by Ron Vitale
Nathan shook his head and said, “But I was stupid and I did my sister wrong. I feel bad about that.” He put his hand over his heart.
“And that’s why it’s called the sailor’s curse. When you’re out here, you want to go back home and fix things with those you love. But when you’re home, you itch to get back to sea. Neither side of you ever wins.” Zeke patted him on the back. “Now you truly understand the power of the curse. Congratulations, you’re a real sailor now.”
Nathan nodded but knew not what to say in response. He turned his attention to the island they approached and hoped its mystery would take his mind off how he had abandoned his mother and sister.
Chapter 9
My foot sank into the wet sand, and then the tide pulled back to the sea. The warmth of the ocean surprised me, and a strand of seaweed wrapped around my ankle. I took another step forward and wobbled a bit but caught myself by taking another step forward.
“You’re not used to walking on land.” Ishmael strode past me, knowing enough about me to not offer me a hand. “You’ll be fine. Just keep walking and get up on solid land. The wet sand is hard to walk on.”
“I still cannot believe that we’ve found it.” Clarence knelt down on one knee and placed his palm down onto the sand. “The island that’s said to be a myth.” He squeezed out a handful of sand and then wiped his palm off on his pants.
Levi stepped out of the small rowboat and turned back to the Jeroboam. “I don’t want to be here too long. Remember that we’re here to get the treasure and then head back to the ship. I don’t want to be tied up here longer than we have to. Understood?”
Two other sailors, I didn’t know their names, agreed with their new captain, and Clarence chimed in as well. Levi caught up to Ishmael and me and said, “Hold up.”
“We heard you. Neither of us want to be stuck on this island as well. We’ll do as you say and then head back to the ship.” Ishmael crossed his arms over his chest and squinted against the afternoon sun.
“It isn’t you that I’m worried about.” Levi pointed at me and asked, “What about you? Do you understand?”
“I do.” I kept my voice low and looked him straight in the eye.
“In a few days, we’ll be back on our way. You’ll have a portion of the treasure, Clarence will have his and everyone will be happy. The sooner we leave the island, the better.” Levi pushed past the two of us, and I saw him move his hand to his pistol.
Ishmael looked to me and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m a bit tired and this walking on land is going to take some time getting used to, but otherwise I’m fine.” I followed after Levi, and the two sailors behind us took up the rear. “Does this island look like the one you were on a few years back?”
Ishmael pointed at the palm trees and shrugged. “I can’t tell if it’s the same island that I was stranded on. But if we keep moving on, there’s a few waterfalls that I would be able to recognize. Years have passed, and I doubt there’s any trace of my having been here before. I didn’t have much with me to begin with.”
Clarence waved to us from ahead. “Hurry and catch up. Come on!”
I walked faster as did Ishmael, but I didn’t want to fall and make a fool of myself. When I closed my eyes, the ground still moved. I could feel the tiredness in the depths of my bones, and I didn’t like it. The world still swayed for me to the push and pull of the ocean. When I caught up to Clarence, I glanced back over my shoulder at the Jeroboam. “What’s to stop the rest of the crew from deserting us here?”
“Men want gold and treasure. If there’s even a chance that we can find something, and all they need to do is to wait it out on the ship, then they’ll not want to go anywhere. The problems really start only if someone tries to take more of their fair share. Then I expect that I’d be killed in my sleep.” Clarence looked at me and smiled. “But we’ll not have to worry about that. I’ll keep to my word as will the captain, and you’ll have a guard positioned at your door up until we get you safely home. I gave you my word.”
I nodded and wondered what the rest of the sailors back on the ship thought about that. “Then let’s hope we find the treasure and get off of here soon.” This detour along the way wasn’t part of my plan. I watched Clarence catch back up with Levi, and the two of them spoke in low tones. I could not hear any of what they said, and maybe that was for the best.
“You’re thinking of Nathan, aren’t you?” asked Ishmael. He bent down and picked up a long stick that he pretended to use as a cane.
“Yes, I’m worried about him. I didn’t think we’d be stuck here looking for treasure. I don’t even know if he’s made it to the island yet or not.” I circumnavigated a pile of shells in front of me and was careful to step with care on the loose sand. “I want to scan as much of the island’s perimeter as possible so that I can see if there’s another ship here.”
“And how are you going to convince Levi and Clarence to keep going and not head back home?” Ishmael used the stick to leverage his weight up a small hill of sand and then said, “These men are mercenaries who want only money. That is what motivates them. When we’re back on the ship, your time will have almost run out.”
“I’m working on that plan. I have some ideas, but I’ll need your help. I was thinking that I could promise them my portion of the treasure and then—”
“Do you really think that you’ll be getting your fair share? Or that I will? We’ll be lucky if they don’t strand us here.” He watched Clarence and Levi disappear into the line of palm trees ahead. He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled to the two sailors behind them. Lost in a private discussion, they appeared to be not listening to our conversation.
“And that’s why we’re going to need to take the ship from them.” I said the words matter-of-factly, and even to myself, my bravado seemed grandiose.
