“Right, Pete! You’re very observant! We’ve rounded the northern tip of St. Lucia, so now we’re on the Atlantic coast. We’re near a place called Cas en Bas. It’s still a beautiful view, isn’t it?” They paused for a few minutes, drinking in the vistas of ocean and mountains.
Their guide pressed on then, leading them up and down wooded hills. They wound their way single file up a bluff on a narrow track. On their left was the face of a cliff, and on their right was a sheer drop-off.
“Ooh, I don’t know about this…” Robyn moaned. “I’m scared!”
“Just relax, Robyn,” Dan instructed. “Your pony knows the way and he doesn’t want to fall any more than you do! Hang on and just let him carry you.”
They climbed a little higher and the area suddenly changed in appearance. The coast here was barren and lonely, and looked almost like a desert with cactus plants everywhere. Waves pounded against the rocks. Kristi shivered. This place was wild and dangerous—not the beautiful tropics she had come to know and love! She was relieved when Sam turned the horses and they headed back the way they had come.
They had to go back down the narrow track by the cliff again, and Robyn was even more nervous this time. She felt she was about to tumble right over the horse’s head at any moment, but thankfully they made it down with no problems. They arrived back at the quiet cove they had passed earlier, and Sam told them that they would be having a barbecue right there on the beach.
No one was happier than Skeeter! “Hey, I just realized, we’re late for lunch! I forgot about lunch—can you believe it? Mom, I’m—”
“Yes, I know, Skeeter—you’re starving! Well, just hang in there, Buddy-Boy. We’ll be eating soon.”
Someone from the Caribbean Pony Club had brought the food and already started the barbecue. Before they knew it, a delicious picnic was spread before them. Grilled chicken, rice, beans and a wonderful array of tropical fruits made a perfect lunch on the beach. After their day in the fresh air, they ate with gusto!
While they were eating Sam unsaddled the ponies and let them graze nearby. They were watching him as they finished their meal, and talking about their horses, when suddenly a young boy approached them. He was about Skeeter’s age, and looked very poor. His clothes were rather tattered and he was skinny as a rail, as if he never got enough to eat. His hair was in dreadlocks, and although he smiled as he came near, they got the feeling that the boy was lonely and sad. He was carrying a large shallow box which he set down on the sand next to them.
“Bon jou, Misyè. Good day, Sir.” He said to Steve. Then he turned to the others and said, “Bon apwè midi. Good afternoon. Eskize mwen. Excuse me. I have t’ings to sell—nice t’ings. You wan’ somet’ing? Souple? Please?” He sifted through the things in the box and held up some of the items sp that they could check them out. There were small handmade dolls and baskets, some jewelry made of an unusual stone, a few hand-carved things from wood and some fresh flowers in the box.
Rachel and the girls gathered around. They could never resist an opportunity to go shopping! Besides, they felt sorry for the boy. If this was how he supported himself and his family, surely they could help a bit. “Kisa ou ta via? What would you like?” the boy asked.
“Ooh, this jewelry is different,” Kristi said as she lifted a necklace from the box. It was made of a dark, shiny rock.
“Volcano,” the boy said.
“It must be made from lava rock. It’s beautiful!” Rachel said. She lifted a beautiful live orchid from the box and bent her face to it. “This is what I want, right here!” she murmured.
Robyn and Anna were looking at the little dolls. They’d never seen anything like them! They looked like little St. Lucien girls, dressed in a pretty dress and long dark braids, but when you flipped them over and pulled the skirt back, there was another doll hidden under the skirt in a different dress! Two dolls in one—how cute!
The girls made their purchases, and the boy was about to turn away when Skeeter stepped forward to look in the box. He saw something of interest right away and pulled it out to look at it more closely. There were several small dugout canoes in the box, but it was a wooden Creole pony, obviously hand-carved right there on the island, that caught his interest. “Did you make this?” he asked the boy.
The young islander nodded. Skeeter grinned and reached out to shake the boy’s hand. “Good job!” he said. “My name is Skeeter. What’s your name?”
