Beside a Burning Sea (25 page)

“For . . . for a bath?”

Taking care to move slowly, Akira knelt at the edge of the pool and removed a thick cloth from his pocket. He tied the cloth around his head so that he couldn’t see. “In ancient Japan,” he said, “the best masseuses were the blind masseuses. People would travel great distances to see a blind masseuse.”

Annie felt her heart quicken. Though she wanted him, though she needed him, a part of her was afraid to move. Again she thought of Ted, wishing that he made her feel the way Akira did, wishing that she had the strength to control her longing. “Why . . . why were the blind so good?” she finally asked, her voice sounding unfamiliar to her.

“Because a blind masseuse proceeds by touch alone,” he replied, trying to suppress his mounting anxiety. “A blind masseuse could do many things that someone with sight could not.”

She didn’t reply, but instead watched him. He continued to kneel with his back straight and his hands by his sides. Perched upon a nearby tree, a violet orchid fluttered gently in the wind. She realized that he’d placed the flowers so that each petal faced her. Even the patterns on the sand dollars seemed to be aligned in her direction. The thought that he’d taken such care to present her with as much beauty as possible warmed her. Better yet, he hadn’t called any attention to what he’d done. He’d simply done it, knowing that she would notice.

“It’s all . . . so beautiful,” she said, yearning to touch him but remaining still. “It’s almost like . . . you created a poem. A poem just for me.”

“Do you . . . remember the gardener?”

“Yes.”

“I have also been inspired. Like never before.”

No longer able to remain motionless, Annie slowly undressed, setting her clothes aside. Soon she was standing in her undergarments. Standing not free of guilt, but of indecision. Nervous and excited and trembling with emotion, she removed the last impediments to her flesh. She walked to the edge of the pool. Dipping her foot within it, she was surprised by the wonderful heat of the water. Carefully, she stepped into the pool, sighing in pleasure as the water rose to her thighs, then belly, then chest.

Akira reached to his left and handed her a smooth plank of wood, which he’d found on the beach. “Here,” he said, holding it out for her, “please sit on this.”

Annie took the plank and slid it beneath her. She then moved to the edge of the pool, so that she was as close to him as possible. The water was almost up to her neck, and again she sighed as the heat penetrated her muscles and bones. She’d never been in such a large bath, and she reached out into the water and stretched her arms. Taking a long and deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore her racing mind.

Still blindfolded, Akira gently touched the top of her head. He let his hands remain motionless for a moment, as if they needed to become acquainted with her skin. He moved his fingertips in small circles atop her scalp. He concentrated as he worked, not knowing how she liked to be touched. Soon he let his fingers go flat against her, using his palms to move and stroke her scalp. He gently pulled on her hair, and she groaned in pleasure at this unfamiliar sensation.

His fingers slowly descended, and he traced the contours of her ears, tugging tenderly on her earlobes. He then started to rub her neck, his hands caressing her flesh—as if it were the last time that he’d ever touch a woman and he wanted to commit the sensation to memory. He sought out her muscles and worked on them carefully—compressing and releasing, twisting and straightening. Annie gradually leaned back into him, for she wanted to feel more of his touch. He obliged her by moving so close to the pool that she could rest her head against his knees.

Akira started to explore her shoulders, running his forefingers atop the rise and fall of her flesh. He traced her collarbone, delighted in the hollow of her neck, felt the subtle edge of her breasts. His fingers began to massage the body beneath them, squeezing the tight muscles along her shoulder blades. Working in darkness, Akira was acutely aware of how her body responded to his touch. He applied more pressure when it was sought, less when it was not. Though his pulse raged like a mountain stream in springtime, he moved unhurriedly.

Reaching behind him, Akira felt for an orchid that he’d laid upon the ground. Finding it, he placed it in his hands and rolled it vigorously between his palms until the flower’s fragrance seeped into his skin. He then reached around her to massage her face. His forefingers traced the curves of her eyes and nose and lips. Annie kissed his fingers as they passed, and suddenly unable to bear the distance between them, she turned around, her hands rising to remove his blindfold.

He opened his eyes and consumed the sight of her. She was precious and petite and beyond his imaginings. He saw her as living art and shook his head in wonder at the beauty of her creation.

No one had ever touched Annie as Akira had, and her eyes were drawn to his fingers. “I’ve been . . . I’ve searched for you so long,” she whispered, simultaneously vulnerable and potent, intoxicated with newfound emotions. “I didn’t think you existed.”

