Beside a Burning Sea

DAY TWELVE
To touch her is grace,
To hear her laugh is rebirth.
Summer stars burn bright.
A Walk Through Time


Within the cave, the typhoon seemed almost harmless, like a cobra that had been liberated of its fangs. Though the wind howled and the distant surf pounded, the cave’s interior was warm, dry, and quiet. A fire burned near the middle, casting uncertain light in all directions. The nine survivors had gathered around this fire and now ate dried fish and fresh mango. Everyone seemed exhausted by the previous day’s events, and aside from several intense arguments about Roger separating from the group, little had been said.
Despite his exhaustion, Joshua had thought through how they’d live in the cave and had been talking about such logistics. Though he’d welcomed input, he had mostly spoken alone, the cave magnifying his words. It had been decided that Jake and Ratu would continue to catch fish. Joshua and Isabelle would locate fresh fruit, as well as camouflage the cave’s entrance. Nathan would collect wood and keep a fire going at all times, as their supply of matches was limited. The detail of exploring the area outside the cave had been given to Akira and Annie, while Roger would probe the island’s innards, and Scarlet would find a high place to watch for ships. As far as social niceties, no one would bathe in the cave’s water supply, and people were expected to keep the area as clean as possible.
“The good news,” Joshua said tiredly, “is that the storm will destroy any trace of our presence at the harbor.” He glanced at his bandaged hands, which felt as if he’d held them in boiling oil. Though he wanted to do nothing more than lie down next to the water and soak his hands in its coolness, he continued to address the group. “Let’s all promise not to go back to the harbor. Unless Scarlet sees an American warship drop anchor, I don’t see why any of us should return. We’re much, much safer here.”
“Captain, what’ll happen if we eat all them dried fish and can’t catch a darn thing here?” Jake asked.
Joshua pointed toward Ratu and tried to smile. “With my first lieutenant leading the way, I doubt that will happen.”
“Thank you, my captain,” Ratu replied. “You won’t have to worry about fish, I promise you. Big Jake is just being cautious as usual.”
Joshua nodded, trying to think of anything but his throbbing hands. Addressing the group, shifting his gaze from person to person, he said, “We were lucky yesterday. All of us. Let’s not rely on luck any longer. And for the love of God, let’s get along. I don’t want to hear any more arguments about how or why Roger separated from the group.”
Roger glared at Akira. “The monkey needs glasses,” he said, wishing he had a cigarette, already feeling claustrophobic within the cave. “It’s not my fault he can’t see through those slant eyes of his. If he could, he’d have followed me.”
“I couldn’t see you either,” Nathan replied, surprising the group, for he rarely spoke during such conflicts. “And I tried to, believe me.”
“Maybe if you didn’t walk like a toad you’d—”
“I’ve heard it all,” Joshua interrupted, smothering his desire to shout at Roger, to scream at him for abandoning the group. “And I don’t want to hear it anymore. It doesn’t do anyone any good. Understood?”
Seeing that her husband was struggling to contain his emotions, Isabelle stopped wrapping leaves about the leftover fish and said, “We’re safe. We made it. Let’s just be thankful for that and leave it at that. It could have been much worse.”
As Akira nodded, he glanced at Roger, who glared at him. The glare contained the same sort of malevolence that Akira had seen on the field of battle and in Nanking. He’d never understood the sheer hatred that one human being could harbor for another, as if all the woes of one’s life could be blamed on a fellow man. He’d certainly never encountered a more powerful emotion, for such hatred led people to do unspeakable things.
Akira didn’t turn from Roger’s glare but absorbed it, committing it to memory. He suddenly understood that at some point, Roger would try to kill him. The American would come during the night, or in the midst of some chaotic event. And when he came, Akira would have to be ready. He’d have to see the attack before it materialized. And then he’d have to end Roger’s life.

THE BRANCH BURNED slowly in Ratu’s hand. He’d wrapped dried coconut husks around the gnarled piece of wood, creating a torch. Pointing to the back of the cave, which was dark and unknown and dominated by piles of boulders, he said, “Who wants to be an explorer with me?”
Jake, Akira, and Annie looked up from their spot by the side of the underground pool. They’d been talking about what they would do the next day, once the weather cleared. Though the cave was quite large, the stale air and muted light made for somewhat confining conditions, and everyone was eager for the storm to end so that the area outside the cave could be investigated.
