Survive, then survive properly.

  He walked along the bank and breathed in the thick smell of wet soil and plants warmed by the sun. Here the river cut through ancient rock, carving its way through soft hills and narrow valleys. The forest along the water was nothing like the northern woods he was used to. Everything looked untouched, as if the world had only just been created.

  Tall trees with wide crowns were tangled together with vines. Between their trunks stood giant ferns, spaced far apart. Beneath them grew dense grass, lush and sharp, still covered with drops of dew that did not dry even by noon. Birds cried somewhere high above, unseen and colorful like pieces of the sky. Branches above the water shone with moisture. Dark lizards sat on exposed roots and lazily watched every step he took.

  The air felt thick and heavy, almost alive with the breath of the earth. Sometimes the wind carried the smell of rot and flowers at the same time. Life here never paused for even a moment. All this wild green world followed its own rules, and Dan felt like a random guest who had stepped into a place that was not meant for him.

  Soon he noticed something unusual.

  The river suddenly slowed here, almost as if it had grown tired after a long run. The current split into two channels. The one closer to him widened and spread out into a quiet backwater with a dark mirror like surface. Farther downstream the water gathered itself again and crashed over rocks in steep rapids. The second channel, behind a strip of land, stayed fast and restless like the river above.

  Between the two flows stretched a piece of land covered with bushes and grass. It looked like a broken piece of the bank that had somehow become stuck between the currents. Not large and not tiny either. Just big enough for someone to settle there.

  The island was not large, but it was far from small. There was enough space for a tent, a couple of fires, and a good supply of dried meat. In the center rose a small hill. Judging by the layers of sand and gravel, even high water would not drown it. Thick greenery grew along the edges. On one side the river roared. On the other there was almost silence.

  Crossing the backwater took only a few minutes. Dan threw the bundle with his things over his shoulder, checked the bottom with a stick, and slowly stepped into the water. The coolness felt good. No underwater surprises like crocodile jaws. That alone was already good news.

  The river rumbled quietly as it rolled over the stones. Its branches wrapped around the long rocky island covered with bushes and scattered trees. It looked like a small oasis caught in the middle of raging water. When Dan climbed onto the island, water dripped from his clothes. His head buzzed with adrenaline, and his hands shook from the cold rather than fear.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He spent a long time studying the ground on the far bank. There were no tracks. No animal prints. No human ones either. Everything looked a little too perfect to be real.

  So he decided to stay.

  And he joked to himself.

  "I officially declare this base established. I hope nobody shows up to take it away."

  He stood in the middle of this new world, soaked through, gripping the long dry branch that had helped him move along the river. Everything around him felt strange and untouched, as if no human had ever walked here before. The river separated him from the shore, but that isolation gave him an unexpected sense of safety.

  Here it was only him and the rest of the world.

  The first thing he did was explore the island. It turned out to be about half the size of a football field. In the center stood a raised mound of sand and gravel that was high enough to avoid flooding during seasonal rises in the river. Nearby stood several trees with wide spreading crowns that looked a little like acacias. He chose one of them as his place. The trunk could serve as part of a future shelter.

  Near the water he found several flat stones that would work as stands or surfaces for preparing food. Everything around him seemed to whisper the same message.

  Settle in. This is your first line of defense.

  He was alone. Truly alone. No communication. No navigation. Not even a cup of coffee. Only him and this river. Only his past experience, army training, and memories of hundreds of survival shows on Discovery.

  "Well Robinson," he muttered under his breath, "now it is real."

  He started with the essentials. Shelter and fire.

  The weather was beginning to change. Wind from the river grew stronger. The sky darkened and the air carried the smell of rain. It would start soon. That meant shelter first.

  He chose a place beneath a large tree whose crown already provided some natural cover. Nearby he found several long branches and tied them together with bark and flexible vines to make a slanted frame. On top he laid wide leaves, grass, and pieces of moss. Anything that might slow the rain.

  The result looked like something between a lean to and a simple hut.

  He knew it would not last long. For now the important thing was that the rain would not drown the fire and leave him without warmth. Under the shelter he cleared a small area, lined it with stones, and stacked a supply of dry branches nearby. While the sky was still gathering strength he needed to make fire.

  He placed dry moss and grass under the frame, twisted a cord from plant fibers, carved a stick, and made a wooden base. The friction method. He tried to remember every video and article he had ever seen. It felt like the first camp all over again, but this time he was more confident.

  Sweat ran down his face. His palms burned. He cursed under his breath.

  Then finally a thin thread of smoke appeared.

  A moment later a small glowing coal formed.

  He bent over it and breathed gently, as if warming a newborn with his breath. The fire caught. Flames rose.

  Dan let out a long breath.

  "Yes!" he shouted, clenching his fist.

  But it is the first place Dan chooses instead of just reacting.

  Would you stay here longer, or keep moving?