The Journey Home

by K'Anne Meinel

  “Were you the one who sent this to Father Aames?” Cass held out the note she had found in the Father’s possessions. It read: Rescue unlikely at this time, hang tight.

  The man took the paper and nodded. “Yes, he sent me instructions that four men had ended up on his island from the Royal Navy and I was to send the information on. He never mentioned a woman!” he looked at her accusingly like it was her fault.

  Cass looked at him. He was slovenly, unkempt, wearing a loose fitting shit with an undershirt that was stained underneath it and shorts. He was badly in need of a shave and apparently a bath as well as the wind shifted slightly and she could smell his body odor. He looked to be about fifty years old but that was hard to determine, the sun and work tended to age people in this climate.

  “Did Aames send you?” he asked suspiciously wondering why she was here.

  “Father Aames has passed away.” She felt it was best not to go into details. “I’m here to see if you could send another message. There are not only the four Australians but myself and another American nurse and we are stuck until someone can rescue us.”

  He was shocked, not one but two women? What was Aames getting at keeping that information? Was there something here that he wasn’t aware of? Was he keeping the women for himself? He could see the lieutenant’s bars on her well-worn and stained shirt. “Who are you lady?” he snarled. He wasn’t happy to be surprised or to have a woman who outranked him here on his island.

  She grinned wryly, not in the least put off by his surliness. “I am Lieutenant Cassandra Scheimer formally from the hospital on the island of Wiquaqau under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Anderson whom I believe to be deceased. Our island was evacuated due to a volcanic explosion. Two of us barely made it off and I believe were the last survivors to leave. Myself and a fellow nurse, Lieutenant Annette Ryder is with me on their island,” she gestured to the youth who was waiting there patiently as they spoke in a language he did not know. She continued, “As well as four Australians from a sunken rig. We’ve come a long way and have no idea where in the world we are but we need to get back to our outfits and I am hoping you can send a message so our families won’t worry about us.” After all this time Cass had admit that Stephanie might think she was dead and she was anxious to relieve her mind of that. “And who might you be?” she asked pleasantly

  The man stared at her doubtfully, he couldn’t believe her story and yet, she was an officer! He had to do as she asked even if he didn’t like it. He stood up at attention, in a kind of cocky way and saluted her. “I am Corporal Paul Messerman and I am assigned to this station for the purpose of relaying enemy movements.”

  Cass smiled as she returned the salute, “At ease,” she ordered.

  “I thought Father Abrams said he had four men show up?” Paul asked in concern. He could see for an officer she was pretty easy going. Not bad on the eyes either with the outfit she was wearing that was beginning to fall off from the tears, burn holes, and the fact that she had been wearing it for weeks.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “That would be the four Australians who we met on one of the islands that are now with us.” She gestured with her thumb to the boy waiting patiently for them to complete their incomprehensible conversation.

  “Let’s see what we can do about getting you back to civilization,” he grouched as he turned towards the shack and gestured for her to follow him.

  Cass was amazed after his slovenly appearance that the shack was so neat. She was relieved to see the radio equipment and while she had no knowledge of such electronics it looked highly sophisticated to her untrained eyes. In no time at all he had someone on the radio responding to his call sign, ‘Spoon’ as he had called for ‘Dish.’ He explained in between waiting for them that “The Dish ran away with the Spoon,” and that, “The Cow jumped over the Moon,” were code names to confuse the enemy who just may be listening. Cass was amused and amazed as she heard a scratchy, tinny sounding voice come over the airwaves and Paul explained the predicament in a style of speaking she was unfamiliar with. Innuendo and code she supposed.

  “You are saying you have half of a baker’s dozen to be laid?” the voice came over to confirm what it had just been told. Cass wondered at that but then thinking about it half of a baker’s dozen would be six and a half as a baker’s dozen was thirteen. Bakers had always put in one extra ‘just in case’ so that they couldn’t be accused of shorting the customer. The incomprehensible conversation made her realize just how the boy who looked in avidly at the modern wonders in the hut felt when they spoke in English and he spoke not a word of it.