“I reckon I never met a boy with so many ants in his pants,” Jake said, smiling at Annie. “They must be red ants, too. Them little black ones ain’t nearly able to do the trick.”
“What are you talking about?” Ratu asked. “Red ants? Black ants? Did a coconut hit that big head of yours yesterday?”
Jake splashed a handful of water at Ratu and got up. “I expect my legs could use a stretch. Sure, I’ll explore with you.”
“And you, Miss Annie?” Ratu questioned, handing Jake an unlit torch. “And you, Akira? Don’t you get bored of sitting there looking at each other? Come with us.”
Annie glanced at Akira, who actually wanted to explore the area for other reasons. Though the cave was wonderfully hidden, as Joshua had said, Akira didn’t like the fact that only one entrance and exit existed. After all, a lone gunman standing outside could trap the entire group. And though a cave could be a refuge, it could also be a tomb. Hoping to find a hidden exit, Akira dusted the sand off his knees and rose. “I would like to explore with you.”
“Can you lead us?” Annie asked Ratu, knowing that he enjoyed such adventures.
“Of course, Miss Annie. Just follow the light of my torch. And if you get scared, let me know and we’ll turn around.”
Annie smiled at Ratu. After allowing Jake to walk in the second position, she stepped forward. The remainder of the group was gathered much closer to the cave’s entrance, and, seeing that no one was looking in their direction, Annie sought out Akira’s hand and gave it a squeeze. The warmth and comfort of his flesh brought back memories of the earlier night. She remembered how the hand she now touched had stroked her face, the soles of her feet. She had kissed that hand. She had felt her heart beat against it.
Though Annie wanted to continue to hold Akira’s hand, she needed to be a free woman to do that, and with her engagement looming over her, she did not feel free. She reluctantly released his hand, immediately feeling vulnerable from its absence, as if this one hand could somehow protect her from her own dark thoughts. And as preposterous as the notion sounded, she knew that Akira’s touch was capable of just that. After all, she’d told him that he made her feel reborn, and those hadn’t been idle words she’d shared with him. He’d somehow infused her with such passion and energy and life that she did feel like someone completely new. And this newness almost overwhelmed her at times. Even during the chaos of the storm, she’d felt a childlike giddiness as unfamiliar emotions enveloped her, as she realized that for the first time in her life, she was falling in love.
Stubbing her toe on an unseen rock, Annie grimaced. Glancing at her bare feet, and knowing that she could ill afford to cut herself, she vowed to pay more attention to her surroundings. The cave was much deeper than she’d realized. Looking toward the orb of light that marked the entrance, she guessed the opening to be at least two hundred feet away. Even this far from the entrance, the height of the cave was much taller than even Jake. The rock surrounding them, which she thought might be limestone, was the color of old ivory. Unlike the caves she’d read about in novels and magazines, this cave contained no giant stalactites. The walls and ceiling were fairly uniform.
Ratu approached the large slabs of rock at the cave’s rear and started to navigate around them. The slabs had obviously fallen from the cave’s ceiling, and Annie wondered if it was wise for them to be walking so far from the entrance. Another cave-in could leave them trapped without any chance at escape. Feeling a familiar sense of unease seep inside her, she again reached for Akira’s hand. He reassuringly squeezed her fingers in the darkness, and she felt better.
Though the slabs lay in discordant piles, a path seemed to zigzag forward. Muttering to himself, Ratu continued ahead, holding the torch with one hand and his shark’s tooth with the other. After spending the past ten days in a world where everything appeared to move, Annie felt odd to be walking in a realm where not even the air seemed to stir. She wondered about the age of the cave. Could someone else have stepped here? Searching for an answer, she followed Ratu, twisting far enough to their right that the cave’s distant entrance disappeared.
“Please light another torch,” Akira said softly, a few feet after the entrance had vanished.
Ratu held his torch against the one that Jake carried. The fire spread, and the halo of light that surrounded them swelled. Ratu walked slowly ahead. The cave seemed to be narrowing, its walls almost reaching each other.
“So this big snake does have an end,” Jake said, peering about.
“Wait, Jake, wait,” Ratu replied.
