CHAPTER 5
MAY 30TH –DAY 58
The wind increased to sixty knots. The waves, already twenty-five feet high, tossed the Bright Moon like a toy in a tub full of water.
“It’s bad, sir,” the navigator reported to Johnson, “and it’s gonna get worse. We’ve handled small boats, not military ships like this one, especially in a full-blown hurricane. This ship would normally have a larger crew. We don’t even have enough men to batten her down.”
“We’ve lost computer communications with the control room,” shouted the Con.
“Get the other men into the control room,” ordered Johnson.
“Yes, sir,” replied the helmsman.
MAY 31ST –DAY 59
The white, solid meat, roasted under the red-hot coals of the campfire, reminded Matthew of the walleyes his father used to catch. The green, grass-like vegetable Ron had found, tasted a little like lettuce. Perhaps dandelion was a better description, the latter somewhat bitter in flavor. Too bad they didn’t have a kettle to boil it.
Matthew glanced over at Steve and Jo Ann. After the fracas between Dave and Steve, the couple had entered into an uneasy truce. At least Steve wasn’t badgering her any more.
Even Chuck and Cindy seemed to be coping better. Helen was talking to Marie and was looking the other way. Now was his chance. Matthew got up, stayed low, and sneaked around the hut and headed for the beach. He walked in a different direction than usual, keeping close to the trees so as not to be seen.
Good grief, this was stupid. Why didn’t he just tell her he wasn’t interested?
The campfire had almost died down when Su Li saw Helen got up. She was going to look for Matthew, thought Su Li. She wanted to run to the beach but restrained herself. Helen glanced in her direction, gave her a wan smile and sighed as if relieved to see Su Li.
A few minutes later, Su Li left for her walk. It was dark and the moon, almost full, bathed the shore in white light. Helen was on the beach; Matthew was nowhere in sight.
Su Li smothered a laugh. He had rejected Helen again. The same as at the pool.
Helen looked at her. “Have you seen Matthew?”
“No, perhaps he is back at the campfire.” Su Li wondered if she would tell Helen, even if she had seen him. Helen turned and went back to the camp.
Su Li took a natural path that wound up a small rise and ended at a small clearing overlooking the ocean. At the end of the clearing was a rock. She sometimes felt it had been placed there specifically for her. She liked to sit on it and gaze out over the ocean. Just as she neared it, Matthew appeared on top of it. He saw her at the same time.
“Do I have your spot?”
“No –well, yes. I enjoy sitting there. It is a beautiful view.”
He smiled down at her. “It’s a good spot. You found it first. You can have it.”
“No, please.”
He had already jumped down, touching lightly on his feet. “Too late, and I’m too lazy to climb back up. You’ll either have to climb the rock or walk with me.” She nodded and together they walked down the path to the beach.
Su Li looked out over the ocean, and thought about the conversation that they’d had the night the ship had sunk. “It is hard to believe that a month ago we almost died with eight hundred other people. I am sure that everyone thinks we are dead. Sometimes I have nightmares about that night.”
“I think we all do.” They walked for a while without talking.
“I still can’t believe that you jumped into the water,” he said. “You could have drowned.”
“You needed help. If you had died, we may all have died. It was obvious you were the only one who could get us off the ship safely.”
“I’m not so sure that that’s true. Any one of the others could have done it.”
“That is not true, and you know it. We look to you for leadership. We depend on you to get us out of here.”
“And what do you expect me to do? No one will even think about rowing again. I’m not even sure I would recommend it. We almost didn’t survive it. I don’t even know where we are, much less how far away the coast is.”
He sighed. “This is what it was like in the navy. People expect you to tell them they can do the impossible. Then they go out and die trying to do it.”
Su Li studied him for a moment. “What happened?”
He took a long time before he answered. When he did, he didn’t look at her. He said it, detached, as though he’d said it many times before to himself.
“That carrier in Vietnam –the one Ron and I were on –there was a fire on the ship.” He recounted the incident to her.
“By the time the fire was out, we lost almost two hundred men. The Navy gave me a medal for it. A medal made from the blood of the men that died. I can still hear them screaming.”
He paused. “I dreamed about it for a long time, just like Ron. Then, a few years ago, my wife was killed by a bullet meant for me. She died in my arms, and I couldn’t do a thing to prevent it. The dreams started again after that.”
He stopped walking and turned to look directly into her eyes. “I don’t have the answers, Su Li. People die around me. I don’t want the responsibility. It costs too much.”
“Ron does not think so. He says you had the answers when it counted. You will find a way, Matthew.”
She looked into his eyes, her own filled with certainty. Then she continued her stroll. He looked up at the moon, sighed, and turned to catch up with her.
They walked a few paces. “I worry about my father and mother. They are very old and maybe cannot take the strain that their only child is dead.” She sighed. “They felt that the job on the Evening Star would give me the opportunity to put some meaning back into my life. I did not agree because my father is almost eighty and my mother is only a few years younger. But, I did as my father wished. I disobeyed him once and brought shame to my family. I will not do it again. They might die, and I would not even know it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There is nothing we can do about it now. We must try to think of how to get off this island.” They walked a little more.