He placed his hands on her face. She gripped his wrists and moved back, so that he was pulled into the water. He wanted to speak to her, but words had abandoned him. He was without thought, without direction, but alive with wonder. He eased against her and his arms encircled her, drawing her closer. His lips felt her mouth, her neck, her eyes. He tasted her. His hands journeyed about her, delighting in each discovery.

Soon he was naked. Soon the water began to cool, but they did not know it. No thoughts or discomforts or distractions existed—only the overwhelming feeling of a world of their making. A world that spun around them, engulfed them, lifted them a thousand feet in the air, and left them breathless and wanting more.

DAY ELEVEN

Man thinks himself strong,
Until the sky reminds him.
Ants explore green trees.

The Island

The rain came not long after dawn, dripping from a somber sky as if a trillion wet towels hung above. A schizophrenic wind started and stopped and changed directions. The wind’s uncertainty seemed to infect every creature on the island with a similar sense of bewilderment. Birds flew toward distant horizons and then flew back. Frogs ceased to croak. Insects were suddenly nowhere to be seen. Even the fish that usually darted about the shallows sought deeper water.

Standing in the rain, Joshua scanned the sky, which perplexed him greatly. He’d seen such skies before and knew that they portended nothing good. But these conditions had arrived so fast. He’d gone to sleep with little more than a gentle wind and gray clouds, and had awoken to a world that seemed at odds with itself. Is this why the destroyer left? he anxiously asked himself. Was she seeking safer waters?

Roger stood next to Joshua, trying to read his face as hard as Joshua was trying to read the weather. He knew that his adversary was debating putting the lifeboat to sea. And he very much wanted the captain and his wife to drown. “What do you think?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

Joshua grimaced, not wanting Roger’s company and in no mood for such a conversation. “That a storm is coming,” he replied. “A big storm.”

Recalling how the fool had tried to keep up with him in the jungle, and knowing that his failure to do so was a sore spot, Roger said, “Why don’t I row the boat to the cave? I could make better time than anyone.”

“I don’t think you’d find it from the sea. It’s almost impossible to spot.”

“It can’t be that hard. You found it easy enough.”

Joshua pretended that Roger’s words didn’t register. Licking his finger, he held it aloft. After its temperamental start, the wind seemed to be mostly blowing from the southeast. Though he was tempted to turn the lifeboat upside down over the food and lash the boat down, Isabelle had awoken with a bad stomach ache, and he didn’t want her making the difficult trek across the island. “If something develops,” he said, “it’s not going to happen for a few hours. That’s plenty of time for me to row around the island.”

Roger wanted to smile. Instead he said, “Well, you’d better get going.”

Uncertain what to think of Roger’s behavior, Joshua nodded and walked over to the lifeboat. The vessel was filled with all of their provisions. The slices of fish that were already dry had been carefully wrapped in leaves and shouldn’t succumb to the elements. The medical supplies, a pile of fresh fruit, and several full canteens lay in the stern of the craft. Knowing that he’d occupy an entire seat to row the boat, and that their supplies consumed a great deal of space, Joshua figured that he could take two passengers. Ratu had already asked for a spot, so that meant that he, Isabelle, and Ratu would soon be leaving.

Joshua found his two traveling companions and Jake. He asked Jake to help launch the boat, and soon the two men pushed it toward the water. When the craft touched the sea, Joshua returned to camp. With Jake, Roger, and Nathan crowded around him, he said, “I want to leave before the storm gets any worse.”

“That ain’t an awful idea, Captain,” Jake said.

Joshua glanced around camp and saw that Annie and Akira were huddled under the banyan tree. “Where’s Scarlet?” he asked.

“Atop the hill, sir,” Nathan said, worried for her, wishing that she hadn’t insisted on going up alone.

Joshua sighed. “She’s not going to spot a ship in this mess.”

“Easier to spy a penny in a puddle,” Jake replied. “Want me to fetch her?”

“Yes, please. And when you get back to camp, everyone immediately head to the cave. I don’t like the looks of this storm. Not one bit.”

Jake shook Joshua’s hand. “Good luck, Captain. I reckon we’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Do you remember my instructions on how to find the cave?”

“I surely do.”

Joshua nodded. “I’ve still got the matches from the lifeboat. And I’ll have a good fire going by the time you arrive. Just get everyone there in one piece, and then this storm can do whatever God intends.”

Jake and Nathan followed Joshua back to the lifeboat. They helped Isabelle climb over the high gunwale. Ratu had already seated himself at the bow. “Let’s go!” he said excitedly. “I want to get out in those waves!”