“You’re eyeballing the tail, Ratu.”
“No, I tell you, I’m not.”
Ratu continued forward, feeling the presence of the others behind him, wondering if his father felt such a presence as he led Americans into the jungle. Though the cave appeared to end, Ratu sensed something ahead. He couldn’t define it, but something did exist. Something new to his senses. “Do you smell anything strange?” he asked, filling his lungs.
Akira inhaled deeply. “Yes. But what?”
“Air,” Annie said. “It’s fresh air.”
The four exchanged perplexed looks, and Ratu once again moved forward. The walls of the cave drew to within a few feet of each other. Remarkably, they then began to pull apart. The cave twisted again to the right, and to everyone’s amazement, a barely visible shaft of muted light fell from far above. It almost seemed as if they were deep within the ocean, and a slice of the sun managed to penetrate the gloom just enough to faintly illuminate the seafloor.
“Blimey!” Ratu shouted, his voice sounding unnaturally loud. “What a brilliant discovery!”
A small, subdued cry escaped from Annie’s lips as her gaze traveled to the walls that were so dimly illuminated, for as the torchlight fell on them, the walls suddenly seemed to come alive. They were covered in red-and-black images depicting ancient canoes and sailing ships. The vessels’ hulls were curved like bananas. Some of the ships had masts and sails, while others were powered by oars alone. Several of the largest boats boasted ornate bows resembling what appeared to be birds with their wings outstretched. The vessels carried anywhere from three to ten human forms.
Annie’s skin tingled. She felt as if she’d leapt back into time. Dozens of questions immediately surfaced within her. Who had created these astonishing paintings and when were they created? Who’d last seen them? Had this cave once been inhabited, or were these images left by passing travelers?
Stepping toward the most intricate of the paintings, Annie studied the ship and the people on it. The ship was elaborate and large and in some ways resembled the bird on its bow. The people, who were little more than stick figures, were bent forward as if performing some action, but had nothing in their hands.
“Look at this,” Akira said, rising from the ground. In his hand he held what appeared to be a piece of charred wood. He twisted his discovery between his fingers, and black powder fell to the floor. “Once someone had a fire here. A long, long time ago.”
“How long?” Ratu asked excitedly, dropping to his knees to search for an ancient fire pit.
“So sorry, but I do not know.”
Gazing at the ships reminded Jake of what it felt like to discover arrowheads on his family’s farm. He’d always experienced a sense of connection with the soil of his land, which was as black as the back of his hands. But the arrowheads had managed to deepen this bond. Eyeing the figures, he said, “They sure look mighty happy, don’t they?”
Annie couldn’t tell if the figures were meant to be happy, but replied, “Almost like they’re celebrating.”
Jake nodded. “They’re traveling somewhere. They’re free.”
Akira gazed up at the crack through which the faint light descended. The crack—perhaps reachable if all four of them stood atop one another—looked to be a foot wide and maybe three feet long. “We should go above and locate that opening, yes?” he asked. “And secure a rope to a tree and drop it down.”
“A secret exit?” Ratu asked.
“Yes.”
Jake nodded. “I reckon the captain will want that done pronto.”
“He’ll love this place,” Annie said, knowing that Joshua enjoyed everything about boats.
“Let’s name it something,” Ratu suggested, still digging through sand and soil. “I tell you, we should name it something.”
Annie returned her gaze to the ships. “Name this place?”
“Of course.”
“You should name it,” she replied, “since you discovered it.”
Ratu smiled, rolling a small piece of charred wood in his fingers. He thought for a long time, as everyone else continued to stare at the ships. Finally, he said, “Raja’s Ships. Let’s call it Raja’s Ships.”
“Raja’s Ships?” Annie asked. “Why that?”
“Ratu. Annie. Jake. Akira. We found it. It should have our names. Aren’t all great mountains and seas and lakes named after the explorers who found them?”
“It seems that way.”
Ratu nodded, rising from the ground. “Raja’s Ships,” he said happily. “What a cracking good name. What a perfect name. I tell you, names are everything. Better to have a good name than a good nose.”
Annie smiled. “It is a . . . cracking good name, Ratu. And you’re sweet to include everyone.”
