"There!" Harry cries and begins pounding through the sand at lightening speed. His right hand is raised above his head, pointing to the grey blob in the sky making all the noise. I squint upwards, shielding my eyes from the sun like a cap. It's a sort of gentle whirring sound, much like that of... a helicopter. 

"Oh my gosh!" I shriek at the sudden realisation and begin racing after Harry; my arms waving frantically in the air in the hopes that I might be seen. My hat is thrown off my head but I ignore it and continue on; my limbs buzzing with excitement. 

Harry's doing the same and calling out desperately in a high-pitched tone that I've never heard him use before. "HEY!" 

I can't help but wonder if we just look like ants from up there or whether they've seen the SOS sign at all. But it pauses, coming to a stand still over our lonely island. 

"Harry, look!" I call out but he's already seen it. He's jumping on the spot; flaring his arms and legs out as if performing repetitive incorrect star-jumps. 

My heart is practically beating out of my chest at the prospect of being rescued...of going home. The tears of relief are already pooling in my eyes and I can feel my lips twitching with the threat of an oncoming grin. 

This is the moment we have been waiting for. 

The moment we have been surviving for. 

The whirring starts up louder again but the helicopter is no longer hovering above us. It's moving away. 

"WAIT!" Harry cries out, chasing it down the beach as if he might actually have a chance of catching up with it. I hear the splash of his body against the sea water as he throws himself in but my own feet anchor into the sand, refusing to move another step...refusing to feel the sting of disappointment. 

And just as quickly as the hope had come - it was gone. 

author's note: Three updates in one weekend!! As you can tell, we are now slowly approaching the rescue!