“Sa ka fete? Non mwen sè Paul. How are you? My name is Paul.” He grinned back at Skeeter. The two boys were as different as they could be, one with his dark skin, black hair and eyes, and the other a fair, freckle-faced redhead, but something seemed to click between them.
“Hey, Dad,” Skeeter said, “may I get this pony as a souvenir? My friend Paul, here, carved it himself!” He threw his arm over Paul’s shoulder and held up the little pony for his dad to see.
“Sure,” his father said, smiling as he handed some money to Paul. Steve was used to Skeeter making friends wherever they went.
“Mesi! Thank you!” Paul said. He picked up the box again and looked as if he wanted to say something else, but finally he simply said, “Ovwa. Goodbye,” and walked away. He looked back once, as if he envied the happy group and wished he could stay, but then he wandered on down the beach.
Skeeter watched him for a minute. There was something about Paul that troubled him, and made him want to help him—if he only knew how. Was the boy in trouble? He supposed he would never know.
Skeeter finally turned back to the rest of the group. They had pulled off their jeans and shoes, ready for their ride in the ocean with the horses. Sam was helping the girls up onto their ponies. Dan and Pete were already on their horses, and Steve was helping Rachel. Skeeter grabbed hold of his pony’s mane and hauled himself up onto its bare back. It felt different riding without a saddle.
The ponies seemed to be as anxious for a cool, refreshing swim as their riders were. They walked out into the water, deeper and deeper until the waves were up over their riders’ thighs. A moment later the bottom had dropped off, and the horses were swimming. It was a strange sensation—almost as if they were riding a merry-go-round with their horses going up and down as carousel horses do. The waves were a little choppy and they clung tightly to their horses’ manes. They laughed as the salt water splashed in their faces, and their ponies whinnied in excitement.
Even Robyn, who was a bit nervous around horses, seemed to be enjoying the experience. “Tag, you’re It!” she called to Pete when she bumped into him in the water. Soon a rowdy game of Tag was going on as the horses went after one another and frolicked in the surf. They weren’t far from shore, but the water was deep.
They had been swimming for perhaps a half hour when the ponies seemed to be starting to tire. The water was getting choppier, too, so Sam called for them to bring the horses back to shore. They had just turned back when Skeeter, who was trailing behind, called out, “Look, Ma! No hands!” He held his arms up in the air, just goofing off, when suddenly a large wave came up from behind and crashed over him and his pony. They both went under the foaming rush of water. A moment later the pony’s head bobbed above the wave, snorting and whinnying loudly.
The group had turned when Skeeter called out, and saw what happened. They all laughed at the surprised look on Skeeter’s face just as he went under. Dan and Pete high-fived one another, all set to tease the younger boy when he came up. But moments passed, seconds ticked by, and still there was no sign of Skeeter. The boys started toward his pony, and Steve and Rachel turned their horses and swam forward as fast as they could.
Skeeter’s pony was swimming hard toward the beach. Dan reached him first and went on the other side of him, expecting to see Skeeter there, clinging to his horse. There was no one there. He looked frantically around for his brother and jumped off his own pony, trying to feel under the waves for Skeeter.
By this time the others were in the water also, diving and feeling for the young boy. Ther
e was panic in their hearts as Rachel looked out at the high waves rolling into the cove and screamed, “Skeeter!”
__________
CHAPTER FOUR
__________
Hitting the Hot Spots
Kristi was fervently, urgently praying, “Oh, dear God, no! No! Help us find him! Please God!” when a flash of color raced past her and dove into the waves. She had no idea what it was until a few moments later a dark head appeared above the water and then dove deep again. It was that boy—the one who had sold them the souvenirs. What was his name? Paul—yes, Paul. He had come out of nowhere and now had joined the frantic search for her brother.
Suddenly he reappeared again and she saw him lift something above the surface of the water. It was Skeeter. Paul was struggling to hold the other boy’s face above the waves. Steve and Dan rushed to his side and took Skeeter away from him. Together they half-swam, half-dragged Skeeter to the shore.
