Demigods (7 page)

"There is one more thing we need to do," she told him while helping him to his feet, and then he curiously followed her to the sand that was still wet.

Searching around, she found a spot, and dropped to one knee.

"See this small hole?" she asked as she looked up at him, and he knelt beside her to examine it more closely. "See how a small bubble has formed in it?"

"I see it," he answered, and then watched as she began to dig at the sand with her bare hands, and moments later, she pulled out a solid object, and carried it to the water.

Rinsing it off, she smiled, and held it up for him to see, delighted by the small treasure she had unearthed. It was a clam, and a rather large one at that.

"These are what we need," she explained, and for a while, they gathered about a dozen of them, and then carried them back to the basket, before sitting back down in the sand

For a length of time, they sat there, and watched a full moon, and bright stars competing with the flames of the fire to provide them with light. For hours, he sat beside her, telling her of the things he could remember about the civilized world, while they picked at the fish with their fingers. Finally, the rum took its toll, and he could remember no more.

Slowly he began to awaken from his sleep, and though he was slightly dizzy, he was surprised at how well he felt when considering how much he remembered drinking the night before. What he could not remember was how he got back to the large cushion in the sanctuary.

"Princess," he called out as he leaned up on both of his elbows to glance around the room, but found himself alone.

Standing to his feet, he used the wall for balance as he made his way to the front opening, yet there was no sign of her there, either.

Using his own balance this time, he walked to the opening in the back, and called out for her again.

"Princess?"

It would seem that she had wandered off somewhere, and he was not about to go looking for her. He had no desire to run into the strange savages again, and they were only a part of what frightened him out there. He may not have been able to remember who he was, but he could certainly remember the association between tropical jungles and snakes, large spiders, and all sorts of the like.

"Wow," he said to himself as he sat in a chair, and pondered the events of the last two days. He would have thought it all a dream, if not for how real everything was, unlike the dream he had just been having.

That is when it dawned on him. He had been dreaming about life before the island, but it all seemed so hazy. He struggled in silence, trying to remember the details, but was coming up empty. All he could recall was that it was some sort of hospital type setting, with people wandering about in white clothes, and surgical masks.

If he was a doctor this would seem to explain the memory of the Corvette, but there did not seem to be any memories of any doctor type skills. In fact, the thought of putting his hands inside of someone did not sound very appealing at all.

Perhaps it was a memory from being a patient, yet as he lifted his shirt to examine his own body, he found no telltale scars.

"
Oh, well,
" he thought to himself, and decided to be content with the new knowledge, understanding that they were all pieces to a much bigger puzzle.

Standing, he decided to check the closest place he knew of where he might find her. This time he would try to descend to the river a little more gracefully.

Exiting through the rear, he approached the first obstacle. Sitting down on the balcony with his feet dangling down the square hole, he chose to ignore the cargo net as he leaned forward, and grabbed the other side. Sliding off the edge, he dropped safely to the ground, and was quite pleased with himself.

Glancing around, he saw that the stone cauldron had been cleaned, and the embers had long since gone cold. Beneath the balcony, all he saw was dirt, and a stack of wooden bowls and woven baskets of various shapes and sizes.

Slowly he began to slide down the steep slope, making sure to keep his feet and body sideways for better balance. He could not help but to keep an eye in the trees, but the playful monkey was not to be seen.

As he neared the bottom, he saw a figure moving through the foliage. It was her highness, and it would appear that she had just put on her clothing, after bathing in the river.

The way that she wrung out her hair before shaking it out was as enchanting as anything else she had done, and he wanted to just sit there and watch her. The way that she suddenly locked eyes with him, and smiled, however, removed that option.

"Were you watching long?" she asked with a sassy expression as he stepped out onto the riverbank.

He was about to tell her that he had just gotten there, but she interrupted him before he ever had the chance.

"I do not mind if you watch me," she said as she passed him by, and began to head back up the hill.

This was good to know, he thought as he followed closely behind her, or he might be offending her right now.

"I am planning something special for dinner," she told him without turning, and he was amazed at how easily she made her way to the top. Surely, the dinner idea sparked his curiosity, but he was more concerned with trying to follow in her footsteps. Although it was easier this time around, it was still a bit of a challenge.

"It's no wonder you're in such good shape," he told her as he finally reached the top, and she thanked him with a smile, as she glanced down at him from the balcony.

After an unstable trip up the cargo net, he made his way inside, and sat down in the chair next to her.

"This will satisfy your hunger until then," she said while handing him a bowl of fruit and nuts, and quickly he determined that it was more than just exercise that gave her that figure.

"Thank you," he replied as he accepted it, and leaned back in his chair. It actually made for a rather pleasant breakfast, though he wondered if it was breakfast at all. One thing he did not like was not knowing what time it was.

Reaching into the bowl, he grabbed a small handful. Pea-sized, red berries, and smaller white ones rolled around with nuts that looked like tiny potatoes, and when he tossed them into his mouth, he found the taste delightful.

"You are a very interesting woman," he told her as she sat there staring off into empty space again, and she responded without changing her gaze.

"I always thought of myself as being quite simple."

"It might be your simplicity that I find so interesting," he said with a smile designed to express his sincerity.

This finally broke her concentration, and a smile appeared on her face as well.

"Maybe I find you to be quite interesting as well," she told him, having turned to entrap his eyes, and for a moment he admired such a flawless face.

Sitting back with his bowl, he took a deep breath to regain his senses. Certainly, the idea that she would find him interesting delighted him, but he failed to see how. She knew about as much about him as he knew about himself, and that was not saying much at all.

