In the beginning of the short story, I think the main character and his assitant crew member are on a boat and looking at the island and discussing how no one ever comes back from that place. The main character falls into the water but the boat keeps on going and he gets washed onto the shore of the island.
Hope this helped!
The answer is D.I.D. aka dissociative identity disorder.
Answer:
I am living until my life supports my life.
I believe the answer to your question will be hard water because it has more minerals and that would make it the preferred water to drink.