by Jeff Tikari
saying they would be back in ten days.
The non-arrival of the couple created a hue and cry back in town amongst family and friends. The Captain of the ship was questioned. He had no answers but said if a search team was organized, he would be happy to take it to the island in ten days time.
Ten days later the ship was in the bay again and repeated the routine of waiting and hooting repeatedly. When no one emerged, a search team was sent ashore. After hours and again after hooting repeatedly, remnants of the search team emerged from the forest and rowed across to the ship. The men were taken to the Captain’s cabin where they were questioned by a team of officers.
They looked distracted and confused and wished not to say much, “The couple didn’t want to come back,” is all they kept repeating. Of their colleagues they said, “They too elected to remain behind.”
The ship was well behind schedule and weighed anchor hurriedly and steamed away. The remaining team members from the rescue squad stood on deck and looked longingly at the receding island. Each had firmly resolved in his heart to return soon and perhaps forever.
Unknown to them, this was the last sighting of the island by humans. A severe earthquake depressed the island seven hundred feet under the rolling waves.
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Jeff Tikari has worked on tea plantations in northern India for twenty years and on coffee and tea plantations in Papua New Guinea for fifteen years. He now lives on the outskirts of Delhi where he runs a Homeopathic clinic and from where he does all his writing.
His first book on spiritualism and philosophy: ‘The Future Intelligence” was published in the year 2000. He has had short articles & stories published in magazines around India, the USA, Canada, Australia, and in the UK. He has self published a book, ‘Masala Tales & Random Thoughts’. Jeff has also written the following books:
The Future Intelligence - Spiritual Assessment.
Masala Tales & Random Thoughts
Aroma of Orange Pekoe – his memoirs and humorous snippets from Tea.
The Honey Gatherer – fictional novel.
Laugh Like a Dog – fictional novel.
Travails of Innocence – Fiction
To Sweeten Boredom – short stories.
Episodes of Ecstasy – short stories.
All the above books and more can be viewed & sampled at: (1) https://stores.lulu.com/jtikari
Jeff Tikari, M-12/24, DLF City -2, Gurgaon 122002, India.
E-mail: [email protected]
