothes, so we can cool off- no big deal." Taffy replied.
"Not in this lifetime," Juana objected, " I spent too many Benny F's on my winter apparel for them to be torn to shreds. No way will I cut up these clothes that I meticulously shopped for and bought."
As Juana was whining, and Taffy was consoling, Mula popped the top of her suitcase open and started searching madly, throwing random articles of clothing in every direction. A ball of purple socks hit Juana in the head. They turned their attention to Mula who was holding out some shorts and T-shirts.
"No fear! It's Mula to the rescue!"
"Why in the world did you pack T's and shorts when we're going to Switzerland?" they asked in tandem.
"Girlfriends, 'be-prepared' is my middle name! I always pack more than enough wherever I go. Take a lesson from a pro!" she chanted with a wink. For the first time since they arrived, they looked around at the relatively large land and took a deep breath. It smelled exotic, and there were no people around that they could see. Little patches of brittle grass poked up above the ground sporadically. There were countless tall trees with their tops swaying sweetly in the air. They could hear the tree leaves rustling as small gust of wind tickled each one. Closing their eyes, they could feel the cool breeze gently brush on their eyelids. This was truly a moment of relaxation. They opened their eyes, and the breeze vanished. They took note of the blistering sun was sky-high and on full force. After taking in the ambiance, the realization of them being lost hit them like a ton of bricks. A feeling of barrenness and bleakness seeped in every pore of their body.
"This is my life. I get dumped at the alter, and then instead of a getaway to Switzerland, I crash in an unknown deserted place. Prospects are I'm going to die here. "Juana moaned.
"We're not going to die. We'll just camp out here until we find a way out. Cheer up, honey. We're going to have tons of fun here." Taffy responded.
"Think of it as an extended sleepover with your buddies!" exclaimed Mula. "Because over my dead body will you be complaining and moaning over that guy while I'm still alive." They trudged their exhausted bodies a while before they found a small hut. It looked as if it had been lived in. Taffy surmised that there had to be some sort of civilization around since the hut manifested some kind of existence. That gave Juana a little spark of hope. Juana started to make something similar to a cot in the hut declaring that she was going to hide out there until help arrived. However, her friends disapproved, so they dragged a very protesting Juana out of the hut.
Mula had a bizarre idea to seize some dolphins and ride them. Taffy was iffy, and Juana flat-out refused. Mula's persistence and skillful persuasiveness got the better of them at the end. Juana stated that if they left, they might never get back. That didn't stop Mula! She shoved them into the water, told them to grab a dolphin, and just go with the flow. Mula straddled a dolphin and took off. Not wanting to be left behind, Juana and Taffy followed her lead. Juana had the time of her life! She yelled To Mula across the water thanking her for making them execute this crazy notion. Mula grinned hardly, exposing all thirty-two of her pearly whites as she signed an eager thumbs-up.
Many minutes later they found themselves being dumped by the dolphins on an island the size of an iota. They all landed facedown in sand. After brushing themselves off with sand, they looked at the mini, little isle they were standing on. On a single tree hung one solitary, lonesome coconut. All of a sudden, an intense fire struck Taffy's eyes, Mula's mouth started to water, and Juana could feel the texture of the coconut on her eager fingertips. Noticing the presence of one another, they all sprinted as fast as their little legs could carry them to that coconut, and yelled "Mine!"
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