“My friends talked me into this trip. An old friend called before I left and encouraged me to take the trip. He’s Chinese, by the way, kind of like a father. He felt I needed a change, too.”
He paused, then chuckled, “He was never very fond of my wife. She was a little too strong willed for him. ‘You should have married an honorable Chinese woman,’ he told me. ‘She would know how to treat a man.’”
Su Li laughed. “It sounds like my father. He told me my husband was a treasure hunter. He said I should have married an honorable man.”
“You had a bad marriage then.” It was a statement. “I’m sorry, Su Li. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It is okay. It was a bad marriage. He stayed with me until he found a woman who had what he wanted. I understood what they were doing long before he left me. I should have warned her but–”
“It was easier to let him go, wasn’t it?”
She hung her head. “Not very honorable, I’m afraid.”
“Garbage. She had to know he was married. She got what she wanted.”
Su Li paused. “I have never thought of it that way. My father and mother were not unhappy when he left.”
“Our friends and family seem to know us better than we do. Only recently I’ve begun to realize that my life with Kathy could have been better.”
“You said you had a good marriage,” Su Li reminded him.
“We did, but it could have been better. It wasn’t Kathy’s fault. I spent lot of time overseas, while she stayed home and took care of the house and the kids. She made most of the decisions. When I came home, it stayed that way, and I didn’t see the need to change it. In the process, I lost something. I just never found out what it was.”
He sighed, and then laughed. “Helen seems to think she knows.”
“You have told her this?” Su Li was surprised that he had revealed his per
sonal feelings to Helen.
“No, but she’s figured it out. We just don’t agree on the solution.”
“Which is?” Su Li’s heart began to pound.
He smiled. “She thinks she can fix up my life. Kathy thought along the same lines and I allowed it. But Kathy was wrong and so is Helen, and so was I for allowing Kathy to run my life. I won’t let that happen again.”
Su Li knew he was baring his soul to her. It would be difficult to hide her feelings in the future. Why did she have to? She had no answer.
JUNE 1ST –DAY 60
Steve and Jo Ann sat alone by the fire. Jo Ann stood up to leave.
“Wait.”
She stopped and stood with her back to him.
“I guess I’ve been pretty hard on you,” Steve said.
She turned toward him. “You guess?”
“Well, I have been hard on you. I’m sorry.” She looked doubtful. He sensed she wondered if he was serious. “I mean it. I’m really sorry.”
Jo Ann didn’t answer for a long moment. She hadn’t talked with him since the argument between him and Dave three days ago. He knew it had embarrassed her, but she’d never been this quiet for so long. For a moment, he thought she was going to leave. Then he saw the resolute look in her face.
“All right, Steve. I believe you, but I have a couple of things to say.”
Steve was glad she was talking again, but wasn’t ready for a confrontation. He’d heard enough from Dave, and for the first time since he had known her, Jo Ann scared him.
“Let’s not discuss it now, okay?”
Her voice was dead calm when she spoke. “We’re not going to discuss it now. I’ve got a couple of things to say –and you’re going to listen.” He looked at her in astonishment. This couldn’t be his Jo Ann.
“First off, I have never tried to find ways to spend your money –and don’t you ever say it again. Don’t even hint it. I’ve saved every cent I could, so we could take care of our home and our children.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she gave him such a piercing look, he closed it again.
“For another thing, we’ve never had a vacation together. But you’ve always been able to go on your fishing and hunting trips, while I stayed home and took care of the kids. When the kids left, I got that job at the restaurant and worked like a dog so we could take this trip.”
She paused, then resumed, enunciating each word. “And I invited you to come with me.”
“I thought I paid for it.”
“Some of your money did. I stretched it so it would go further. I slaved for you and the children for twenty years, and this trip was supposed to be a pay back. We –I deserved it.”
She gestured around. “I didn’t ask for this to happen to us, but if I’d thought it would have given us more time alone, I might have sunk the ship myself. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Molleti.”
With that, Jo Ann turned and walked toward the beach, leaving Steve speechless.
“It’s driving me crazy to see Helen chase Matthew around the island,” Marie said to Jeff.
“How do you know he’s not interested in her?”
“Do you think he’s interested in her?”
“She’s a lot like Kathy, and Matthew seems to have a penchant toward women like her.”
“Not this time, Jeff. I can feel it. I know he’s attracted to Su Li. He sneaked out of the camp to avoid Helen last night, and he came back with Su Li. He either waited for her, or he met her while on his walk.”
“You’re not going to change anything by worrying about it. Stay out of it.”
“I sure wish they would get on the stick. If Matthew made up his mind, it would at least take care of Helen.”
“He’ll make up his mind when he’s ready. He doesn’t need your meddling. He got enough of that from Kathy and your mother.”
