Not gonna lie, this doesn't entirely embrace the true slaphappy nature of GI. I have prolly watched too much Survivor. Let me know if I should take it further.


“Shirts”

Roy Hinckley bit back a curse when he felt the jungle branch dig sharply into his side and tear the fabric of his shirt as he tripped and fell. Not only did it hurt like the dickens, he realized as he took a look at the damage, but it had managed to break his skin along with tearing a healthy sized hole in his best shirt. When you only owned two, that made for a problem. Worse, the deep scrape wasn’t serious but the blood was quickly soaking into the shirt which meant that his late arrival at camp would be more of a spectacle than usual.

He sighed. He was so tired of the island. At first, it hadn’t been so bad. He had intended to write a book on tropical foliage so having the time to really look around and make observations had seemed heaven sent. But then it just seemed to grind on and on. The other castaways, in their own unique ways, were good people. Intellectually, he knew it would have been much worse to have been alone… but he sometimes wondered if any of them really cared. Certainly no one had ever questioned his declining supply of shirts. Skipper and Gilligan were probably tired of blue and red after three years, but they each had a nice supply. Howell had plenty and the women seemed to expand their wardrobes on a daily basis. It stung even worse to think of how much time he had spent designing and building contraptions for everyone to help them. Yet, no one even used his name. Professor this, Professor that, “The professor says”, “let’s ask the professor”… It was amusing at first but it also isolated him. Of course, that was partly his fault. He was aloof and serious, and he accepted that he was probably standoffish seeming. He didn’t want or need constant attention… but he did want some.

At the same time, wandering back into camp, late and bloody and in a foul mood, was bad for morale. He held his hand to his side and ignored the sharp pain and sticky feeling. Best to not make much of what was a minor injury. He trudged off, hoping to make it back to camp before the sunset.
***

It worried Mary Ann. If anyone on the island was going to be on time, it was the Professor. He was always careful to tell everyone if he planned to be away longer than just the day. There wasn’t anything dangerous on the island but it was possible to get lost. Even after three years, she still got turned around and confused when in the jungle more often than not. The professor rarely got lost though. He did lose track of time but it was still odd.

“ Ginger, did the Professor say anything to you about where he was going?” Mary Ann asked.

Ginger looked up from her nails. “ I thought he said something about looking for some plants to make something…. You know how he is. He pays more attention to his experiments than anything else.” Ginger sniffed and returned to looking at her nails.

Mary Ann bit back a curt remark. Ginger was hardly one to talk about being a little self involved. Plus, Mary Ann was certain that more than a little of Ginger’s annoyance was over how little headway the woman had made in her efforts to seduce one of the two eligible bachelors of the island. It was difficult to even engage the Professor in a normal conversation, let alone get into topics like the ones Ginger wanted. Mary Ann found it frustrating as well, if only because she was inevitably not considered any competition. Not that she wanted to be, oh no, but she wasn’t entirely bereft of knowledge of men. Ginger was pushy, and underneath his stern exterior, Mary Ann suspected that the Professor was more than a little bit shy and intimidated by women. Being subtle and patient was probably the better angle to take, but Mary Ann also didn’t think Ginger was more than casually interested. Ginger was like a cat, and she had more fun playing with her prey than with actually catching it.

Which Mary Ann had never understood. A nice girl should look for a man to be a good husband. If you knew that he wasn’t right, you threw him back and found another. You didn’t keep playing him on the line. It wasn’t right. There was a word for that sort of girl, Mary Ann knew, and while she would never say it to Ginger, she sometimes thought it.

“ Aren’t you concerned at all?” she asked after a moment.

“ Well, it is a little late,” Ginger said after a moment of thought. “ And he didn’t say anything about staying away the whole night. Maybe we should let the Skipper know.”

“ Know what?” Both women jumped in surprise at the sound of the Professor’s voice. Mary Ann almost laughed at first, because it was so disconcerting to see the professor looking so dirty. He had obviously taken a tumble somewhere in the jungle and hadn’t made much effort to get cleaned up. Still, she managed to bite her tongue. The professor looked tired, and hot, and his teeth were clenched. All were signs that the generally even tempered man was close to losing his temper. That was rare and never pretty, and the two women were careful to not smile. Living on an island with few other people meant a little restraint was required at times, and the professor was usually the most restrained of them all. He deserved a little bit back.

“ We were going to tell the Skipper that you were late,” Ginger said breathily. “ We were beginning to worry.”

“ What happened?” Mary Ann asked quickly. Something was wrong, that seemed clear. “ Did you fall?” As soon as she said it, she blushed. It was obvious that he had fallen.

Still, it seemed to break the tension. The Professor relaxed his stiff pose but still clutched his side. “ I did fall. I fell into some bushes and I managed to cut myself a little. Is the Skipper around? I know he knows some first aid from his time in the Navy.”

“ That’s not a little cut, “ Ginger said suddenly, her sexy persona suddenly gone. “ Professor, you’re bleeding!”

Mary Ann realized with a start that Ginger was right. Not only was the left side of the Professor’s shirt ripped and torn, but there was a large red stain on his side. Worse, there was fresh blood seeping between the fingers he had clapped tightly to his side. “ Professor, that’s not just a little cut!”

“ It’s nothing serious,” he said after a moment. “ but if you would find the Skipper, I would appreciate it.”
***

“ Professor, I know you didn’t want to scare the women but you might want to be a little more careful.” Skipper was hesitant about saying it but he felt it needed to be said. It wasn’t just a minor cut, there was a deep gash in the professor’s side. It was the sort of injury that could be shrugged off if necessary in say, a war, but in normal circumstances on the island, it was the kind of injury that led to some well deserved cosseting. The professor wasn’t one to accept such behavior from the others. At the same time, Skipper had the feeling that something was bothering the younger man that went a little deeper than a nasty cut.

Still, it was hard to say anything. If there was anyone on the island who really puzzled Skipper, it was the Professor. Gilligan was a force of nature, one of those people that just did and said and acted the way they felt, and it was just something that had to be dealt with. The Professor existed at the other end of the scale, where everything he did and said was the result of a preplanned thought. Skipper understood Gilligan as well as anyone. You just had to keep an eye on him. With the professor, it was much different. It was never easy to even guess what the man was thinking, and Skipper really didn’t want to. The fact was that he didn’t envy the Professor one bit. There was no shame in being a person with average brains. He certainly had done well enough for himself. The Professor thought too much, that was a fact.

“ I will be more careful,” the Professor said softly. He carefully unbuttoned his shirt and set it aside. “ Do you think it needs to be stitched?”

“ Not if you take it easy for a few days, “ Skipper warned. He had always taken a great deal of pride in the fact that a man as bright as the Professor listened to his advice and took him seriously. The last thing he wanted was for the resident genius to be injured or get sick. His job would be ten times harder without the Professor. And that meant he had to be just a little more understanding than if it was Gilligan who had gone off and done something foolish. He laid out the bandages he planned to use and gestured for the Professor to take a seat in his chair. “ Professor, you need to be more careful. I’d hate to think of how things would be here without you. This could have been a lot more serious than it is.”

There was a long silence. “ You know, we’re all going to die here,” the Professor said softly and gently. “ I know there’s some sort of unspoken rule about talking about rescue in a negative way, but it’s been three years. No one is looking for us, and we never will be found.”

Skipper’s eyes widened in surprise. “ Professor, you don’t mean that.” Rescue was a topic that never seemed to get old on the island, but he had never heard the professor express such a negative thought. In fact it was usually the professor who kept the hope alive with his ideas and calm words.

“ I have a name, you know. So do you, Jonas.” The professor winced as he took his hand away from the gash in his left side. “ Just for a moment, just for right now, I can’t put a good face on the current situation. Tomorrow, everything will be the way it always is, but tonight… Do you know, before this, I had a life. I had a car, a job I loved, a closet full of shirts. It’s Friday night. At the university, even the worst workaholics, and I wasn’t the worst, would close up their labs and we would all go down to the coffee shop and just talk and listen to music and discuss our work.” The professor paused and looked down. “ I know that sounds dull, but I miss it. There are times where I think I would kill for a cup of coffee.”

“ It’s not dull if you enjoy it,” Skipper said, although the idea of being in a group of people all like the professor did sound dull beyond belief, but then, he was sure that the professor would be equally as bored in a discussion of boats and nautical issues. “ I know what you mean. This is the sort of night where everyone in the marina would head down to the bar and have a few beers.” And discuss women and maybe get into a fight, but that was likely to offend the professor’s sensibilities. Which would not help the situation. The very last thing the others needed to hear was that the professor thought that rescue would never come. That was a surefire way to kill morale. It was usually the girls or the Howells who needed bucking up. He’d never seen the professor so down and that had to be nipped in the bud. “You’re just having a bad day, Pro… Roy. Look, Gilligan is coming with the water. I’ll get this cleaned and bandaged and one of the girls will fix your shirt, “ though Skipper didn’t think there was a lot of fix left to it, “ and things will look a lot better in the morning.”

