The Lost Island of Tamarind

by Nadia Aguiar

  “You can dry off with this,” he said, not looking at her. “Let’s rest for a few minutes before we keep going.” He wandered a little way off and lay down in the grass in the sunshine and closed his eyes.

  Maya wrung out her hair and dried off as best she could and then spread Helix’s shirt out on the rocks to dry. A light breeze made her shiver. Her skin tingled. Her head felt like it was on the end of a balloon, floating far above her. She lay back in the grass, her heart still racing a little from the swim. High above, the glossy leaves of the rubber trees swished against the blue sky. In the distance, snow glinted on the airy tops of the mountains. She felt so strange, having finally heard Helix’s story. He lay a few feet away from her, and Maya could tell from his breathing that he had fallen asleep.

  For a moment Maya felt outside herself—outside her constant worry about Simon and Penny and her parents. She forgot everything beyond this place by the waterfall in the mountains. Everything there was just as it should be—the lustrous white clouds in the tops of the trees, the mist where the falls struck the water, the gently warm sun.

  Maya thought about all the things she had wanted so much before the storm. If she ever found her family again, would she still want all of those things? To be on land and go to school and live a quiet, plain, orderly existence?

  She felt that she understood a little better why her parents had chosen to live on a boat and sail from place to place. She didn’t know what they had been looking for. Were they really marine biologists, like they had always told Maya and Simon, or were they in search of something else? What did they know of Tamarind? What was Tamarind?

  What ever it was, it had led her to Netti and Helix, and to a great journey that she could still hardly believe. What ever her parents knew or didn’t know, Maya felt their restlessness, their love of adventure, in her own veins for the first time. Her old dream, to live on land, seemed so pale and ordinary after their adventures on the island. If she ever found Simon and Penny and her parents, Maya wasn’t sure what she would want anymore.

  It was only the faintest flicker of a thought in her mind, that perhaps she would rather be on the sea, rather be traveling from place to place, seeing new places and people, not knowing what would be in store each morning when she woke up. If she did stay on land, perhaps it wouldn’t be for very long, just long enough to go to school properly, so that she could return to the sea and do the work her parents did. Or perhaps not their work exactly, but something like it. Maya wasn’t sure yet. All these new thoughts were dizzying.

  She suddenly remembered the night on the beach with Dr. Limmermor, when she and Helix had sat together by the tide pools. So much had happened since then. Who would have thought that they would have seen each other again, let alone have become friends? But the memory of Dr. Limmermor— half-crazy, stranded on Tamarind for all these years—brought Maya back to the present. She couldn’t let that happen to her. There were still a couple of hours of daylight left, and they could cover more ground before they had to find somewhere to sleep. They only had three more days if they were going to reach Simon and Penny in time. Taking a last look around the peaceful glen, she woke Helix and they gathered their things and kept going.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  The North * The Only Blue House in Bembao *

  The Fleet! * Stowaway

  Two more days of hard hiking passed. Maya and Helix were exhausted, their feet were blistered, and food ran low and then ran out altogether. Maya despaired of ever seeing the end of the mountains and reaching Bembao before the sea battle. Early on the third morning they caught a pair of mules to ride. Once they heard an avalanche starting above them and they had to kick the mules into a gallop to escape. When the mules slowed to a walk again, Maya looked over her shoulder to see that the rock slides had kicked up great white puffs of dust and dirt that now hung suspended behind them on the trail, the dawn light just breaking through them. She thought miserably of Seagrape.

  They reached the foothills while it was still early. They dismounted and Helix clapped his hand at the mules, who turned and trotted back up into the mountains. The walk down the foothills went quickly and before long they had left the smoky blue heights and were once again walking through a humid basin of earth. The sea could not be far off—Maya could smell it on the occasional breeze that crossed the red dirt road they walked along. Despite her exhaustion, a spring entered her step—Simon and Penny could not be far off now! Soon the sun was high and a paste of red dust clung to their sweaty legs.

  It was not difficult to find the only blue house in Bembao. It was perched all by itself on the top of a hill overlooking the town and chalky blue sweep of the sea, just where Isabella had said it would be.

  An old woman was weeding the vegetable garden and when she saw Maya and Helix approaching she shouted toward the house. A tall woman, about ten years older than Maya and Isabella, came to the open doorway and waited. She had a strong face and dark, serious eyes.

  “Are you Gloria?” Maya asked.

  “I am,” said the woman.

  “We have a message for you,” Maya said. “From Isabella.”

  Gloria looked instantly alert.

  “Isabella who?” she asked warily.

  Maya found the note in her bag and handed it to her. Gloria glanced quickly at the handwriting.

  “Come inside,” she said. “I’m sorry to be so suspicious. But you can’t be too careful these days.”

  They followed Gloria. Inside, the house was very spare. A kitchen opened into a main room. Vegetables were soaking in a big iron sink, and a pot was steaming on the stove. A door to what must be a bedroom was closed. There was a table on which papers, held down by sea-worn stones, fluttered in the breeze.

  “It’s lucky you caught me,” Gloria said. “I’m mostly in town these days.”