“I bloody well should include everyone, because everyone helped. Big Jake held the torch, and Akira . . . Akira held your hand, and you smell nice, and I like the way you say my name.”

SITTING ON A BOULDER that had fallen inside the cave’s entrance, Joshua and Isabelle watched the storm. Though it had lessened in ferocity since the previous day, the storm still acted as if it wanted to drown the island. Rain continued to cascade from the sky, and water running down the hill behind them created a waterfall that obscured much of the cave’s entrance. The roar of the waterfall partially masked the uninhibited wind and the pounding of the surf.
“I wonder if we lost any ships in this,” Joshua said quietly, thinking that Benevolence would have handled the elements.
Isabelle paused from organizing their medical supplies. “I certainly hope not,” she replied. After carefully setting aside the quinine, she located the medicinal cream she wanted and found some clean and dry bandages. “Now let me see those hands.”
“They’re fine.”
“Joshua, you’re going to let me see them this instant.”
“I think we should save those supplies for something more important. We might—”
“I’ll be the judge of how we’re doing on medical supplies, thank you very much. Now put out your hands.”
Reluctantly, Joshua held out his hands, unfurling his palms. Isabelle dropped to her knees and slowly began to remove the cloth that they’d wrapped around his fingers and palms. She was surprised at the size and severity of his blisters. Red and open, the flesh of his palms looked as if he’d grabbed a rope and slid a hundred feet down. She knew that he must be in significant pain, and yet he’d mentioned nothing of his discomfort all morning. “You’re a mess,” she said.
He tried to smile. “I thought nurses were supposed to paint a rosy picture.”
“Well, your hands aren’t going to fall off. That’s about as rosy as I can get for now.” She used a damp cloth to gently clean his wounds. He winced, several times pulling his hands away from her. “I have to get these clean, Joshua,” she said, trying to hold him still.
“Sweet Mother Mary,” he replied, exhaling deeply.
“Try to think of something else.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one being tortured.”
“Do you want infected hands? Here on this island?”
“No, but you shouldn’t be on your knees, attending me.” He glanced about to ensure that no one else was near. “I mean, with the baby? It doesn’t seem right. I don’t want—”
“That’s it. Think of our baby. What should we name him?”
“Ouch!”
“What names, Joshua?”
He moved his gaze from his hands to her face. “Do you think it’s a boy?” he asked, attempting to stay still.
“Does it matter to you? What the sex is?”
“Well, I always thought that . . . ouch . . . that I’d want a boy. But now it doesn’t matter. Either would be wonderful.”
“What about names?” she asked, beginning to spread the medicinal cream on his hands.
“If it’s a girl, we could name her after your grandmother.”
She paused. “Gertrude?”
He winked when she looked up from his injuries. “It has . . . a certain charm. And your grandmother certainly does.”
“Don’t be an ass,” she replied, trying not to laugh. “It’s not her fault that she’s so . . . interesting.”
“That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“You mustn’t feel that bad. If you’re going to sit there and poke fun at my family, maybe I should leave your hands alone. And for the record, your family is definitely odder than mine. At least my parents don’t live in a tent.”
“Now, that’s just a few months out of the year. And it’s not really a tent. More of a home on wheels.”
“It’s a tent, Joshua.”
He smiled, thinking of his parents and how they liked to spend summers high in the Rockies. “What about Claire? Or Alice? Or maybe Catherine?”
“What about boys?”
“Well, I’ve always liked the name Owen.”
“Owen?”
“That’s right. A name you don’t hear on every corner.”
She started to apply fresh bandages to his blisters, covering the wounds with care and precision. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to name him after some ship you saw in port.”
“Now, there’s a thought,” he said, feigning excitement. “He could be . . . Barnes or Lexington or Casablanca or Hancock. Oh, and Saratoga would make a fine name. Saratoga Collins. Let’s do that.”
“Let’s pretend that I never mentioned the idea.” She finished wrapping his hands and started to tidy up the medical kit. Everything went into its proper place, and the kit was sealed shut. “You’re not an easy patient,” she said, moving closer to him.
“I’m a deviant, remember?” he replied, kissing her forehead.
Isabelle leaned against his knees and stroked his forearm with her thumb. Lightning flashed above the sea, followed by the groan of thunder. “It’s good to hear . . . the old Josh make an appearance,” she said.