“I’ll be curious to see how that goes for you. Mutiny on a sailing vessel is punishable by death.” He cleared the top of the sand dune and stopped, looking back at me. “Please tell me that you have another idea than that.”
I kept quiet and walked faster in the sand. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being right, so I kept quiet and passed him, entering the line of palm trees first.
Ishmael came in after me, and we followed a small cleared path headed south. “None of this still looks familiar.” He used his cane to clear ferns from the path before us. Looking down at the ground, he poked his stick a bit into the mud. “I might take that back. This path appears to have been cleared by someone. I remember that being odd on the island that I had been stuck on.”
“You think people did this?” I wondered what type of people, and all sorts of scenarios came to mind.
“When I was here last time, I never did find anyone else on the island. There was only trees, bananas, and a grotto that had the freshest drinking water I had ever tasted.”
The two sailors entered the trees directly behind us, keeping their distance. Both had pulled their guns from their belts and were prepared for any disturbance or unforeseen incident.
“Keep an eye out for wild boars.” The taller of the two sailors called out to us. He had sandy blond hair and a tattoo on his forearm. “If we’re caught unaware, it can gore you, and you’d be a goner.”
The second sailor shook his head in agreement. “That happened to a cousin of mine. He tried to run but tripped and fell to the ground hard. The boar came up behind him and ran him through with his tusks. His remains were all…”
“Stop it.” The first sailor nudged him in the ribs and pointed over at me. “Have a little respect.”
“I’m sorry, miss.” He tilted his cap toward me and then fell silent.
Up ahead I heard a whistle from Clarence. He rushed back to us and waved his arms. “Come on, catch up!”
The two sailors behind us picked up the pace, and we did as well, jogging forward. Up ahead, the trail opened up and then sloped downward. A brook ran across the path and pooled up ahead, m
aking for a tiny waterfall. Levi stood at the top of the trail, holding back before advancing down the slope ahead.
Clarence pointed down the hill. “Fresh water is a good sign. We can restock our supplies for the ship. Captain Levi would like to go to the bottom, and we can try some water, rest a bit, and work on our plan. But keep an eye out on the horizon, looks like a storm is brewing.”
He headed to Levi and the two of them went down the path. I climbed the remaining way up the steep hill and stood at the top, watching the two men head down. The brook babbled water up from below the ground, dribbling down a layer of rocks and pooling in a small pond before draining out toward another part of the island. All around large ferns and a few exotic flowers that I did not know the name or species of grew. One flower, yellow and orange, resembled a bird’s head.
The smell of all the flowers in the air around me was intoxicating and raised my spirits after having been on the ship for far too long. I still had trouble balancing on land, but I knew in time that my land legs would return. The bright and dark greens of all the plants around us made a stark contrast with the deep blue color of the sky. To my left, a bird called out, and I jumped a bit back, startled by the noise.
“It’s a living paradise, isn’t it?” Ishmael stood beside me, and we waited for the two sailors to catch up to us. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air, filled with the scents of all the plants around us, and a slight smile came across his face.
“Back home, we have nothing like this. Our gardens are tamer and more controlled. Nature is beautiful!” I gushed out my words and put my hand on a tree trunk. Its smooth texture relaxed me. “I feel like we stumbled upon a bit of Eden.”
The sailors came to stand next to us, and they pointed down to Levi and Clarence who had already made it to the bottom. Levi knelt down and cupped his hand over the brook and took a sip of water. Clarence stood next to him but turned the opposite way, searching for the path of the brook through the jungle.
“Let’s go join them.” Ishmael led the way, and he headed down the steep hill, careful not to fall forward. He grabbed a tree trunk several times to slow him down and to help ensure that he did not slip or fall. Slowly, I followed him without incident.
The two sailors behind us took their time coming down after us, and I turned back around to look up the hill. “That’s not going to be easy to get back up.”
Ishmael nodded. “Maybe we can find another way around. If need be, we can tie vines to trunks and use that as a means to help pull us up to the top.”
“And none of this looks familiar to you?” I asked, spinning around in a circle, admiring all the beauty.
“No, it doesn’t.” He wiped some sweat from his brow and took in as much of the clearing as he could. “I did not get to explore the entire island while I was on it. And maybe a great storm changed the tree line a bit.”
He kicked at a stone on the ground, and it tumbled off into the brook.
“Come have a drink.” Levi stood back up and waved us over. “It’s cold and delicious.”
He pointed down at the brook, and then an odd expression crossed his face. His right eyebrow shot up, and he held out his hand, warning us to stay back.
I stopped and looked to him for direction, but whatever he saw had cautioned him to stand still and silent. I turned back around and then caught the boar at the foot of the hill. It sniffed at us and then it grunted. Ishmael positioned himself in front of me and waved me back with his hands. “Stay quiet and slowly move away. If it charges, climb a tree as high as you can.”
The sailor with the tattoo on his arm went to raise his gun, but the second pulled him back and whispered to him. The boar trotted out of the ferns and still sniffed at us but did not appear to be frightened by us. It trundled forward on its short legs with bristly dark hair, and two small tusks jutted out the sides of its mouth.