  “Ok Spoon, we’ll scoop up the biscuits and gravy for you in about an hourglass or two, over?” the tinny voice came over the wireless.

  “Thanks Dish, over and out,” he replied formally. Paul turned to look at Cass and said, “Okay, they are sending someone to pick you up in two days. They have the location of your island from what I knew of where Father Abrams was.”

  Cass shook her head, “I don’t think Father Abrams wanted to be found, are you sure you know where to send someone?”

  Paul chuckled. “That old bird isn’t or rather wasn’t as clever as he thought. These boys here are a better network than our coastal system,” he thumbed at the boy who was still looking in at them. “They go farther, faster, and in primitive but affective ways and if you can speak their lingo, you got it made. There was a fellow who spoke a little English and he traveled among the islands, I think the Japs finally got him because he disappeared. But he let on where that old British bird had gone to roost and I always knew.”

  Cass was relieved. She had thought perhaps they would be stuck or have to come to this island and she wasn’t sure the Aussie’s or Annette was up to the trip.

  “Would you like some lunch before you two head on back?” Paul offered.

  Cass looked up startled, of course they would have to head back, and soon if they wanted to make it by dark. The thought of eating though really appealed as she nodded. “Yes, that would be lovely,” she answered suddenly very hungry.

  She was surprised at the can goods that he explained were occasionally air dropped to him. They couldn’t do it too often because the Japs would catch on that he lived there but occasionally he took his boat for supplies in Wangutupi.

  “Where is that?” she asked and he explained where she was, where the island she had been on was, and where Wangutupi is. “And where is Wiquaqau in relation to all these?” She was amazed when he showed her on the map. They were talking hundreds of miles that they had traveled, by boat, and where Wiquaqau had been it was so tiny!

  “Yeah the ocean in this area of the world is full of these islands and the Japs want to have them all. The natives object and of course us Americans as we don’t want them to have anything but Japan and even that is going to be taken from them when we win.” He told her this as he fed her canned goods including baked beans, beef, and a fruit mix that tasted odd to her tongue. It had grapes, peaches, pears, and small red cherries in it in a heavy sugar juice.

  “Is it possible you could take us back to our island instead of us paddling in his canoe?” she asked quietly as she watched the boy slurp up these treats from his own cans.

  “What about his boat that you came in? You can’t expect him to abandon it, it’s a big mode of transportation around these parts,” he grinned.

  “Can you haul it aboard your boat or tow it behind?” she asked hoping he would give them the necessary ride as the thought of paddling back all that way was making her cringe, plus the size of the waves and the open ocean.

  He could sense her unease but still he hesitated. “That’s an awful lot of gas to go and come back,” he began and Cass’s spirits sagged at the thought of the long paddle back. “But I suppose they will resupply me my next trip to Wangutupi.”

  “Oh that’s great!” she said happily as she finished drinking the juice from her fruit cocktail. She was anxious to go now.

  The trip back was considera
bly smoother in the small boat, it had a below decks with two bunks but Cass sat on the front looking out over the waves that crashed against the bow. The small canoe they had come in had been lashed to the boat and the boy understood they were getting a ride with Paul. He had taken some convincing since he thought they wanted him to leave his canoe but Paul managed to mime that they would put it on the much larger boat and bring it along and the boy had been thrilled to ride on the big boat. He was glued to Paul’s side watching avidly as he drove north towards their destination.

  Cass was thrilled when he managed to drive to the island without incident and without any deviation. He did indeed know where the Father’s island was despite his secretiveness. The sound of their boat brought many of the villagers running who hailed the youth who showed off to his relatives and friends that he was riding in a modern boat. Cass was relieved to see Annette among them as well as the four Aussies who looked suspiciously at Paul.

