Secrets of Riah's Island: Part 2 - He

Chapter 5 The Chosen One

Riah struggled to balance the needs of a baby with the understandable need of a mother for the comforting presence of a committed partner. Still, despite the baby’s beauty, Daren would not be swayed, there were secrets at work, that he could not reveal, but he could neither stop nor sanction her path.

His words tore her heart to pieces, so she stopped crying. She stopped hoping, she simply lived apart from those around her. “What is meant to be, will be.” Riah comforted herself, “I exist, therefore my perfect partner also exists. When the universe is ready, we will find one other.”

In the interim, Riah volunteered her little free time, and found happiness in a simple life. Her friends laughed at the list, she wrote of the dream man who she sought. “Enthusiastically interested in being a husband and a father, proud to accompany his family to church every week, loves to dance, and yet understands that family life comes first, securely employed, mature, willing to marry me, committed to fidelity and a long happy marriage. Oh, and my children have to be raised in Catholic private school, absolutely non-negotiable, both for this child and any others that we decide to have!” Kay openly laughed, the sound of it tickling the air as it weaved through the final swirls of her cigarette smoke. “There is no way you will find a man like that Riah! They don’t exist!” She opened her purse to pull out another cigarette, as she gently laughed again at my words. Her laughter didn’t trouble me one bit, inside I felt the strength of my words flowing through me, and beaming out into the world. He was out there and he was coming. I knew it and I could feel it. The call of his spirit was answering mine. He would come. He had to come.

Later I reached out to the universe again, and with deep emotional intensity, and full awareness of and confidence in the shadows of my past, I delivered my charge, my request, my intention. “Let it be” I told the silent stars, “just as I ask. Let the colour of his eyes be the same, change only their shade. So if they be green, two shades of green, or if they be blue, then let them be two shades of blue. By this token, I will know that I have found the partner sent to be my soul-mate”. I closed my eyes that night at the island’s only outdoor, Drive In cinema, and I let my thoughts, my dreams and my feelings fly up into the heavens, cradling endless stars in the soft night skies.

“Let it be” I signaled the stars, “let it be”. And the words of old magic, linked with each breath, “Ashanti” rose gently to the skies. I felt the swirling pull of energies I could neither explain nor understand. The shiver that begins deep within the soul, and trembles outwards even though the body has not moved, a current swirled and flowed through every cell of my being, and then blazed uptowards the heavens, like an invisible aura of sparkling dust, that only my eyes could see, my being could feel. An expansion of all that I was, gently swept up to kiss the heavens, and swirling around, the wishes went out to call him forth. He was being prepared, he would come, and I could feel the knowledge settle down deep within my bones.

As usual, it was the shadows who foretold his arrival. I was on the shallow side of Accra, a beautiful stretch of beach, laden with shady casuarina trees, chatting with my friend Anne. Three year old Jay splashed happily in the calm, refreshing waters of a little pool, we built for him, near the water’s gentle edge. His little body churning up sand with a blue, plastic beach spade, and intermittently, he happily filled his little red bucket. Kane, I had met a few times before. He was the typical good-looking, self-confident man, who was blessed with too much. Too much of a gorgeous smile, too much of a gentleman’s English, far too much of a very attractive body! “Absolutely not!” The thought was crystal clear and Riah firmly berated even the thought of being friendly. She was quite determined not to give him any opportunity to stick around. On both past occasions, he had handed her, his contact numbers and both times, they were discreetly left in the nearest garbage. She felt not a twinge of guilt, even though he had spent a good twenty minutes, first running down her beach umbrella, that the wind had sent gaily rolling down the beach, and then digging a deep hole to secure it for her enjoyment of its shade.. “Nope, so not going down that path again!” she told herself confidently. “Good-looking, confident intelligent men are simply far too risky. Far more sensible to find a quiet decent man. That is the plan, a simple, quiet, decent man.” She looked up at the beautiful sunny day with a smile, it truly was a gorgeous afternoon.

This Errol Barrow Bank Holiday was definitely a beach day, Kane came to collect the son of a mutual friend. Seeing Riah, he invited himself to sit by our group of four – another man had also invited himself in. Sophie raised her eyes – the colour of the day was a deep green with golden tiger streaks. She looked gorgeous with her neat braids swinging gently by her smiling face, and her beautiful red bikini. Kane didn’t even bat an eye at her. Somehow, he managed to invisibly make his way from an initial, respectable 4 ft away, to a mere twelve inches away from Riah’s sun-bathing legs. “Enough is enough” Riah told herself “getting quite irritated at his complete disregard for her need for personal space.” Clothed in her very modest, black whole piece swimsuit, Riah discreetly swung her legs to the side of her body, and casually continued the group chat.