Gilligan opened the door, a bucket of water in his hand. “ Skipper, I brought the water!” and then stumbled, tossing the entire bucket onto the Skipper.

“ Gilligan!” Skipper roared. The ensuing frenzy of hatslapping seemed to dispel the Professor’s dark mood, and Skipper was pleased. Gilligan was more important than people thought, and if that meant Skipper had to deal with the occasional wet shirt, then so be it. Still, the situation would bare watching.

Ooh, a dark theme. i like it.

Ooh, a dark theme. i like it.
Way cool! I love this... I've been praying for someone other than myself to take on a darker theme in "Gilligan's Island" fanfic! And Roy is my favorite, of course... as is the friendship between Roy and Jonas.

Might there be some Roy/Mary Ann interaction later on? Either way, this story is a gem so far... wonderful characterization and attention to detail! Your talent with dialogue is something I can only strive for.

Please continue ... I'm not too proud to beg... ;)
Sheri

Thank you :) Glad you folks like it. like I said, I usually don't do fanfic for purely funny shows and my last stint with this sort of show was with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (and I'm 33 so thats just sad) so i am glad its not too far off the target.

I was always a Professor fan as a kid because he seemed to be in such a crappy position. There's no one "on his level" and no one ever seemed to listen to him or even try to be friendly. Yet he went around doing nice things for all the castaways. It just seemed likely that at some point he would have fallen into a dark depression. It also seemed like Skipper would have been the only person he could turn to - and thats not ideal.

Not really intending any romance though I think mary ann comes off a little partial for older men in this :) It's mostly the prof being sad and lonely and everyone trying to make him feel better.

Here's some more. feel free to comment - like I said, its been a while.

"Shirts 2"

The problem with island life, Thurston Howell the Third often thought, was the distinct lack of interesting happenings. There were no polo matches or golf tourneys and the few cotillons thrown had been organized by Lovey. His fellow castaways were all fine people in their common way, but they weren’t very interesting at times.

Fancy that the most interesting event of the previous day was the Professor tripping and hurting himself. Why, what sort of society page article would that make? As if the Professor would even deign to be interviewed. Sometimes Thurston didn’t know what to make of his companions. Not a one of them would ever qualify to be in the club at home. Still, if one had to rub shoulders with common people, he supposed that they could have been much worse. He stepped out of the hut he shared with his wife and looked about. “ Mary Ann, do be a dear and tell me that you’ve prepared a steak and egg breakfast worthy of a Howell.”

“ Oh Mr. Howell, you know there’s no steak on this island,” Mary Ann said with a smile. She set a large bowl of fruit onto the bamboo picnic table. “ We’re having fruit and maybe some fish, if Gilligan finds any in the traps.”

“ A rich man can dream,” he chuckled as he took a seat at the table. It was a typical morning on the island. He preferred to rise early and enjoy a nice glass of juice. Skipper and Gilligan were also early risers but they were usually the last to the table in the mornings. Next to the table was normally the professor, who had the good grace to be quiet about whatever bug or plant that was fascinating him. Then Lovey and Ginger would put in an appearance, though both had a tendency to skip breakfast. Finally Skipper and Gilligan would come up from the lagoon with whatever they had managed to grub from the mudflats. Breakfast was a pleasant time on the island, one where he could pretend at least for a few hours that he was at one of the more rustic resorts.

And there was something to be said for the predictability of his companions. The Professor left his hut and walked over to the table, taking a seat a trifle more slowly than usual. He also looked a bit more rundown than Thurston ever recalled seeing him. “ Professor, you look a mite under the weather.”

“ I didn’t sleep well,” the professor said gruffly.

“ How could you?” Mary Ann asked as she set down a glass of juice for the man. “ The Skipper said that your whole side was cut up and it was just luck that you didn’t need stitches. You aren’t going out into the jungle today, are you?”

Howell recognized that tone. The interesting thing would be how the Professor took that tone. As a married man, he understood the wisdom behind the saying “discretion is better part of valor”. The Professor on the other hand, just wasn’t very good with women. He tended to treat ultimatums from the women as if there was anything that could be debated. Howell knew better. Mary Ann was not asking a question at all.

“ No… I was going to catalog my plant specimens today,” the professor said after a moment. Howell found himself nodding with approval. The professor looked down right ill, if the truth was to be told. The poor chap must not be well, he thought, if he’s not protesting that he feels fine. The professor wasn’t good with women, that was a fact, but somewhere along the line Thurston suspected that he had done a little reading on the topic, the parts about not showing weakness in particular. Poor fellow must have lost the book before he got to the good chapters.

“ That’s just as well, “ Mary Ann said cheerily. “ Ginger and I were going to try and fix your shirt today. We might need you to do a fitting.” She set down plates of neatly chopped fruit in front of the two men.

“ I will endeavor to be available,” the professor promised. Howell watched as the other man pushed his food around his plate.

“ You know, Professor, these forks work much better when you put a little bit of food on the end,” Howell said after a moment. “ Of course, it’s terribly gauche to not use properly monogrammed tableware, but we must all make sacrifices.”

It worked but only a little. The professor smiled slightly. “ I’m not very hungry this morning, to be honest.” He stood up and stepped away from the table. “ I think I might just go back to bed.”

Howell waited until the professor was out of earshot. “ I say, Mary Ann, I don’t think the professor looks well at all. Poor fellow looks about done in and its still morning.”

Mary Ann frowned, a terrible thing to see on such a pretty face, Thurstan thought. “ I don’t think he is well, Mr. Howell. The Skipper told me to make sure to keep him around the clearing today. I think that’s a good idea. You’ll help me, won’t you, Mr. Howell?”

“ Why of course, my dear girl.” Such a sweet little girl, he thought as she went back to her work. It was a shame that the only eligible men didn’t seem to notice her.
***

The problem, Roy thought to himself as he reentered the supply hut where he slept, was that he was wrong. He had told the Skipper that when the morning came, everything would be back to normal, but it wasn’t. He wasn’t able to shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong, that the small bamboo adorned hut he was looking at was going to be the only room he slept in for the rest of his life.

Worse, he felt like hell. He hadn’t slept at all the night before. The deep cut had hurt and itched, and he had ached all over. When the sun had risen, he had realized with some surprise that he had managed to bruise himself all over. So he had managed to really hurt himself on top of everything else. Oh, nothing was broken, but moving hurt and had set his stomach rolling as soon as he had sat down to the table. The last thing he wanted to do was worry everyone even more, and vomiting was sure to do that.

“ You’re just feeling sorry for yourself,” he said to himself. He carefully undressed, folding his clothes neatly and placing them on top of his suit case. Because of the tendency that everyone had to wander into his sleeping area, looking for help or supplies, he didn’t usually sleep in just his boxers, but he also didn’t normally try to sleep through the heat of the day. He sat down on the edge of his cot and carefully touched the bandages. It probably did need stitches, he thought, but he wasn’t ready to ask Skipper to give it a try. The older man had the will but not the skill and with the minimal tools they had on hand, trying to stitch the cut up was likely to make it worse. Besides, there wasn’t much fresh blood at all. The dark bruising seemed to radiate from his side and all up and down his left side.

He lied down on the cot and closed his eyes. It would get better. He hadn’t spent three of his life on a deserted island to be felled by a casual trip. The more he said it to himself, the more he had to believe it.

That was what all the psychology books said, after all.

***

“ But he looks so cute sleeping there,” Ginger said with a giggle. She and Mary Ann were peering into the professor’s hut. “ Besides, you know that if either of us go in there and wake him up, he’s going to be so embarrassed. You know how he is.” As shy as a school boy and wasn’t that a shame? Ginger often thought so. All of the men were nice enough fellows but Howell was too married, Skipper was too old, Gilligan was too young, and the Professor? He was too… proper. The poor man just didn’t know how to let go of himself, which was a pity considering what a nice looking man he really was. At first, when they had been shipwrecked on the island, Ginger had been more than a little surprised that a successful good looking fellow like the professor wasn’t married. Then the less charming aspects of his personality became clear. Nice but stiff. And shy. And it was harder to train a man when they were older.

Still, she wasn’t often intentionally mean, and funny as walking into the professor’s hut and waking him while he was in a state of serious undress was, it was also mean. Especially if he wasn’t feeling well, and word around the campsite was that he wasn’t feeling well.