The others had joined them around Skeeter on the beach as they laid him down on the sand. Steve turned his son over, and immediately he began to cough and choke and throw up water. His eyes opened and he looked around. “Yuck!” he grimaced.
Just that one word had them all breathing a sigh of relief. He was okay! Skeeter threw up one more time and then struggled to sit up. “Ouch!” he groaned. “My ribs hurt!” He looked around at the faces gathered over him and said, “What? Why are you all looking at me like that? And why are you crying, Mom? You, too, Kristi! You’re crying!”
“Oh, Skeeter! You scared us half to death! We thought you had drowned!” his mother scolded and laughed and cried all at the same time. She threw her arms around her youngest son. “We couldn’t find you! Why, if it hadn’t been for that boy—” She turned to look for Paul. He was walking away down the beach, carrying his box. “Wait!” she called. “Oh, someone bring him back! We have to thank him!”
Their guide Sam took off after the boy. A minute later they were back with the group on the sand. Skeeter was trying to wiggle out of his mother’s hug, and complaining about his ribs. Kristi was kneeling by Skeeter and wiping the tears off her face, and Dan and Pete had flopped onto the sand, suddenly too weak to stand after the fright they had had. Anna and Robyn were hugging one another, thankful that God had saved them from a tragedy.
Steve strode forward to shake Paul’s hand. “Thank you! Thank you! How can we thank you? You saved our son’s life!” Paul shook his head and just smiled. Steve went on, “How did you know where he was? How did you find him so quickly?”
Sam spoke to the boy in Kwéyòl for a moment and listened as Paul answered in the soft patois of the island. Sam turned back to Steve then and said, “He was sitting over there on that little hill watching you swim with the horses. He could see your son under the clear water when he fell from where he sat, although you could not in all the waves. He rushed out there to the place where he had seen him and pulled him up.”
Steve grabbed the boy’s hand again. “Praise God! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Paul! God used you to save my son!”
“No, no! Mwen jus’ in de bon place to see…” Paul said in his broken English.
“Yes, you were. The Lord led you to that spot so you would see Skeeter.” Steve led Paul over to the others and said, “Why don’t we all take a moment and thank the Lord right now for what He’s done for us today?” He bowed his head and began to pray as the others closed their eyes, as well.
All except for Paul, that is. He took a step backwards and stared at the group. Steve was praying, “Our Father, once again we come before you with praise and thanksgiving for the way You work in our lives. Thank you for saving Skeeter, and for using Paul to do so. We ask your blessings upon Paul, Lord, and that You will show us how we can help him. And we pray that he will see Your love for him and allow You to work in his life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
When they opened their eyes, Paul was gone. They saw him running down the beach, but their calls to him went unheeded. He never looked back. They were disappointed. Steve said, “I wanted to give him some money as a thank you gift for helping Skeeter. I’m sure he could have used it.”
“Maybe we’ll run into him again,” Skeeter said. “I hope so. I didn’t get to say thank you myself.”
The group was ready to return to the stable. Sam saddled the ponies again, and they helped Skeeter back up onto his horse. He groaned a bit and held his arm across his middle.
“I think we’re going to have to have you checked out at an emergency room, young man,” Rachel said. “You might have some broken ribs. What happened back there, anyway?”
“Well, when that wave knocked me off my pony, it pushed me down deep. I got caught beneath the pony and he kicked me in the gut. It knocked the air out of me and I took in a huge gulp of water. I couldn’t get out from under the horse and I started to black out. That’s all I remember until we were back on the beach.”
“It’s a miracle you didn’t drown—or get kicked in the head, either, for that matter, Skeeter,” his mother said.
“Aww, I’m okay, Mom. Just a little sore.”
“Well, we’re getting you looked at anyway.” The ride back to the stable was slow and easy for Skeeter’s sake. When they got there, Sam directed Steve and Skeeter to the hospital in Castries and offered to drive Rachel and the other teens back to Marigot Bay.