  Cass introduced the Corporal to them all and he was gracious and pleasant. The boy introduced him to the headman and he shook his hand murmuring in his language. Paul was equally as respectful and kind although he didn’t understand a word of it. He didn’t want to stay long, he had the long trip back by himself and he and the youth unlashed the canoe in preparation for his shoving off.

  “Corporal?” Cass called before he left.

  Paul looked up and around, it was getting late and he’d have to hurry to get home before dark and even then he was sure he wouldn’t make it.

  “Thank you so much for everything you have done,” she told him sincerely.

  He smiled and for once she could see his handsome face under that scruffy appearance. “Just doing my duty ma’am, thank you.” He gave her a mock salute and started the engine waving as he drove away into the ocean waters.

  “Not a particularly friendly bloke is he?” complained Dirk good naturedly.

  Cass was sick of her Aussie companions and their complaints but held off from snapping at them. “He did his job,” she replied quietly as she walked towards the path to the village.

  Annette joined her as they headed for their hut.

  “Everything okay? Anything happen while I was away?” Cass asked her. She had been happy to report to them all that a message had been sent, that she was there to hear it be sent and hear that a rescue was underway.

  “Fine,” Annette answered a little too quickly and Cass looked at her closely.

  “What happened?”

  Annette shrugged and went to turn into their hut but Cass grabbed her good arm to stop her. She winced slightly.

  “What happened?” Cass repeated looking at her in alarm. In the fading light of the day she tried to see her arm and thought she could see bruises on the good arm, in the shape of fingerprints. She was horrified; she knew they weren’t there before she left.

  “Just one of the men getting frisky,” Annette mumbled. “It wasn’t anything!”

  “Nothing? Really?” Cass asked ominously and Annette looked up at her friend in alarm. Something about her tone…

  “He just didn’t want to take no for an answer, that’s all. One of the others stopped him.”

  Cass was furious. They were all stuck here together. It was no one’s fault but treating her friend like this, that was the final straw. “Which one?” she asked in a deceptively quiet voice.

  “That big blonde guy but it’s okay, his friend handled it.”

  “He did eh?” she said. Changing the subject she said, “I’m going for a walk for a minute,” and turned back the way they had come.

  It was watching the sunset that seemed to calm her but really she was thinking, a little too much. She didn’t know if her family knew she was alive or dead, she didn’t know if they were actually going to be rescued in the next couple days, but having to put up with horny men, the dirt, the lack of privacy, the lack of decent clothing, the worry, it was all getting to be a bit much. It was as she was looking out to see that she saw the boat. She saw Corporal Messerman heading back and when she saw someone on the beach he waved frantically.

  Cass turned and saw that Annette had followed her. “Do you see him, Paul is returning!”

  Annette noticed the familiar use of his name and was strangely jealous for a moment. “What could that mean?

  “I don’t know but it can’t be good, hope his boat is working okay,” she answered as she wondered why Annette had come to the beach and not said anything. She headed to where Paul had landed his boat previously but he headed to a creek where the freshwater on the island met the beach and formed an inlet.

  “Hello, why are you back? Problem with the boat?” she asked him trying to peer at him through the darkening foliage as he jumped ashore and began to tie up the boat.

  “Help me hide this thing!” he said anxiously and handed her a machete.

  Cass didn’t ask another question as she began to cut large grasses and palm fronds. Annette helped take them back to Paul who was arranging them across the white sides of his boat. Several villagers and two of the Aussies had heard the boat and came to see what had happened.

  “Japs in my way on the way back and they spotted me, it was pretty dicey for a while there, fortunately I circled around a couple coral reefs I knew about and their boat couldn’t follow. I couldn’t take the chance they would follow me back home you know. So I circled wide and headed back here indirectly but they are going to be searching you can bet.”

  “Do you think this will affect our rescue?” Blake asked.

  Paul looked up from where he was tying grass and fronds on and nodded as he said, “Do you think any Allied boat is going to want to come in the area if they spot a Japanese one? And if they send a sub they won’t come up.”