Somehow, they simply clicked. Both of them felt it. The energy swept between them like lightening bolts, the attraction sizzled, and strangely, no one else really existed. The beach had become a sacred, magical place. Suddenly, the alluring blue waters sparkled and shined. The long green coconut tree fronds twirled and danced smoothly in the fresh salty breezes that kept rolling off the white-crested, aqua-marine waves rippling across the endless beach. Mischievous bubbling waves whispered their own background blessings, as the soft blue Caribbean heavens, streaked with glorious afternoon clouds danced a vibrant collage of colour across the open skies.

Imbued with courage, and delight in the radiant, harmonious beauty of which they were a part, sharing began. Riah confided in her current projects, volunteering at church, working with teens and the importance of developing positive friendships and making the right decisions in life. Kane shared about his friendship with a quadriplegic, and invited Riah to accompany him on a visit sometime. “Yeah, right, as if I have any intention of ever going anywhere with some one like you!”, said her suddenly, very opinionated mind. All the group saw was her polite smile, of course, with the appearance of agreement to the idea.

Then Kane had the audacity to stress some point, that Riah was obviously not appreciating with adequate enthusiasm. She could no longer hear what he said, his words meant nothing, and she tried to hide her confusion behind a non-committal smile, suddenly feeling as clueless and fragile as a young, innocent girl. His close presence was unnerving her. He was too overwhelming, his confidence rolling over her, and his charismatic charm seducing her eyes, and every one of her senses. The smooth, dry sand smoothly rippled beneath the towel at each move she made trying to distance herself from his body. The light breeze caressed her cheeks, that were blushing for no apparent reason. She was so conscious of his smiling eyes, brown eyes of different shades, shining, sparkling and speaking all their own language. His smiling lips kept moving, innocent words that allowed the raw, timbered voice to roll up and down her spine, with the most devastating of impact. The very breadth and power of his body was too close, she shivered involuntarily, she really had to get away. Involuntarily, overwhelmed she began to pull away.

That’s when Kane made his mistake! One moment he was struggling to keep his attention focused on the smooth flow of conversation, trying hard to avoid looking at the beautiful body, her modest swim-suit couldn’t hide. The smooth tanned skin, so much lighter than his dark chocolate tones, literally just begged to be touched. He felt like he was boring her, he could literally see her retreating away from him, and he projected himself even more, trying to dazzle her, so accustomed was he, to the ladies falling for his charms.

He was losing her, he read it in her eyes, in her spirit pulling back away from him. Suddenly, he couldn’t bear the loss he saw coming in her eyes. It had been so right, so grippingly powerful, this irrational, deep connection that he suddenly felt with this unusual, mysterious woman. That was all she was. A stranger, and yet for all his experience with the world of women, he couldn’t resist the pull of the energy between them. He saw the decision in her eyes, the intention to pull further away and instinctively he fought it.

He wasn’t even conscious of reaching out, but suddenly his fingers curled around the smooth, supple calf of one beautiful leg. Her eyes opened up as if to swallow him, and he felt the charged air explode even more powerfully between them. It was unmistakable and yet it was sheer madness. He never, ever lost control of himself in this way. The feel of her skin was exquisite, and still her presence intoxicated him, had him acting like some besotted school boy, instinctively reaching out just to touch her as if he were a simple callow youth. Yet having touched her, he could not let her go, his fingers of their own violation trembling as they gently for a split second, caressed her calf, as he stared captive to the sudden shock that he saw on her face. It was she who pulled away, but not before he read the hidden desire in her eyes and her upturned face. Her sudden furtive attempt to hide the feelings clearly visible in the opening eyes, the sudden quick gasp and the trembling lips struggling so hard, not to react. Firmly, discreetly and rapidly, she pulled her leg backwards and kneeling sideways, tucked both of them securely under herself. She looked away towards the ebb and flow of the lightly thundering turf, flustered, struggling discreetly to control her sudden anger, until she could figure out how best to regain control of the situation.

He breathed dangerously deep, trying to calm his racing blood. There was little point denying it, she was as attracted to him, as he was to her. It was very rarely, that he had ever felt the need to hunt. Women were all too accustomed to pursuing him, and casually, he would pick and choose as he saw fit. Very rarely, had he ever seen one of those worth hunting, at least, one who was unattached. One of those rare mystical beauties, with whom history’s countless pages were filled. They who inspired dreams and demanded quests of their would-be suitors. The rare breed, who could and would be obtained no other way, than by the careful hunting of them. They were a rare species, like witches they invaded the heart, the mind and the sprit, till none other but their image was branded within the minds of their chosen mates. He sat back, with little choice, watching carefully to read her reactions, as quickly he tossed some absent-minded remarks to entertain and distract the others present, while giving her the time and space to compose herself.

