by Kurtz, Timna
“Maybe we should try sealing the entrance?” Roan suggested, trying to overcome the wind’s racket.
“I am not sure we have how or with what to do that!” I shouted in return.
“Maybe we can step outside and bring a few rocks?!” Roan suggested, “We have to block the incoming winds or people will freeze to death!”
I nodded in agreement and we both turned to leave the cave.
A new shrieking sound was now accompanying the whistle of the wind outside. The second step outside revealed the source of that horrific sound. Roan and I stood still, glued to our spot when the huge hurricane whirlwind was only a few dozen feet from the island!!!
Look for rocks? Ho, no!!! We ran back escaping into the cave, scared and distraught barely catching our breath. The tribe members immediately gathered around us. “What happened? What did you see?” worried questions came from all around us.
“Friends! No one dares going outside!” Roan managed to warn everyone with his loud voice. “In a few minutes, the storm will hit the island! This awful sound of suction and pumping we hear is from the hurricane itself. It is probably sucking everything in its path!” he described what was going on outside.
“What shall we do with the cold and wetness?” the frightened members asked.
Jack made his way to the middle of the circle of people. “Grace! Roan! I suggest that we huddle together in the area to the right of the altar. The wind doesn’t hit there as much. We can sit in circles, one circle within another. We will be able to block the cold for one another, by being close and with touch. Every little while, we will replace the outer circle so that everyone will be able to keep warm,” the decisiveness in his voice gave me confidence, and with a swift look around I saw the same effect forming in the rest of the group. All but Eddie…
“This is a nice idea. Right, Jack? This will get everybody rubbing against everyone, right? We will keep warm together, everyone touching everyone. Maybe we can organize a little orgy? That will definitely get us warm!” Venom was dripping from Eddie’s voice. His gaze narrowed with hate, firmly pinned to Jack’s face.
Jack ignored Eddie’s petty words, and he turned again to Roan and me to accept our agreement. “We don’t have any other options…” He tried to haste the tribe to gather in the corner he pointed at, but Eddie rudely interrupted him again.
“Didn’t you hear me, Jack?!” he screamed with anger getting closer. Jack kept his eyes focused on Roan and me, trying to stay calm.
“You think I don’t know what your plan is?” Eddie kept on going. “It is all designed so you can touch Grace, isn’t it? Why don’t you just admit it, Jack! All you care about is being close to Grace, and fucking her!!” People standing close to us took a step back, realizing the tense situation.
Jack’s jaw tightened. He slowly turned his face to look at Eddie that was now standing really close to him, ready for a fight. He focused long and hard on him. Although he knew Eddie’s flaws quite well, he made it clear by looking at him that he better take back what he said.
Eddie, who was impatiently waiting for Jack to say something so he would have another reason to attack, looked in depth, for the first time, at the man who quietly took his place. It seemed he suddenly realized who he was up against—and the forces, without a doubt, were definitely in Jack’s favor. Something in Eddie’s confidence was undermined. Jack, noticing the shift turned back to Roan and me. “Come! Let’s get the people situated!” he called with confidence, urging us to join him. But, when he turned towards the cave’s corner, he bumped into Eddie, who was blocking his path. It was the moment Eddie was waiting for. Without warning, he forcibly shoved Jack back, causing Jack to stumble, but Jack managed to keep steady. In a quick look in my direction, he practically said he had no intentions of cooperating or accepting Eddie’s “invitation” to a dual. Eddie caught up with the look, which only made him angrier. He pounced Jack again, but at that exact moment the storm hit the island!
A mighty wind burst into the cave with a horrible shriek. The sucking sound of the whirlwind sounded like it had surrounded the entire cave, and in a minute we would all be sucked in it too!
“Quickly! Run inside!” Jack shouted at us as loudly as he could, when everything around us started shaking, he tried to turn too to the same place. But Eddie, completely blinded by his rage, rammed him again, and this time managed to knock him to the ground.