“ Well, we can’t let him sleep through dinner. He hasn’t eaten all day.” Mary Ann managed to make that sound like a crisis worthy of a fainting spell, the way she always did.

She really didn’t want to startle the professor, that was the problem. At the same time Mary Ann could get on her nerves and she certainly wasn’t going to go into the professor’s hut if he wasn’t fully clothed. Oh no, not the sweet child Mary Ann. Ginger sniffed. Sometimes it got really old.

“I’m not going in there,” Ginger said emphatically. “ Ohh, I know, isn’t Gilligan back? Let’s have him wake the professor.” A nice save, she thought. The professor was always patient with Gilligan.

I'm still liking this.

Thanks again. Here's another section. If the prof seems a little whacked, well... maybe he is. Or maybe he's the sane one.


***

It wasn’t that he minded doing things for the girls, it was that they tended to stick him with chores that weren’t always… as easy as they looked. He didn’t mind a trick if it was in good fun, but more often than not, when Ginger and Mary Ann asked him to do something, it was because there was a terrible downside. Like asking him to wash dishes for them, but especially on the days when there were lots of icky dishes. So when the two of them asked him to go wake up the Professor, he couldn’t help but think that they were up to something.

He just didn’t want to do anything that made the current situation worse. The Skipper had said that everything was fine, and Gilligan normally accepted that, but he could tell when the Skipper was worried about something, and he had a feeling it had something to do with the Professor hurting himself. Which was odd really, because the Skipper had also insisted that the Professor was fine that morning but had also made it very clear to Gilligan to leave the man alone. Any questions, you want anything, the Skipper had warned him, you come to me today. Leave the professor alone.

He did understand what the Skipper meant. He had a… a tendency to break things. Especially the professor’s things, which were so interesting and so likely to end up on the floor whenever Gilligan had the chance to look at them. Still, even if he wasn’t feeling well, it wasn’t like the professor to really get upset over broken things. He was usually pretty understanding about things like that, unless it had to do with rescue and lately even that hadn’t gotten much of a rise out of the professor.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was disobeying the Skipper by stepping into the supply hut. That feeling was usually followed by getting pummeled with the Skipper’s hat. “ Professor?” he asked as he opened the door, “ The girls wanted me to wake you for dinner…Professor?”

The professor was lying on his cot, asleep. The girls could be so weird sometimes, Gilligan thought as he stepped over to the bed. Waking up the professor was easy. He reached down and carefully shook the man. “ Professor? It’s dinner time.”

The professor’s eyes blinked open and in an instant his hand had reached and snaked around Gilligan’s collar, yanking the slight man down to within an inch of his face. “ Gilligan!,” the professor whispered harshly, “ You want to be rescued, don’t you?”

“Um….” The problem was that Gilligan didn’t really care, one way or another. The island was pretty ok, with him. He liked bananas, and coconuts, and mangos. Back in Hawaii, he was really just a deck hand on the Skipper’s boat, and the butt of everyone’s jokes at the marina. Oh, sure, the Skipper called him the first mate and had defended him on many occasions, but it wasn’t nice. Or fun. On the island, he was important. Sure, he made mistakes and messed up, but no one ever got really angry. Everyone seemed to like him and he was the person that everyone went to with problems and chores. He would miss that if they were rescued. On the other hand, the professor probably wanted to go home and it would be mean if he said he didn’t want to be rescued. “ Yes, of course I want to be rescued.”

Clenching his shirt, the professor pulled himself upright, until he was eye to eye with Gilligan. “ The important thing is that you believe it will happen.” The professor said it softly, but intently, in that way he had when he was really serious about something. “ If you believe we’ll be rescued, then we will. Do you believe me?”

Gilligan wanted to back away. It wasn’t often that anything on the island scared him, but the professor was really creeping him out. The problem was that the professor had a surprisingly strong grip. “ Sure I believe you, Professor. Could you maybe let up a little? It’s just that you’re really twisting my shirt….”

“Do you know how lucky you are, Gilligan?” The professor asked, pulling Gilligan even closer. “ I envy your bliss.”

A new, larger hand clasped over the professor’s. Gilligan felt an almost instant wave of relief. The Skipper carefully pried the Professor’s fingers off of Gilligan’s shirt, taking great care to keep a strong grip on the Professor, who as near as Gilligan could see, hadn’t noticed the intrusion.

“ Gilligan, why don’t you go tell the girls that I will be a little late for dinner. In fact, just have them warm up a couple plates for the professor and I.” Skipper said it easily but in such a way that Gilligan knew better than to disagree.

The professor blinked and turned his gaze to the Skipper. “ He believes we’ll be rescued, Jonas. Sometimes it’s like looking into a funhouse mirror.”

“ Yes, I can see why you’d think that,” The Skipper said after a long moment, “ and it might even be true, but…” and he used his free hand to lightly touch the professor’s forehead, “ I think you’re sick and that’s making you say things you don’t really mean to say, Roy.”

Gilligan didn’t really understand that. Funhouse mirrors were fun, after all. But it was too bad if the professor was sick. “ Skipper…”

“ Gilligan, didn’t I tell you to leave?” Skipper raised his voice. It’s time to beat feet, Gilligan decided. Stupid girls with their stupid favors.

The suspense is killing me! I love the tension and the humor... something that isn't easy to do when writing fic such as this. The Professor's actions and comments are not out of character, especially if he's injured, royally pissed off, and burning up with a fever.

Fevered dreams and delirium are wonderful like that! LOL.

Again, I am very impressed with your talent and I can't wait for the next installment! Don't wait too long to update because I have to go to the hospital tomorrow for noon for surgery and I'll be having Rap541 "Shirts" withdrawal!

Hugs!

Sheri

The suspense is killing me! I love the tension and the humor... something that isn't easy to do when writing fic such as this. The Professor's actions and comments are not out of character, especially if he's injured, royally pissed off, and burning up with a fever.

Fevered dreams and delirium are wonderful like that! LOL.

Again, I am very impressed with your talent and I can't wait for the next installment! Don't wait too long to update because I have to go to the hospital tomorrow for noon for surgery and I'll be having Rap541 "Shirts" withdrawal!

Hugs!

Sheri
Ooops! Forgot something! Rap... you should post this story at fanfiction.net!

Hugs again...

Sheri

I agree with Jonny, this is great!

Thanks for the feedback guys. Here's another part. I hope you can read this before you go, Jonny.


***

The real problem, Skipper decided, was that there was only so much he could do to contain the problem without making it obvious to everyone that there was a problem. He could tell the girls, and the Howells, and Gilligan that the Professor was ill and that would work for a few days, but not forever. He hoped that the professor wasn’t really very sick, just getting harder hit by his injury than expected. But if that was the case it meant that as soon as the exhaustion, or fever, or whatever it was, wore off, it would be impossible to keep the professor isolated from the others.

The problem was morale, and the professor was in a great position to totally ruin it on the island. It was hard to maintain morale on the island to begin with. Everyone was lonely and angry and if everyone gave in to those feelings, the island would be torn apart. God knows, he had days where he wanted nothing more than to admit defeat. There were even times when he was completely convinced that the island itself was cursed and that it just waited for innocents like themselves to wash ashore so that they could be taunted and bedeviled until they died.

He could think that all he wanted, but he would never share those feelings with his fellow castaways. The only one who could even handle hearing something like that was the professor, and Skipper was uncomfortably aware of his own earlier concerns regarding the man. On it’s face failure, the only harm that the professor’s despondence did was to himself, particularly if he did continue to bottle his concerns and feelings the way he had been doing. Skipper didn’t believe in a lot of the touchy feely nonsense that had been coming from the radio and before that from some of the less clean undergraduates he occasionally hired for the summer season. A man was supposed to be strong and determined in the face of adversity, but everyone had their breaking point. The girls periodically had raging catfights with each other, and the Howells had their days where it was clear that there was a full blown war going on in their hut. Certainly he blew off a lot of steam at Gilligan . Gilligan and the Professor were probably the only ones who didn’t have their moments.

The notion tickled around his brain that perhaps that was part of the problem. Gilligan, for all of his flaws, was basically a happy person. Skipper counted on that on a daily basis. It was as predictable as Gilligan dropping a plate. But the opposite of happy was unhappy, and until the last day or so, he wouldn’t have pegged the professor as being unhappy. But then, when you looked through a funhouse mirror, you didn’t see your opposite, you saw a weird distortion of yourself. He had thought at first that the professor’s comment about looking through a funhouse mirror and seeing Gilligan was obvious, but now he wasn’t so sure what the professor meant. If he meant anything at all.

It seemed straightforward. Of course Gilligan believed that there would be a rescue. He was a good kid, but just not very smart. The professor was very smart, and therefore thought that there would be no rescue. But… something wasn’t quite right about it and he couldn’t figure out why. He was positive that the professor had meant something else. Something important.