“The absolute nerve of him!” Anger and irritation battled within Riah as she struggled to figure out the best way to reprimand him, without embarrassing him in front of the others. Inside she was livid. “I don’t care if he is a genuine person who has befriended an older quadriplegic, I don’t care that he is interested in volunteering his time. I am not some typical woman of his, or anybody’s! How dare he lay his hand on me! How dare he touch me in that familiar way, as if he knows me!! Oh, I am so angry, I can’t even understand what he is jabbering on about! If the others weren’t here, I would so give him a piece of my mind! The nerve of him!”

Quickly and quietly, I again repositioned all of my body and my towel away from his reach, still simmering inside. “His voice was certainly loud enough, I would have no problem hearing his words, and just maybe he would take the hint!” I thought to myself hopefully. “Oblivious!” was the conclusion that I drew a little later. “That is what he was, completely oblivious!” I almost couldn’t believe it! This time, he gave me a magazine from his company, even opening it, to point to the phone number at the bottom of the stamp. “How absolutely tacky! To steal stuff from his workplace, when it even has the company stamp printed inside. Has this man no pride?” I was so disappointed. I had somehow expected more of him. I tried to shrug off the sudden sadness that inexplicably followed. Would I ever find that perfect man of my dreams?

I angrily huffed to myself, upset that he did not even take offense at my moving away from him, even boldly giving me a friendly goodbye hug, along with a soft kiss on my cheek before leaving the beach. This after considerately helping me to pack up my things. My polite attempts to distance him, were not only completely ineffective, but worse, they were deliberately and politely ignored in the most charming manner, I had ever witnessed.

I awoke still fuming. The shadows had spoken, and I was absolutely furious! My dreams made clear that I was to do the unthinkable! “ I was to call him! I who had never called a man in my whole life. Worse, I was to call that arrogant, self-confident idiot who had the audacity to touch my leg, and the gall to still impress me with his gallantry, in the way he spoke, the topics he chose, and his helpfulness with my son. I can’t believe that I am doing this” the thought kept rolling around, only irritating me further. Yet still the message from the shadows was crystal clear. He was to be contacted, and I was to be the one to call him. There was no discussion to be had, it was written, and although I understood, every ounce of my pride rebelled against this command. I hung up the phone three times, before it could even ring. I was furious with even the shadows for decreeing my compliance.

Why does destiny require us to bravely set forth to new lands? Why does she require us to breath deeply, haul up our courage, grapple it firmly, and obey her orders? The innocent telephone seemed to be an agent under fate’s control, daring me to have the courage to reach out to Kane.

We, women ask God to send his angels to intervene in our lives. We pray that he send a special strong warrior to become our partner, our hero, the leader of our family. Yet though we pray for a strong man in our lives, we often forget that strength needs and feeds on vision, self confidence and a strong sense of self identity. Kane had opened the door, for a third time, yet again handing me his number.

Never in my life had I called a man. Never. It was a choice, a personal confirmation on who and what type of woman I was, both in my own mind, and in the reality I saw around me. I simply was not the type of woman, who would ever think of calling a man.

This time, our connection was so powerful, I could neither dismiss nor forget it. Could I again take the chance of yet again, tossing his offer to the winds? Could I again blame the Gods, if the only person who may have been eligible, and who fate had tossed towards me twice over the past two years, I kept avoiding?

The image of him danced before my eyes. I could see his dazzling smile and his beautiful eyes delving into my soul, while the rumbling timbre of his voice invaded my trembling body.

The mere idea of reaching out to this possible player was belittling to her sense of self. The memory of their connection would not be dismissed, and she struggled with the choice before her. Suddenly, out of the many images, her mind replayed his sharing.

It was his friendship with the older family man who was a quadriplegic. She saw again, the empathy in his face for his friend, the admission that their friendship had challenged his perspective of the world, of relationships, and of destiny. It was this story that touched her heart. Surely, a man who took the time and energy to reach out and visit a crippled man, whom freak accident had robbed of a fuller life, could be trusted.

“I would love to help, if you should ever need a man to share his perspective.” were his exact words, when she confided her challenge in talking to young teens being prepared for Catholic confirmation. Riah sat at the desk in her room and sent her prayers up to heaven. “What is meant to be, will be.” The words floated gently down, settling and comforting her, with their very familiar stability.

With a deep breath, Riah took up the phone and dialed. This time, she allowed it to ring. His voice rippled through the phone, strong, clear and vibrantly alive. His smiling image floated before her.