  The old woman in the garden came to the door and Gloria spoke to her in a language Maya didn’t understand. The woman came inside and ladled soup into two bowls and cut two thick slices of bread, placing them at the table for Maya and Helix.

  Gloria sat down and read the note.

  “Do you know what this means?” she asked, looking up at them, her eyes shining. “For so long this seemed like only a dream, and now it’s all about to begin.”

  She read the end of the note and the smile fell from her face.

  “Eat quickly,” she said. “Isabella says you have to get to your brother and sister on the fleet—you don’t have much time.”

  Just then there was a sound from the bedroom door. Gloria’s eyes flew to the door. She got up hastily and went into the other room. She reappeared a moment later.

  “There’s someone who’d like to meet you,” she said.

  Maya and Helix stood, confused, and walked to the door. As soon as Maya saw the young soldier sitting up in the bed she knew it must be Isabella’s brother, Lorenz, who had not been seen in nearly a year. Though she knew Gloria was hiding him somewhere, she hadn’t expected him to be here. Bandages covered his left eye and his left leg, what remained of it, was propped up on a pillow. Maya wondered if Isabella knew. She tried not to stare. But he was staring at her, surprised, no doubt, at how much she looked like Isabella. Gloria introduced them.

  “It’s not so bad,” Lorenz said, smiling when he saw Maya’s eye wandering to his leg again. “Anymore. Gloria’s taken good care of me.” He leaned forward to shake Maya’s and Helix’s hands. “I couldn’t miss this chance to meet friends of my sister’s and friends of the Peaceful Revolution.”

  Gloria stood in the doorway, watching Lorenz. They were in love with each other, Maya realized.

  “I’m not sure if I’ll see you again, so I want to thank you now for your courage and your help. It was very brave of you to come over the mountains.”

  Maya bowed her head, embarrassed. She couldn’t accept their thanks, her real reason was selfish—she had to find her family.

  Leaving the little blue house, Maya and Helix half ran down the hill towa
rd the town. Gloria’s words rang in Maya’s ears. You don’t have much time.

  With its packed dirt roads and tin shacks, Bembao was like Port Town but louder and dirtier. It was as hot as the inside of a steamed clam. The low stone buildings had been brightly painted many years before, and though mottled by the elements, the colors were still vibrant. The fronts of the buildings were decorated with shining mosaic tiles that caught the sun and each peaked rooftop was topped with a white stone ball. Plants hung from rotting ropes on porches and in doorways and on street corners were tiny shrines with colorful feathers and sea stones and other treasures laid out between candles. The candles glowed in the daylight, their flames shivering in the hot breeze. Maya and Helix wove their way between men carrying strings of herring on their shoulders, shouting their prices as they went, and people balancing trays of steaming breads on their heads. Women with brightly colored head scarves stood in line at the public wells, babies tied to their hips. The streets were narrow and confusing. Panic overcame Maya as they turned corners and went down alleys, but finally the harbor came into view.

  “There!” Helix cried suddenly.

  Maya followed his gaze and sure enough, anchored a half mile or so out in flat green water was the pirate fleet. Maya could see the unmistakable violent red insignia on the black flags. Her spirits lifted and for a moment she could have danced for joy right there in the street. Then the gravity of the situation struck her.

  “How are we going to get out there?” she whispered.

  The ships’ sails were furled and a bristly nest of masts clicked together in an evil huddle. The black flags were hoisted high and beat strongly in the wind. The ships were too far away for Maya to make out which one was the Meggie Vic. As she stood there, she felt despair descend on her like actual physical weight. They had come so far and were so close and yet Simon and Penny seemed farther away than ever. And if she couldn’t even reach her brother and sister, how would she ever find her parents?

  “We’ll need to get hold of a rowboat somehow,” Helix said, squinting at the fleet. “And we’re going to have to wait until it’s dark.”

  “Until it’s dark!” cried Maya. “Helix, we can’t wait that long!”

  “What do you think we can do?” he asked. “Try to head out there in broad daylight? Listen, you wait here. There’s a tavern just back there, but a girl will draw too much attention. I’m going to try to find a boat for us for later. Don’t move—I’ll be right back. And don’t worry, Maya, we’re going to find them.”

  Maya felt as if Helix’s voice were coming from very far away, or as if she were deep underwater, hearing a sound on the surface. He left, walking briskly through the throng of people toward the tavern where men sat drinking foamy pints of ale. She turned back out to gaze at the fleet. She sank deep into her own thoughts, and right now they were that all hope was lost. Her heart felt as if it was breaking. Simon and Penny were so close yet they may as well have been a million miles away for all the good it did her.

  Two men passed her on their way from the tavern and went down to the dock where a few rowboats were moored. They got into one and began rowing out over the harbor toward the fleet. With a start, Maya realized that they were pirates, heading back to their ships. She looked back at the dock, where several other rowboats had been left bobbing against the dock. Could they belong to other pirates who would soon be returning to the fleet?

  Maya hardly thought about it. She was desperate—this could be her only chance.

