by Robert C Ray
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."
Walking up to one of the palm trees, Playful seemed to know exactly what he wanted, and she ran quickly up to the coconuts at the top. Looking up at her, he began to get flashbacks.
"Try not to aim for my head this time," he told his furry helper as he held open the large sack, and was happy to find that the little, black monkey was not so lethal this time around.
One by one, Playful tossed down the coconuts, and her aim was as good as it had ever been, as they dropped right where he wanted them to, each and every time. She certainly made it look much easier than he did, when fi
rst he tried to gather a couple of them.
From one tree to the other, she jumped, until they had gathered at least a dozen of them, and this caused him to remember the night before, when the coconuts had gotten the best of him. Tonight would be different he decided, because he surely did not want to miss one moment with this beautiful woman.
Setting the sack in the sand, he found a seat beside it, and stared out over the vastness of the water before him. He wondered just how far it was to civilization, although he figured that it mattered little. He certainly didn't know how to build a boat, or even a rough raft, and even if he did, how would he know which way to go? Most of the Earth is covered with water, making it more likely that he would drift further out to sea, rather than finding land.
"Oh, well," he thought. If ever there was a bad situation to find himself in, this must definitely be the best of them.
For a while, he sat there, daydreaming about what it would be like to be with her in the real world. Of course, she would not be the same woman under such circumstances, but what if a boat came along, and rescued them both? Would she even choose to leave the island with him?
As more time passed, he began to wonder what was taking her so long, and Playful was beginning to pace about as though she should have returned by now. What if the rage beast that she spoke of had hurt her?
"Where is she, girl?" he asked of her furry companion, but she just continued to pace about, until she walked over to the cave entrance, and sat down, staring inside.
From time to time, she would glance back over her shoulder, as if he would go in there to find her, and eventually he began to think that it was what he was supposed to do.
Finally, he could not take it any longer, so he stood to his feet, and went to the cave. Pulling the torch from the sand, he poked it into the narrow entrance, but all he could see were damp, stone walls, that faded off into the darkness.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his body sideways, and slowly began to slip inside. There was not much room to move at first, yet about twenty feet in it opened up, and he was able to take a good look around.
At first, it looked like a small chamber, about ten feet in diameter, but as he took a step forward, he found that there was no floor. His heart beat quickly as he took a step back, having nearly fallen into the darkness, and he determined that he would have to be a little more cautious.
"Princess?" he called out to the emptiness, but his own echo was all that he received in return.
Lying down on his belly, he dangled the torch over the edge, though he could not see the bottom. What he did see, however, were plenty of holes in the side that he could use to climb down. This was the only way to go, so she must be down there somewhere.
He knew that he could not carry the torch, and climb down at the same time, so he decided to toss it down ahead of him. This would also give him a good idea as to how far he would be climbing.
Using its light for as long as he could, he laid it down, and hung his legs over the side, until he could find good footing. Inch by inch he began to lower himself, until the top of the ledge was up to his armpits.
Then he grabbed the torch, and hung it as low as he could, before gently tossing it into the darkness, which turned out to be the wrong choice.
The good news was that it was not too far to the bottom. The bad news was that the bottom was water, and the fizzle of the flame left him hanging over the edge of the small cliff in absolute darkness.
Suddenly he did not seem to be in paradise any more. Now he was in a nightmare, as he hung on with every ounce of strength that he had, and pondered what his next move might be.
One option was to climb back up to the top, and feel his way back out, but there was still the thought that she might be in trouble.
This left the second option, which was to continue to climb down, and hope to find her through the darkness. He could not live with the thought of leaving her behind, while this "rage beast" might not let him live if he continued.
"Here goes nothing," he said to himself, and then began to feel his way to the bottom. It was much easier than he thought it would be, as he found that the holes in the side were well suited for such a task, and soon he found himself tapping his toes in the cool water.
Setting his foot down, he was delighted to find that it was only about a foot deep, and for a moment, he stood there to clear his mind for the task at hand.
Slowly he began to feel his way around the chamber, until he finally found an opening. It was far smaller than he had imagined, but still large enough to crawl into, and fortunately above the water level.
"Princess," he yelled, yet still there came no answer, so he began to work his way into the small opening.
Inching his way through the darkness, he often swept his hand in front of his face to avoid smacking it upon an unexpected rock. For a while, the small tunnel traveled in the same direction, on an upward slope, and once again, he began to question the wisdom of his decision.