Courage tightly gripped, Riah briefly answered his greeting. His response however, completely disarmed her. “I was thinking of you last night while I was at church with Lisa. You would have enjoyed that mass. . .” He kept talking, but Riah, flabbergasted at his initial words, completely lost the ability to fathom any part of his subsequent speech.

Doubt snaked through her mind, “Lisa? What type of relationship does he have with “Lisa”?” Riah took a breath and reminded herself of the words heaven had sent. “What is meant to be, will be.”

“You went to church? Since when do you go to church?” she interrupted, completely lost in the appealing strong image of this man, on a church pew listening to a sermon.

Each day, the conversation easily lasted even longer, precious hour slipping into two, and then three. By Friday, they had decided to meet again. They would go dancing, at least that was the plan, until Kane hobbled through her doorway, sweaty from football. “No, it is honestly all good. I am just easing it out. We will go dancing, definitely, I am all up for it! Come on, let’s go. I just need to stop home for a quick two minute change, and then we will be out dancing under the stars. My mom will keep you company, while I take a quick shower before we leave.” Convincing words, spoken with cool, calm authority and not a wince, while to my eyes, it looked like he was trying to hide his limp, as we walked to the car.

I was in two minds. “How could he invite me out, and then arrive looking like a complete wreck? Didn’t he have any respect for my time, not only as a woman, but also as a mother? I really don’t have time to waste with men who are clueless to the real world!” Yet I found myself strangely sympathetic to his obvious love of football, and his interest in getting a quick session of exercise, before we went out for the evening. I still missed the invigorating power and breezy freedom of my bike rides from so long ago.

“If she doesn’t come with me now, I may lose the chance to ever get her to come out with me on a date again. My foot is killing me, it feels like I fractured my ankle. No matter what though, I can’t let her down. She won’t trust me, and it has taken so long, to have her open up and talk to me. I have to keep talking, and convince her, that we will definitely go out dancing. If I mess this up, I know she won’t give me another chance.” Stifling a wince of sheer agony, he opened the car door, and stood aside to close it firmly behind her.

Limping around the vehicle, the thoughts continued “Utter madness to make that last dribble, really feels like that last kick from Michael broke my bone.” He moaned silently in pain, as the injured foot hit the rim of the car, at the wrong angle, when he got in. “It’s going to be a long night, but at least I got Riah in the car, so there is every chance that tonight just might work out.” He smiled at the lovely young lady in his car, her curly tresses glinting in the moonlight. “Ready Riah?” he asked gently, as he started the engine, “we are going to have a great time!” She smiled tentatively at his confident assurance, wondering whether the shadows could be trusted this time, as the car sped off into the darkness. “He is so attractive, maybe this was all a mistake. Too late to back out now, but still more than enough time to be very cautious about what would happen tonight.” She leaned back in the seat, and with a deep breath, looked up at the stars.

What followed was nothing short of magic. She sat casually chatting and quietly watching television, with his family, while he quickly changed. True to his word, within ten minutes, they were easing through traffic and he was admitting the truth. “Ok, I honestly can’t dance tonight, I can probably hobble, but you can dance, and when you are ready, we will leave. Whatever you want to do, we can do. It is your night Riah.”

He smiled, happy that this amazing petite woman would trust him, obviously almost against her better judgment. She was honestly a Cinderella. She hid her beauty, downplaying her obvious good looks. She could have had her pick of any man, and yet she had bravely chosen to have a child, whose skin was so different from the intoxicating peachy silk of her own. It was a decision that obviously limited her future choices in relationships, and yet it bravely showed the strength and depth of her character. He smiled with the words, “Your choice Riah. What would you like to do tonight?” strongly hoping that she would choose anything but dancing.

“Surprise me!” The words popped out, before she had a chance to consider how very vulnerable, she had just made herself to him. All of a sudden, she recognized her fragility, emotionally and spiritually. It had been a long time, since she had been out on a date, and all the rules about going in a group, and having her friends vet the prospective gentleman, she had carelessly forgotten. “Dear Lord,” she silently prayed, “please guard and guide this night, and let it be as friends that we begin and end this night.” She comforted herself with the thought that they were both mature people, in their early 30’s, and no longer impetuous young adults. She hoped with all her heart that the gentleman he had projected was the real person inside. Regardless, the reality was that her night and the quality of their time together, lay in his large, strong hands.

“It is quite a drive anyway, and I have never taken anyone there. It is beautiful, and I promise that you will absolutely love it! Do you trust me? It really is a good drive away. It is such an unusual place, that few people even know it exists. Would you like to go with me? I promise it will be an amazing surprise, and we will be quite safe.” He smiled reassuringly, but my heart trembled.