He pushed around the remains of his dinner. Mary Ann had made a delicious fish stew and brought the both of them a bowl, but the professor has scarcely touched his. He had also barely spoken, and had gone back to sleep after downing a glass of fruit juice. Which was also worrisome. It was clear that the professor was running a fever and that just added to Skipper’s concern.

“ Skipper, the women are retiring for the evening.” Howell said. He opened the flimsy bamboo door and stepped into the supply hut. “Your boon companion Gilligan is already asleep, no doubt chasing his little tail in his dreams. And I thought I’d come join our impromptu gentleman’s club. Of course it is a tad shabby but if you don’t report us to the home office of the Harvard Club, I won’t either.” Howell grinned. He opened his coat to reveal a flask. “ I thought you could use a convivial evening, Skipper.”

“ Mr. Howell, the professor is sleeping,” Skipper cautioned. Inwardly he sighed. Trust his luck that the one night that Howell found a generous bone was the same night that the professor was sick. Worse, Howell had one volume setting for his voice, booming. “ It may not be the best night for…this.” Although a drink would go down very well.

Howell ignored his protests and pulled up a crate to sit on. He took two of the coconut cups and began pouring what appeared to be rum into them. “ I’m sure the professor won’t mind. His allergy, you know. Besides, he drank that glass of mango juice?” Howell smiled when Skipper nodded. “ Then don’t worry. He’s having his share of the fun. I put a tranquilizer in that drink.”

“Why?” Skipper asked after a long moment.

Howell handed him a cup of rum. “ Skipper, I have a feeling that our island think tank may have sprung a leak. The question is how to we get the aquarium up and running again.”

“ Where did this rum come from?” Skipper asked. It was a touch too harsh for what he thought Howell’s tastes ran to in liquor. On the other hand, it had been three years. Even the Howell luggage stash wasn’t likely to still have aged alcohol. He also wanted to avoid the statement Howell had made. It was surprisingly apt.

“ The professor and I have a little arrangement,” Howell said easily. “ He made the still, I gather the fruits and we split the bounty.” He sniffed. “ I believe he uses his share in his experiments. Regardless, my dear captain, it’s clear that the professor is more than just a little tired. Any thoughts on how to rectify the situation?”

“ Well… no.” Skipper admitted. “ I thought maybe we could do something nice but…”

Howell nodded. “ The Professor is notoriously difficult to shop for.” The older man stood and looked around. “ Which is surprisingly considering that he’s hardly overwhelmed by his possessions in here. Why * does * the Professor live in the supply hut?”

It was a good question. And Skipper didn’t know.

very, very good!

Thanks. Does it feel in character? I was worried that thurstan was going to come off a little smarter than he was on the show.

At the same time, I can't help but think that there just had to be a still somewhere. :)

Thanks. Does it feel in character? I was worried that thurstan was going to come off a little smarter than he was on the show.

At the same time, I can't help but think that there just had to be a still somewhere. :)

They're all in character from what I can see, and I love how you're portraaying the Skipper. I always knew he was smarter than he seemed. Same goes for Mr. Howell.

Good job with this!

Thanks. Does it feel in character? I was worried that thurstan was going to come off a little smarter than he was on the show.

At the same time, I can't help but think that there just had to be a still somewhere. :)
Bravo! Just when I thought the story couldn't get any better, you proved me wrong! Mr. Howell, just like in the series, has the best lines and being observant about everyone goes along with his character very well.

I love how the Skipper reacts to Roy scaring Gilligan. I think of all the people on the island, besides the Howell's that is, that Roy and Jonas have the closest friendship. Whereas Jonas' relationship with Gilligan is more father/son. But the Skipper and the Professor have a mutal admiration for each other that often times comes across in the series.

Please continue this fic... it's awesome! You rock! Take a bow and I can't wait to see what awaits me when I get back from the hospital!

Big hugs!

Sheri

Wow, I really like this! It's great! I'm a big fan of getting inside the characters' heads and phsychoanalyzing them. heh. I think it's very in character. The type of thing you don't see on the show, but that, if they were real people, would definitely happen. Good job!

My only slight cringing comes from the slightly implied Professor/Mary Ann pairing. It's my opinion that Mary Ann belongs with Gilligan, and the Professor with Ginger. But still, great story! More people should write with Proffy as the main character. hee!

Yea, I agree the Proffy is left out a lot in fics. So, yay for this fanfic, its really good. :)

I'm not really going anywhere with the girls and the professor (more getting into how its all smiles between the two girls but that they are secretly thinking "bitch please" at each other).

The professor, to me, doesn't pair off well with either of the women, but if he had to pair off for some reason, I think it would be with Ginger, less because they are such a great match - cause to me they aren't - and more because Mary Ann and Gilligan are the more likely couple. I do see mary ann as more concerned and caring in this particular story than ginger, but it's her personality to be all "oh you poor dear". Her reaction to Skipper, Gilligan, or Mr Howell would be the same. the prof is nothing more than a big brother or youngish uncle who has troubles with the ladies to her in this.

I'm glad you folks are enjoying it. There should be more this weekend.

I'm not really going anywhere with the girls and the professor (more getting into how its all smiles between the two girls but that they are secretly thinking "bitch please" at each other).

The professor, to me, doesn't pair off well with either of the women, but if he had to pair off for some reason, I think it would be with Ginger, less because they are such a great match - cause to me they aren't - and more because Mary Ann and Gilligan are the more likely couple. I do see mary ann as more concerned and caring in this particular story than ginger, but it's her personality to be all "oh you poor dear". Her reaction to Skipper, Gilligan, or Mr Howell would be the same. the prof is nothing more than a big brother or youngish uncle who has troubles with the ladies to her in this.

I'm glad you folks are enjoying it. There should be more this weekend.

well said. :wave:

And here's a new section.

"Shirts"


Secretly, Gilligan liked being the first one up in the morning. The mornings were almost always cool and breezy, and he liked to see the sun rise over the lagoon. It was nice, like Hawaii only without the tourists. Sometimes, he just liked the peace and quiet, and sometimes it was nice to go fishing without anyone watching. He cast out another line and started to reel it in, when he heard footsteps coming from the path that let up to the hut clearing. “ I’m catching fish for breakfast, Skipper!”
He turned around, forgetting that he was holding the fishing rod. Much to his surprise, instead of the Skipper, it was the professor. More surprising, unlike the Skipper, the professor had stepped back, and simultaneously held out his hand, so that instead of bashing him in the head, he neatly caught the rod in his hand. “ Oh…” Gilligan said in surprise, “ Sorry Professor.”

“ You are predictable in your chaos, Gilligan.” The professor smiled, but Gilligan sensed it wasn’t an entirely nice thing that the professor said. That bothered him. He also didn’t understand why the professor was even down on the beach so early. Skipper had spent the night in the professor’s hut, coming back just as the sun had risen, telling him to go catch some fish and to leave the professor alone as he was still sick. The Professor didn’t look sick to Gilligan, in fact he seemed to have jogged down from the camp site since he was sweating a lot despite the rather cool morning.

“ Professor, are you mad at me?” It had certainly seemed so the last few days, but Gilligan couldn’t figure out what he had done. It was usually obvious.

“ Why would I be mad at you, Gilligan?” the Professor said pleasantly.

“ I don’t know,” Gilligan said miserably. He was starting to get that nervous, bad feeling again.

“ I’m sorry, Gilligan,” the professor said after a long moment. “ I’m the one with the problem, not you. I’m quite envious of your adaptability.”

“ Adapta-what?”

“The important thing, Gilligan, is that I’m not mad at you.” The professor gestured broadly towards the jungle. “ I have to go. I need to look for something, and I’m not sure where I will find it. Will you do me a favor and let everyone know?”

It seemed reasonable. The professor often went off by himself to look for things on the island.“ Sure, Professor, but… what are you looking for?”

“ I don’t know. The truth maybe. It’s been absent from my life for a while.” The professor said it breezily but he made Gilligan feel uneasy. Something wasn’t quite right, but Gilligan couldn’t think of any reason to really worry. The professor was always going off by himself and it never seemed to bother anyone.

Still… “ The Skipper said you were sick.”

“ I’m not now. I feel fine.” Again, it sounded right and yet, it seemed wrong. And he wasn’t all that sure that the Professor was telling the truth about feeling well.

“ Maybe you should wait until the Skipper gets up,” Gilligan said hesitantly.

“ I’m sure the Skipper will understand, and possibly even approve of why I have chosen to absent myself on a quest of enlightenment.” The professor smiled wryly. “ I think he would prefer that I not enlighten anyone, but especially you, Gilligan. Which is very ironic.”