Finally, Playful graced them with her presence, and quickly found a familiar spot upon the lady's shoulder. This time she did not seem content to remain there, and it became obvious that she had her eyes on his bowl.

Slowly she crept across the small table that sat between them, as if to go unseen, and then leaned her head over his right arm. He had no idea what he should do, but the idea of having a monkey's paw in his bowl did not sound appealing.

Nonetheless, the thought of offending her seemed even less appealing, so he decided to be friendly, and lifted the bowl slightly. Playful did not need any more of a hint, and quickly grabbed two handfuls before returning to her master's shoulder.

Looking down into the bowl, he hoped that he was not supposed to finish it.

"I wouldn't eat that now," she giggled, and he was certainly relieved to hear her say so. "I would have told her to wait until I was finished."

He could not help but to laugh along with her. He felt a bit stupid, but if that entertained her, he was more than glad to be her fool. Besides, every princess deserves her own jester.

Setting the bowl down on the table made Playful even happier, and he was glad to be of some use to them both. He had surely received more hospitality here, than he would have from your typical stranger, and he was grateful for every bit of it.

"I need to gather some things for dinner," she told him, and then stood to her feet.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked before she vanished out the back, and moments later, she returned with two baskets, and what appeared to be a burlap sack.

"That would make me very happy," she answered with a smile before it changed to a more serious expression, "but you cannot follow me when I gather the mushrooms."

"I would never reveal any of your secrets," he laughed, though her expression remained the same.

"It is not a secret place, but a dangerous one," she explained. "You would not wish to run into the rage beast that wanders below the surface."

This certainly caught his attention, and the look on her face made him believe that she was right. He did not know what a rage beast was, but he surely did not want to find out the hard way.

Finally, a smile, once again, graced her beautiful, Asian features.

"You and Playful can gather coconuts,” she said, as she tossed the empty sack at him, "while I get the mushrooms."

"And you are not afraid of this 'rage beast'?" he asked, but she did not turn to address him directly.

"I can handle the rage," she explained as she took the path that led them back to the beach. "The question is, can you handle Playful?"

He could tell that she was laughing under her breath as she walked ahead of him, and the way that Playful looked back at him from her shoulder, with a big monkey smile, did not make him any more comfortable about it.

"I'm sure that we'll get along just fine," he assured her as he made a strangling motion in the little monkey's direction, but she seemed hardly affected.

For a while, they walked along the path in silence, until suddenly she came to a stop, and turned to him.

"This is where we get the seasoning," she told him as she pulled the crude knife from one of the baskets.

Jumping from her shoulder, Playful went just off the path, and began to dig around a small plant. The princess was right behind her at another small plant, and began to dig at it with the knife.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm sorry," she told him, "but I do not have another tool to dig with. This won't take long."

"No problem," he said with an empty expression. "I'll just stand here watch."

What a good idea that turned out to be, and he swore that she was intentionally moving about in a way that was designed specifically for his eyes.

About ten minutes later she stood, and returned to the path with a basket full of what looked like tapered potatoes.

"Are we having fun yet?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes, before continuing her way to the beach

"We certainly are," he returned as he noticed that the weight of the basket created a more exaggerated swing in her hips. "No doubt about it."

Finally reaching the sand, she turned to the right this time, and though she was nice to follow, he decided to stroll up along side of her.

"I've only tried your stew and your roasted fish so far," he said as he turned to admire her profile, "and if they were not special, I am really in for a treat."

She simply winked at him this time, but he could tell that she was quite flattered by his compliment, and as he stared at her, he determined that the real world could never produce a creature of such beauty.

Having thought this, he hoped that he was not married. His wife would certainly not appreciate it. She he would not appreciate anything about this island, or the thoughts that he had been having, if he might actually be married.

Playing it safe, he began trying to imagine another woman's face, thinking that if he were married, she would be the first person he would remember. Again, he found nothing but the image of the beauty that walked beside him. Whether he was married or not, his conscience was clear, for the time being.

"You really are a beautiful woman," he finally blurted out with his most convincing smile, and watching her blush only made her more so.

"Thank you," she replied without looking up at him this time. It has been said that true beauty never recognizes itself, and because of this, she was far more flattered than a woman who was stuck on herself would have been.

For a short while, they walked in silence. She was truly uncertain how she would further respond, and he had no idea how he should follow up such a bold statement under these circumstances. Nonetheless, he was quite content with simply continuing to admire her, and she was content with being admired.

It was only the arrival at their destination that broke the moment, and the silence. It was where the beach had ended, and the rocks and cliffs began, and it was as picturesque as one might imagine.

"That is where I will be going," she told him as she pointed to a narrow opening in the side of the cliff, "to gather mushrooms."

Then she turned to where the jungle, the beach, and the cliffs all met, and upon reaching behind a palm tree, she produced two crude torches, and a couple of stones.

Sticking one of the torches in the sand, and laying the other one next to it, she began to strike the two stones together, bringing forth a light shower of sparks. Before he knew it, she had both of them lit, and in her hands with the remaining basket held under her arm.

"Playful will help you gather the coconuts while I am gone," she told him before turning back to the opening.

The coconuts would have to wait as he watched her, simply amazed at how intriguing she was. First, she stuck one of the torches into the sand at the entrance of the cave, and then turned her slender body sideways to fit into the narrow opening, with the other torch leading the way. Then she was gone.

"Your friend is something else!" he told his little helper as she looked up at him with a big monkey smile.

"Ok," he said with a deep breath as he began to take a good look around, "it's time to get those coconuts."