Unbidden, my feelings erupted before I had the chance to be more politically diplomatic, “Well in all honesty, I have already placed myself in your hands, I trust you will keep me safe tonight.” I shivered at my brave words, hoping that a full company of God’s army of angels were going to be with us tonight.

“You will love it, Riah. It’s magical, and I have never taken anyone there. It really is a special place.” His words both a comfort and yet a warning as he smoothly turned the car around and began the drive towards the dark, lonely roads of the countryside. With each passing mile into the dark country lanes, I later recognized that subconsciously, my heartbeat skipped up a few more drum-beats.

We spoke of desserts we loved and dishes we cooked well. Mistakes we made in our past relationships and dreams of the type of relationships we intended to develop in our future. The conversation ate the miles, and the comforting ease of our interaction creating a cozy intimacy in the soft darkness of the night. Then suddenly, at the end of a long bumpy-road, next to a lonely, unlit abandoned structure, the car stopped. My heart sank, and fear rose steadily, as the comforting flow of images created by our entwined voices, was replaced by the threatening darkness I now consciously recognized around us.

“Here? Where are we?” my voice wavered, I was incredulously reluctant to accept the reality I saw, yet with rising apprehension, I could feel disbelief beginning to transform into feelings of anger, as I began to prepare myself for the imminent betrayal of my misplaced trust. “No, Riah. Over there, look isn’t it beautiful?” His gentle calm voice somehow broke through my panic, and looking in the direction of his gesturing hand, I saw the incredible sight before me.

Beyond the abandoned structure, was a glacier. How else could words capture the solidity, the immensity of that huge island of massive rock, that literally swam in the water’s edge. I honestly had never seen or even heard of the beautiful vision that my eyes enjoyed with honest delight. “Come, hold my hand” the cool wind almost swept his voice away in the warm night. He held the door open, and my grateful hand leaned into his, searching for balance on the rocky, bumpy path. “It is not as difficult as it looks. Would you like to take a closer view?”

His warm serious eyes searched my face as he smiled. “The path is very rocky, but eventually there are steps that lead right to the very top, and the sky is so clear tonight, that you will be able to see the beauty of the coastline for miles along either side. It will be quite safe, I promise.” The warm, honest timbre of his voice snuggled up into my ears, and wrapped around me and I delighted in the waves of renewed trust, that were swiftly sweeping through me. With laughter smiling from my eyes, we held hands, and carefully together hobbled up our “glacier”.

At the top were three fisherman, who had sent their lines spiraling over the precipice in search of a fresh moonlight catch of fish. Some wise man long ago, had instructed the installation of an ornate concrete bench, and it stood quite a distance away from the fishermen, facing a private beach below and a few beautiful villas in the near distance. The waves crashed against the glacier, unceasingly, and the wind was chilly under the starry skies. Grateful for its welcoming presence, we sat together, enjoying the warmth of our touching legs, as we leaned close to share our thoughts. Despite the cold, we spoke for at ages, still finding harmony in our thoughts and dreams. The fisherman were our silent chaperons, who eased away the worries that had previously challenged my faith in Kane’s intentions.

When the full moon hung over us, and the glacier stained silver-white under the torrent of its powerful gaze, gently Kane reached for my hand. “May I kiss you?” the soft words echoed through my disbelieving ears, and I shivered in dual anticipation and apprehension, as the cold night winds swirled across our high plateau. A true gentleman indeed. When last had a man ever asked for a kiss? I acquiesced with a gentle shake of my head, and shyly waited as his arms encircled me, and his warm mouth tasted my lips. Pleasure coursed through us, and the moment swept on, the kiss seemed to last until an eternity had passed.

We left our chaperons, climbed down what felt like our mountainous retreat and drove away. Our brief moments of light intimacy, even furthering our ability to talk, and share, as the moon and her twinkling companions slid across the heavens.

“I was lost in my work, and I lost my wife because I was so involved in my job. I was new but I felt so responsible. The company was struggling with operational challenges, and on my arrival, my supervisor took three months of sick leave. It was left to me to handle both our jobs, and with the guidance of an overseas caller, and endless hours of nightly work, the two year backlog of work she left behind had been cleaned up before her arrival back to work.”

“The price however, was the sanctity and stability of my new marriage. Never again, will I let anything obsess my attention, to the point that it threatens the relationships I treasure. Our marriage never had a real chance, we were too young and pride and mistrust were too real to reconcile, and so after multiple break-ups, eventually we just ended it.”