“I know that. I’m just afraid he’s too gullible, and Helen will get her hooks into him.”
Jeff softened. “Give him time, Marie. I think he knows that he needs something else this time. And I think he is interested in Su Li. But he has to make that choice himself, and you know it.”
She sighed. “I know, but it still irks me.”
JUNE 4TH –DAY 63
The storm was over. The Bright Moon was dead in the water. It was four days before anyone even had enough strength to assess the damage to the ship, and another two days before they were finished.
“Water has leaked into the engine room and shorted out the control panels,” reported the sailor. “The engines are down, and we’ve lost computer communication between the bridge and the control room.
“There are supposed to be manuals on board,” said Johnson.
“We can’t find them. Without them we have no idea where to start.”
“Well, what can we do?”
“Not a whole lot, sir. We’re on emergency power. Sonar seems to be working, but radar is out.”
“How far are we from the African coast?”
“About five hundred miles.”
“How much fuel do we have?”
“This ship carries enough fuel for more than two months at normal speed, sir.”
“Very well.”
Johnson sighed as the sailor left his cabin. If they couldn’t get the ship to the African coast, the project would go up in smoke. He dreaded the call he had to make.
JUNE 9TH –DAY 68
They watched the black sky approaching on the horizon. The wind was already bending the trees and whipping the waves into a soupy froth.
“Looks like a bad one,” Ron said. “We’d better get our stuff in the cave.”
Matthew looked out over the ocean. “I think you’re right. Okay, people! We have to move to the cave. Let’s get our gear together. Somebody carry some flares and coals from the fire! Jeff! Secure the boat.”
“I’m on it.”
“We’d better get more water,” suggested Ron.
“Right. Take a few of the men with you.”
The entrance to the cave was several feet above the ground. Rick used the ladder Ron had made and climbed into the cave. He caught the supplies they threw up to him. Will carried the embers on a flat rock. The wind increased to gale force. They had to shout to be heard. The men came back with the water. Ron struggled up the ladder. His eyes were white with fear.
There were several poles stacked on the floor. They secured a tarp to the poles at the entrance of the cave. It blocked the rain, but there was a chilly draft where the wind cut around it.
Will piled kindling on the coals, and blew on the embers until a small flame flickered.
Ron shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and with a supreme effort clung to reality. When he opened his eyes, Will was watching him. “You okay, buddy?” Ron grimaced and nodded.
“Will! Let’s get that fire farther back in the cave. Maybe we can find some protection from this wind.”
They hung a second tarp which blocked much of the draft and the noise of the storm. After about a half-hour, they had a decent fire.
Matthew appreciated Ron’s foresight. He had stacked a large pile of wood against the wall. Ron had told him what he was doing, but Matthew hadn’t appreciated the extent of his work. He had just assumed that Ron and his wife had carried some kindling to the cave. They had been a lot busier than he had guessed.
Matthew put more wood on the fire. Ron had carried large stones into the cave, and they placed them tight around the campfire. They sucked up and held some of the heat. Matthew listened to the crackling of the burning wood and watched the flames play on the walls of the cave. As his eyes got used to the darkness, he could see farther into the cave. It seemed to go a long way back.
“What’s back there? Have you explored the rest of the cave?”
Ron gave him a look that asked if he was crazy. “I have enough skeletons in my closet. I don’t need to look for any in the cave.” They laughed. Ron had proven himself a capable man and had won their respect. Even Dave, the e
ternal grumbler, had acknowledged Ron’s abilities and had begun to follow his lead. Doris smiled. She was enjoying a part of her husband she hadn’t seen for a while.
Matthew was itching to go for a walk, even if only in a cave. “It’s too bad there isn’t enough light to check it out.”
“We have enough light.” Ron jumped up, ran to the cave entrance, and soon came back with several sticks, each with one end wrapped tightly in moss.
“I soaked these in a bog I found. They should be dry enough.” He stuck one torch in the fire. The torch smoldered for a moment, then burst into flame. “Yes!” He held the torch up. “Now you can go for your walk.”
“Great.” Matthew accepted the torch.
Su Li stood. “I’ll go with you.”
Helen looked at Su Li, surprised at her boldness, and Su Li’s return gaze challenged her to say something. Helen shrugged.
“Good idea.” Jeff started to get up. “Maybe I’ll –oof!” He cleared his throat and looked at Marie. She glared at him. “Just be careful, Matthew.”
“Right.” Matthew took two more torches and gave one to Su Li. “Here take this. We’ll use it as a spare, just in case.” He moved toward the back of the cave. The floor of the cave soon inclined downward, and twisted to the right. They lost sight of the campfire.
They walked slowly, without talking. Matthew held the torch close to the walls and studied them, puzzled. Then he held the torch to the floor and studied it as intently as he had done the walls. “Keep your eyes on the floor. There might be craters in it. I’ll watch the ceiling and ahead.”
Su Li watched the floor for several minutes. “Stop!” she said suddenly.
