by E. W. Clarke
“What? What do you mean?” asked Ferdinand.
“I only mean to say that Diego is stubborn.”
But something his father had said was sparking an idea. It was more like the idea of an idea at first. An itch in his brain as some notion fought to take shape.
And then he had it.
“I think I know what to do,” he said. He took a deep breath. “But I need until tonight. Can you make sure Diego doesn’t do anything rash in the meantime?”
Columbus gave him a puzzled look. “I still have some authority here. I can detain him that long.”
“And can you invite the elders here? Tonight. Tell them we want to make peace. Tell them there’s something we have to show them.”
“I can try. What do you have in mind?”
But Ferdinand was already rushing away, back toward the beach. He called over his shoulder as he went. “It’s something I read once. I need to check my books.”
“I don’t get it,” said Rio. “An’ it’s not that I don’t have an abidin’ love for books, mind. I can read right well for a sailor.”
“Since when do cabin boys read?” Ferdinand teased. He was rummaging through his pack, tossing books aside as he searched.
“Sailors don’t need t’read. Hystorians do.”
“Well, let me know when you’re recruiting. Aha!” Ferdinand held up a book. Ephemerides.
He sat down and began flipping through its pages as Rio looked over his shoulder.
“It’s the particular book I’m wonderin’ about,” Rio continued. “What’s German astronomy got t’do with anythin’?”
“Astronomy is astronomy. We may be far from home, but we’re beneath the same sky.” Ferdinand looked up at his friend, deathly serious now. “And I think we can use that to our advantage.”
The sun was setting when the cacique and bohique came to the Spaniards’ camp, accompanied this time by an entourage of men. Warriors, Ferdinand realized. They held their bone spears like harmless walking sticks, but the threat was clear. If this went badly, things could get very ugly very fast.
Ferdinand had done everything he could. It was up to his father now.
Columbus stood before those assembled. He began by thanking the Taíno for coming. He spoke slowly, pausing regularly to allow the bohique to translate for his chieftain.
After the formalities, Columbus gave Ferdinand a tentative glance. The boy nodded, smiling widely at his father, and Columbus drew back his shoulders and projected his voice.
“Our time here has not been easy. It has not been easy on us, and it has not been easy on you. We are strangers to this land, and we are without resources. But we are not wholly without power.”
Columbus raised his hands in a dramatic gesture. “I have great magic that I have chosen to keep secret. But the time for secrets is over. As a demonstration of my power, I will blot out the moon tonight. It will no longer look down upon this island. And I shall not return the moon to its proper place until our peoples come to an understanding.”
As the bohique translated, many of the Taíno laughed. The cacique, however, was not laughing. He barked a series of short, clipped sentences at the bohique, who turned to once again face Columbus.
“We do not believe you. We think that if you had the great power you claim to have, you would use it to leave this place. Yet clearly you cannot.”
Columbus stood firm. He didn’t even blink.
“We will keep our eyes on the sky tonight,” continued the bohique. “And when your folly is revealed, we shall be less inclined than ever before to help you.”
With that, they turned and left. As soon as they were beyond the tree line, Columbus seemed to deflate, letting loose a huge breath.
Ferdinand didn’t go to his father. The die was cast. He caught Rio’s eye and motioned for the boy to follow. They snuck off to the beach.
“Leave it t’the admiral to ham it up,” Rio said.
They were sitting on a flat rock overlooking the ocean. Tinima had joined them, bringing cassava bread with her. Ferdinand had thought he would be too anxious to eat, but the bread was fresh and delicious.
“Was it really so dramatic?” asked Tinima.
Ferdinand sighed. “Yes. I didn’t intend for him to pretend he’s a dark sorcerer. But you can tell he misses being in control.”
Rio shrugged. “He can claim to be a sorcerer or the king of England; it matters not to me. So long as that moon disappears.”
But in fact, it was already happening. From their vantage, they had a perfect view as a shadow crept slowly across the surface of the full moon.
“Explain this to me again,” said Tinima.
“It looks like the moon is disappearing,” Ferdinand said. “But it’s actually being covered by the shadow of the Earth. It’s only temporary. What’s amazing is that you can know in advance when it will happen. It’s like clockwork. Celestial clockwork.”
“And your father only claims that it is magic. That it is his doing.”
“Well, I guess he figured your people are a bit superstitious. . . .”
“Uh-oh,” said Rio.
“I mean,” started Ferdinand, “you know, all that talk about gods sending storms and bats being the spirits of the dead and . . . I’m just saying that sometimes your people see magic and monsters when there’s a rational explanation instead.”
Tinima smiled. “Then it is a good thing your people came to warn us of the mermaids.”
Ferdinand blushed. “That’s different.”
“How is it different?” Tinima asked.
“Because mermaids are real.”
The lunar eclipse happened, just as Müller’s book had claimed it would. The shadow of the Earth moved across the moon until nothing remained of it but a faint disk of red.
The Taíno people were duly impressed. They had already returned to the campsite by the time Ferdinand and his friends did.
The bohique approached them, speaking tenderly to Tinima for a moment before turning to Ferdinand and Rio.
“Your leader has done as he claimed. And now he has promised that the moon shall return to its natural state.”
“It will,” said Ferdinand. “But the truth is that it would return whether he said so or not.”
The bohique nodded. “Whether through his will or simple augury, he has shown us that your people are not so powerless as we had assumed.”
“We’re not powerless, exactly,” Ferdinand said. “But we are in desperate need of your help. We’ll die here without it.” He took a deep breath. “Our mistake was in thinking we had nothing to offer in return for your help. But we do know things. We’ve seen a lot in our travels, and our books are full of knowledge that might be of use to you. Or at least of interest to you. The knowledge we lack is how to live off this land.”
“A new form of barter,” the bohique said, smiling. “One I approve of.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ve already learned one important lesson from your people.” Ferdinand’s eyes fell on Tinima even as he spoke to her father. “We don’t have to make the same mistakes as our parents. We can move past them. We can be better.”
“Tinima has already surpassed me,” the bohique said, putting his hand upon his daughter’s shoulder. “She saw an opportunity for friendship where I saw only rivalry. Things will be better now.”
Tinima smiled, and Ferdinand smiled back.
Four months later, Ferdinand was wading in the ocean. He was spearing fish alongside Tinima and Rio when a ship came into view.
“Could it be . . . ?” he asked.
They all hopped up and down on the shore, waving their arms above their heads and shouting like mad. The ship grew steadily closer, until they could see a man waving back.
It was Mendez, the sailor who had gone for help more than a year before.
“We�
�re saved!” cried Ferdinand.
And they were.
Just over four months after their rescue from Santiago, Christopher Columbus and what remained of his crew were welcomed back to Spain. The admiral would never sail again, and he died never realizing his true impact on history.
Diego Columbus would go on to become Governor of the Indies. Unfortunately, Diego did not learn from the sins of his father, and the Taíno continued to suffer greatly under his rule.
After one more voyage to the New World, Ferdinand decided to live out his adult life in Spain. He wrote a biography of his father, and he established a library – one that was visited by scholars from throughout Europe. In the end, Ferdinand was much happier as a librarian than a sailor.
— Arin
The author gratefully acknowledges Zack Clark.
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e-ISBN 978-0-545-52262-5
First edition, December 2013
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