by Daya Daniels
So, I take a seat on the rock next to the one he’s sitting on.
“In all my forty years, Brooks, more than half of which has been spent on the ocean, I have never seen this caliber of a view.” He shoves a piece of meat in his mouth then hands me a plate full of it. “This is spectacular.” Kulon rises from his seat and moves to retrieve the water jug.
The waves in the distance are huge, and just beyond the reefs which edge this island, a dorsal fin rises.
I laugh.
Beautiful, huh?
I beg to differ…
Kulon takes a seat and huffs.
“So, what’s it been like out there these past two years?” I nudge my chin toward the open ocean. “What’s the world been like?”
Smiling, he shoves me a cup full of water. “Trust me, Brooks, you haven’t missed a thing.”
Oh, believe me, I’ve missed it all…
Tenley
AFTER FIFTEEN DAYS OF rain, I’m now so grateful for the sun which kisses my skin today.
Peni holds the basket as we move along the sand collecting shells. Each time she finds a more colorful one she squeals, her big eyes become even bluer with excitement. The small basket is almost full now. We edge along the shoreline where the water licks at our toes covering it with salt and sea foam.
Peni hands me another shell. “It’s so pretty.”
She bounces crazily.
I take a few steps toward the shoreline and peer out at the azure-blue water. Peni lets go of my hand, finds a stick, and draws in the sand. I leave her for a moment to put my toes in the sea.
She calls out to me and grows more impatient when I don’t rush to her side. “Okay, okay, okay.” I march toward her and observe everything she’s doing with pride. I peer at the letters she’d drawn in the sand. “Very good, Peni.” I laugh.
LOVE.
Peni had spelled it in the sand in perfect uppercase letters.
I’ve spent the last three months showing Peni how to spell the word. We talked about its meaning. And I always told her that I love her. I’m not sure which parts Peni could pick out of that explanation but she at least knows it’s a good word.
I press a hand to the middle of my chest and smile. “Yes, love.”
She jumps into my arms and places a kiss to my cheek.
I hold her close and tickle her sides. “And I love you so so much.”
And then she’s gone again, her little feet make indentations in the sand as she carefully searches for more shells with her big blue eyes peeled and her hands set out in front of her.
I plop down in the sand and flop onto my back not caring that my hair will be full of sand when I stand. I focus on the interesting shape of the chubby white clouds as they float overhead. The sound of the sea fills my ears along with Peni’s endless giggling and squeaking.
Shutting my eyes, I enjoy the warmth of the sun on my skin and think of nothing but love.
Brooks
I’D FOUND KULON HERE this morning already working before I’d arrived.
His limp is gone, only a scar remains on his leg.
Tossing the axe down, I slump down against the tree for a much-needed break and observe him.
He smooths a hand along the side of the boat, admiring it. “This is good work here, Brooks.”
I smile. “That’s um, Tenley’s work.”
His brows almost hit his hairline. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I laugh.
“It’s pretty damn good if you ask me, considering she used just an axe.”
“Yeah, it is.” I laugh.
Kulon gets to work chipping away at the wood with a chisel he’d found. He’s proven himself quite handy since being here, helping me to make repairs on the house and the water flow system on the roof. He often spends days helping Tenley in the garden too. Often, we eat together—seafood only—and play Tenley’s favorite letter game before playing a game of Spades with the deck of cards Kulon had brought along with him. We save the poultry mornings for down on the beach when Tenley is asleep.
“Your father was a carpenter?” Kulon glances my way.
“Yes and no. He was a full-time government worker but in his spare time he was a carpenter. He taught me everything I know.” I smile at the memory.
“It shows.” He makes long strokes with the chisel along the wood, shaving off strips of it which fall to the sand. “This is good work. Great angles.” He steps back and examines the boat. “It’s excellent craftsmanship.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I let out a breath. “I had no choice. I had to do what I had to do, and we had no boat so…”
“Yeah, I understand.” He gets back to work. “My father was a carpenter too. He could build anything. I have the utmost respect for the trade. What a man makes with his hands is always built with love and so much patience…”
I laugh. “Yes, for sure.”
“I would suggest we use my boat, Brooks…”
“It’s too small.”
“Yeah.” He huffs. “I didn’t want to have to say that. I felt the need to extend the offer to you both as a friend.” He smiles. “But yes, it’s too small.”
I nod.
“We’d have better luck on that bitch of a sea out there in this one.”
“I know.” I press my lips together and freeze when the birds burst from the trees above with violence that gets my undivided attention.
The ground shakes.
The trees shiver.
The earth fucking moves.
But in a way that if you were laughing, or at mid-cartwheel, or in the middle of a run, you’d never have felt it.
Immediately, I rocket to my feet.
Kulon stills, brown eyes wide as fuck, and looks around.
My heart lurches and I spin around and around, searching the air, the trees, and the ocean ahead.
“Oh, God.” Kulon shoots me a cryptic look and his voice lowers to a whisper. “Earthquake.”
I step forward and scan the horizon, only thinking of one thing. “Tenley.”