“ Huh? Are you sure you’re still not sick, Professor?” Because he sure wasn’t making much sense.

“ I am just fine.” The professor started to walk away. “ I’ll be back when I have found what I am looking for.”

Gilligan watched him walk into the jungle. Then a thought struck him. “ Professor! If you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you find it?”

There was no answer.

LOL, poor befuddled Gilligan. That was a great chapter, can't wait to see what the Professor is up to. :)

that was great!

Hee hee thanks.

Gilligan is really difficult to write because he's not slow, but naive and innocent (and well, a little slow) and its really easy to make him too dumb.

The prof needs a hug. The comparison between the prof and gilligan, and telling the truth etc are all going somewhere. I promise.

Hee hee thanks.

Gilligan is really difficult to write because he's not slow, but naive and innocent (and well, a little slow) and its really easy to make him too dumb.

The prof needs a hug. The comparison between the prof and gilligan, and telling the truth etc are all going somewhere. I promise.

hmm. I'm really curious now, can't wait for more! :wave:

I'm not really going anywhere with the girls and the professor (more getting into how its all smiles between the two girls but that they are secretly thinking "bitch please" at each other).
HA HA! So true.

The professor, to me, doesn't pair off well with either of the women, but if he had to pair off for some reason, I think it would be with Ginger, less because they are such a great match - cause to me they aren't - and more because Mary Ann and Gilligan are the more likely couple.
I totally agree. It's a shame that Ginger's all we have to work with. *sigh* I don't like her much...she's not nearly good enough for my Roy. Mary Ann and Gilligan would match up quite well though, I think. Mrs. Howell knew what she was doing. :D

I'm really loving this. Great story! I'm looking forward to the next part.

Ginger wouldn't be bad with the Professor, I just think that he would have been more work than what she's used to, and she is a little self involved so that was always the turn off. Plus, yes he's the best looking of the men, but there's hardly a competition. None of the guys seem to dig the chicks all that much at all. Ginger would get bored with a guy who wasn't falling all over her all of the time, and even with years of exposure, the Professor generally had to be convinced of a crisis in order to touch her. His "unsanitary" comments betray his general opinion of women. When it comes to girls, he's still about five in his head and thinks they are icky with girl cooties. (Whatever happened to this stereotype? The brainy nerd who was good looking? Seems they are all chubbos with acne now)

I like the Mary Ann/Professor but I think he'd get bored, and she would know it. Besides, I have always applauded the theory presented in one of the brady bunch movies - that the Professor was Carol Brady's first husband who mysteriously disappeared on her.

Ginger wouldn't be bad with the Professor, I just think that he would have been more work than what she's used to, and she is a little self involved so that was always the turn off. Plus, yes he's the best looking of the men, but there's hardly a competition. None of the guys seem to dig the chicks all that much at all. Ginger would get bored with a guy who wasn't falling all over her all of the time, and even with years of exposure, the Professor generally had to be convinced of a crisis in order to touch her. His "unsanitary" comments betray his general opinion of women. When it comes to girls, he's still about five in his head and thinks they are icky with girl cooties. (Whatever happened to this stereotype? The brainy nerd who was good looking? Seems they are all chubbos with acne now)

There have been little indications though that Ginger WANTS him to touch her, though it does seem like she's frustrated with his lack of interest ("the Professor's only interested in my mind"). His awkward shyness and stammering around her sometimes though, in my mind, indicates that he's not exactly disinterested either...he just really doesn't know what to do. I always sort of figured the "unsanitary" thing was just because he was nervous and couldn't think of any other argument against kissing her in front of everyone, for a movie no less. He'd kissed Ginger before, and certainly hadn't complained (inconsistant writers! lol). But once they DID kiss, well, you saw what happened. THAT wasn't in the script. :D

And yeah, I wish they'd bring back the good-looking nerd stereotype. You don't see it much anymore. Nerds come in all packages...I never understood why acne made one a geek.

I do concede that his stammering and shyness do indicate some interest :) But in fairness, Ginger seems to do that to all the men, and it does fit her personality to seek out the best looking. I mean, every time they are forced to pair off to pretend to have a relationship, she does go right to the professor, and he does seem to need lessons in kissing a lot. He just seems to have given up on the whole business of girls long before being cast away. (The fun Friday evenings at the coffee shop chatting with the other professors were exclusively male evenings, you know) Plus, the prof is also the only guy on the island who just comes right and says sexist stuff to the girls. He's clearly inexperienced in dealing with the sisterhood :)

It is fun how Ginger and the Prof always seemed to get really out of hand when kissing - having read between the lines in Russell Johnson's book, I never got the impression he liked her.

The "goodlooking and smart but bad with women" character was a staple of the fifties and sixties. It seems like it fell by the wayside and it's really too bad. I get tired of weird and ugly on my tv.

Here's another part. A little short as I am reading Harry Potter.

"Shirts"


It had been a quiet morning, quieter than normal but Ginger wasn’t surprised. She had seen Mr. Howell entering the supply hut the night before with a somewhat mischievous expression on his face. She didn’t normally use her feminine powers of guile on Howell. She had morals after all, and girls who went after married men were just bad girls. Well, she knew a better word, but a good girl didn’t say that sort of word, oh no. However, it was important to keep on the good side of the richest man on the island so she always kept an eye out for when he was up to something.

She had peaked into the supply hut, not so much to spy but to make sure that the men weren’t up to something. They often kept things from the women and she had been worried that the professor was more sick than Skipper was letting on. She still wasn’t clear what exactly Skipper was worried about but she did know that the reason that Howell and Skipper were still in bed as the sun got closer to noon was because they had tied one on, as her father used to say.

Not that she was surprised about that. The alcohol supply was an open secret. She wasn’t a drinker, and Mary Ann certainly wasn’t. Skipper had likely been the only one who hadn’t known about the still, and she couldn’t think of any real reason why Howell and the Professor had kept it a secret. Still, judging by how he was still asleep, he must not have had a problem with it.

“ Ginger, do you think any of the men will be coming to lunch?” Mary Ann asked as she started to set the table. There was a touch of pique to her voice. Ginger knew without asking that Mary Ann did not approve of Howell and the Skipper drinking. “ Why don’t you wake up the Professor? My hands are full here.” She gestured to the table.

Ginger sighed inwardly. Of course Mary Ann was too busy. Mary Ann was always too busy to do anything that even slightly smacked of a risqué element. As if waking up a sick man would mar her innocence. “ Sure, Mary Ann.”
She walked over to the supply hut. She wasn’t a prude but it was a small island, and after three years, you either learned what buttons not to press and the professor was easily embarrassed. She knocked on the bamboo door. “ Professor?”

There was no answer. She sighed again and opened the door, but much to her surprise, the professor’s bed was empty. His clothes were gone, and everything looked to be neatly in it’s place. It looked, in other words, the way it always did, but she knew that wasn’t really right. The professor had been sick and hurt, enough that he had spent the day in bed. It seemed unlikely that he had just gotten better. More likely that he had wandered away in a feverish state, and that was not a good thing. They had been very fortunate that no one had ever gotten seriously ill and the last thing they needed was for that record to fall.

“Mary Ann!” she called as she rushed out of the hut. “ The professor’s not there! Did you see him at all this morning?”

Mary Ann frowned and set her stack of plates down. “ He’s gone? But he was sick… Ginger, you don’t think he’s delirious and gone off into the jungle do you?” Concern seemed to suddenly wash over the younger woman.

“ I hope not,” Ginger said quickly, “ but he’s not here, and I didn’t think he was well enough to get up at all. We need to find everyone and see if they have seen him.”

Really good! :)

Can't wait for more!

And here's some more :)

"Shirts"


“I really don’t see what the fuss is,” Mrs. Howell was saying as Gilligan walked into the main hut area. “ The Professor is always wandering about, doing whatever it is that he does. What is it he’s doing, Thurstan?”

“ Writing a book on the jungle foliage, Lovey.” Howell replied with a laugh. “ I can’t imagine it’ll be a best seller, but that’s the egghead temperment showing. You’ll never see a Harvard man write a book on jungle foliage.” He paused. “ Of course, it is just a midge concerning that the Professor left without telling anyone. Perhaps we should wake the Skipper.”

“ He’s not up yet,” chimed Mary Ann. “ He said something about a head ache…” Gilligan said nothing but he had a pretty good idea why the Skipper hadn’t gotten up. Skipper rarely indulged in drinking, but when he did, he was usually laid low the next day. Gilligan had been able to smell the rum on the man when he had returned to their hut early that morning. Someone was making alcohol on the island, he had spent far too many afternoons making pina coladas for the Howells at their makeshift golf course to not notice that the levels in the rum bottles seemed to go up and down without any regard to use.