“I like the sound of him too.”
“Will I hear more of him in the days to come?”
“Undoubtedly. Probably more than you want.”
“Promise?”
He nodded, though his smile soon wavered. He opened and closed his bandaged hands, listening to the storm howl. Its fury was such that he wasn’t surprised that the ancient Greeks thought mighty gods lived atop a mountain in the sky. Turning his mind to the present, he said, “But we need to get off this island safely. And the war needs to end.”
“It will.”
“And we’d better win,” he replied, his face and voice suddenly solemn. “We have to win. If we don’t . . . everything will have been in vain. And a monster . . . a true monster . . . will rule the Earth.”
Isabelle looked toward the sea. “Do you think the rumors are true?”
“Of the camps?”
“Yes.”
“I pray that they aren’t. But . . . but I hear that terrible photos are being smuggled out of Poland—unspeakable things, really. Pictures of mass graves and gassings and mountains of naked bodies. Some say Hitler’s dream is to kill every Jew in Europe.”
“It can’t be. It just can’t. How many people is that?”
“Something like eleven million.”
Isabelle groaned, running her hands through her hair. “What can be done, Josh? What can we do to stop it?”
“Win the war. Win it as fast as possible. And hang Hitler and all of his kind.”
“We’re going to win, aren’t we? You’ve told me that a hundred times.”
“I ask the good Lord for victory every night,” he replied. “And I start every day with the same prayer. But, yes, I think we’ll win. Between us and the Russians, we’ll strangle Germany.”
“And Japan?”
“Japan is fighting a country twenty times its size. And Japan will fall, though it will be bloody.”
Isabelle mused over his words. As a nurse, as one who’d devoted her life to healing others, it was hard for her to wish ill upon anyone. But she knew that if Hitler stood before her, she’d find the strength to pull any trigger. “When do you think it will be over?” she asked, wanting to somehow count down the days.
“Two years. Maybe three. We’re just not ready to cross the Channel. And we can’t invade France until we can get there.”
Suddenly tired of her dark thoughts, she tried to bring herself back into a place of light. “So, in three years it will be done? All of it? The camps and the convoys and the buckets of amputated arms?”
“It ought to be.”
“And we’ll own a little house somewhere on the water, and you’ll be teaching me to sail? And we’ll have a baby who’s learning to talk?”
Joshua closed his eyes, imagining such a world. “That sounds wonderful. Just wonderful, Izzy.”
She kissed his hand, needing to believe in that future, needing for him to believe in it as well. “It will be wonderful,” she said softly. “It’s going to be our life.”

“CAN YOU FIND YOUR WAY?” Akira asked, wanting her to make the journey, but afraid for her all the same.
Annie held a torch in one hand and another branch in the other. Two weeks earlier, she’d never have dreamt of venturing alone to the back of an immense cave. But over the past few days, such fears had weighed less upon her. “I’ll be fine,” she said, pleased that he seemed concerned for her.
Akira lifted a coil of rope and draped it over his neck and shoulder. He glanced toward the campfire, around which everyone but Roger and Nathan was resting. Roger had left several hours earlier, disappearing into the rain. Nathan had recently departed. “Are you sure?” Akira asked, just to be certain.
“I’m sure.”
“Then I will next see you at Raja’s Ships, yes?”
“I’ll get a little fire going.”
“Please do not rush. It may be rather difficult for me to locate the opening.”
“Take your time. I won’t leave for a bit.”
Akira smiled and stepped into the waterfall that covered the cave’s entrance. A curtain of water cascaded upon him with considerable force, and even before he entered the storm, he was soaking wet. He was eager to explore the ground above their hideout, for the soldier in him knew that having an escape route at the cave’s rear was essential. Otherwise, they could be trapped far too easily.
The hill behind the cave was dominated by rocks and foliage. At some point, probably thousands of years before, this part of the cliff had fallen toward the sea. Moss-covered boulders lay atop an enormous pile of earth. A wide variety of shrubs and trees grew around the rocks. Knowing that the crack he sought was about three hundred paces to the northwest, Akira headed in that direction, counting off his steps.