“We left our marriage as friends, walked before a judge and asked for our divorce.” The light sadness at the memory echoed softly in the air. With a smile in my direction, he winked with his next words, “I can try marriage a second time, but this time, it really has to work.” My pride simply can’t face the idea of ever asking a third woman, for her hand in marriage. I would look like a complete idiot!” The words simply flowed; the pride of a hardworking employee, the pain of a broken marriage, and dreams of hope for tomorrow, the emotions rose and faded with the story of his life.

The night was still too young, neither of us were ready to go home. So we parked at Sandy Beach and there on a long old tree, long used as seating for endless chats, we continued sharing our thoughts. Only then did I understand, that Kane had actually opened and still owned his own business, where he employed a staff of five. The magazine he attempted to give me at the beach, was actually his magazine and it featured his company.

His brown eyes gleamed in the early light of dawning sunrise, the gentle pink and peach hues intermingling in grand sweeping colours of freshly painted, blue morning skies, and as I looked into his eyes, I saw two shades of brown. Absolutely beautiful. Each suggested a slightly different look. The light brown side showed an open and honest man, while the darker chocolate side, suggested the handsome, rakish look of a successful pirate. Together, his eyes invited trustworthiness at your peril,” I thought.

We looked at the rising sun, gently peeping over the horizon, bathing the skies in a palette of soft colour. It was a gorgeous morning, black birds and sparrows chirped as they passed by on their way inland to the nearby lush trees and bamboo forests encircling the fish-filled pond and outer swamplands. It would be months before I would remember my forgotten heaven-sent wish to the stars so many years ago.

It was a glorious time for rediscovering ourselves and each other, without the pressure and distraction of heavy intimacy. It was a time when the world stood still and revolved around us. Little Jay was our constant reminder, my beautiful child, who grounded our interaction, and kept us well-focused on what my priorities were and would always be.

We took him swimming every weekend, later we returned to walk the beach at twilight, sweet hot chocolate, keeping our bodies warm and happy, as we meandered along the edge of the softly rolling surf. Each night, we returned to my apartment, which now held our little world. Dinner, bath and bedtime prayers for sleepy little Jay, was followed by our moonlight garden chats, and sometimes, a movie that we would discuss. The moon peeped through our skylight, to find us singing songs softly to each other, as we sought to share and recognize the music that shaped our past and influenced our beings. As the weeks rolled by, I began to believe that god had answered my prayers, sending my soul-mate to my doorstep each day.

Chapter 6 – The World Re-awakens

The global recession had changed the peaceful landscape of our world in Barbados. Jobs were being lost by the hundreds, all sections of the economy were suffering, but Kane’s service business somehow held its own and even grew a little with my help. Still the rumours and the fears were spreading through those with access to the international news and especially those with the interest and ability to intelligently utilize the internet. Slowly our little piece of the world was under threat, and danger approached our shores, marching to a drum beat, we islanders could neither control nor influence.

Kane was fascinated with the idea of being a father to my young son, and spent every moment of his time with us. From going to church, to making meals with me in the kitchen and teaching Jay to ride his new bicycle. Nothing was too hard, or ever presented a challenge that he was unwilling to attempt. Most nights were spent putting Jay to bed, and then quietly talking on the garden bench for hours, by candle light with cups of sweet hot tea. Until exhausted, we collapsed fully clothed on my queen sized bed, to catch a couple hours of sleep before work demanded our full attention.

“I may be a young single mother”, I whispered to myself, “but that doesn’t mean I should never dance again! I may have misjudged the character of one man, and erroneously placed my trust and faith in him, but that certainly doesn’t mean, that I am a poor judge of character.” The inner arguments sometimes threatened her sanity, but even at the best of times, single parents can feel especially vulnerable. Riah constantly reassured herself, seeking and finding confirmation that the suitor to her heart and her life, was indeed an eligible candidate worthy of influencing the life of her precious, young son.

The threat of war loomed again in the Middle East over a dictator who instigated mass killings in villages of his opponents, with the use of chemical weapons of war. The outrage floated across international boundaries, and the super-powers fearing a future of unsanctioned attacks on their own soldiers, hastily entered the regional fray, demanding justice and freedom from oppressive rulers. In the Caribbean, our lives went on, blissfully separate from the re-awakening violence, half a world away.

Kane and I got married in July, and little Jay was our proud ring-bearer, the golden symbol of our union securely fastened to the beautiful cushion firmly clasped in his cherubic little hands. It was a lovely simple ceremony, with family and friends witnessing the sacrament. With a happy smiles and eyes on each other, we created a home brimming with peace and security which allowed Jay to blossom and shine.