“ Thurstan, darling,” purred Mrs. Howell, “ You said you had a head ache this morning. I wonder if all of you men aren’t coming down with something.”
“ I don’t really think it’s the same thing, sweetheart,” Mr. Howell said sheepishly. He spotted Gilligan and gestured for him to come closer. “ Gilligan, be a good fellow and fetch the Skipper.”

“ Sure Mr. Howell.” Waking up the Skipper was much more daunting than it sounded but he accepted that no one else was going to do it. It always seemed to end badly, although the Skipper rarely got truly mad. Sure enough, as he shook the Skipper in his hammock, he somehow managed to flip the Skipper onto the ground. “ Sorry Skipper! Mr. Howell wanted you!” Shouting sometimes took the edge off the Skipper’s anger.

The Skipper sprang to his feet and halfheartedly hit Gilligan with his hat and then clutched his head. “ Gilligan! What were you thinking?”

“That your eyes are really red.” They were, too.

“ I’ll show you red!” Skipper hit him a few more times, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it. Finally he said, “ What did you want, Gilligan?”

“ Mr. Howell wanted you,” Gilligan said easily, “ Everyone’s worried because they can’t find the professor.”

“ What? They can’t find the Professor? But he was…” The Skipper’s voice trailed off and he made for the door. Gilligan followed, wondering when it would be a good time to mention that he had seen the professor.
***

Skipper went right to the large table that everyone was gathered around. He felt like a fool. Someone should have been watching. He had planned on doing just that when Howell had suggested they have a few toasts and look what happened. “ Has anyone seen the professor today?”

The small assembled group were gathered around the large dining table and everyone but Gilligan shook their heads. He sighed. “ Folks, we have a serious problem. I didn’t want to worry anyone but… the Professor isn’t well.” He didn’t see any surprised looks. “When I went to bed this morning, I didn’t think he was going to feel well enough to get up, let alone leave the campsite. He was running a fever. We really need to find him before something happens.” Not that he hadn’t already considered the increasingly alarming possibilities.

“ You said he wasn’t that sick,” Mary Ann said after a moment. She seemed annoyed. “ Oh Skipper, why didn’t you tell us? I would have checked on him. So would Ginger.” Ginger nodded along to that.

“ I didn’t want you girls to worry, and neither did the professor.” Not exactly a lie. In truth, he doubted the professor had been in any state of mind to care. “ The important thing is that we find him.”
“ Oh, where could he have gone?” Mary Ann said.

“ He said he was going on a quest.” Gilligan offered. Everyone turned to look at him. Skipper felt his blood start to boil.

“ Gilligan,” he said softly as he pulled the smaller man closer. “ Did you see the Professor today?”

“ Yes, Skipper. Down by the lagoon. I asked him if he was all right and he said he was fine.” Gilligan waited expectantly. Inwardly, Skipper wished he had the Professor right there so he could strangle the man. No one but Gilligan would have believed him, and the professor knew that. Everyone else, even Mrs. Howell, would have spotted the tell tale signs of illness.

“ What else did he say, Gilligan?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“ That he was looking for something.”

“ What?”

“ I don’t know.” Before Skipper could hit him with his hat, Gilligan covered his head. “ I asked him, Skipper. He said he didn’t know either.” Gilligan hesitated. “ Maybe he was sick?”

“ Of course he was sick. Gilligan, did he say anything else? Like where he went?” Skipper tried not to sound too angry. If this was anyone’s fault, it was his, not Gilligan’s.

Gilligan nodded. “ He said he wanted enlightenment and that you didn’t want him to enlighten anyone but especially me. But I didn’t get it because if he was making lights, I know that you would want me to have one so I didn’t trip over you.”

Skipper decided to ignore it. Whatever the professor meant, using Gilligan guaranteed that the message would be garbled. There would be time to ponder it later, once the professor was found. “ All right, here’s what we’ll do.”

This is getting to be very interesting! :wave:

Yeah. I am still debating on whether we actually see the Prof during his "mad" scene or if i just bring him back happily mind wiped by the aliens :)

Yeah. I am still debating on whether we actually see the Prof during his "mad" scene or if i just bring him back happily mind wiped by the aliens :)

LOL, a mad scene, hmm.. sounds good to me. :)

wow, that was really good. Can't wait for more!

Thanks, Movie :)

Tibbs, I like the "mad" scene idea... to where I even have an idea what he might do - which is suicide. (Kinda heavy but I am not giving away anything when I say that he's kind of depressed because he is forced day in and day out to lie about how he thinks a rescue is feasible) The problem is that it's hard to back him away from the cliff plausibly. He has to do it on his own, because he really can't break the island morale - thats a canon issue.

On the other hand, it's hard to have him return enlightened without showing why.

I'm in a bind.

Thanks, Movie :)

Tibbs, I like the "mad" scene idea... to where I even have an idea what he might do - which is suicide. (Kinda heavy but I am not giving away anything when I say that he's kind of depressed because he is forced day in and day out to lie about how he thinks a rescue is feasible) The problem is that it's hard to back him away from the cliff plausibly. He has to do it on his own, because he really can't break the island morale - thats a canon issue.

On the other hand, it's hard to have him return enlightened without showing why.

I'm in a bind.

Well, whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be good, even though suicide sounds sad, but hey, its all good. ;)

Don't worry - in order to reveal some stuff, he has to live :)

Don't worry - in order to reveal some stuff, he has to live :)

Woo hoo! :woohoo:

Didn't want anyone to worry - I like "dark" but there's "dark" and then there's too dark.

I like happy endings.

I like the "mad" scene idea...mabey attempted suicide? Then he realizes how everyone is in the same position he is and that he has people that care bout him so he gets all happy. hahah jsut popped in my head while i was typing..well i really like the story!! not often do i read a GI dark story, lovin it!

Here's some "mad scene".

"Shirts"



It was surprisingly easy to evade his searching companions. If anyone knew the island, he did, and that wasn’t arrogance. The Howells and the girls were not adventurous in the slightest and rarely left the lagoon and camp area. Gilligan was hardly adept at walking and chewing gum at the same time, and the Skipper was a seaman, not a camper. He tended to avoid the deep jungle areas of the island.

It was also unlikely, Roy realized with some pleasure, that anyone would come near the area he had chosen to wait in. He had explored the area early in the first year that they had been stranded on the island. The highland surrounding the volcano were lushly populated by a variety of different species. It was also higher up, so he could have a good view of the island.

And of the ocean, which was almost one hundred feet below. It was a long drop down. He looked over the edge, and at the waves crashing on the rocks. He did the math in his head. If he jumped, he would hit the rocks in 4.2 second. For four seconds, a cool breeze would take the oppressive heat that surrounded him. Of course, then he would be dead. He pondered the trade off. It was a release of sorts, but he had been raised to believe that it was a cowardly thing. On the other hand, his current position was worse. Stuck on an unknown island with no chance of rescue, with six people who desperately needed to think that a rescue would come. A rescue, if it ever came, would be pure luck. The boat was beyond repair, even if there were some nails and boards to patch it. Building a raft and floating away was just as suicidal as jumping off a cliff, except that it was slower. Signal fires needed to be seen to work. He blinked, and the sun seemed to have crossed the sky.

In shock, he realized that he had spent the better part of the afternoon standing on the edge of the cliff. Shaken, he took a step back. The burning heat that had seemed to radiate all around him was gone. Instead, he felt oddly cold, colder than he had ever felt on the island. I’m sick, he thought suddenly, I’ve been sick for the last day or so. The cut must’ve gotten infected and I have spent the better part of a hot day standing in the sun. He put a hand to his forehead. It felt like he was trying to think through drying glue.

“ Professor! Don’t move! I’ll be right there!” The voice was much closer than he had expected, and he jumped, which sent gravel over the edge. He leaned back against the rockface, feeling sick and dizzy. Below, at an angle, the Skipper was making his way up the cliff path. It wasn’t an easy path and the bigger man was moving slow. He waved wildly. “ Just stay there!”

For an instant, that seemed like the best idea ever. Skipper and he would return to the camp site, and he could lie down and someone, probably Mary Ann, would bring a wet cloth to put on his forehead. But, a little voice reminded him, remember that you’ll be lying to them again. Lying that you think a rescue will come, lying about the chances… And he still had things to figure out, didn’t he? Like why he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t the only one with doubts. Or was it doubt?

“ Don’t come any closer!” he shouted, hoping that he didn’t sound too ridiculous. “I’m fine!”

“ You’re not fine! You’re sick and you need to be in bed!” There was a concerned edge to the Skipper’s voice. He slowly moved up the path. “ Maybe we should just talk. But not here, someplace nicer. Like down by the lagoon. Mary Ann made fruit punch.”