“Eddie!!! What are you doing?!!” I screamed at him. “Leave him at once!!!” I ordered him, but the deafening noise drowned my voice, and Eddie’s ears were blocked to the sound of reason. I wanted to jump on him and prevent him from harming Jack, but Roan grabbed me by the waist, lifted me off the floor and carried me to the corner of the cave where everyone was huddled as Jack had suggested, crowded together, horrified and terrified, trembling from fear and the cold.
“Roan! You have to stop them! He will try to kill him!” I didn’t mention anyone’s name, but my intention was clear. Roan wasn’t convinced that he should intervene, and shook his head in refusal. I knew there was no point in trying to convince him.
Eddie took advantage of Jack’s momentary weakness—as Jack was more concerned about his friend’s situation than from Eddie’s vindictiveness—and threw a mean punch at Jack’s jaw.
That moment Jack realized that the balance of forces had shifted. Eddie had almost regained his strength, and the sense of revenge flamed him so much, that in spite of Jack’s vast experience in martial arts, Eddie had two strong allies on his side: jealousy and rage!
When Jack understood that, he had no alternative, and instead of attending to the tribe’s security, he had to protect his own life now. With a swift move, he dodged another punch and rolled on the ground, pulling away from Eddie, gaining a few more seconds to recover. The whole cave shook as they both circled around each other like a couple of boxers in a ring, waiting for the bell to ring instructing them to attack.
* * *
Chapter 23
The storm grew stronger.
The suction noise was now unbearable. People were plugging their ears but were forced to remove their hands from their ears in order to keep their balance. The tremor that was felt in the cave intensified as well and felt more like an earthquake than a hurricane. The small island was encased in the middle of the turbulence, surrounded by the eye of the storm that was hitting it without mercy with all its force. The two wrestlers were finding it hard to keep stable too. Eddie was pouncing again and again, trying to overpower Jack that was mainly busy with pushing Eddie away from him. It was so sad to see Eddie in all his ugliness. On the other hand, it was heartwarming to see Jack’s noble behavior.
Another shock was felt in the cave, causing the rock walls to tremble. Little pebbles dropped from the ceiling, falling on the two rivals’ heads that tripped from the powerful tremble as well.
Another big shock joined the mixture of shrieking noises. It seemed like it was coming from the direction of the holy altar. It was the sound of cracking rocks and a high pressured jet of water making its way upwards, trying to create a new flow path!
The small crack, from which the stream came through, split further and widened, making the flow of water stronger by the minute. The water flowed on the cave’s floor, passing under Jack and Eddie’s feet. They suddenly seized from their struggle when they notice the body of water around them. The water caused the cave’s floor to become slippery and dangerous, weakening the two’s stability.
The crackling sound was heard again, the crack widened further, and the stream of water grew stronger. The shakings in the cave were now more violent. People were holding on to each other, shouting in panic with each tremor that shook the cave, causing the crack to widen even more.
It was clear to us all what was about to happen: a mighty force of gushing water would erupt in minutes through the crack. How powerful? It’s anyone’s guess—but according to all the shaking signs around us, we understood that a huge blow was upon us!
J
ack and Eddie caught sight of the widening weak point and started to make their way up the flowing water towards the only safe place in the cave, where we all huddled anticipating the worst.
Jack, who was stronger and more in shape, managed to move faster than Eddie whose leg muscles had not regained their full strength yet. He moved passed Eddie, carefully feeling the wet ground with his foot, trying his best not to slip and fall.
The current was already quite strong, and the flowing stream drained into the large cave opening, cascading as a powerful waterfall to the spot from which we had rescued injured Eddie in our first few days on the island. Another tremor shook the cave, sending a jet-like spurt of water, as if from a firemen’s hose, hitting straight at Eddie, knocking him into the flowing water.