The floor had come to an abrupt end. Just below, they heard water lapping against stone. Matthew held the torch toward the floor, but the blackness swallowed the torchlight, and he couldn’t see the floor on the other side. It looked like they were at the entrance to a large cavern.
Matthew lit another torch. The flame from the two torches reflected in the water below them. He searched the floor, found a small rock, and dropped it over the edge. It took about a second to hit bottom. He thought of lighting the other torch, but decided against it. No sense wasting a good torch.
“We can’t go forward. We might as well go back. We’ll check it out some other time.”
Su Li was puzzled. “It is worth it to check again?”
“I don’t know. There’s something down there, and I’m interested in what it is. I think the cave is man-made. The rock seems very smooth for a natural cave.”
Raising a questioning brow, Su Li looked at the rough wall and then at the cavern.
“I don’t mean the cavern. I think that’s natural, but the walls of the cave look like there’s been some sort of cutting tools used on them. Besides, there are no other passages. That doesn’t prove anything, but I’ll bet anything this was man-made.”
“I see.” Actually, she didn’t. She would just have to take him at his word.
He studied her for a bit. “You’re an odd woman.”
“Oh?”
“Most women would have been happy to remain at the campfire, but you wanted to explore the cave, not even knowing what we would find. That’s not like a typical woman –none I’ve known anyway.”
“You did not seem to think there was something to be afraid of.”
“I didn’t think there would be.”
She thought for a moment. “I need privacy. That is why I take a walk each night. I need to get away and –put myself together.”
He laughed kindly. “I think you mean pull yourself together. Although unwind, or relax, might be a better word.”
“Unwind? Yes, that is the right word. People wind me up. I need to unwind.”
“I know what you mean. I do the same, and for the same reason. I need peace and quiet in order to get my thoughts together. But I don’t see how you can get it with me here to wind you up.”
“You do not make me feel like I have to talk. You can walk without talking all the time.”
He smiled. The torch flickered. “We’d better be getting back. Before the others start to worry.”
Back at the fire, Su Li sat against the wall of the cave. Matthew sat between her and Ron.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” Ron answered.
“I think the cave is man-made.”
“I knew there was something about it! I just couldn’t figure out what it was. How long ago?”
“I don’t know, but I think it was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, we’d have been able to see signs if it were recent. I wonder why it was built. It must’ve taken a long time.”
“We came to a large cavern, but there wasn’t enough light to see. The floor drops about twenty or thirty feet, and there’s water at the bottom. Maybe it’s an outlet to the ocean. We can check it out when we can bring more torches.”
“Good idea. I can teach the others how to make them. It’s easy.”
“Great.” Matthew relaxed against the wall of the cave.
Johnson felt foolish using a homegrown code as he spoke into the satellite connection, but his innate distrust created a need to be cautious.
“This is your mechanic. I’m sorry sir, but we can’t deliver your car. The flood severely damaged the vehicle. We need to import expert help to get it back in shape.”
The expression on his face indicated that the person on the other end of the line was not very happy.
“Yes, sir,” he repeated for the nth time. “I believe we can accomplish that, sir, once we get the parts.”
“Yes, sir. I understand, sir.”
Johnson put down the receiver and sighed. “Well gentlemen, someone is going to access the computers by satellite link and help us get the ship repaired. In the meantime, let’s find the manuals and spare parts. Start the diesel generators. We’ll have to use the thrusters for stability until we can get the main engine going again.”
JUNE 11TH –DAY 70
The Aswadán general hung up the phone. “They are not going to make the rendezvous.”
The admiral looked at the table, then up at the general. “Have they changed their minds?”
“No, they have run into a storm, and the ship has been damaged. Once they repair her, they will contact us. Then they will sail the ship to the rendezvous point.”
“Why not just take a ship out to meet them?”
“It is too risky. The American satellites watch our ships constantly. If they pick us up, the Americans will find out what is going on.”
“I do not see why we should wait. Our helicopters have a range of five hundred kilometers. Once they contact us, we can send a detachment by helicopter to pick up the ship without anyone knowing it. Our ship will be far enough from the island to avoid suspicion. Their satellites cannot possibly track our helicopters.”
“It might not be wise to anger our contact. He –has been known to be dangerous.”
“Nonsense. He is a traitor. What can he do? He cannot let the story get out.”
The general looked thoughtfully at the admiral. After a long minute, he gave a slight nod.
JUNE 13TH –DAY 72
They left the cave after the storm, and an unbelievable sight met them at the camp. The hut had simply disappeared, and the storm had washed away most of the beach, leaving nothing recognizable. What they had carried to the cave was all they had left, but that wasn’t the worst of the news.
“The boat’s gone.” Jeff hung his head. “I thought it would hold where it was.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Jeff,” Matthew reassured him. “The storm was a lot bigger than we anticipated. I don’t think anything would have held it. Look at the beach; there isn’t anything left.”
“I know. But I tied it down.”