  She ran down the dock and, glancing quickly both ways to make sure no one was watching, jumped into one of the row-boats, hiding beneath a tarpaulin. It smelled briny and foul but she was too afraid to lift an edge of it for fresh air. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long before she heard several drunken men returning. Maya overheard them talking about the fleet. They thudded down into the rowboat—luckily none of them landed on her—untied it from its moorings and pushed off into the harbor, drunkenly singing sea shanties in their coarse old voices. Maya was grateful that they were singing, otherwise she was sure they would hear her heart hammering.

  It wasn’t until they were halfway to the ships that Maya came to her senses. What had she done? What was she going to do once she reached a ship? And what was Helix going to think when he returned and found her gone? She felt a pang in her heart. Poor Helix. He wouldn’t know what had happened and he’d start searching for her. . . . Oh, she couldn’t think about Helix. He could take care of himself. She had to worry about how she was going to get to Simon and Penny and rescue them. Right now that was the most important thing.

  A pirate shifted, kicking the tarpaulin, and suddenly Maya could see out a bit. She held her breath, terrified that the pirates would spot her. In the water she could feel sharks bumping against the hull of the rowboat. Then the pirate fleet loomed before them, rocking gently in the waves. Maya read the names of the boats. She could see Julia Morgan, Lisa Marie, Kirsty Anne, Tara Lea, Kelly Kay, Lana Cat. They were each named two women’s names, just like the Pamela Jane. But she didn’t have any more time to ponder why, or to see the Meggie Vic anywhere, because just then the pirates tossed the oars into the bottom of the rowboat—one struck her ankle and she winced— and she felt the rowboat glide a few yards through the water into the shadow of one of the ships. The pirates in the rowboat shouted back and forth with the pirates on the ship and the rowboat was hoisted to the ship’s deck.

  “Oi,” grumbled one of the pirates as he hauled the rowboat up. “Feels like you’ve got another body in here—how much did you lugs eat on shore?”

  “It’s not the food, it’s the ale,” said another. “Look at ’em!”

  The pirates in the rowboat returned the insults as they tumbled onto the deck. The rowboat was made fast against the side of the ship. Maya closed her eyes and held her breath and waited. She hadn’t thought about what she would do at this point. She could hear pirates moving about all over the deck. She was trapped.

  There was no way she could leave the rowboat until it was dark. What if other pirates decided to go to shore that afternoon and used the same rowboat that she was in? And there were so many ships in the fleet—what were the chances that she was on the same ship as Simon and Penny, anyway? If they were on another ship, how would she get from this one to the one they were on? Why hadn’t she thought about all this before? Even if the rowboat stayed right where it was until nightfall, it was going to be nearly impossible to lie there silently that whole time. It was still morning! And already she was getting a cramp in her leg from the awkward position she was in. She gritted her teeth—there was nothing she could do now.

  Just then there was a thundering roar as the tarpaulin was yanked back. Maya cringed as bright sunlight streamed down on her.

  “I knew it!” shouted the pirate who had been grumbling about how heavy the rowboat had been. “STOWAWAY!”

  Maya held her head up high as she was shoved across the deck, through crowds of pirates who all turned to look at her, astonished. It was not at all a cheerful, friendly boat like the Pamela Jane. It was much bigger, for one, its paint was chipped and the thick coils of rope on its deck smelled rotten and fishy. It seemed dark beneath the giant masts and rigging, even in the middle of the deck. The pirates were a motley crew. Some of them were scabby, ulcerous old men with missing teeth. Others were young and brutally strong, with muscles bulging from their bare arms. They were the most terrifying. They leered at Maya and she saw with horror that the gold rings in their noses and ears were so hot in the sun that they had scalded the flesh around them. One of them grabbed her and pushed her hard down into the cabin. It smelled of mildew, and dirty, unshaven men came to doorways to smirk at her as she passed. She squealed when a rat scuttled over her foot. A pirate who had been cleaning his fingernails with a knife threw it at the creature and it whistled through the air, cutting the rat’s head off cleanly. The rat’s body jerked for a few seconds and its oily tail thumped on the ground and then it lay still as a murk
y puddle of blood seeped from it. The creature’s head rolled down the floor and disappeared inside a rat hole. A pirate laughed loudly at Maya’s horrified face, and then a trapdoor was opened in the floor and she was thrust down a short dark ladder. The door slammed behind her.

  Maya kept very still while her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Beneath her hands and feet she could feel the boat rolling on the swells. She was down in the cargo hold, the belly of the ship, and vile-smelling bilge water was slopping over her ankles. At least they hadn’t thrown her overboard, Maya thought, picturing the toothy sharks and electric eels she had seen in the greasy water at the pier. As she knelt there she had the creepy sensation that she was not alone. She decided she would feel her way around the room on her hands and knees until she found a place to hide. Please don’t let me meet a pirate, please don’t let me meet a pirate, she thought as she began to make her way around the perimeter of the room. Then she thought: Or a rat. Please don’t let me meet a pirate or a rat.

  Then Maya heard a rustling sound and something heavy that smelled strongly of fish dropped over her. She lost her balance and fell. A rope was drawn beneath her and swiftly tied, trapping her in what, given the smell, the dampness, and the bits of seaweed tangled in it, could only be a fishnet, though it was too dark for her to see anything.