Tenley
THE SENSATION OF MY hair practically being yanked out of my scalp forces my eyes to open. “What the heck, Peni?” I jackknife to a sitting position. Wincing and massaging my tender head, I squint at the blazing sun which suddenly assaults my eyes.
Peni is going nuts, screaming, yanking on my arm, sapphire orbs wild.
I wipe my eyes and stand, and before I can even steady myself, she crawls up the length of me and is still tugging on my hair and screeching like mad. “Okay, girl. Okay. What is it?” I fight the disorientation.
Her hands are everywhere and her eyes are the largest I’ve ever seen them.
I laugh a little. “What is it?” Managing to wrestle her still, I hold her to my chest, and when I peer just beyond her furry head, I gasp.
The beach…
The blue sea.
Where did it go?
There’s nothing ahead of me besides miles and miles of white sand and exposed reefs. No more water hits the shoreline. Even a few fish are left behind and flopping along the sand with the receding tide.
It’s completely silent, nothing heard except for the whisper of the warm wind. Peni kisses my cheek over and over and fights me like hell until I let her go.
“What the hell is going on?” I gaze up at the sun and find it’s still the most beautiful day I’ve seen in a while.
Peni yanks on my arm, practically pulling it out of the socket.
“TENLEY!” My pulse quickens at my name being called. Okay, no, not called, thundered. “TENLEY!”
“Brooks!” My eyes are peeled, peering through the maze of trees just off the beach. He’s far away. “Brooks!”
Rustling.
Thumping.
Anxious footfalls against the sand.
“TENLEY!” Brooks continues to scream for me.
I spin around and take in the view of the beach to find that even more water has disappeared.
This is bad.
This is
so bad.
This is really fucking bad.
“TENNNNLEY!” Brooks explodes from the trees, blue eyes big, face fierce, sprinting with purpose.
Kulon isn’t far behind him.
Still, they aren’t close enough yet.
Panic flows through every vein inside of me when I behold the sight ahead. Slowly, I back away, following Peni’s movement, absorbing her cries and squeals. With watery eyes and a trembling soul, I manage to croak out the word, “Tsunami.” Then I’m rushing away faster and sprinting toward the trees because my life depends on it.
God help us all.
~
I’m shoved into the house ahead of Brooks.
Kulon tumbles in behind us.
Peni scrambles under the bed.
Cupping my face with both hands, Brooks searches my features. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” I shake my head.
Kulon is perched at the window, eyes peeled.
The ground rumbles once more.
“An aftershock?” Brooks looks out the window.
An aftershock?
I sigh, assuming he’s referring to the tremble I hadn’t felt because I’d been in dreamland!
“No, I don’t think so.” Kulon’s breaths are heavy. “Oh, holy fuck!”
I almost disintegrate into the floor at the sight of the wave headed this way, feeling as though I’ve been sucked back into one of the worst memories of my life! The wall of water is already heading toward us, eating up the beach and taking out the trees that are unable to withstand its sheer power. It’s already upon us before I can truly measure its size.
The water roars.
I scream!
Peni trembles.
Brooks wraps himself around me and anchors himself against a sturdy limb.
I open my eyes not realizing they’d been shut, still breathing, waiting to be swept away but nothing happens. Reminds me we’re still alive. We’re fine. With panicked breaths, my eyes are fixed on that window at the view beyond of the ocean that’s taken over everything.
“My God.” I untwist from Brooks’ hold.
All three of us amble toward the window to behold the nightmare ahead. The garden. The chairs and the table Brooks had made which we often sit to while we’re on the beach. Kulon’s hut…
Everything is gone, except for Kulon’s boat. God bless that boat which is wrapped up in a tree and secured with rope—Brooks’ idea.
The ocean is not less than twenty feet beneath this house, churning and swishing away with its force.
Brooks’ blue eyes flame with something. “This house…”
My eyes snap to his.
“The water. This house…The earth trembled…” Brooks runs a hand over his hair.
What?
Brooks paces endlessly. Kulon stays perched at the window, peering out of it with big eyes and parted lips, letting expletives rip like it’s a second language.
Lost for words, I urge Peni to come out from beneath the bed, hold her tight and kiss her over and over. Then, I take a seat at the edge of it.
I click my heels together just one-more-goddamn-time.
It doesn’t work!
Brooks
A CANDLE FLICKERS DUSTING the room with light. The hour is late and we’re all exhausted and full of worry, especially after another wave had washed in and hit the shores of this island. We stayed put right here and simply watched all the mayhem since there was nothing else we could do.
“Is it okay if I sleep here tonight?” Kulon’s expression is contrite.
Standing near the edge of the bed, I wipe a hand over my face.
“Yes, of course.” Tenley hands him a blanket and a pillow. “There’s no place else for you to sleep. And who knows if there will be additional aftershocks sending more water this way. It isn’t safe to go out there, Kulon. It’s best you stay here.”
He nods.
I lift a hand toward the sky. “We’ll have to survey the damage tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Kulon takes the blanket and pillow, finds a spot in a corner on the floor and sets his bed up.