About to launch the lifeboat, the men paused when Annie suddenly ran down from camp. She carried two giant leaves, which she handed to Ratu and Isabelle. “Try to stay dry,” she said to her sister.

“I’ve been dry and hot for ten days,” Isabelle replied, though she held the leaf above her. Smiling despite the ache in her stomach, she added, “You should get going, Annie. Don’t forget to keep heading due east after you cross the third stream. And when you hit the beach, walk—”

“We’ve been over all this before,” Annie said, putting her hands against the lifeboat. “Now off you go!”

Annie, Joshua, Nathan, and Jake pushed the lifeboat into the harbor. When the water was up to his thighs, Joshua put his hands atop the gunwale and hoisted himself aboard. He sat down, turning his back to the bow, so that he faced the shore. Taking an oar in each hand, he began to row into deeper water.

“Please be a dear and turn back the sheets for us!” Annie said melodramatically in a thick British accent. “And do get some music going. And a few cocktails, if I may say so!”

Knowing that something had made Annie quite happy, Isabelle laughed. “Shall I ring the maid and have her tidy up before we arrive?” she asked in a similar voice.

“Oh yes. Please do! That would be most lovely.”

“What are you talking about?” Ratu wondered. “And why do you bloody sound like that? I tell you, women are crazy.”

The sisters laughed as the boat pulled away. “I do so adore your umbrella,” Annie shouted. “Did you encounter it in Paris?”

Isabelle lifted her giant green leaf. “Venice, my dear! Venice! It’s the latest Italian fabric. Quite charming, isn’t it?”

Annie held her sides and grinned, waving good-bye. “I love you all!”

Isabelle blew her sister a kiss and watched her grow smaller as the lifeboat continued into deeper water. She couldn’t help but wonder why Annie was so happy, standing in the rain. What had happened? Had Akira done something for her? Or was she simply excited to be moving to the cave?

Pleased for Annie but not possessing any answers, Isabelle turned her thoughts elsewhere. The ache in her stomach wouldn’t leave her in peace, though she didn’t pay it much heed. Aches were a part of her life, after all. If she didn’t hurt at the end of the day, that meant she hadn’t worked hard enough, hadn’t seen enough patients.

“How long will it take?” she asked Joshua, who appeared to be straining at the oars.

“I don’t know. Two hours. Maybe three.”

“Don’t overdo it,” she replied, noting his smile, but also that his knuckles were turning white on the oars, and that a vein bulged in his neck each time he leaned back and pulled.

BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE, the rain seemed less oppressive. Nathan, Annie, and Akira sat at its base, watching the distant lifeboat become fainter. Roger stood a few feet away, facing the trio. He said nothing, but stared at them as if he were a predator and they his prey. Jake had left to find Scarlet, and though Akira was at her side, Annie wished that Jake would return. Roger’s eyes unnerved her, almost immediately spoiling her good mood.

“I’m taking a walk,” she said suddenly, unable to bear Roger’s presence. “Would anyone like to join me?”

“In the rain?” Nathan asked, wanting to accompany her but suspecting that she hoped Akira would rise.

Akira bowed slightly and stood. “I would most enjoy a walk.”

Nathan smiled. He believed that Annie and Akira were falling in love, and was greatly pleased for them. Watching them reminded him of his own courtship. “Don’t get washed away,” he said, thinking of his wife.

Annie said good-bye and led Akira down the beach. They deviated briefly from their intended path to pull two immense leaves from a rambling bush. Strolling beneath the leaves, they edged closer to the water.

“Please do not let Roger bother you,” Akira said, watching the rain roll off her leaf.

“That’s impossible. I’m not a Buddhist, you know.”

“Well—”

“But I can let other things occupy my mind.”

“Like what, may I ask?”

“Like last night.”

He saw a beautiful shell but didn’t pause to pick it up. So intent was he on her words that he could consider nothing else. “You asked me to show you how I felt,” he said, trying to keep his voice from revealing his anxiety. “Did I do this?”

Annie wanted to take his hand, but knowing that eyes were upon her, she merely walked closer to him. “I don’t know . . . I don’t have any idea how to describe it, but last night . . . last night I felt like a different person. Like I was reborn.”

“Maybe you are a Buddhist after all,” he replied, overjoyed with her answer.

She looked at him, her face tight with incredulity. “How did you do that to me? I had no idea . . . that someone could do that to me.”

“Make you feel reborn?”

“Yes. That little thing.”