That sounded nice also. However, the chill sensation he felt all over brought sudden clarity. “ You’re lying, Jonas. You want the status quo. I’ll come back with you to camp, and everything will be as it always was, the way it always will be. It will always be like this. We’re never going to leave this place.”

The Skipper stopped his forward progress and looked at him nervously. “ Roy… I just want you to back away from the ledge. Do whatever you want, stay out in the jungle as long as you want… but just stay away from this cliff.” He held up his hands. “ I won’t come any closer but I sure wish you’d come down here.”

Again, it was tempting, more so because it was clear that the older man was genuinely concerned. Still… “ No, not yet. I’m still looking for something.” With that, he turned and started up the higher path that led away from the cliff face.

Very good, can't wait for more! :)

yay for the mad scene! I liked it.

woohoo lookin foward to hopefully some more madness!! haha

Totally Cool! I'm back from having surgery (it took the hospital almost 5 hours to get my discharge papers together and take out my central line, so I didn't get home till 8:30pm last night)... sigh. I feel like I've been away from this board for ages!

But as soon as I woke up this morning, I saw a whole bunch of updates to this thread and I was SO happy! Yay! Thank you for being so talented and for writing a truely wonderful dark Professor fic!

I've said it before, but I've been waiting around for a story like this for years and years; knowing I wasn't talented enough to pull it off myself, but wanting someone to come along who could pull it off!

And then along came Rap541! You've nailed the Professor and the other castaways perfectly! What great characterization! It's as if you've gotten inside my head ... and to me, that is no small feat! I cannot wait for more! Maybe there is some Professor hurt/comfort coming up soon?

It takes great and special care to be able to delve deeper into the hearts, souls, and minds of the inhabitants of the island and still keep them in character! It takes great talent, knowledge, and respect for the show to keep the plot moving along, while at the same time satisfying the thirst of your readers!

So, thank you again! I can't say it enough, really!

Love and Hugs!

Sheri

I like the "mad" scene idea...mabey attempted suicide? Then he realizes how everyone is in the same position he is and that he has people that care bout him so he gets all happy. hahah jsut popped in my head while i was typing..well i really like the story!! not often do i read a GI dark story, lovin it!
I agree! An attempted suicide would make him even more vulnerable than he is right now... being sick and depressed. Seing The Professor vulnerable is really rather refreshing! Plus, I'd get my hurt/comfort fix!

- Sheri

Hee. He was seriously contemplating jumping off the cliff, you know. Glad yer out of the hospital, Sheri, and that you enjoy the story. :)

But seriously, I rather like your fic as well. Don't sell yourself short. I've been kinda hoping to see it continue myself :)

Gosh I feel like a ****** saying this but... what is hurt/comfort? I see this referencing fic a lot but I don't know what it means.

Hee. He was seriously contemplating jumping off the cliff, you know. Glad yer out of the hospital, Sheri, and that you enjoy the story. :)

But seriously, I rather like your fic as well. Don't sell yourself short. I've been kinda hoping to see it continue myself :)

Gosh I feel like a ****** saying this but... what is hurt/comfort? I see this referencing fic a lot but I don't know what it means.
It means fan fics that contain one or more characters being injured or hurt in some physical and/or emotional way with one or more characters providing comfort to this person. The comfort might not come right away in the story, it just depends on your plot.

I tend to lean towards physical AND emotional hurt happening to one character with comfort coming from at least one other character... being male or female... it doesn't matter to me. But what DOES matter is that the victim or injured character does recieve comfort.

I don't care for death fan fics and I won't read them. (Meaning the death of a canon character)

Did that help any?

I first knew I liked these kind of stories when I was young and watched a lot of westerns. If you think about a lot of them from the fifties, sixties, and seventies, they used hurt/comfort a lot. "Bonanza" is one that comes to mind first and foremost.

Hugs!

Sheri

Hee. He was seriously contemplating jumping off the cliff, you know. Glad yer out of the hospital, Sheri, and that you enjoy the story. :)

But seriously, I rather like your fic as well. Don't sell yourself short. I've been kinda hoping to see it continue myself :)

Gosh I feel like a ****** saying this but... what is hurt/comfort? I see this referencing fic a lot but I don't know what it means.

Thanks for the well wishes, Rap and for saying you want me to continue my story. :D

I really should continue it, but I feel it is so inadequate now... I'm thinking of starting over. I might not have the Professor become romantically involved with anyone first of all. Reading your fic has helped me realize that the Professor might not be compatible with either of the two girls, and that's okay! :)

I wanna' write like you when I grow up! :)

Here's a new part

"Shirts"

“Dammit…” Skipper muttered as he lost sight of the professor. “ Dammit, dammit, dammit!” He slapped his hat against the cliff side. He had spotted the professor and had been trying to sneak up on the man. It was just his luck that the man had snapped out of his trance or whatever it was just in time to take off. There was no way that he could quickly follow the professor. He wasn’t as young and certainly wasn’t as agile. He wasn’t entirely certain he could make it up to where he had seen the professor. He had always been better at sea than land, and the professor knew the island better than anyone else. “ Dammit!”

“ Having a bad day, Skipper?” Skipper jumped in surprise at the sound of Howell’s voice. He was embarrassed. It was rare that he cursed and Howell was not the sort to curse in front of. Howell was alone, which was a surprise. He had told the older man to search around the camp area with Mrs. Howell. Howell wasn’t a young man, or given to much exertion even during a crisis.

Howell didn’t even look like he’d broken a sweat. He was neatly dressed in yet another loud Hawaiian shirt and shorts, looking for all the world like he was out on a nice stroll. “ Did you perchance spot the elusive professor?”

Skipper mentally sighed. The cursing wasn’t going to be an issue. “ I did but he ran off before I could get close enough to him.” Close enough to manhandle him back to camp and tie him down to his damn cot was unspoken. “ What are you doing here?”

“ I thought it was getting a little too hot for someone of Lovey’s delicate constitution to wandering about the jungle wilderness. And I may not be a professor, but those clouds look a tad ominous. Perhaps the wiser course is to head back to camp for the evening?” Howell spoke with his usual diffident jocularity, but there was an edge of worry to his voice.

“ I can’t just leave the Professor out here,” Skipper said after a moment. “ He’s sick… out of his head…” Possibly suicidal but he didn’t want to go there with Howell. The millionaire was a good man in his own way, but he had a tendency to repeat things that were better left unsaid. Plus there was the whole problem of Howell always using his “outdoor” voice.

Howell nodded agreement. “ Of course, we don’t want to fail at our self appointed task but you need to think of the greater good. This isn’t an issue of dare I say, it? Cowardice? But of necessity. This is already a chancy situation. Do you really think it’s made better if both you and the professor are caught out in a storm? I’ve run multiple corporations. I know a little bit about crisis. Staying out is a bad idea.”

It was a good argument, better than he had expected from Thurstan Howell, who was a nice enough fellow but as self centered as Ginger Grant when he wanted to be. “ I almost had him.”

Howell chuckled. “ No you didn’t. The scientific sort are just high strung. We just need to let him do whatever it is that he is doing. He’ll get over it in a few days and come back and in the mean time we’ll let the women plan some sort of surprise for him.”

“ But I think there’s something really wrong with him,” Skipper said after a moment.

“ My dear skipper, there’s always something wrong with his sort. Why, the stories I could tell you about Los Alamos would make running off through the jungle look like the pinnacle of sanity.”

oo very good!! the plot thickens with a storm lol looking foward to some more!!

LOL, Skipper ranting...very good, love it! :wave:

Great chapter, loved it. :)

Woo-hoo! An update! I am really fond of "your" Skipper, Rap! Mr. Howell is showing how with age brings wisdom... perfect! It seems even Thurston is worried.... but more for the greater good of the castaways than the Professor individually.

Can't wait to read more!

Sheri

:wave: In honor of Rap541 and her fic "Shirts", I'm posting two pics.

Photo 1 looks as if Mr. Howell is offering the Professor some tranquillizers :)

And Photo 2 shows the Professor in a fevered dream maybe? You know... let your imagination run with it.... LOL!

Let me know what you guys think!

Hugs!

Sheri

Hi! Did anyone see the pics I posted in honor of "Shirts"? Anyone have a favorite of the two?

Rap541... we can we expect an update? I know it's only been five days and I should be patient, LOL... but patience is not my best virtue. :)

Hugs!

Sheri

Can't ... write... watching "Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Movie"

Hee hee "What the hell is up with "and the rest?""

Will .... update.... soon....

Can't ... write... watching "Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Movie"

Hee hee "What the hell is up with "and the rest?""