  “I guess we just sit tight then.”

  They soon had the boat hidden from view both aerial and at sea. The villagers returned to the village murmuring among themselves at the odd behavior of these men and women.

  “Do you think we ought to keep watch?” Blake consulted with Paul.

  “That would be a good idea; we should do it in three to four hour shifts so no one gets too tired.” Paul reached into his boat for a rifle, he put a gun in his pants belt, and a knife as well. Taking the machete back from Cass he put it in a sheath that slung over his shoulder. “I’ll take the first watch; I’m too wired to sleep right now anyway.”

  “We can take shifts too,” Cass volunteered.

  “This might be too much for a Sheila,” Dirk said with his knowing leer.

  Cass looked at him coolly and before anyone could react she pushed against him with his back up against a tree, one arm against his chest holding him in place. From her front pocket she pulled the syringe and removed it one handed from its case. Holding the needle against his neck with her fist she hissed, “You ever have a bubble of air in your veins? A rather large one is enough to kill you.”

  “Hey, hey, HEY, I was just JOKING!” he said in alarm and tried to pry her arm from his chest where it was holding him but she was a big woman and very strong.

  “Were you kidding when you grabbed Annette earlier today? You’re fingerprints left bruises,” she spat into his face as she spoke but she was pretty worked up.

  “Cass, please Cass, it’s okay, they took care of it.” Annette tried to distract her attention.

  “Cass, me and the other’s warned him, he won’t bother either of you again, I swear it,” Blake told her earnestly. He was alarmed at the violence that the normally nice nurse was capable of.

  “What’s going on here?” Paul asked to them all but stayed back.

  Cass looked a long moment at Dirk. “You see that you do stay away from us, far away. I want you to know I’m a crack shot with a gun too. I grew up in the big woods, I hunted and bullets aren’t cheap so I learned not to miss. I also butchered my kill. You keep that in mind if you step out of line again!” she told him.

  He had lost all color as she said ‘butchered’ since it had so much emphasis and she glanced
down his body at the same time. He nodded feeling his bladder wanting to empty and concentrating on holding those muscles in.

  Cass pulled the needle away from his neck. Annette swooped down to get the case and smacking out the sand she handed it to her friend. Together they turned and walked away.

  “You ass, you never piss off a woman!” Blake told him succinctly.

  The other two men nodded and Dirk went off into the foliage to relieve his shaky bladder.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Cass, Cass!” someone shook her arm and she came up swinging. The tension had been getting to her and she nearly slugged hit Rory. “Whoa there, easy gal, I’m just waking you per Blake’s orders. It’s your turn to keep watch,” he told her. “You can use my rifle, I cleaned it today, you know how to use it?” he teased knowing she did. The conversation she had with Dirk earlier had been repeated by Blake and Paul and they had shared with Paul about her suggestion to remove the safety back on the other island. They all agreed she probably knew what she was talking about and hadn’t lied to Dirk when she threatened him.

  She nodded and got up to follow him out taking the rifle, checking the safety was on before slinging it to her back. She headed for the beach to do her share of the patrol. She met Blake on the beach coming back from his own walk. “We need two on patrol?” she asked.

  He nodded, “We thought that one could walk along one side of the island while the other walked the other way. By the time we make about five circuits it’s time to wake the next person.”

  “Who do you want me to wake when I’m done?” she asked.

  “Does Annette want a turn?” he asked respectfully.

  Cass shook her head. “I don’t know, I didn’t ask.”

  “Well then, I’ll wake Adam and you wake Paul, he said he wanted to be up at first light.”

  She nodded and continued on down the beach looking out of the corners of her eyes since the night played tricks if you looked at things directly. Her eyes darted around to look for lights, unnatural shadows and shapes, a reflection on the water if anything. She understood why five circuits took so long on the small island if you were observant. She met up with Blake once more before he woke Adam for his stint.