It was after summer left us, that with the help of our families, and a mortgage, we bought our home. No hurricanes came to attack the islands of the Caribbean, but across the continents, raging wild-fires destroyed endless acres of land, communities and homes. We watched on cable, with sympathetic horror as the fire fighters and local inhabitants struggled to reassert nature’s peaceful balance across the continents.

Then, in the Far East, an earthquake, followed within hours, by a powerful raging tsunami devastated an atomic power plant, strategically located near the open sea. It was a catastrophe with global consequences. Hastily, endless tons of sea water were valiantly pumped in to minimize the threat of the radioactive contamination of the air, which immediately began its deadly escape, floating off to rain poison down on nearby lands. The endless tons of contaminated water however, also escaped, and ran back to spread their poison through the once endlessly fertile, living seas.

Slowly death stalked the high seas. . . Brittle sea stars literally began to vaporize into moving parts, and hundreds of thousands, swiftly melting into sticky colored goo, easy dissipated by the swirling waters. Smaller fish like sardines, one of the primary feeding basics for marine life simply disappeared. Searching for food, the larger fishes began to appear in unusual areas, the weakest eaten by their own. The world watched with blind eyes, as the mainstream media chose silence.

So it began, that the powerful legends and prophecies foretold by the seers and wise men in centuries past, started to materialize in our world. The mainland coast, with its crucial fishing and tourism industries, slowly creeping to economic recovery from a disastrous oil-spill in recent years, tried hard to ignore the quiet rumors sweeping across the net.

For endless months, the mainstream media reported little if anything at all on the floating threat expected to eventually contaminate the seas around the globe, after all what was the point of worrying the unenlightened masses. Why unlock the specter of mass hysteria? Those who control the world, all deemed it far better to entertain the attention of the public with light issues, than to unmask the deeper more threatening realities that scientists worldwide were still struggling to resolve. Those who knew watched silently, and those with secret knowledge, watched quietly from afar.

Chapter 7 – Death Approaches

Many countries had internet television that interfaced with silent satellites linked to invisible watching armies that recorded the ever restless populations of both eastern & western civilizations. Barbados, an insignificant little island in the Caribbean was too small, simply not important enough. The cameras would malfunction, and the island’s resources were too limited to bother repairing or replacing the technology. At least, so both the government and the population had always been told.

Regardless, the crematorium worked day and night, the heat signature clearly visible to the silently watching technology of the advanced countries. Just in case.

The military started disappearing but it was the body builders who started dying first. Their fanatical interest in health, somehow, didn’t keep them immune. “It started at the gyms,” was the quiet rumour that went around. Somehow, it didn’t make sense, but strangely, they started dying off first. All over the island, people were dying. There were so many bodies, that for sanitation purposes, the government announced that bodies would simply be gathered for cremation. The churches were invited to hold services, and the priests tried their best to comfort those who remained as the island population began to dwindle.

The doctors were the gatekeepers. The island was flooded with the cellular traffic. Exhausting fatigue, mystery fevers, strange lesions, bleeding from everywhere, not surprisingly, no one came from overseas to investigate anything, they were too busy struggling to cope with similar ailments of their own.

The mainstream media showed politics, stocks, entertainment and the socially acceptable flows of money. The faces of other places under duress because of food shortages created social unrest worldwide. Only the aware, could see the ecological changes streaming across the planet. Only the brave on the internet, tracked the sudden increase in cancers, the mutations of plant, animal and human life. Very few connected the different flows of information streaming in around the planet.

The words were spoken gently, but the meaning cut through the hearts of those who heard them uttered. “Use your cell. Those you do not like, tell them you are dying, and let them know you have been placed in the isolation unit. Those you love, call and ask them to come say their goodbyes. You can discuss the symptoms that are expected. Please do not cry, we will do our best to help you.”

Day by day, the hospitals slowly flooded, and endlessly, empty carts came for bodies sent out for disposal. The evidence was there for the world to see, the islanders were dying too.

“Did you make your calls to family and friends? Only enter this room, when you are finished, because the cell phone reception in this room is terrible. Once you have finished your calls, just wait your turn inside, we will re-test you all shortly.” The kind-faced nurses were gentle as they waved them all inside. Tracy gathered her children to her bossom, tears flying down her cheeks, as she held them tightly. “We honestly don’t feel sick though. Are you sure that we are infected?” The plump nurse and her helper had a trolley full of assorted juices. “Pick only one juice for each person.” she said calmly. “You are going to be here a while, and it is really hot. Drink a juice, and wait here in this room. We will test you all again.” The plump nurse reached out, quietly offering quick comforting touch on Tracey’s shoulders. “It’s okay, we really will try to help you. I’m sure everything will be okay. Don’t cry. No pain, I promise.” She made her way around the room, as she gestured to the empty beds, “if anyone feels tired, please make yourselves comfortable. We shouldn’t be too long, but the air conditioner has stopped working, and it is really hot today. Hopefully, we will repair it shortly.”

