“Me too,” Heather said. “How about the rest of you?”
Connie and Tina looked at each other then nodded their agreement. Kirstin sided with Tabitha but not very emphatically.
“So, it’s agreed,” Alp replied, giving a wink of gratitude to Mia and Heather. “Everyone in the boat, and let’s pray whoever owns it, left some oars in it as well.”
Their luck held. They found two ancient, weathered oars, one missing part of the flat end. “These will do nicely,” Alp said. “After all, we’re not planning on paddling all the way to the mainland. Only to that boat over there.”
As she took her seat, she gazed across the dark water of the bay. The boat suddenly looked much farther away and the water between them much more foreboding. She prayed Kim’s guidance was right. Otherwise, her role as leader of the Kindred might be short lived.
With Mia and Heather taking turns rowing, the Kindred reached the fishing trawler without incidence, even though their feet were soaked from the water in the bottom of the boat which increased in depth as they rowed across the inlet. Connie and Tina found a couple tin cans in the bottom that they used to bail out the water.
It felt very comforting to Alp when the rowboat finally bumped against the hull of the fishing vessel. Up close the trawler was larger than Alp had imagined. She estimated it was at least forty or more feet in length and at least twenty feet across. The two trawling arms projecting off either side made it look even larger, like a giant sea monster with its massive arms reaching towards the sky.
But now that they were here, how were they going to get on board? The railing of the boat’s deck was a good six or seven feet above them, and Alp didn’t see a ladder or any other way up. Finally, feeling the eyes of Tabitha and Kirstin drilling holes in the back of her head, she decided the only recourse was to announce their presence to the boat’s crew.
“Ahoy, there,” she called out, her voice cracking as the surrounding fog soaked it up. She tried again. “Ahoy there! Permission to come aboard.”
“Oh, brother,” Tabitha said. “Sounds like we’re on the set of a poorly produced pirate movie.”
“Hush,” Heather admonished her. “She’s doing fine.”
Maybe so, but nothing happened. Not a sound came from above them. Alp waited, listening to the lapping of water against the hull of the larger boat, but still nothing; not even the sound of anyone moving above them. Time to be a little bit more demonstrative, she thought.
“Hand me that oar, Mia.”
When she had the oar in her hands, she raised it above her head. It reached to the railing above. She took a deep breath and slapped it against the hull, once, twice, a third time. She was about to hit the hull a fourth time, when suddenly a black head stared down at them from the railing.
“Who’s beating my boat?” The gravelly voice had a strange accent that sounded a little like a mixture of Jamaican with a southern drawl. “Go away. We leave your bay. No need to beat up my boat.”
“No, it’s not that,” Alp replied as she handed the oar back to Mia. “We want to go with you. We can pay for our passage. Please, let us come aboard.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out the wad of money James had given her. “See.”
“Of course I can’t see,” the voice replied. “It’s the middle of the night. Go away.”
“I’m holding cash--American money. It’s good anywhere. Please, let us on board.”
The head of the black man disappeared. Alp thought she could hear talking coming from the deck, like two people arguing but she couldn’t be sure. Finally, everything grew quiet again with just the sound of the water lapping against the two boats. Alp had about decided her request to board had been denied, when a rope ladder dropped over the side.
“You can come on board but I’m not saying I’m taking you anywhere. We’ll talk, that’s all.”
Alp turned to her companions, “Ladies, after you.” Then she whispered, “Everyone up on deck. The more of us that are up there, the less likely the captain will be able to say no to us. Best behavior now, and look as cute and forlorn as possible. That goes for you two as well, Tabitha and Kirstin.”
“Whatever,” Tabitha replied, but then grabbed the bottom of the ladder and started climbing.
Kambuji
As several of her sisters reached the top of the ladder Alp heard someone shouting at them in a language she didn’t understand. Her stomach flip-flopped. Doesn’t sound like it’s going that well, she thought as she pushed against Mia who was just ahead of her on the ladder. I should have gone first, she thought. That’s what leaders do, right? They lead from the front, not the rear. She should have made Tabitha and Kirstin, the two troublemakers, go last. Too late now.
As she climbed over the edge, she spied her sisters huddled together with Tabitha standing in front glaring at an old black man who glared back at her. Alp had seen African Americans before at the ski slope although they had been in the minority. Then there was the large black man that had chased Mel and her from West Virginia to North Carolina. Mel had almost burned him to death before Alp intervened. Still, this old man had the darkest skin she’d ever seen; like someone had carved him out of ebony. It was hard to tell if his beige shirt might have originally been that color or had simply been dirtied so many times it would never come clean. Over this was a brown over-shirt that had also seen better days many years ago. The man’s disgruntled frown highlighted deep wrinkles weathered through many years on the water. Out of his gray mustache and beard stuck a corncob pipe that he chewed with vigor.
“How many are you? No more…no more on me ship.”
Alp held up her hand and stepped forward. “Easy now, sir, uh Captain. I’m the last one and the one you spoke to before. My name is Alp and these are my sis…friends. Thank you for allowing us to come on board.”
