Unseen Messages(92)

I wanted to throw my damn octopus stick at her. I wanted to grab her and kiss the bloody daylights out of her. I wanted to scream and yell and get on my knees and thank her for being brave enough to do something so selfless.

“I can’t believe you.” My growl hid my true thoughts. “I can’t believe you went behind my back.”

She flinched. “I know. I’m sorry. But I was willing to take the risk. Like I said, it’s my body—” She cut herself off, rolling her shoulders. “Anyway, I figured we have a great dinner tonight, so let’s make it even better with a salad. And if we can figure out how to prepare the taro...that’s another element of food we can enjoy.”

“Yay!” Pippa jumped up and down. “Yum. Gimme.” Her hand disappeared into the basket, and before I could yell, stuffed a few leaves into her mouth.

“What the hell did she just eat?” My question was for Estelle, but Pippa answered with her mouth full. “Rabbit food.”

Estelle looked at me from beneath lowered eyes. “It’s sharper and more bitter than what we’ve eaten before, but we’ll get used to it. Not to mention, there’s an endless supply if we grow to like the taste.”

“I like it.” Pippa reached for another handful. “I like it better than clams.”

Conner wrinkled his nose but accepted a glossy leaf as Pippa practically shoved it in his mouth.

He chewed hesitantly.

I waited until he swallowed. “Well?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Not as bad as I thought.”

Pippa rushed to grab the salt and a few coconut shards that we’d sliced that afternoon. Sprinkling the white flesh over the salad and a small pinch of seasoning, she grinned. “Mummy taught me everything tastes better with salt.”

What an odd kid.

Estelle caught my eye. She wouldn’t relax until I gave my permission. And when she looked at me that way, how could I not give it?

She played every chord on my heart like a damn maestro.

Shedding my annoyance, I nodded. “I won’t forgive you for doing something so reckless behind my back. But I won’t refuse to eat it if you say it’s safe. I trust you and won’t waste your sacrifice.”

She exhaled with huge relief.

Having her emotions tied intrinsically to my happiness was yet another hint that she’d lied about only wanting to be friends.

Well, she knew where I lived if she changed her mind.

Forcing a grin for the kids, I clapped. “I guess tonight’s menu no longer just features an octopus.

“Let’s tuck in.”





Chapter Thirty-Three


...............................................

E S T E L L E

......

Why? Why do you do this to me? Why can’t I fight it? Why do you entice me so? Why can’t I ignore it?

Why do I have to be so strong?

You want me. I want you.

Together, we’re right.

Apart, we are wrong.

But is it worth the consequences if we give into this song?

Lyrics to ‘Why’ Taken from the notepad of E.E.

...

TWELVE WEEKS

(December)

ONCE WITHIN A song, a girl had everything stripped away in an instant. But in nothing, she found the value of something far more precious.

The night we had octopus was a changing point for us.

Galloway never mentioned me sampling the foliage for food and never refused the leaves I deemed fine to consume. We soaked the taro for a few days and tossed away the water before double boiling to ensure whatever toxins existed were no longer harmful.

Trial by trial, knowledge by knowledge, we all learned new skills. It wasn’t a conscious decision (although I did my best to advance my understanding on a daily basis) but evolution taking control to ensure our survival.

Things I’d never paid attention to suddenly became useful: the skinny vines hanging like streamers in the trees became natural string. The large taro leaves became handy pouches and coverings for our slowly growing larder of food. We threaded the vertebrae and discarded bones from our dinners on string to create wind chimes, composing music in the breeze, or slightly morbid jewellery for Pippa.

The island had stripped everything away, but in return, it’d given us new choices. Choices that held so much more importance than internet browsing or television channels.

Here...our concerns had whittled down to one: surviving.

As long as we achieved fire, warmth, food, and companionship...we were winning at this new life. No matter the stress of abandonment and constant wondering if we were lost forever, we had each other and that was priceless.

Conner’s success (thanks to Galloway) with the octopus, invigorated him to keep improving his spearing skills and most days (admittedly after hours of lunging and sometimes defeat) he came home with a fish.

If he wasn’t so lucky, he returned with other morsels. He produced an eel last week, which was almost as terrifying as the dead sea snake, a large crab two days ago that gave each of us a mouthful of delicious flesh, and yet more clams.

Between the food from the sea and the salad from the forest, we curbed our hankering for variety, but we couldn’t confuse our taste buds into wanting more flavour.

I craved seasoning other than salt. I would’ve given away every basket I’d woven just for a bottle of peach iced tea. I’d even donate my semi-successful flax blanket for a heavenly sip of chilled apple cider.