Another spectacular sunset was putting on a show across the bay when Sam dropped them off at Emerald Paradise. They climbed up to their villa in the trees, a bit more subdued than they had been the day before. Skeeter was on their minds as they ate a late supper and got ready for bed. They were exhausted after their busy day, and although they planned to wait up for Steve and Skeeter’s return, one by one they fell asleep, lulled by the breeze rustling through the branches just outside their windows, and the distant sound of the surf. All except for Rachel, that is. She waited quietly in the night on her veranda, watching for her husband and son.
Kristi was woken the next morning by a loud thud and banging on the door of the girls’ room. Skeeter threw the door open and shouted, “Rise and shine, everyone! We’ve got another big day planned!”
“Skeeter? Why are you up so early? And how are you? What did the doctor say?” Kristi brushed the hair out of her face and struggled to sit up in her bunk.
“I’m fine! No broken bones—not even a cracked rib! Just one great big, huge bruise! Wanna see? It’s gonna be a beauty when it turns every shade of black, blue, purple, yellow and green in a couple days!”
“No thanks!” Kristi started to say, but it was too late. Skeeter had lifted his T-shirt and was flaunting his bruise in her face.
“Yuck!” Kristi covered her eyes with her hands. Robyn and Anna were awake by that time, too, and Robyn gave him all the admiration he was looking for. “Ooh! That’s cool, Skeeter! That’s the biggest bruise I’ve ever seen!”
“Thanks, Robyn!” he said proudly. “Dad said you all need to get up and ready for the day. Breakfast is in twenty minutes.” The door slammed shut behind him.
The day was already promising to be a hot one. “I wanted to make an easier day of it today,” Steve said at breakfast, “and give Skeeter a chance to rest up after what happened yesterday, but he insists he’s fine and wants to do some more sightseeing, so we’re heading south this morning to a town called Soufrière. Remember those two cone-shaped mountains we saw on the way here?”
“Sure! Actually, you can see them from anywhere on the island, Dad. They’re called Les Pitons—the Gros Piton and the Petit Piton—the big and little Pitons,” Dan said.
“Right. Hmm, I see a little bit of Pete is rubbing off on you. You’ve been doing your research, too!”
“Nah—I just happened to pick up a brochure at the airport the other day,” Dan grinned.
His dad chuckled. “Well, anyway, we’re going to take a closer look at them, and then we’ve got a couple more surprises planned for today!”
They wasted no time getting out the door and on the road aga
in. The twin peaks of Les Pitons grew larger as they neared them. They were an impressive sight as they rose majestically from the sea. “Can we climb the Pitons, Dad?” Skeeter asked.
“I don’t think so, Son. It’s a very rugged climb, almost straight up, as you can see. I don’t think your mom and I are quite up to that—and you probably aren’t either, with your sore ribs! Besides, it’s a good six hours up and back down again. We have other things to do today that are an adventure in themselves. Let’s take a look around, though.”
Soufrière was a pretty little town of brightly painted buildings set between the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea and the dark emerald of the jungle. There were black sandy beaches, as well as the usual white and golden ones, and with the lush green Pitons towering over it all, Soufrière was a colorful sight. Everywhere they turned there was another photo waiting to be snapped, but they knew their pictures could never really do justice to the beauty set before their eyes.
“Parts of the Superman movie were made around here,” Pete told them as they took one more look before getting back in the van. “Superman flew right between the Pitons in his quest to save the world from disaster!”
Skeeter was impressed. “Wow! I would have liked to have seen that! And look, here he is once again!” He stuck out his chest and flexed his muscles in a Superman-like pose. “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s—”
“It’s Super-Goof!” Robyn teased. The girls giggled and Dan gave him a playful shove, knocking him off balance a bit.
“You couldn’t have seen it—it’s all computer-generated,” Pete said. “And we’ll have to do a little computer-generated magic on you, too, if you want to look like Superman, Skeeter!”
“Next stop—a drive-thru volcano!” Steve announced as they left Soufrière.
“Drive-thru! Ooh, that sounds scary—and dangerous!” Kristi said. Robyn and Anna looked a little worried, too.
The Secret of Buccaneer Bay (Kristi Cameron Book 5) Page 4
