From the Islands

Chapter 5

1st Moon (sunset)

I poke my head above water and see the crash. The front side of the boat is smashed into the rock, it never sunk. The waves are calm, and the sun is still giving me enough light to swim closer. I hold my knife in my hand. "Sometimes you have to protect yourself," his voice reminds me. I go back under and swim as close as possible. I examine the damage under water. The boat is wooden, I haven't seen one like this in a long time. The boats that pass now are made of hard, heavy material. The humans on land are always changing, there's more of them and they are smarter. About 70 years ago our waters were vacant for a long time. Hardly ever there would be a ship or small boat. It's like. They knew. Wondering if humans know about us, is a rabbit hole I cannot climb from. Of course, the man I met knew. Did he ever tell anyone about me? Are we forbidden from their land? Could we even get that far? I'm deep in my thoughts when stomping noises come from above. I swim back out as the boat shifts downward. My heart is beating fast, someone is here. A smile forms on my face but I am immediately filled with anxiety. I swim back out into open water to the surface, I can't see that well, but I don't see anyone moving. I swim back underneath and towards the crash. As I get closer to the crash there is a bed of rocks flat enough for me to sit on, but it's too open. I can't risk being seen, I grip my knife tight. The waves are getting bigger as the sunlight dims. There is a rock that is big enough to hide behind, but my view isn't that great. There is debris floating around in the water. The boat shifts again as water crashes against it. Guilt shoots through me, I begin to think of the sound of bodies hitting the water around me. I take a breath as the waves crash harder and the boat shifts even more.

My guilt is turning into anger, the look Yumi and I shared that night was genuine. Waves splash on me trying to pull me, but I stay perched on the rock. I'm still scanning the boat, but I can barley see anymore the sun is going down. The sound I heard before starts again, it's hard to tell where its coming from. The waves are getting larger, the moon must be on her way. The next wave that hits me makes me lose grip of my knife. I hold on to the rock tight, the waves are begging me to get back in the water. I take one last look, but I still can't tell where the sound is coming from. The water is dark, if I don't leave now, I won't be able to see. "Where did he go?" I say to myself as I take one more peak at the surface. I am frustrated, there was someone there. ●○○○

I'm in the ocean, but the water is still and clear like the reef I harvest food from. Instead there is no reef, when I swim underneath it looks like there is no end, but I can see everything. When I peak up the crash is very close and there is someone standing on the rocks. I recognize the man I met immediately. He is wearing the same thing he was in when I first saw him. He turns but the sun is too bright I can't see his face. You can't be trustin' 'dem humans Kika! Sanaa is dragging me back underwater, but that was not her voice. I try pulling but her grip is tight, and the water is starting to get dark. I want to swim to the surface so desperately, but Sanaa won't let me go. Sannaa! Please stop, but she won't. Water is filling into my mouth and nose. Sanaa is swimming quickly away from the crash. I can't see her face either. The water is very dark and for some reason I am losing my breath. I begin to panic, and I squirm around. I need air. ○●○○

2nd Moon (Morning)

When the sun is up, I waste no time, I am swimming on the reef scavenging for clams, scallops, anything. It's going to be a hot day I can feel the heat beaming through the water. I lost my knife when I was pulled off by the waves. Its probably long gone now. Just one more thing for Yumi or Raeli to complain about. Oh yeah, the girls. I almost forgot. How many moons did Lani say? I try to remember, and I begin to worry I think she said three moons. I make my way to open water, I will worry about Lani and the others later. They will not hesitate to kill this human, maybe I can get them to land without my tribe finding out. For a moment, turning back, crosses my mind. The nerves begin to creep back, should I do this? This is the most I've thought about the man who I befriended. He made me understand things I never wanted to. "Your kind is not wrong about us," he said, "humans can be evil and cruel to one another. We come from different places, but our instincts are the same." I felt excited to know more about the humans that walk on the earth but learning that they are not very different from us scared me. This world is unimaginable. Every single day I think about life on the surface, it is always changing. For me its been the same for years. ○○●○

The tide isn't so strong today, but the hot sun rays are intense. The air is thick every time I poke my head up. I look at the crashed boat from a distance, I still don't see anyone. I go back under and continue swimming. I examine the boat again as I get closer, I wonder why this boat is so old. As I am scaling the damage underwater, I notice a hole leading inside the boat. My heart flutters even more. What if these men are pirates? I want to giggle at the thought, I haven't seen savage men in hundreds of years. Those type of men no longer exist, do they? I let my eyes adjust to the darkness and slide in almost perfectly. The awkward position my hands are in make it hard to fit through. I drop some clams, but I am too focused on the possibility of treasure. I swim to the bottom, but I can't really see. The stomping starts again, but I keep looking. I can feel my heart start to beat fast, he is up there. A smile starts to form on my face, and I can't make it go away. Finally, something new, a new voice, a new face. I can hear the stomping get louder and then quiet again. I stop when I feel the walls of the boat and begin scaling with one hand. There must be something around here. The stomping above get quiet and then stops, and the whistling starts again. That's when I feel it something, glass. Its large, like some sort of container. The top is pointy, but it's tied up. I keep scaling with my hand. I try pushing it with my one arm, but it's very heavy. The ringing noise is on and off. I grab the sack with both hands again and make my way back to the crack in the boat. Something is in those containers, I'll be back for that.

I swim back out into open water and look again from a distance. I don't see anything at first sight, but the ringing starts again. The sun is so bright. I swim the perimeter of the rock all the way to the other side. I am closer to the small wall of rocks when I peek up. The ringing is louder on this side, waves begin to hit me harder. They don't want me to be here, but I still swim against them. Careful not to spill any of my food. I swim all the way around back to the boat side, but I still don't see anyone. I noticed the ringing has stopped as well. He must have gone back to the boat. It is very hot today, I swim near the crash and around back to the small bed of stones. I let the bag on top and push it, so the water can't get it. The waves lift me onto the rocks and leave me in the open. My heart drops, and there is a shadow that casts above me. I hold my bag of scallops and clams tight. "Damn you," I whisper. The waves splash hard again against me, like an "I told you so". I push myself up and turn very slowly, we lock eyes immediately. ○○○●