Smiling, he watched a miniature wave plunge upon her toes. “You were not the only one who felt such things.”

“What did you feel?”

“Alive. So very alive. And I felt a sort of . . . wonder at being so alive. I did not ever expect to feel that way.”

“I’m glad, Akira. I’m so glad you felt that way.”

A sudden and powerful gust of wind sent rain flying horizontally into their faces. “We should go back, yes?” he asked.

Annie shook her head. “I don’t like that man.”

“That is because he tries to frighten you.”

“Why? Why does he do it?”

“Because he is a coward, and that is what cowards do best.”

“He doesn’t look like a coward. He’s strong and cunning, and I don’t think he enjoys seeing us together. And that scares me.”

Akira stopped. “Please do not worry about him, Annie.” He looked to the west, following the lifeboat as it disappeared, noting how the rain seemed to rise after striking the sea. “There is . . . a side of me that I have not shown you,” he said, his voice reticent. “The side that war made. And although I . . . I despise this side, it can overcome a man like Roger.”

Despite the strengthening storm, she dropped her leaf and took his hand in hers. “I just want to see the side that I saw last night.”

He watched raindrops race down her face. She looked so exposed, as if her old fears of the future had suddenly resurfaced. He touched a tiny piece of the sky as it tumbled down her cheek. “You said you have been searching for me, yes?”

“I have been.”

“Unlike you, I did not know that I was searching. But for a long time I have been jealous of that gardener. And now . . . now I no longer am.”

“Why not?”

“Because I too have found something precious. Something that eclipses all else. And I will take care of it as best as I can.”

BEYOND THE PLEASANT CONFINES OF THE HARBOR, the sea’s true passions were revealed. With the wind picking up substantially, three-foot waves slammed into the side of the boat, inundating Ratu, Isabelle, and Joshua with spray. His hands already blistering against the oars, Joshua rowed as hard as possible. At the bow of the boat, Ratu leaned forward, so that his head and chest were above the water. With each rise and fall of the craft, he let out a jubilant cry.

Though Isabelle felt nauseated, she tried to hide her discomfort from Joshua. She could tell that he was quite worried about the storm, and she didn’t want to burden him with additional anxiety. Instead, she managed to catch his eye on occasion and give him a nod of encouragement. Each of them had put on a life jacket, and Isabelle constantly adjusted the straps of her vest, trying to get comfortable.

Looking at the island, Isabelle was surprised to see how morose it appeared in the rain. The vibrant jungle and sparkling beaches were rendered to near insignificance by the storm. The wind howled, and as she faced the island, Isabelle’s back was struck by rain and spray that strong gusts drove against her.

Joshua had planned to round the southern end of the island and then head north to the eastern beach. Glancing south, Isabelle saw that the tip of the island was still fairly distant. They didn’t seem to be making particularly good time, and she wondered how much stronger the storm would become.

“Another two hours to the cave?” she asked, shouting above the wind.

“Hopefully less,” he replied, grimacing as he pulled on the oars. “If it gets too bad, we’ll head ashore and walk.”

“No, no, no!” Ratu interjected. “Why would we walk when we can ride these bloody waves? I tell you, that makes no sense. And this will be such a cracking good story!”

Joshua eyed the sea. “It certainly will.”

“Are you knackered, Captain? Would you like me to help? I’m good at rowing.”

“Knackered?”

“Are you tired, Captain? Do you need a break?”

“Oh. Well, maybe later, Ratu. But thank you for asking.”

A large swell caught the starboard side of the boat, tilting it up, letting it roll into the trough. “Mother Mary,” Isabelle whispered, fighting back the urge to vomit. Joshua glanced at her and then paused for a moment to look at his raw hands. Seeing her husband’s discomfort, she tried to ignore her nausea. Opening the medical kit, she used the scalpel to cut two strips of cloth from her shirt. “Wrap these around your hands,” she said, handing the strips to Joshua.

He did as she said. “Are you alright?” he asked worriedly. “You look awfully pale.”

“I’m fine. Just a bit seasick.”

Joshua strained to propel the lifeboat even faster. He now felt almost certain that a typhoon was on its way, as they were at the height of the storm season, and the elements that assaulted them were behaving so strangely. Already since they’d been at sea, the temperature had dropped considerably. And the wind was strengthening by the minute. Knowing that nowhere on the island would be safe but the cave, Joshua hoped that the rest of the group had started their walk. He debated putting the lifeboat ashore, but believed he could get Isabelle to the cave quicker by sea than by land.