Suddenly he came to the conclusion that it had certainly been the wrong choice, as he reached his hand forward, and touched something that was not stone. It was hard like stone, and he could feel tiny, coarse hairs all over it, but what disturbed him the most was the fact that in was moving.
Quickly he pulled his hand back, and sat there on his hands and knees, as still and as quiet as he could. He could hear his own heart racing, and feel the sweat begin to escape his pores.
As if touching it was not frightening enough, he now felt the warmth of its breath brushing against his face, and the smell of it was as foul as decaying flesh. Carried with its breath, he could hear it growling, or hissing, or whatever that sound was that it was making, and just when he thought that he was going to relieve himself, he heard something else.
Softly, an ardent melody began to drift from the other side of the beast. It sounded like a flute, and its music seemed to sooth not only him, but also the rage itself. From its breath, and hideous growl, he could tell that it turned, and began to follow the sound down the small tunnel.
As he listened to it leaving, he noticed the feint, flickering light of a torch on the opposite side of it. It had an unusual shape as it scurried away, and he could not decide if it was moving more like an insect, or an animal. When it finally reached the light, it made a quick turn to the left, and then it was gone.
Now the tension left his body, and he found himself able to move once again. Slowly he began to make his way to the flickering light, happy to finally see a break in the darkness, and knowing that the princess must be up ahead. When he was about ten feet away from what appeared to be another chamber, the music stopped, and froze him where he was.
"Princess?" he called out, and for a brief moment he heard nothing.
Suddenly, a familiar face peeked down the narrow tunnel, smiling playfully at him.
"What on Earth would possess you to come down here without any light?" she asked him, but he decided to keep the torch in the water incident to himself
"I was coming to rescue you," he returned sarcastically, as he climbed out into the small chamber, and when he saw that there was only one other exit, he was relieved. This made it easier to keep an eye out for whatever that thing was.
"You are just so cute," she told him with an endearing pat on his stubbled cheek, and then she passed him by with the torch in one hand, and the basket under the other arm.
Without warning, she began to crawl out through the small tunnel, leaving him standing there by himself. It did not take him long to determine that it was best to keep as close to her as he possibly could.
Despite the fact that he could not see a thing in that direction, he continuously looked over his shoulder, hoping that they were not being followed. Sure, it was chivalrous to allow the lady to go first, but somehow he seemed to think that he made a more desirable lunch to whatever it was.
Reaching the first chamber, he watched, as she used the back of the torch as a tool, placing it into the holes to help her c
limb up, without dropping it. What a novel idea, he thought.
"Was that you back there?" he finally asked, as he made his way up behind her.
"Music soothes the savage beast," she replied as she helped him to the top, and he took that as a yes.
Sure, it was a silly question, since she was the only one down there, but he certainly did not see her go in with an instrument, and she did not seem to be carrying one at the moment. As odd as it seemed, it was not as unusual as the creature he had come face to face with.
Reaching the sandy beach, Playful quickly found her way to the princess' shoulder, delighted to see her companion's return. This, he thought, was an even more pleasant sight than before, considering what he had just been through, and once again, he felt at ease.
"You did very well down there," she said as she looked back at him, and he wondered what she was referring to. Was it the part where he dropped the torch into the water, leaving himself in total darkness, or when he nearly peed his pants in the face of terror?
"Will the crabs be part of dinner tonight?" he asked, attempting to redirect the topic.
Turning about, she began to walk backwards in the sand, still wearing her beautiful smile, and even in this manor, she exuded grace and radiance.
"I hope that you like it," she told him before continuing in the direction that led them back to the sanctuary.
CHAPTER SIX
Coddling of innocence
A short time ago...
The IVs and the breathing apparatus were the first things to be removed. These were the things that kept Viper alive while she was in a state of stasis, but she was no longer unaware, and she needed them no more.
The electrodes that were positioned around her head, still trying to feed her information were the next items to be removed. They were obsolete, and offensive. They had been feeding her a lie, and now she had to deal with the truth, and though they were both ugly, one was real while the other was not.
The remainder of the things that were attached to her were monitoring her vitals, and there was an alarm that would sound should something go wrong. Nothing was wrong this time, and she gathered the wires in her left hand, and not because she was left-handed. She was very much ambidextrous, but the situation determined it.