The news of the missing boat took more out of them than Matthew thought it would. Any hope of getting off the island had disappeared with the boat.
“Look,” said Matthew. “Wh
en we’re ready, we can build a boat.
“With what?” Dave’s lip curled into a sneer. “Ron’s pocket knife?”
“We’re still alive,” replied Ron. “Matthew will figure something out.”
Matthew looked at Su Li. That’s it. Pass the buck. She returned his gaze with a look that gave him confidence and thought of what she had said. “You will find a way, Matthew.”
JUNE 15TH –DAY 75
A strong wind still swept the island. The destruction of the camp forced them to use the cave until they built a new shelter. Several days of close confinement in the cave caused small irritations to blossom into full-fledged arguments.
Frustrated, Matthew left the cave. Outside, the wind howled in the trees. It was a refreshing sound after the sound of the incessant bickering.
Helen headed toward the exit. “Leave him alone, Helen,” Marie barked.
“I’m just going for a walk.”
“You never go for a walk unless you’re chasing after Matthew.”
Jeff was instantly at Marie’s side and put his arm around her.
“He needs someone to talk to,” Helen answered.
Marie’s voice raised a notch. “What he needs is to be left alone.” Jeff tried to steer her away. Marie refused to budge.
“I’m only doing what you should be doing. You’re his sis–”
Marie interrupted angrily. “Now just a minute. When he goes for a walk, he doesn’t want a lovesick cow following him around.”
Helen seemed unperturbed by Marie’s comment. “Then it’s up to him to say so.”
Su Li spoke up. “It should not be necessary for him to say so. It is clear that he prefers to be alone. We should respect his wishes.”
Helen looked at her with a knowing smile. “Of course you would say that. You don’t want the competition to get ahead of you. A couple of nights ago, you were in such a rush to go with him you almost fell all over yourself. Where was your concern about his privacy then?”
Su Li stood, open mouthed, unable to answer.
Helen continued to look at her with that infuriating smile. “You just wish you were the one who was with him, only I got there first.”
Speechless, Su Li glared at Helen for a moment. Then she turned and fled from the cave.
Matthew walked for about an hour. Normally, he preferred to walk alone. This time he wished he had asked Su Li to go with him. She had a calming effect on him.
The wind was abating when he found himself standing at the path Su Li had climbed to sit on the rock. Awareness of his own need for privacy prevented him from violating hers and he’d never gone there again. Now however, his feet moved of their own volition.
When he reached the clearing, he found her sitting on it already. She had obviously been crying. He felt like an intruder. He stepped back cautiously. A branch cracked beneath his foot. Su Li looked up and, when she saw him, turned her head to hide her tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“No –it is all right. Stay.” She saw the indecision on his face. “Please, I need the company.” He climbed the rock and sat beside her for several minutes without speaking.
He broke the silence. “Want to talk about it?”
“No. I must deal with it myself.” He nodded. They watched the waves below.
“Do you –?” She stopped before she finished. He waited.
“I think you must get us out of the cave, regardless of the wind. Anything is better than this constant fighting.”
“I’ve been thinking about doing that. You just confirmed it.” He brooded for a minute. “They rely on me for every small decision. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Matthew, if you give up, we will all give up.”
They gazed in silence at the waves washing against the beach below.
“Why not ask the others to help?”
“How can they help? They’ve never been in a situation like this before. It’s all I can do to handle it. Even Ron handles it better than I do. He functions better now than when he started this trip. And I feel like I’m falling apart.”
“You are not falling apart. You are trying to carry the whole load. The others may have some ideas. There is no dishonor in asking them. It will keep them focused on going home.”
“Maybe you’re right.” They turned their attention back to the ocean. “It’ll be getting dark soon. We’d better get back.”
“I think I’d like to stay here for a while.”
He turned to her tentatively. She waited for him to say something. He nodded and left.
JUNE 16TH –DAY 76
“We have to build another hut, wind or no wind,” Matthew stated. A chorus of voices agreed.
“I think we oughta build more than one,” suggested Will. “With no boat, we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.”
Matthew hated to admit it, but Will was right. “All right. Robert, you’re still in charge of the building committee.”
“The storm has wiped out everything, and most of the beach is gone,” put in Jeff, “so we’ll have to find another place.”
“Then let’s move to the other side of the island. It’s on the same side as the African coast. We haven’t seen a single ship on this side of the island the whole time we’ve been here.”
“I ain’t so sure, Matthew,” said Will. “That’s almost a half a mile from the cave. That’s a long way away if we get another storm.”
“It’ll be tough to carry our provisions on short notice,” Robert agreed.
“Next time we’ll be better prepared,” Matthew reasoned. “We have to keep watch on the east side, and it’s better if we move to where we set up the watches.”
“I’m against it,” said Dave, belligerently. “It’s too far from the cave. And it’s stupid to carry everything a half a mile through the jungle just so you can put some huts where you want ‘em. I say we stay here.”