“Iffen I’d known you were so many, I’d not allowed it.” The more agitated he became, the faster the pipe moved from one side of his mouth to the other.
“Like I said, sir, my name is Alp. What’s your name, if I may ask?”
The old man stared at her hard as he continued to chew on his pipe. “Name’s Ahab.”
“It is not,” another voice behind the man spoke up from the darkness, and a young man with skin almost as dark but much more handsome stepped out of the shadows.
“His name is Kambuji — it means ‘ol goat’ in our native language and boy has he learned to live up to it. His mama read Moby Dick to him as a boy, and he’s always wanted people to call him Ahab ever since. And my name is Damba,” the young boy finished.
He also wore a beige shirt that looked to be a couple sizes too large. Its rolled up sleeves revealed muscular arms. His jeans, cutoff at just below the knees showed equally well-muscled calves and bare feet. After introducing himself, he smiled and Alp could have sworn someone had turned on a beacon to highlight his face.
Kim moved over close to her and pulled her sleeve.
“Wait a minute,” Alp whispered to her, gently removing her arm. “I’m so sorry to intrude on your evening like this, but we’re in big trouble.” With effort, Alp turned her attention from the boy and directed it to the old man.
“My friends and I were abducted from our school on the mainland by some very bad people. They told us they planned to sell us as slaves somewhere overseas. It was just horrible. Luckily, we were able to escape, but we can’t go back there,” she said as she pointed behind her to shore.” If they find us I’m afraid they’ll beat us; maybe even kill us. Will you help?”
With that last statement, she fluttered her eyelashes and stifled a little whimper as Mel had taught her.
“No…no, want you to leave my ship now,” Kambuji repeated. “I feel bad juju here.” He pointed in the general direction of where the girls hunched together.
“Juju?” Alp asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar word. She turned to the boy. “What does that mean?”
“It means magic or witchcraft,” Damba explained. “The old man is filled with
superstitions from the past. Most of my people are. Let me talk to him.”
He walked over to the old man and put his arm around his shoulder and guided him away from Alp and the others. He spoke to the man in a soft voice. It sounded like to Alp that she should be able to understand what he was saying but due to the accent and dialect, she could only catch a few words.
The captain was not easily convinced. They argued back and forth for several minutes. Meanwhile, Alp grew more nervous. She wasn’t sure the boat they’d come in would stay afloat long enough to get them back to shore, not to mention what was likely waiting for them back on the island. Meanwhile, Kim continued to tug on her sleeve.
“What is it, Kim?” Alp finally said a little impatiently.
“That’s him,” Kim whispered excitedly.
“That’s who?” Alp had no idea what she was talking about.
“That’s who you’re here to meet,” Kim replied. “The blue light connects to him.” To illustrate, she pointed to the boy. Sure enough, the light blue ray shot straight at him, but when she moved her finger in another direction, the light disappeared.
“Your destiny and his are inextricably woven together.”
“How do you know that?” Alp asked. She felt a shudder run up her back.
Kim simply shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do.”
Alp stared at the boy named Damba. How could that be? They had just met, and only so she could get herself and her sisters to safety. What did destiny have to do with anything? She was still asking the question when the boy turned around and walked over to her.
“Okay, it’s all set. He’s agreed to take you to the mainland. Nowhere else, and you and your sisters are to stay out of the way. He wants as little to do with you as possible. Understood?”
Alp nodded. “Thank you, thank you so much. I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“No need,” Damba replied. “Let me show you where you can stay out of the weather and out of old goat face’s way. We’ll be lifting anchor in a just a few minutes.”
Alp figured it had been at least an hour since Damba had led them below to a small cabin that obviously served as a storage room most of the time. The ropes, nets, buoys, and other objects that Alp didn’t recognize all smelled like soured sea water. That in combination with the rough seas they encountered soon after leaving the security of the bay resulted in several of the sisters becoming seasick including Alp. Suddenly, all that delicious rich food they’d eaten at the Dark Horse threatened to come back up.
When Alp felt she couldn’t stand the close quarters and the horrendous smell any longer, she pulled Mia aside. “I’ve got to go up and get some fresh air. I’ll also try to find Damba and explain that if he doesn’t want a huge mess to clean up, he’ll need to let a few of us up on deck at a time. Look after things here, will you?”
Mia nodded. She seemed to be taking the rolling of the deck and smell all in stride. “It helps to breathe out your mouth,” Alp heard her tell one of the other girls also suffering from seasickness.
Up on deck, Alp felt much better almost immediately. It was a beautiful night. The skies had cleared, and the stars were out in all their glory. Looking up at the sky reminded Alp of some nights when Mel and she had come home late from the ski lodge. They’d pause at their favorite spot for a little while Mel counted their take for the day and Alp would dream of traveling to those distant stars…the same ones she gazed upon tonight.
“If Goat Face catches you up here, he’s liable to throw you overboard,” Damba said as he walked out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
“Wouldn’t that scare the fish away?” Alp replied turning to gaze at him. He really is quite cute, she thought, then shook herself, amazed by the thought. Could Kim have been right about their destinies being woven together? No, she countered. He’s an end to a means, to get her and her sisters back on the mainland. That’s all.