Though the storm had lessened considerably, rain still assaulted the jungle. Footing was treacherous, and Akira moved with great care. Instead of climbing over slippery boulders, he walked around them and adjusted his course. He hadn’t been alone in this jungle, and now that he was, he found himself instinctively scanning for ambush sites and walking in a low crouch. After all, he’d been shot at in such places. Shot at by Filipinos and Thais and Chinese and Americans and Australians. Fortunately, by trying to move through jungles as if he were a fox and not a man, he’d never fallen victim to the kinds of ambushes that killed so many of his comrades.
Akira wanted to think of Annie now that he was alone. He wanted to reflect upon the way she made him feel and how she was able to do so. But being alone in the jungle, and not knowing Roger’s whereabouts, he forced himself to be vigilant. He continued to scan the land before him, listening for unusual sounds in the rain. He paused suddenly at unlikely places and peered into the gloom, looking for any sort of movement.
Knowing that he must be close to the crack, Akira started to search for it in earnest. No significant amount of water had been dripping through the opening when they’d seen it earlier, and so he knew that it must be somehow protected. Most likely it lay under a shelf of rock. Looking for such sites, he moved through his environs with increasing care. As he navigated around a decrepit banyan tree, he recalled searching for tunnels in a bamboo forest in China. Sadly, the soldier beside him had set off a trap, and Akira had been able to do no more than pull the man from the sharp stakes that had plunged into various parts of his body.
Pushing the memory away, Akira continued to search. He eased through a gathering of head-high ferns and was surprised to find Nathan sitting atop a massive boulder. Nathan held the airman’s dagger and appeared to be etching an image into a wide piece of bamboo. “Hello,” Akira said, bowing slightly, as if fearful of interrupting Nathan’s work.
Nathan lowered the dagger, peered through the rain and jungle, and smiled when he recognized Akira. “Come on up,” he said, gesturing for Akira to climb the boulder.
Akira dropped to his hands and knees and ascended the slippery stone. Moss and small plants grew amid ancient cracks, while other parts of the boulder seemed to have been bleached by the sun. As he rose, Akira wondered why Nathan had climbed the truck-sized rock and why he was sitting alone in the rain. Wordlessly, Akira moved beside Nathan, eyeing the bamboo in his lap.
Nathan lifted the piece of green wood, upon which he’d etched a simple scene from the island—three palm trees standing straight beneath a mighty sun. “It’s for my little girl,” he said, wiping rain from his brow.
Akira smiled, thinking of Nathan’s stash of such treasures, items that he often worked on after finishing his daily duties. “I am sure that she will like it.”
“Oh, Peggy likes most everything.”
Recalling her face from Nathan’s water-stained photo, Akira nodded. “She is your youngest, yes?”
“She’s my baby.”
“A most beautiful child.”
“Thank you,” Nathan replied, staring into the jungle, thinking of the distance between himself and his family, as he had so many times before. “You know, it’s the simple things . . . I miss the most. If I were home, and it was a Saturday morning, Peggy would be packing a picnic lunch with her mother. And my boy and I would be loading the car.”
“And where would you drive?” Akira asked, recalling the Japanese families he’d seen on such picnics, gathered together beneath maple trees along the Kamo River.
“Usually to a pond, or maybe a stream. We like to fish a bit. And if there’s grass we’ll play some croquet. Then it’s time for a big lunch and a spot of shade.” Nathan sighed, folding his hands atop his lap, briefly biting his lower lip. “It . . . it seems like a long time ago.”
“I am sure that it must. But you will see them again.”
“You think so?”
“I think that . . . that you love them too much to not see them again.”
Nathan bit his lip once more. He then wiped his eye. “I have to. I just can’t imagine . . . not seeing them again.”
“You will be home soon. I am sure of this.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Ferns surrounding the boulder trembled as raindrops fell. “You were forced into the war, weren’t you?” Nathan asked.
“Yes. I was handed a rifle and told to fight. Told to fight . . . you. So sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Still, please accept my apology.”
Nathan nodded, and then placed the piece of bamboo in Akira’s hand. “When you get back to Japan, please give this to a young girl. And please tell her that it came from an American soldier.”
Bowing deeply, Akira replied, “It will be my great honor to do this.”
“Thank you.”
Akira pocketed the bamboo and bowed again. “You are a good man.”
“Maybe one day good men won’t have to fight each other.”