In a split second, Jack saw what was happening and leaped towards him to grab one of Eddie’s hands. But the flow was too powerful, and they could not grab on. Eddie was carried away by the strong current but miraculously managed to grab onto a large rock that was right at the edge of the waterfall. Jack looked at me, silently asking me what he should do.
I knew that if he tried to save Eddie, they both might not come back. But, I couldn’t be the one to seal Eddie’s fate. I nodded to Jack, signaling him to try and save Eddie, who was already exhausted from the powerful current pulling him relentlessly.
Tears were rolling down my face. I knew I was sending Jack on a suicide mission, but he was just the right person for the task. He nodded back at me, confirming with his eyes that I answered his question correctly. His conscious would not allow him to leave anyone behind, not even Eddie.
He turned back and started to go forward with the current in Eddie’s direction, being even more careful now that the water was splashing him from behind, threatening to knock him down too.
The water flooded and flowed on Eddie’s face making it hard for him to breathe. His arms weakened and his grip on the rock loosened. His arms slid slowly from the rock, and I wasn’t sure that he would be able to hold on until Jack reached him.
Jack progressed slowly, trying to maintain his balance. When he was really close to the rock, he shouted to Eddie to catch his attention. Eddie tried to shake his head from the water that was constantly splashing on his face, or he was trying to answer Jack, I wasn’t sure, but from where I stood, I could see that they exchanged words. It was mainly Jack who tried to explain to Eddie what he must do so that he could be rescued. Jack was shouting and Eddie was shaking his head, refusing to comply with Jack’s instructions. Jack tried again—and Eddie kept refusing. He probed his way carefully, getting closer to the rock, but the current was too strong, and the risk of finding himself in the same situation as Eddie, hanging on by a thread, was too high. He called out to him again, extending his hand, trying to narrow the distance between them as much as possible. His extended arm moving in plea, asking Eddie to extend his, but Eddie held firmly to his rage, shaking his head in defiance.
I strained my eyes, focusing on Eddie’s face, and to my astonishment, it wasn’t fear that was reflected in his eyes, but the same jealousy and hate that incinerated him in the last few days. He wasn’t fighting for his life, but asking to finish what he started! Even worse—he preferred dying over accepting Jack’s help! Jack understood, but did not give up either, and moved a few centimeters closer toward Eddie’s direction, the water almost swallowing him too. Suddenly, Eddie’s arms let go and he slid from the rock. Jack leaped at him, lying on the rock, he managed to grip one of Eddie’s hands. At the same time, a loud noise came from the crack site. Little pebbles were flying all over, the crack split open with a horrific tremor, and the water came gushing out, flushing their way with a mighty force!!
Jack made desperate attempts to pull Eddie, but Eddie just tossed a last glance at me, knowing I was watching him in horror. The hate in his eyes told me that if I wasn’t his—I would not belong to anyone else, especially not to Jack! His free hand rose suddenly. He quickly grabbed Jack’s shoulder, and with a cruel swift move, he pulled Jack to him with all his might. Jack lost his footing, and when the powerful flow hit them, they were both swallowed by the white foam of the huge waterfall!!
The small island trembled for what seemed like very long minutes. Slowly the tremors in the cave and the entire island, together with the terrible storm noises, started to subside as well. The ground began to stabilize, and the loudest noise that was now heard throughout the cave was my hysterical screaming. The minute the water pressure started to fade, I leaped in terror in the direction of the waterfall, hurrying to the spot where the men I loved had vanished.
The fortitude of the current indeed weakened, but the small stream had completely changed its shape. What was a little trickle in the morning was now at the end of the day, a powerful river cascading in a magnificent waterfall of clear water from the large cave’s opening back into the sea.
I stood in the current for a long hour. The water surrounding my feet was no longer threatening to carry me away like it did my loved ones. I stood close to the rock Eddie had been hanging from, from which Jack was trying to save him.