“Actually, no, it would probably attract some fish, like sharks and barracuda, but only until they finished eating you. Besides, we’re not fishing now. We’re just trying to get home.”
“And where is that?” Alp asked.
Damba pointed in the general direction they were headed. “In that direction.”
“Well, that’s as clear as muddy water.”
“I know. It was meant to be,” Damba replied with a chuckle.
Alp decided to try a different tack.
“How come you went to bat for us. Isn’t that likely to get you in trouble with…what’s his real name again?”
“Kambuji,” Damba replied. “Maybe for a little while, but we’ve been together most of my life. I can’t remember when he wasn’t part of me, so we’ll eventually make up I’m sure.”
“What did you tell him that finally persuaded him to let us come along?”
Damba didn’t answer at first but simply stared out to sea in the direction he’d pointed to before. Finally he answered, “I convinced him that you and your sisters shared much in common with our people. That if your story was true, then you were trying to escape slavers just as our ancestors did many years ago.”
“What happened?” Alp asked, prompting Damba to continue his story.
“It was back in the 1700s. A slave ship ran into a terrible storm that split the ship in half. The story goes that all hands on deck were lost, but the cargo was saved. Many of my people made their way to the shore of the island that is now our home. Kambuji and I are their descendants. So, I pointed out to Kambuji that a storm had also brought you to us. That it must have been by the same powers that saved our people so many years ago.”
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Alp said in a hushed voice. She turned to him. “Do you believe that?”
Damba laughed. “Of course not, but Kambuji does. That’s what matters. He believed the story.”
Alp looked at him for a moment, confused by his reply.
“Then why did you help?”
Damba studied her for a moment before replying. “You’re cute, you and your friends were desperate…and I was bored.”
It was a little after dawn when Alp was next allowed to return to the deck. Damba had allowed two or three girls to be on deck at any one time, and only as long as Kambuji wasn’t around. Luckily for the Kindred, that was most of the time. The sea captain stayed mostly at the helm making sure they stayed on course.
It had been a long night for everyone, but Alp had managed to catch a couple naps as she grew accustomed to the constant motion of the boat. Damba had also brought them a large clump of fragrant herbs to help counteract the smell in the storage room. He also had a couple of his shipmates remove most of the items to give them a little more room.
“These herbs grow naturally on Geluk,” Damba said as he waved them around the small room. Their fragrance reminded Alp of the wild flowers that grew in the springtime on the hillsides close to her home in West Virginia. “I often bring some with me to remind me of my home and to offset the fact that most of our crew members don’t bathe while they’re at sea.”
“Geluk? What is that?” Alp asked as he turned to leave.
“The name of our island,” he replied. “It means Good Fortune.”
Now, as Alp stood on the deck watching the sun start to rise in the East, her mind wandered as though on its own walkabout. She thought about Damba’s island; Good Fortune. Boy, could she and her sisters use some of that? Would they ever find a place of their own; a home like Damba’s people had found so many years ago? Or were they doomed to wander the world in constant fear of their lives?
Then there were these strange powers that she and her sisters seemed to possess. From where had they come? Did they all have such powers, or were some of them just regular humans? Regular humans? What was that supposed to mean? I’m a regular human, aren’t I? Does having the ability to heal people make me any less human, or maybe more human?
She was lost in thought, pondering upon more questions than she had answers for when she heard someon
e behind her. She turned to find Damba standing there gazing at the rising sun as well.
“You always sneak up on people?” Alp asked though in truth she was glad to see him.
“I don’t mean to disturb you,” he replied. “Just thought you might want to see something.”
“What’s that?”
“Geluk,” he replied. “We’re about to pass it. You can see it…well, kinda see it on the other side of the ship.”
“Your home island?”
Damba nodded then turned to walk to the other side. He glanced back at her. “Coming?”
“Sure, but won’t I get in trouble with Kambuji if I stray?”
“No worry. He’s sleeping at the moment.”
As they approached the starboard side of the ship, Damba pointed out to sea. “There.”
Alp’s gaze followed where he pointed. Staring at the horizon she could see a little haze like possibly a mist forming in the distance but nothing else.
“I’m sorry, I don’t see anything.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Damba replied. “Geluk is invisible…well, for the most part. If you’re not from there, all you can see is a vague cloudiness. It’s what has kept us safe and isolated for over two hundred years. As far as the rest of the world knows, Geluk doesn’t exist.”
Jacob's News
Lionel spent most of the morning puttering around in his lab waiting to hear from Jacob on the spectrophotometer results from the template sample. Puttering and worrying, then puttering a little more in an effort to take his mind off the missing children. Finally, around ten o’clock, the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he had skipped breakfast. He decided to grab a bite to eat before meeting with Denise and Bridgette at eleven. As he walked down the hall towards the cafeteria for a late breakfast, Jacob called to him.
“I have the data you wanted on that sample,” Jacob said.
Lionel thought he heard a huffy edge to his lab assistant’s voice. I wonder what he’s miffed about, Lionel thought but decided to ignore it for the moment. “Okay, good. Let me take a look at it.”
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