Across the Island

By Nadee Gunasena

Island-hopping.

Jade thought the name for her daily pastime sounded far more exciting than what it meant. ‘Island-hopping’ brought to mind images of far flung islands, stretched one after another in an idyllic tropical necklace, sandy coasts seeming to kiss each other at low tide.

The reality was nothing so exotic. Island-hopping simply meant the act of sailing from one rocky outcrop of land to the next, casting fishing nets two miles from shore in hopes of catching the fish that swam out past the sandbars.

Island hopping was a full day activity, a strenuous day of sailing out and back, time consuming enough that most fishermen didn’t take the time to venture out. It was left to a few enterprising fishers - and Jade, only daughter of an aging but ambitious fisherman, one who expected a substantial daily catch even when he couldn’t be out on the sea himself.

So here she was, navigating to her sixth island, the sun casting long shadows behind her. In the months since Jade had come back home, she had gotten to know these coastlines well on her daily trips. Usually she welcomed the challenge of a new day’s catch. But today was hotter than most, and she had already finished the water she had brought.

She looked longingly at the thick jungle canopy on the island before her, one of the larger islands on her route. Surely there would be a freshwater stream there? And that shade looked so inviting after a day on the water out in the sun.

Her father had warned her never to set food on the islands as she circumnavigated them. But she had seen other sailors going ashore here and there, young boys all.

She had not returned home only to be bound by more rules.

Jade gathered up her nets, huffing at the paltry catch that came with. She tossed the few fish there into her bucket. Then, she grabbed a hold of the rudder and steered for shore. She whispered “Land ho!” to herself with glee.

When the boat was close to shore, she jumped out and hauled it the remaining few feet aground. She tied it to a sturdy tree nearby. Then, she found a shady spot to bury her catch so it wouldn’t spoil while she was gone. Grabbing her water canteen, she entered the thick jungle.

Foreign trees towered over her, laden with plump fruits of all colors. Jade couldn’t stop staring upward as she walked, fascinated by the dappled green canopy and the damp air surrounding her, so different from her own beach village home.

All of a sudden, she tripped. She looked down to unhook her foot from a large loop of tree root.

That’s when she realized she was surrounded.

Massive cats - black as night and light as sand - stared at her from all sides. Their eyes gleamed in the odd half light of the canopy. They were huge, twice her size or more. And they were all staring right at her.

“Thwak!”

All of a sudden, she heard the noise of an arrow hitting wood nearby. The cats turned as one to face the new noise. In that moment, a hand grabbed her upper arm.

“We must go - now!”

The hand belonged to a young woman, about her age and with skin shades darker than Jade’s own. She hissed again at Jade to convey the urgency of her plea.

“Quickly now! They’ll tire of you if you don’t make it easy for them!”

And then she was off through the trees, soundless and light.

Jade hesitated no longer, following blindly in the direction of her new rescuer. She felt loud and clumsy, crashing into trunks and stomping through fallen leaves. But she heard no sounds of pursuit behind her, and so she kept going.

After what felt like more than an hour - but was likely only minutes - they were back on the beach, free of the thick cover of the jungle. Jade bent over double, gulping huge lungfuls of air. She was a fisherwoman. She had never needed to run to catch her prey, much less to prevent herself from becoming the catch!

When she calmed down, she checked behind her into the jungle. No cats behind her. It was safe.

She turned to face her rescuer … who promptly held out a full water flask.

Jade had forgotten all about her mission to gather water. She took the flask and drank deeply.

“Thank you!” She handed back the flask. “I’m Jade. You saved me.”

The woman took the flask and drank. When she was done, she wiped her mouth in her forearm and smiled in greeting.

“I am Cholqi. You are not from here?”

Jade shook her head.

“No, I’m a fisher. I’m from the island several miles to the west of here, the one with the mango trees.”

Cholqi nodded. “I know of your village.”

“And you?” Jade asked, her curiosity growing now that the danger had passed.

Abruptly the ambient jungle noises around them seemed to grow quiet. Cholqi’s eyes gleamed, and she gave Jade a toothy smile. Her canines were sharpened to points.

And all of a sudden, Jade’s heart beet faster.