The pain was more than I could bear. I wasn’t far from throwing myself into the waterfall, ending my misery at once, but Jezebel’s frightened cry, who was so scared for me, made Roan jump to my aid. He made his way to me, lifting me in his arms despite my vigorous protests and hysterical sobbing, and carried me back to the corner of the cave where everyone was huddled together.
“Grace! Calm down!” Roan tried to pull me out of the hysterical state I was in. “People need you here! Pull yourself together!” he demanded.
“And what about what I need?? Ha?! What about what I need?” I shouted at him with pain. “What about my pain? Who will hold me? Who will comfort me? What about my broken heart? Who will help me mend the pieces??!!” My piercing questions were left hanging in the air. The void that was opened in me since my child was taken from me, reopened in such a force threatening to smash me into little pieces. I was certain my heart would not be able to withstand the pain any longer, and would cease at once from beating.
“I will hug you, Mother...” I heard Jezebel’s soft voice beside me, and her small young arms surrounded me and softened my grief with her love and warmth. “I am here for you, just like you are here for me!” She placed a virtual mirror in front of me, “and the same way you are leading and heading the tribe and support everyone, so they will all support you and be there for you and especially hug you…” As she was speaking, I felt all of my friends surrounding and hugging me. Amazed, I watched them extending their arms, all around me.
“We are with you, Grace. We will not let you fall apart,” the tribe returned the love and support I needed so much. “We need you strong, and together we will all help you on your feet again,” words of encouragement were heard from all around.
I collapsed into a multitude of loving arms. The crying shook me, and the pain crushed me, but at the same time, I felt the enormous amount of love of the tribe seeping into me, softening the intensity of the pain. I have never felt so much love around me before in my life. Even beyond the tears I knew they were right—Jezebel and the rest of the tribe members—that blindly counted on me.
When my crying subsided and my breathing was stable again, so did the storm. Night came upon the island, and darkness invaded the cave. Roan lit a flashlight, enabling us to see that the stone altar was left intact, in spite of the large crack that formed above it, and from it now came a proud flow making its way into the sea.
Tension started to fade, and people were kneeling in their spot, settling next to each other, creating the little circles Jack was talking about, getting ready to go through the night huddled for warmth and safety. The men closed the outer rim, scheduling amongst themselves the shift changes for the duration of the night.
Encouraged by the fact that the storm had passed, which meant we would not need to stay closed off tomorrow too, we sat shoulder to shoulder, leaning on each other. We would be able to
assess the storm’s damage only in the morning, but at least we would not freeze to death.
The wind stopped blowing, and the only noise heard in the cave was the sound of the water powerfully gushing forth from the crack.
* * *
Chapter 24
The raging new waterfall flowed into a great lake.
I swam towards the white rapid that had spray clouds coming up from it to the spot where the waterfall met with the clear lake waters.
Out of the water screen came Rebecca, wearing a shiny golden cape, her arms spreading towards me. I came up from the water, collapsing into her familiar, loving embrace. I sobbed silently, mumbling to her the story of my broken heart.
Rebecca lifted my chin, stroked my teary cheeks and spoke to me from her glistening eyes. Her lips did not move, but her voice echoed around me, caressing me. “Don’t you worry now,” her voice was soft and carried gently on the ripples of the lake. “The white eagle is on its way to you. He will bring you what you are wishing for the most…” Her words filled me with a warm feeling of hope, when slowly she lifted her arm, pointing at the sky.
A large bird was seen approaching, its wings spread, gliding. The closer it came, I could see its wings glowing in a deep shiny blue. I suddenly recognized the blue eagle returning from far away. Its wings had a brighter color, and now they were shining too.
My heart pounded with excitement. It was clutching something in its claws, and when it flew over the center of the lake, he unleashed its grip, and two large silver fish came plummeting into the water. The fish dove deep into the lake, releasing a trail of thousands of tiny bubbles that popped and became thousands of different kinds of fish, swimming in the trail creating a living silver swarm whirl pooling in the lake’s waters.