She was right, the room was literally boiling hot. Within 2 hours, every single “patient” had taken their juice, and within 4 hours, the muttering stopped, and they all took a nap. Within minutes, the back wall slide aside and in came the movers. In teams of twos and threes, they carefully removed the cell phone batteries, strapped each unconscious body to its own trolley, firmly secured each head from moving, tossed on a light sheet, and rolled the heavy trolleys out of the room and across the large inner open courtyard. The “evidence” clearly on display for the invisible world to see. From far overhead, the eye of the satellite saw them clearly. The trolleys rolled over to the covered passage that led to the crematorium, and disappeared from view.

The new crematorium was built on the site of the old ballet school. The huge banyan trees with their trailing rope-like roots were still firmly entwined with the ancient pillars that guarded the entrance to the facility. Beautiful, those ancient sacred trees still stood undisturbed, their firm grasp on the past, leading the way to the island’s future. They were the silent guardians to the threshold of the life’s furnace.

The heat would be clearly visible on any monitor, and occasionally cleansing white smoke billowed out to clean the equipment - testament to the burning bodies of the dead.

Chapter 8 - The Gate-Keepers

Riah sat at the heavy old desk. Exhaustion rippled through her body, but her green eyes sparkled, and her head, heavy with spiraling curls danced gently around her cheeks in the light afternoon breeze. “Security is so important,” she repeated, “until we know that we are safe, we must remain in hiding, until we understand what is really happening and how to secure our safety. We cannot afford to rely on other people in other governments to have any genuine interest in the welfare of our people on this little island. We must stick to the plan, it is our only hope.” Solomon gazed at her, appreciatively. “It is still all under control Riah.” His words rolled out gently. He was the only person in the military arm who was still available to talk to her. The others had their own ideas on security, and were actively engaged in pursuing them. Unfortunately, her discovery was no longer hers to control. That much was clearly evident. Her lands in deed and in fact, but that was before the discovery. However given the magnitude of the finding, and its importance to the island’s future, the local government could easily and probably would seek to seize control of her property. It was a good thing, that she already had a heavy line-up of private lawyers on her side, compliments of the island’s wealthiest families, to ensure that her rights would not be entirely trampled.

Solomon, with his olive skin, and green eyes, testament to his mixed heritage, looked at her fondly, remembering their religious classes together from years gone by. “I still have influential access to the military, and I am also included in the security operations of this project. We are doing our best. We have dispatched eight military exploratory teams, each with fifteen soldiers to see how far our discovery really stretches. They will hike outwards as far as possible and map their trails as far as possible, using cameras to provide an overview of what we discover. In the interim, as you know, rough barracks already exist, and we are engaging in nightly patrols to ensure public safety on the main inner-islands. I know that there have been reports of strange creatures peeping out at them from the misty darkness, but we haven’t found any tracks, and always the reports have come from men who were at least partially drunk. The council has agreed that right now, despite these strange sightings, the population under the island is safe, and will remain hidden beneath the island crust. They cannot leave easily anyway, regardless of how much a few of the men may grumble. We may need to consider limiting alcohol distribution under the island, to ensure that everyone is able to act or react, should something actually occur, or later develop. For now however, the government has agreed that there is no danger, and we will officially remind the under-islanders, at both morning work assemblies and dinner gatherings, to remain with their families, and within the campsites, rather than to go wandering off by themselves into the forest.

We are still controlling how information is disbursed through the population left on top of the island, and carefully monitoring cell traffic and internet content. Don’t worry Riah, no-one overseas knows anything yet. Remember the embassies and consulates pulled all of their people home, when the diseases started striking across the globe. The foreigners who chose to remain here are here for good. We are still monitoring their activity, but so far, they suspect nothing.” Everything ties in to what they know is also happening around the globe. They are clueless.

The accidental discovery not only saved their future, it also changed the destiny if every islander. The scale of the discovery literally dwarfed everything they had ever believed, about the island, their lives, even their purpose in this life. It empowered every one who knew, and it changed absolutely everything about the new life they chose to live.

Later that night, Kane held her tightly, the dark skin of his fingers rolling gently down the pale skin of her back, while his handsome smile lit the warm darkness of twilight. The timbre of his voice stroked her into peaceful sleep, as he whispered his dreams for their future in her ears. Contented, she snuggled closer into the curve of his strong body and in the comforting darkness, the memories returned again, . .