Will .... update.... soon....

LOL :lol: Hope to see an update soon! ;)

Hi! Did anyone see the pics I posted in honor of "Shirts"? Anyone have a favorite of the two?

Rap541... we can we expect an update? I know it's only been five days and I should be patient, LOL... but patience is not my best virtue. :)

Hugs!

Sheri

Are you going to be updating any time soon? I'm with Jonny, patience isn't my best virtue either. ;)

Must... tear... eyes... away... from... "THE HORROR OF SPIDER ISLAND!"


"Shirts"


Gilligan was quick to head off to the lagoon, rather than deal with his increasingly upset fellow castaways. It had been three days since anyone had seen the professor and people were getting more worried than he had ever seen. Which surprised him since if there was anyone capable of handling a few days by themselves in the jungle hinterlands of the island, it was the Professor. Still, he had to admit he was a little worried, himself. Skipper insisted that the professor was sick and with the storms they had had every day, it probably wasn’t a good thing. His mother had often warned of how bad it could be to get wet when sick. Still, he had no real concern. Things always worked out. They always did on the island, no matter what the problem.

Besides, with the professor missing, it took a lot more effort to keep tempers from flaring. The girls had decided, in the professor’s absence, to resize a number of Mr. Howell’s less flamboyant shirts for him. It was a nice idea, especially since once the Howell crest was removed, the shirts looked just like the professor’s regular shirts. Gilligan thought it was very nice of the women but it had somehow led to a series of loud arguments between the three of them. Mr. Howell and Skipper had also been cross and Gilligan was determined to brighten everyone’s morning with fresh fish for breakfast.

Or at least he would have some pleasant quiet time. If he was really lucky, he would get both.

Much to his surprise, the professor was sitting by the lagoon, casually skipping rocks across the water. “ Professor?” he called out, in surprise, “ What are you doing here?”

“ I am skipping rocks,” the professor said pleasantly. “ You’re up very early, Gilligan. Do you think the fishing is better this early? Or do you just like the view? It is a remarkable view, when you take the time to watch the sun rise.

Gilligan considered what to do. The most important thing, according to the Skipper, was that if anyone found the professor, they were to get the professor to come back to the campsite. Failing in that, they were to stay with the professor and make sure he was all right. There had been an odd undercurrent through that conversation. It was one of those times where it had been clear the Skipper was trying to say more than he was actually saying. It was annoying really. They had all been worried. It was also annoying that the professor was sitting there so casually after having made everyone worry. He decided to not be nice about it. After all, if he had done the same thing, everyone would be pretty peeved, and yet he knew without even having to think about it that no one was going to take the professor to task over his behavior. “ You know, Professor, everyone’s been really worried. I got into trouble for not stopping you from running off.”

“ I’m sure you did, and I * am * sorry about that.” The Professor gestured to Gilligan to take a seat beside him. He skipped another rock across the lagoon as Gilligan sat down beside him. “ Do you know what my problem is, Gilligan?”

“ You’re sick. Skipper said that cut you had was infected.” And that the Professor was out of his mind with fever, although that had been said by Mr. Howell, and rather quietly to Mrs. Howell. “ Everyone has been worried.”

“ Yes, I know. And I was ill, although that just exacerbated the real problem.” The professor threw another stone, badly in that it just sank into the water instead of skipping merrily over. “ I think too much.”

Yes, Gilligan thought, that had been said a few times in the past few days, although he was polite enough to not say so. Still, while he understood from the tone in which everyone said it that it was a bad thing, he didn’t really understand why. In fact, normally everyone thought very highly of the Professor and all of the thinking he did, and rather less of him. “ The Skipper says I don’t think enough.”

The Professor shook his head. “ You do think, you just don’t always consider the consequences, while I think about the consequences far too much. I worry, and worry, and think about all the things that could go wrong, and the worst part is that I can’t discuss these things with anyone. Because no one here is capable of hearing the truth without having a very bad reaction, and sometimes it’s very difficult to keep a big secret. That’s where I am at right now. I have a secret that I need to tell.” The Professor eyed him carefully. “ Would you like to know what it is, Gilligan?”

“I’m not very good with secrets,” Gilligan said. He suddenly didn’t like where the conversation was heading. He didn’t want to know what terrible thing the professor had been worrying about.

The professor smiled at him, a genuine smile. “ Gilligan, you are the best at keeping secrets. It took a while for me to realize that you’re a much more accomplished liar than I am.”

YAY an update! :wave:

WOO HOO! I liked it.

Ooh yay! More! :D

I may add one more section but I think this wraps it up.

"Shirts"



Roy watched Gilligan squirm with little pleasure. He thought he had a pretty good idea of why Gilligan was lying, and his cynical side heartily approved. Still, it was never fun to be confronted with one’s lies. “ It’s all right, Gilligan. I’m not angry. I’m relieved. Because I know that it’ll be a miracle if we are ever rescued. It’s about as likely as….” He searched for a metaphor that Gilligan would understand. “ It’s about as likely as skipping a rock over the lagoon thirty times in one throw. We’re most likely going to spend the rest of our lives here.” He paused. “ Admit it, that doesn’t bother you, does it?”

Gilligan looked stricken. Finally he said, “ No, not really. It’s nice here. I like it here. But… I don’t say that to everyone because everyone wants to go home. Everyone is so unhappy here, it’s wrong for me to be happy when everyone else is sad. Isn’t that why you’ve been acting so crazy? Because you want to go home?”

“ Not exactly,” Roy said after a moment. “ Because… because it’s not easy to not talk about things. It’s really not easy to lie, to look everyone in the face and say we’re going to be rescued when I know we aren’t.” He chuckled. “ I think I snapped.”

“ That’s what Mr. Howell said. That and that you were a high strung hot house flower that needed to be in a university environment in order to survive.” Gilligan smirked. “ Or something like that. Skipper said you were mad with fever.”

“ What did you think?” It wasn’t just a passing question, Roy thought as he casually threw another rock into the lagoon. Gilligan wasn’t stupid, despite his near constant screw ups and silly behavior.

“ A little of both.” Gilligan said easily. He skipped a smooth rock across the water. “ Did you find what you were looking for? Did you find anything interesting? Like another volcano? Or a way to get rescued?”

“ As a matter of fact, about two days ago, I found a mysterious hatch that for some reason I was convinced I had to open. Then I found a wrecked slave galleon in the middle of a valley on the other side of the island. It was filled with dynamite and I was all set to take the dynamite from the ship and blow up the hatch to get at what was inside when I tripped and fell into a ravine and lost consciousness. When I woke up hours later, half in and out of a shallow stream, I came to the realization that I had been hallucinating the entire time.” He sighed. “ And that’s how I spent the last three days. But I think I did find peace of mind.”

“ I don’t think anyone is going to believe that.” Gilligan said easily.

“ No, probably not. I’ll stick to mad with fever.” He started to brush off the sand from his clothes. “ Gilligan, let’s make a deal. The next time I need to explain that rescue is never going to happen, I’m going to come and find you and you can tell me that I think too much, and the next time you want to admit that you aren’t terribly unhappy about my news, you should come to me. How does that sound?”

“ It’s a deal.” Gilligan stood up and threw one last rock. He started to count the skips it made out loud. “… twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty! Hey Professor, I guess that means we will be rescued.”

“ It’s statistically unlikely,” Roy said as he stood up.

“ Professor, this is one of those times you’re thinking too much.”

lol, love the tid bit from lost, I liked this chapter. :)

I couldn't resist. I'm pretty convinced that it's the same island :)

I liked it! So is that all, or is there another little section?

I am still debating whether there will be a little " yay! the professor came back and is not obviously insane!" party :)

I am still debating whether there will be a little " yay! the professor came back and is not obviously insane!" party :)

LOL :lol:

I am still debating whether there will be a little " yay! the professor came back and is not obviously insane!" party :)
Yay! Another awesome chapter! Please don't let this be the end... I'd love to see him return to camp and find out everyone's reaction! Thanks so much for writing this for us... it is a real treat and I hope you have more fic ideas up your sleeve that involve Roy and angst/drama.

Hugs!

Sheri

:wave: In honor of Rap541 and her fic "Shirts", I'm posting two pics.

Photo 1 looks as if Mr. Howell is offering the Professor some tranquillizers :)

And Photo 2 shows the Professor in a fevered dream maybe? You know... let your imagination run with it.... LOL!

Let me know what you guys think!

Hugs!

Sheri

I'll take photo number Two for $800, Alex.

Can we say "rowr, rowr!"

Enjoying "Shirts" so far; glad I stumbled in here!

Heehee... thanks for the pictures Sheri! I choose picture number two for some odd reason *Grin* I like the other one as well!