“I hope we each live long enough to see that day.”
“I do too.” Nathan eyed the coil of rope around Akira’s neck and shoulder. “Well,” he said, “I suppose I’ll return to the cave. I wouldn’t want you . . . to keep anyone waiting.”
Akira said good-bye and watched Nathan carefully descend the boulder. As Nathan vanished into the jungle below, Akira again began his search for the opening to the cave. He moved with some haste, for he didn’t want Annie to worry about his whereabouts. As he searched, he thought of Nathan, promising himself that he’d do his best to ensure that this lonely father got home safely to his family.
When Akira spied a rock overhang that protected the soil beneath it, he wasn’t surprised to discover the crack. His mind shifting to Annie, he began to move more quickly, a sudden urge to caress her face possessing him. He found a stout, healthy tree near the opening and tied one end of the rope around the bottom of the trunk. He was about to climb down through the crack when he stopped and began to tie knots in the rope so that it would be easier for people to ascend. He created simple knots at two-foot intervals. After dropping the coil through the crack, he placed branches over the exposed rope until it was well hidden.
Akira moved under the overhang, putting his feet within the crack. The area around him didn’t feel right for some reason, and he paused to study his surroundings. The opening was larger than he expected and didn’t appear to be a natural split in the earth. Perhaps once it had been, but the crack seemed to have been widened at some point. The edges had been smoothed out and didn’t look as if they’d once been joined together.
Wondering if the ancient painters had enlarged the crack to give them additional light, Akira began to descend. To ensure that he wouldn’t lose his grip, he twisted his left ankle around the wet rope so that it came up between his knees and he was able to apply pressure to it. His legs and torso passed through the crack, and suddenly he plunged into a world of darkness.
“I’m here!” Annie shouted from below.
Akira smiled, imagining her. She’d be moving restlessly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. It was possible she had a finger in her mouth and was biting a nail. Her eyes were certainly upon him, and he hoped he didn’t look too small from so far below. Knot by knot, he descended. He glanced at the ships, though as inspiring as they were, he quickly dropped his gaze to her. The rich light of a fire below bathed her face in amber, and he felt an immediate sense of comfort upon seeing her familiar features.
The rope was about seven feet short of touching the ground, so Akira had to jump when he reached its end. He landed gracefully, bending his knees so that his muscles absorbed the impact instead of his back. Before he could even fully straighten, Annie stepped to him, wrapping her arms about him. She kissed him hungrily, pulling him tight against her. “You’ve consumed me,” she said, running her hands through his wet hair. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep or even talk with Isabelle.”
Akira kissed her, stroked the soft line of her jaw, and then pressed his nose into the skin beneath her temple. He inhaled slowly and deeply. “You smell like . . . like you.”
She eased her hands into his dripping shirt. “Me?”
“Yes. You have your own smell. A wonderful smell. Something fresh . . . like the sea or perhaps the sun.”
She smiled. “It’s just me.”
He kissed her forehead, delighted to once again be alone with her. “May I . . . may I tell you something?”
“Please.”
“It is a little . . . odd.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
He nodded, enjoying the sight of her sapphire-colored eyes. “Aboard the ship, I always watched you. I always listened to you.”
“You did? But why?”
“Because you treated me well. Because I liked how your hands felt on my leg.”
“On your bullet wound?”
“You washed my face once, yes? When you thought I was sleeping?”
Annie searched her memory. She had always wiped the grime from her patients, believing that if they felt clean, they would feel better. “I did?” she asked.
He gently touched her face. “You took a warm cloth. You pressed it against my skin and you swept away . . . you swept away the mud that had covered me for two days.”
She smiled, pulling him closer. “I’m glad I did.”
“I had never . . . been touched like that. So gently.”
“Never?”
“And when the ship sank, I knew that I could not let you die. That would be like . . . allowing . . . a rare flower to be pulled from the ground.”
She kissed his lips softly. “Is that why you taught me about haikus? To give something back to me? To show me how you truly felt?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know that I often create them? Even here, waiting for you.”
“Please tell it to me.”
She kissed him again, longing to touch him as she had before. “Let me feel you first.”