Jeff stood and pointed a finger at him. “Hey! Shall we vote on who’s gonna lead us? Maybe you, Dave. You seem to have the biggest mouth. But I haven’t heard you contributing any fantastic ideas. Let’s hear a few. Why don’t you tell us what to do.”
Dave growled. “I don’t know what to do. Your brother-in-law is the one who is trained.”
“Then why don’t you shut up and do as you’re told. We haven’t seen a single boat. The object is to get off the island, not set up house.”
Dave glowered, but didn’t reply.
“Let’s get started,” said Matthew.
JUNE 19TH –DAY 78
The bickering subsided, but there was a constant undercurrent of tension.
Matthew called another meeting. “We have to make sure the cave is ready in case we have another storm. Ron, do whatever’s necessary so we don’t get caught unprepared.”
“Right. I’ll get on it.”
“Good. Su Li has suggested we should air ideas anyone might have about how to get out of here.”
Helen glanced at Su Li. What else had she suggested? Su Li studied her fingernails.
“What makes you think we can help?” asked Dave. “You’re the one with the training.” He paused and added, “You and Ron.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” interrupted Ron. “We’re busy surviving. You guys are thinking more about getting home.”
“Right,” Matthew agreed. “We need some fresh ideas. Anything –even if it seems stupid. It’s called brainstorming. A stupid sounding idea can be used with another stupid sounding idea. Together they might be useful. Who’s willing to start.”
“Well, I’m allergic to rowing, so let’s forget boats,” Ron said right away. A few laughed.
“Maybe we can fly,” suggested Will and laughed with the rest.
Matthew raised a finger. “There’s an idea. Let’s discuss it.”
“What? Flying?” repeated Will.
“Why not?”
“There must be some large birds on the island,” said Susan. Like her husband Will, she had
trouble keeping things on a serious level. The others tittered.
“Yeah, or steal their feathers and make wings,” said Carl.
Matthew let them joke around for a while before he cut them short. “There must be something we can do.” They looked at one another.
“A hot air balloon?” suggested Marie. With that, everyone got serious.
“How?” put in Will. “We don’t have anything to make one.”
“We have large leaves,” put in Doris. “We might be able to glue them together.”
“Too heavy,” Ron argued. “They’d never hold up in a strong wind. Besides, we don’t have any gas.”
“How about that bog you discovered?” asked Jessica. “Does it give off any gas?”
“None that I know of.”
“Why don’t you research that for the next meeting, Ron,” Matthew remarked.
“Okay.” Ron sounded dubious.
“The rest of you can think about what kind of material we can use.”
“It’s a stupid idea,” grumbled Dave.
“What’s that, Grump?” asked Jeff. Dave glared at him.
Matthew cut in before Dave could respond. “Maybe it is. We’ll decide that at our next meeting, and then we’ll come up with another stupid idea until we find one that works. Maybe you can come up with one.” He held Dave’s eyes until Dave looked down.
“Anybody else?” No one answered. “Good. We’ll meet again tomorrow.”
“Where you going, Ron?” Marie asked. She had an odd look on her face. Ron held up the wooden spear he had made.
“Why, hunting, of course,” As though they should know.
Marie turned around. “Okay, girls. Let’s go!” Susan, Nancy, Roberta, and Jo Ann stood up and assembled like troopers getting ready for battle. Will caught Susan’s eye, and she looked back coyly. What they were up to?
“We’re ready, Ron,” Marie informed him.
“Ready for what?”
“Why, hunting, of course.”
Will laughed weakly. Ron looked questioningly at Marie. He didn’t understand. Marie helped him.
“Did you think we would stay here in the camp and carry wood and make torches while you and the men went out and had a good time?”
“But –but –you don’t know how to hunt,” he stammered.
“We didn’t know how to make torches either,” said Susan, “but we learned.” Ron looked at Matthew.
“Don’t look at me,” he announced before Ron could say anything. Ron looked at Will, who chuckled and shrugged. Susan had helped him with the chores on the ranch for years, before she got her job at the bank. She could handle it, and he had no doubt the others could as well.
From that day on, the women took part in the hunting.
Matthew started toward the beach, hoping he was going to make it alone, until he heard the familiar voice.
“Oh, there you are.”
He glanced up at the sky, shut his eyes and exhaled. He opened his mouth to say something, but there were people within earshot. Instead, he continued walking. Helen followed.
“Matthew.” Helen seemed unsure of herself, and he experienced a sudden desire to run away. Instead, he turned toward her. She came closer, and he took a step back.
“Helen. We have to ta–”
She cut him off. “Please. Let me talk.” She took a breath. “I can’t believe I’m so nervous.” She paused. “I –You know I’ve wanted you from the first. I know I can please you.” The moon cast a soft light on her face and accentuated her beauty. “All I need is a chance.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Su Li took her evening walk after Matthew and Helen left the camp. She saw Helen wind her arms around Matthew and kiss him. When he put his hands on Helen’s waist, she turned away in tears.