I remain standing next to the bed.
Kulon lets out a big yawn and eases down to the floor and makes himself more comfortable.
Tenley spins around to face me, bouncing in place.
I’m not sure how much time passes while we stare at each other.
Kulon is half-asleep but his eyes aren’t closed yet.
Slowly, as if it’s the most normal thing to do, I reach out and pull the thin blanket back. “Are you ready for bed?”
A tiny nod is her only response.
“Okay.” My voice is low and meant only for her.
Tentatively, she slips in between the blanket and the sheet. I slide into bed after her and lie on my back. She sidles up next to me and rests her head on the pillow. We’re keenly aware that our new guest still has eyes on us. Slowly, Tenley’s hand presses against my chest and she inches closer and rests her head there. My arm rises and wraps around her and soon I pull her closer to me.
We exhale softly at the same time and remain still, breathing.
The moonlight shines in through the windows.
I pull Captain Alcott’s diary out from beneath the pillow and don’t bother to check if Tenley is asleep. By her breathing, she’s likely still awake but remains quiet. I leave her be.
August 12, 1893
Yesterday, the earth trembled…
I was in the vicinity of the cliffs when the sea had risen. What followed was a wave which had barreled in this direction and had left the shores of this island viciously disturbed. When the water had receded, three men who were known to frequent the shoreline had disappeared with it and were never seen again. It was utter destruction although a few structures had remained. I must build a home on the shore, a place which serves as a lookout point for miles out to the sea and is the only true entrance to the island. It is a place that cannot remain unsecured and open. Our safety depends on this spot being utilized as the best vantage point.
After the wave, I had decided that the remaining men should make their homes on higher ground near the cliffs. Although they are a sizeable distance away, none of the men carried issue with my orders.
I need to build a home. So, I had decided to do something which I knew the men would say is lunacy for even contemplating. Nevertheless, I moved forward with it.
Captain Ian Alcott
“So, this house is in this tree because of the waves that follow the earthquakes?” Tenley shifts.
“Yes, it seems.” I shut the diary and tuck it under my pillow.
“I see.”
Kulon’s snoring threatens to bring the house down.
Really?
Fuck.
This takes habitat loss to a whole new level.
I guess he’s finally asleep.
I breathe. Tenley does the same. We remain that way for a while until she shifts moving closer, pressing her body against my side. Her softness. Her sweet smell. Her long golden strands which tickle my skin. Her presence is soothing. Her closeness is calming.
I sink into the moment, unsure of what to do with it.
My eyes fall shut and with the next breath my chest fills with something. I pull her closer, squeezing her tightly, holding on to her for dear life.
A loud exhale drifts from her and her palm slides over my stomach, back and forth her fingers glide over my skin.
I breathe her in discreetly and it just might be all the air I’ll ever need.
When she glances up at me, tears shine in her eyes, her lips are parted, and her exhales are erratic as if she wishes to speak but cannot get the words out.
Tenley doesn’t have to speak.
And neither do I.
We simply lie there, using each other, basking in the comfort of the other, taking what the other offers even though it is so very little. In this silent and very heavy moment, we somehow accept that we need each other a lot.
; ~
The yank on my arm pulls me out of my sleep. It’s still dark outside which tells me it’s some ungodly hour in the morning. I flinch then relax when I find myself gazing into Peni’s—the sleep stealer’s—blue eyes. My own narrow when she pulls my hand toward her and slips something cool in it then closes my fingers. Then, she scampers away.
Slowly, my palm opens, and I suck in a breath at what I find in the center of it.
Where on earth did Peni get this?
Peni curls up in her bed, pulls the blanket over her, and goes to sleep.
Staring at the brass compass in my hand, I struggle to get any rest of my own.
Tenley
A FEW WEEKS LATER…
“You can’t just kick him out, Brooks!” My hands sit firmly at my hips as I face him.
Brooks shrugs into a T-shirt. “I’m not kicking him out, Tenley…” His blue eyes flicker to mine and then he steps closer. “It’s been a while now and he’s been laying his head here long enough.” He walks off, shoves the axe into the waistband of his shorts, and rushes around collecting things. “Besides, we have more important things to worry about.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Brooks, after the wave hit, you know everything out there is gone. He has no hut to go to anymore.”
His jaw clenches. “Then, I’ll build him another-fucking-one.”
My posture collapses with his words.
“He can’t live here anymore, Tenley. We are not one big happy family.”
Who said any such thing?
“What is this about, Brooks, really?”
He offers me his frickin’ back and mutters words to himself but doesn’t fucking answer me.
“Brooks.” I almost stomp my foot in sheer frustration.
With an exhale he approaches and runs a hand through his messy hair before he ties it back. “I just don’t like this, Tenley. This is not a guest-house. This is my—” Growling, he doesn’t finish his sentence.
“Oh, I see.” My tone most definitely informs him that he’s being unreasonable.
He snatches up a satchel, shoves a few items in it, and marches across the room.