was even one plank of a wooden crate or a single spent cigarette butt left behind. In fact, the only visible reminders of human civilization were a flagpole with a newly sewn banner and a bright green storage tent pitched near the tree line which contained snorkeling gear, swimming goggles, life jackets, surfboards, and beach towels. The community’s kayak, sailboats, rowboats, and six-person motorized launch were stored between inland trees and the LCVP (now decorated with a large rainbow and peace signs painted by the island’s children) was anchored south of the beach nearest the base camp. No one wanted the pristine beaches of Paradise spoiled by the bulky invasion craft, however necessary it had proved for disembarkation.
Atop the flagpole, a banner fluttered and folded in the tropical breeze. The flag was divided between two equal-sized horizontal stripes (one green and the other red) that represented environmental purity and social justice. Atop the stripes was a large blue circle representing earth—which was adorned with brown and green continents, the most prominent among them being the Eurasia landmass. The flag waved from a thirty-foot steel flagpole anchored in a concrete foundation. More than a mere decoration, the banner served as a marker for nearby ships and indicated state sovereignty over the island. Every time the flag fluttered or snapped, it declared that a State of Paradise now numbered among the nations.
7
A State of Nature
The first emigrants arrived at dawn. A crate of MREs was opened and each settler collected four of the brick-sized rations, with parents choosing suitable meals for younger children. The morning was warm and it wasn’t long before every tent was dried and every bedroll stowed. All four neighborhoods assembled at prearranged staging points that led to the four corners of the island. One group planned to move a short distance north along the eastern shore and another expected to hike southwest into a large forest. A third group positioned themselves to move along the coast to the northernmost point of the island while the fourth neighborhood planned to cross the island’s nine-hundred foot hill to encamp themselves near the western shores of Paradise.
Ryan and Kit Godson were assigned to the fourth neighborhood and were among the first residents to rise. Kit prepared breakfast from a MRE while Ryan folded their tent. When they were ready to move, Ryan pulled a laminated map from a nylon pouch and worked with several neighbors to plot the easiest route to their destination: a meadow located near an inland bay. The hikers decided it best to flank the steeper segments of the hill by circling northwest to the lowest point of the ridge—from which they could turn south to their allotted land. After mapping their route, Ryan returned the map to its pouch and prepared to depart. Neighbors helped one another buckle into backpacks, shifting awkward weight and redistributing uncomfortable objects or handing tools to those posed to move. Only one or two neighbors failed to offer assistance.
Ryan was the first hiker saddled up. His backpack was stuffed full (every compartment bulging with possessions and a sleeping bag tied atop). Both a compass and binoculars dangled from his neck and a canteen was strapped to his side. He wore loose-fitting khakis, drab hiking boots, and an olive tee shirt—and held a machete.
Kit stood beside him, dressed in stylish green hiking shorts and a brown cotton shirt, and shielding her eyes with wrap-around sunglasses and her hair with a pink sports cap embroidered with the name Angels . She covered her calves with red wool-blend socks and her ankles with green canvas-nylon boots—which Ryan helped lace while Kit steadied the unwieldy bundle on his back as he kneeled to pull her bootlaces tight. Kit’s own backpack was smaller than Ryan’s and less bulky. Indeed, several pouches remained empty and her ultra-light sleeping roll was tucked
Atop the flagpole, a banner fluttered and folded in the tropical breeze. The flag was divided between two equal-sized horizontal stripes (one green and the other red) that represented environmental purity and social justice. Atop the stripes was a large blue circle representing earth—which was adorned with brown and green continents, the most prominent among them being the Eurasia landmass. The flag waved from a thirty-foot steel flagpole anchored in a concrete foundation. More than a mere decoration, the banner served as a marker for nearby ships and indicated state sovereignty over the island. Every time the flag fluttered or snapped, it declared that a State of Paradise now numbered among the nations.
7
A State of Nature
The first emigrants arrived at dawn. A crate of MREs was opened and each settler collected four of the brick-sized rations, with parents choosing suitable meals for younger children. The morning was warm and it wasn’t long before every tent was dried and every bedroll stowed. All four neighborhoods assembled at prearranged staging points that led to the four corners of the island. One group planned to move a short distance north along the eastern shore and another expected to hike southwest into a large forest. A third group positioned themselves to move along the coast to the northernmost point of the island while the fourth neighborhood planned to cross the island’s nine-hundred foot hill to encamp themselves near the western shores of Paradise.
Ryan and Kit Godson were assigned to the fourth neighborhood and were among the first residents to rise. Kit prepared breakfast from a MRE while Ryan folded their tent. When they were ready to move, Ryan pulled a laminated map from a nylon pouch and worked with several neighbors to plot the easiest route to their destination: a meadow located near an inland bay. The hikers decided it best to flank the steeper segments of the hill by circling northwest to the lowest point of the ridge—from which they could turn south to their allotted land. After mapping their route, Ryan returned the map to its pouch and prepared to depart. Neighbors helped one another buckle into backpacks, shifting awkward weight and redistributing uncomfortable objects or handing tools to those posed to move. Only one or two neighbors failed to offer assistance.
Ryan was the first hiker saddled up. His backpack was stuffed full (every compartment bulging with possessions and a sleeping bag tied atop). Both a compass and binoculars dangled from his neck and a canteen was strapped to his side. He wore loose-fitting khakis, drab hiking boots, and an olive tee shirt—and held a machete.
Kit stood beside him, dressed in stylish green hiking shorts and a brown cotton shirt, and shielding her eyes with wrap-around sunglasses and her hair with a pink sports cap embroidered with the name Angels . She covered her calves with red wool-blend socks and her ankles with green canvas-nylon boots—which Ryan helped lace while Kit steadied the unwieldy bundle on his back as he kneeled to pull her bootlaces tight. Kit’s own backpack was smaller than Ryan’s and less bulky. Indeed, several pouches remained empty and her ultra-light sleeping roll was tucked
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