She stumbled through the bushes until she reached the spot where she’d sat so many times in the last few weeks. The waves beating against the shore matched the dull thudding pain in her heart.
Matthew froze in surprise. His hands went to Helen’s waist. She pressed closer, and he pushed back. She felt his resistance and released him.
“What is it, Matthew? I know you’re attracted to me.”
He thought it over. “No. –Well, yes.” She waited. “Look, you’re a beautiful woman, Helen.” He paused again.
“But?”
“I’m just not interested.”
She lowered her eyes for a moment, then raised them. “This isn’t the greatest for my ego, you know. Aren’t you even tempted?”
He swallowed and took a deep breath. “Of course.”
She touched his face lightly with her fingertips.
He pulled away. “I’m sorry.”
She withdrew her hand. The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. “I had to try. You didn’t seem to be able to make up your mind, so I thought there might be a chance for me. I guess I was wrong.”
She turned away, and choked back her tears. He almost reached out to her, but he knew what would happen. And he knew he would hate himself and her for it later.
JUNE 20TH –DAY 79
At the next meeting, the balloon idea was thrown out.
“I didn’t detect any gas in the bog,” Ron reported. “Even if there was, it would be difficult to collect. I don’t see any way of making a balloon, especially that big.”
“What if we made one small enough for a couple of us,” suggested Robert. “Once we get to the coast, we could send a rescue party.”
“If the winds blow in the wrong direction, the balloon would be blown out to sea.”
That ended the balloon idea.
“How about if we send a water flask out to sea with a message that we’re alive and stranded on a remote island?” said Marie.
“That’s a waste of a good water flask,” said Cindy. “It would take forever to get to the coast, if it ever did. And then someone would still have to read it. What language do they speak? And how’re you going to tell them where we are?”
No one mentioned building a boat.
And, for some reason, Su Li was avoiding him. He couldn’t even make eye contact.
JUNE 24TH –DAY 83
Chuck sat in front of the fire and wrote in his book. He counted fifty-four days since the sinking of the Evening Star, thirty-three since they first reached the island.
He had one entry for every day, three per page. His writing was getting smaller and the entries shorter since their lives had become routine, that is, until Matthew started the brainstorming meetings.
Even Cindy took part in them. He looked up at her and noticed that she was watching him intently. He stopped writing and turned to her.
“Am I too quiet?” The weeks since the Evening Star sinking seemed like an eternity, and they had learned a lot about each other in that time.
“No.”
“Am I doing something wrong?”
“No. I was just thinking how our lives were before this all happened; it seems so long ago.”
“I know. I was just thinking the same thing.”
“I thought we lived uncomplicated lives. When I think back on it, our lives were boring. We taught our classes every day and corrected assignments every night. We cultivated replicas of ourselves. Not just our students, but our children too. I wonder if we even knew them.”
Chuck remained quiet, and smiled. She shivered slightly. The breeze had picked up a little. They had brought a blanket with them, and he offered it to her.
She wrapped it around her shoulders and continued. “I was angry with you deep inside. We never had time for one another, and I blamed you for it. I think that’s one of the reasons I had so many problems when we first got on the island. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t gone on the cruise.”
She paused. Chuck wasn’t sure what to say and wisely kept silent. She continued. “It wasn’t your fault. It was just easier to blame you rather than analyze my own attitude. I guess what I’m saying is I’m glad this has happened.?
?? In the dark, it was still easy to see his surprise.
“Oh, I want to be home. Maybe more than anyone. But you have to admit: life on the island is very simple, but it certainly isn’t boring. We really do live together, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I know you better today than I’ve ever known you, and I love you more than I ever have. I don’t think that would’ve happened if we hadn’t gone on the cruise. I miss our children terribly, but I’m not sorry we’re here.”
Chuck was at a loss for words. He slid over beside her, and she wrapped him in her blanket. They kissed, then sat cuddled together and listened to the waves lap at the beach.
“Isn’t it getting darker?” Cindy mentioned. Chuck looked up at the sky.
“Yeah, the breeze is picking up. I think we’re in for another storm. You’d better warn the others; I’ll take care of the fire.”
“Hey,” he said as she stood. “Love you.” She smiled and ran toward the huts.
After their experience from the first storm, everyone had pitched in to help prepare the cave in the event of another. They had secured interior from the wind, gathered plenty of firewood, and made several torches. Ron had designed a small opening toward the mouth of the cave that allowed enough air movement to carry the smoke toward the cavern interior. They still hadn’t explored the cavern. It hadn’t seemed important while they were building the huts.
A crackling warm fire chased away the damp chill, and everyone huddled around it.
“This storm doesn’t seem as bad as the last one,” observed Will.
“No. It doesn’t,” agreed Matthew, “but a heavy storm may destroy the huts again. We have to figure something out. We can’t be building new huts every time we have a bad storm, and I’m not too crazy about living in the cave.”
“Got that right,” someone said.
“What are we gonna do?” asked Will.
