Alexandra saw Oliver standing up and limping away from camp.

“Oli, where are you going?”

He turned around towards her and waved. Alex ran a little until she had reached the camp. She untied the vines and let them fall on the ground.

“Hi Alex, I was just about to... Well, I got stung by a jellyfish while I was giving Kerry Sarah a bath in the ocean. I guess the tide brought them closer to the shore.”

Alexandra’s eyes followed the line of his body. They followed the swell of his arms muscles, the flatness of his stomach, the lean muscles in his legs, down to his calf. She saw angry red markings on his leg.

“What were you going to do?”

Oliver looked a little embarrassed and rubbed his arm.

“Well, I was going to... urinate on it. I’ve heard that it will relieve the stinging.”

Alexandra looked at him; emotions flying over her face. Worry, repulsion, confusedness and lastly horror. She stuck the branch in the ground and walked over to Oliver and grabbed his arm.

“Don’t do it Oliver. Don’t pee on yourself. It’s not a cure, it’s just a myth. The acids in urine will actually activate the remaining toxics in the sting. It will get worse.”

Oliver looked at her in shock.

“You are joking right?”

Alexandra shook her head and pulled him back to camp.

“No I’m not. I always thought that peeing on it would clear the stings as well, so I googled it. I discovered that it’s not true at all. It actually has the opposite effect and awakens the dormant toxins.

Oliver shuddered and sat down on the side of the boat. Alexandra opened the First Aid kit and looked at what was lift. She took out a bottle of liquid.

“Alcohol... I won’t put that on.”

Suddenly a light dawned on her. She grabbed her on bag and searched through it.

“I am certain I got it with me.”

She took out a package of wipes and placed them on her knees. She opened the back zipper and stuck her hand it.

“I know it’s somewhere in here... Aha!”

She took out a little tube of ointment. She pushed Oliver back in the boat so his legs were higher.

“Okay, now sit still.”

next chapter