Annie, who had known nothing but fast and awkward lovemaking during her time with Ted, began to slowly unbutton Akira’s shirt. Her hands renewed their exploration of his flesh. Her mouth moved over his skin in small circles. She felt his naked chest against her breasts, and her body tingled with anticipation. “I’m going to . . . I’m going to write a poem right now . . . with you,” she said, somewhat breathlessly, her fingers and lips gliding about him.
After having always had the course of lovemaking dictated to her, Annie felt empowered to be creating the unfolding scene. Knowing that Akira liked the way she’d once touched him aboard Benevolence, she touched him again in the same manner. And he responded to her as she hoped he would—his movements graceful and without thought of time.
The ships loomed above them as they began to make love. And as Annie was carried into a magical world that seemed divine in nature, it suddenly occurred to her that Jake had been right. The people aboard the ships did look happy. They did look free.

ROGER PEERED THROUGH the darkness toward the cave. The entrance glowed from the presence of the fire within. The odor of roasting fish filled the wet air. Though hungry, Roger wasn’t yet ready to enter the cave. He hated being within its confines, hated having his every movement witnessed by a group of people who seemed sickeningly in love with one another. How foreign he felt within the group. How troubled and clumsy and trapped. A sense of claustrophobia almost overwhelmed him when people gathered within the cave, when their laughter echoed off the damp walls. It was as if they were laughing at him, mocking his entire existence. He’d experienced such mockery before, and having to go through it again was more than he wanted to bear. How much better it would be to kill them all and have the cave to himself. Or at least to himself and Annie. He still craved her, his longing as powerful as his desire to draw smoke into his lungs. And now that he suspected his foe was touching her, this craving was even more acute and wrenching.
Roger blinked the rain away and turned toward the sea, briefly massaging the back of his aching head. From his pocket he removed a smooth, amber-colored snail shell that Ratu had found earlier. “Stupid little runt,” Roger muttered, remembering how the boy had excitedly shown the shell to everyone in camp, how he’d told them that his sister would love his discovery. “It sure is beautiful,” he said, shaking his head. “But not for much longer.” He threw the shell against a barnacle-encrusted rock, smiling when it shattered.
While distant thunder rumbled, Roger remained pleased by the theft and destruction of the shell. Because his parents hadn’t been able to afford gifts of any sort, throughout most of his childhood Roger had stolen what he desired. Though he’d secretly filled his pockets in stores and outdoor markets, he’d most enjoyed stealing from other children—taking their treasures and making them his. At first he’d covertly captured what he sought. But as the years passed and his strength and reputation grew, he’d simply hurt or threatened his classmates until they gave him whatever he wanted.
As the storm continued to subject the sky to its groans, memories of plundered toys and treasures kept Roger’s headache at bay. But gradually the pain crept forward, expanding once again now that his hands were empty. He cursed the pain, the world, and his empty hands. He ought to hold a cigarette or a woman or a gun. Or, better yet, all three. Instead he sat in the rain and imagined how those in the cave were talking about him, laughing at him.
Forcing himself to think about the future and the good it would bring, Roger wondered when the destroyer would return. Edo should arrive in several days, unless, of course, the storm delayed him. Again massaging his throbbing head, Roger resigned himself to the fact that for the immediate future, he’d have to listen to the bitch’s endless musings, the runt’s shrill laughter, the captain’s infuriating commands. He’d have to endure.
But soon Edo would land and everything would change. The runt and the captain and the Nip would be dead. There would be no more laughter to assault his ears, no more hand-holding to offend his eyes. Yes, once Edo landed, Roger would awaken, sneak into the jungle, and cut the rope that the Jap had dropped into the cave. He’d then meet Edo and lead handpicked men straight to the hiding place. And there would be no escape for his tormentors.
The thought of this future kept Roger somewhat at ease, despite the cold, the other survivors, and the maddening ache within his skull. Drumming his fingers against his thigh, he continued to look out over the sea, continued to wonder where the ships were. They would arrive in force; he knew that much. The Japs always liked to do things in groups, and claiming an island was no different. They’d send five hundred men ashore, and within a week a landing strip, gun emplacements, and living quarters would be erected. The island would be theirs.
“But not the cave,” Roger whispered. “The cave will be mine, and if that little bitch so much as looks at me wrong, she’ll watch as I paint a ship with her blood.”