“I’m not sure what to do,” answered Matthew. “Any suggestions?”
“Why not move them?” put in Ron.
“Again?” moaned Dave.
“Where?” asked John.
“Into the jungle. The trees would give us shelter and protect the huts from the wind.”
“That means walkin’ through the jungle in the dark when we relieve the watch,” said Will.
“Then let’s eliminate the watch. We’ve been here for weeks without seeing one boat. If we were in the middle of a route, we would have seen at least one.”
“I don’t think eliminating the watch is a good idea,” countered Matthew. “It got us into the cave when the storm came. We could move the watch near the huts.”
After the storm, they moved the huts. They picked a spot near the waterfall. It was like having their own paradise.
JUNE 30TH –DAY 89
Su Li watched as Matthew stood up. Soon he would be going for his evening walk. She noticed Helen watched him too, but Helen didn’t get up. She had been quieter than usual, and hadn’t accompanied Matthew on his walk for almost two weeks. It seemed their relationship had cooled. It didn’t change anything for Su Li, however. Matthew had tried to talk to her a few times, but Su Li had put him off.
She stared into the flames. The night she and Matthew had sat together on the rock, she had almost told him how she felt. She was glad now that she hadn’t. Since that night, she and Matthew hadn’t spoken. At first, there hadn’t been time, what with the building of new huts and the meetings. Then, after seeing him with Helen on the beach, there seemed to be no point.
Someone stood beside her. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
She looked up to see Matthew. She turned her head and saw Helen watching them. “Perhaps later.”
His voice was direct. “We need to talk.” She couldn’t think of a reason to say no, and took the offered hand. He pulled her to her feet. Helen’s eyes bored into her as she and Matthew walked toward the beach. Su Li flushed and kept her eyes on the path.
It was a while before Matthew broke the silence. “Have I done something to insult you?”
She answered him too quickly. “No. Of course not. Why do you ask?”
“You’re avoiding me. Why?”
Su Li panicked. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him, how she felt about Helen, but nothing came out.
Her silence confirmed what Matthew already thought. He waited a long time for her to speak. When she didn’t, he knew he was right. She was avoiding him.
“Well, I must have done something.”
Su Li looked at him, in agony. She wanted to throw herself at him. What would he think? Her father’s words echoed in her mind. “Do not put your honor before your heart. That is not honor; it is pride.” The tears started. She turned away before he saw them.
Matthew wrestled with his emotions as she walked away. He couldn’t let it end like this. He ran to her and took her arm. “Su Li, wait!” She resisted. “Please,” he begged and she stopped without turning.
“Please, don’t go.”
She couldn’t look at him. A tear slipped down her cheek and she turned her head away.
Desperate, he continued: “I can’t stand that I’ve done something to hurt you.”
Su Li turned toward him but still couldn’t look at him. “You haven’t hurt me,” she replied softly.
“Then tell me what it is.” He waited.
She looked down at the sand and spoke so softly, he barely heard her. “Helen.”
“What about Helen? I don’t understand.”
“How can you not understand? You want Helen. And I–” She choked back a sob, unable to finish.
“I don’t want Helen.” He reached for her, but she stepped back.
“You kissed her,” she accused.
He suddenly realized Su Li had seen what had happened. “I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me. I pushed her away.” Su Li looked at him in doubt. “I mean it. I told her I wasn’t interested in her.” Su Li examined the sand and the shadows cast by the rising moon, anything rather than let him see her shame. “My God, Su Li! You must have seen that she and I haven’t talked for the last two weeks.”
This time she met his eyes. “You do not want Helen?”
“No. I want you.” When he reached for her, she didn’t resist. Her heart beat furiously.
His voice was husky. “Su Li, I’ve loved you since we were on the Evening Star, from the first day when we stood at the rail and I looked into your eyes.”
Su Li, no longer trying to hide her tears, raised her lips to his.
Helen was the first to notice when they returned to the camp. She stood and faced them. Su Li met her gaze evenly. Helen almost smiled; then she left the campsite. A few others noticed that something important was going on. Marie was the first to understand.
“It’s about time!”
Jeff looked at her. “Now you can give it a rest.”
They held a short ceremony. In lieu of an official that could marry them, Matthew and Su Li exchanged vows with everyone as witness. Will presided.
Matthew took Su Li’s hands. “I, Matthew Carlsen take you, Su Li, to be my wife, through all that may come to pass. I promise to honor and cherish you, so long as we both shall live.”
Su Li looked into his eyes and smiled. “I, Su Li Chiang take you Matthew, to be my husband, through all that may come to pass. I promise to honor and cherish you, so long as we both shall live.”
Will turned to everyone. “Y’all are witnesses that these two have taken one another as husband and wife. Are y’all agreed?” Everyone cheered. Will turned to Matthew and Su Li. “Y’all can considered yo’selves Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Carlsen, until we git back home and can have a real party.” Then, he added. “I guess y’all can kiss the bride.”