Ishmael took a few more steps back. “Keep walking back. It doesn’t seem to be afraid…”
Out from our right, I heard a swoosh sound, and an arrow lodged itself deep into the boar’s side. The creature screeched in pain and then rushed toward us. The two sailors raised their arms to fire their guns, but three more arrows struck the boar in its side, knocking it down to the ground.
To my right, a man exited the deep brush and entered the clearing. He held his bow high above his head and gave out a call. Possessing darker skin than mine and black hair, he wore native clothing. The sailor closest to me pointed his weapon at the man, but from all around us, nearly a dozen other natives with bows pointed at us entered the clearing. They had appeared from behind the ferns and were silent in their approach.
Levi raised his hand and said, “We are not your enemy.”
With a sudden rush of wind, an arrow embedded itself deep into his chest, and he clutched at it, falling to the ground. I froze, unsure what to do, but Ishmael pulled me to the ground. More screams came from near me, and I prostrated myself flat onto the ground, hoping I would not be killed next.
***
Nathan braced himself in the small boat as it bobbled over the large swell. Warm seawater splashed on his pants, and he forced his feet to the floor, pressing down the oar in his hands to keep from falling forward.
“I want to get on shore and find shelter soon. If there isn’t a safe place to hide, we’ll head back to the ship in the next few hours.” James, their first mate, pointed toward the island. “There. Looks like there might be some sort of hill there. Maybe there will be caves we could wait out the storm.”
Zeke finished a strong pull of the oars that propelled them forward. “Did the captain agree to drop anchor here and hold up during the storm?”
“He said that he’s fine with the position of the ship. He’s out a bit farther than he’d normally be but doesn’t want to come aground.” James came up off his seat and used his leg muscles to absorb the bumps from the choppy waves.
Nathan continued to row with the others, turned back to Josep, and asked, “What do you think we’ll find on the island?”
Josep shrugged. “Lots of trees, ferns, and some wild boar. I wouldn’t mind having some bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow. It would be a pleasant change from the cured meat we have on ship.” He glanced over his shoulder to Pahukumaa and asked, “What do you think?”
Pahukumaa kept silent for a moment and kept up with the steady rate of rowing. He leaned forward to Josep and said, “Some fruit. A nice fresh piece of an exotic tropical fruit would be delicious.” He licked his lips and smiled. “I would be happy with that.”
Nathan smiled. “And treasure? What about that? Wouldn’t you want a share in some treasure that we might find.”
Zeke overheard Nathan’s questions and turned back around. “I doubt there’s any gold here or coin to be had. I wouldn’t get your hopes up on that. Most likely there are some trunks filled with a dead sailor’s letters and belongings here. I wouldn’t put my hopes on any monetary treasure.”
Josep chimed in, “But the whale tooth and the map from the mummy who—”
“You’re making wild guesses. We have no evidence that there’s a correlation to any of this. The soldier might have had the map on him because he found the tooth by accident. There’s no way for us to know that he was ever even on this island.” Zeke stopped talking and followed through with his rowing.
“Seems like a plausible enough story to me,” Nathan shot back.
James spun around. “Enough of the speculation. Pay attention to the rowing. I want you to bring us in toward that part of the beach.” He pointed out over the port side. “See those rocks in the sea to starboard? I want to be far enough away from them as possible. If we need to leave in a hurry, the sea might push us in that direction, and I don’t want to have to worry about crashing onto the rocks when trying to get back to the Truelove.”
Nathan kept quiet and focused on putting his back into rowing. His muscles ached, and in time with the others, he moved in one fluid motion, careful to protect hi
s hands from slipping. Long gone were any blisters he had from when he had first come to sea. Now his calluses were hardened and his hands weathered from work.
Ahead he could see the white, pristine, sandy beach with not a trace of any shells or debris. Beyond the beach, he could make out palm trees, ferns, and lots of green. Above, the clouds hung heavy behind them with only a few blue patches of sky in the opposite part of the sky. From his point of view, he could see no sign of any people on the island. When they came in to lay their anchor, no other ships could be seen. Zeke had estimated the island to be a few miles wide, but they would know more after they could map it.
Their boat hit the first crests of the waves as they broke against the beach, and Zeke placed his one oar into the boat and used the other as a rudder. Josep, Pahukumaa, and Nathan did the same, helping to steer. They worked together as a team to steady their boat coming in to the beach and navigated the rough sea without incident.
James jumped out of the boat first and pulled it forward, lodging it securely onto the beach. Zeke jumped out next and then the others, and together they pulled the boat far out of the water, dragging it on the beach to ensure that any high tide would not wash it away. Taking some rope and looping it through a metal ring at the front of the boat, James tied the rope to a tree. “There now. Unless we have a hurricane, our boat isn’t going anywhere.”
Nathan grabbed his pack from the boat and put it on his back. He took a few cautious steps and stopped. “My legs feel like they’re still moving.”
Zeke shouldered his pack and tightened the strap on his shoulder. “You have sea legs now. It’s your first time back on land. It’ll take you some time to adjust back to not being on a ship. Just take it slow and you’ll be fine.”
