The Island at the End of the World Read online

  I close the window an climb down off the chair. Then I go in the kitchen an ask Pa if he needs help but he says Ahm okay Finn thanks you go an warm yer self with yer sisters. Hes smiling his voices gentle an laxt I hant seen him like this for a longtime. I dont no wat happend zactly but its like saving Daisy from the waters kild the big dark thing he wer fraid of. Its like his fears vanisht.

  I sit nex to Daisy on the rug an Alice puts an arm round my shoulder. Daisys do-ing a picture of our ark floating in the flood. The wind howls in the chimny an the flames dance.

  Pa brings bowls of fish an masht tatoe an we eat with spoons in front of the fire no body says a word. Slowly the hole in my belly spears an I sigh with leaf. When Pas finisht he says Mmmmm closes his eyes an lies back on the rug smiling. We all watch him. Then he sits up.

  Listen children Ive got some thing to say. Wat happend todays made me realize some thing.

  His voices big an his eyes are grave.

  Wat we say.

  I want to say that no thing is mor portant to me than you three. That long as your a live an well I shunt plain or worry cus truely no thing else matters. Ahm sorry if some times it seems I dont love you. Daisy. Finn. Alice.

  He looks at us one after a nother deep in our eyes.

  Cus I DO.

  His eyes are glissning my hearts pounding.

  Moren any thing.

  I feel real happy but kinda barrast.

  You no that dont you.

  Theres some silents. I want to speak but my throats too sweld. Finely Alice says Yes Pa we no. Then weare all crying an culling an Daisy says like all mos to her self An they all lived haply everafter.

  Pa lafs sofly. Yes Daisy. Haply everafter.

  Thats a nice moment I dont no how long it lasts but I tell my self ahl all ways member it.

  Jus after theres a massive splosion of noise close by an we all freeze then weare laffing. Ahm glad the storms finely come it dont make me think of doom any mor only that the airs be-ing cleard an evry thing clensed. The rains pounding on the roof an the winds roaring but weare all safe here inside to gether. It minds me of some thing tho I dont no wat.

  Like some times Daisy asks bout the befor world an Pa tells us a gen bout the dark days befor the pucker lips an his warning dream an how he built the ark in our garden an we scaped the great flood wile all the other people drownd. Ive herd all these stories hunerds of times some of em wer in the Tales but I still love to listen to em. Then Alice says

  But there wer good things too.

  She says this quitely an we all look at her.

  In the befor world. It wernt all bad.

  Wat are you membring Alice asks Pa.

  Bright lights an tall tall houses she says slowly like in a dream. An Ma smelling wonder full wearing a long pretty dress an shiny metals an stones on her fingers an round her neck an like colour full paint on her face.

  Paint I shrawk.

  It lookt good Finn you dont stand. She looks at me then at Pa. I dont have many memrys but wat I members kinda magical.

  Pa nods silent an his lips go twisted. Then he says Wat youve gotta stand Alice is that all them things the tall houses an the bright lights an the shiny metals all them things wer dictive. People grew sest with em they came greedy an dicted an thats wat made the bad things happen thats what made the flood.

  A longish pors Pa breathing. Hes looking at Alice whos staring at the floor. I cant see her eyes but I wonder if shes bout to cry.

  An an I spose cus you lived in that world for a few years that you wer may be. Taminated.

  Wats taminated I ask.

  Like fected. Like if the snaked bit you the other night youd have got its poison in yer veins. Maybe Alice got a bit of the befor worlds poison in her veins.

  Alice looks up her faces red but her eyes are dry. So wy arent you taminated then she mands. Her voice sounds hard but kinda brill like it might break if she keeps talking. You lived there longern me dint you.

  I wer oldern you Alice gentles Pa. I wer mune. It wer the young who wer mos septible to the tamination.

  I dont stand I say. Wats

  But Pa nores me an puts one of his hands on Alices cheek where a tears finely scaped. Its not yer fault Alice. Not a tall.

  Ahm fected you said. Her voices like jelly now I think it musta broke all ready. Ahm taminated.

  But your safe here. Your fine. Ahm jus splaining wy in yer memrys the befor world looks so pretty an viting. You stand.

  This lasts a question an Pa sits staring waiting for Alice to spond. She looks in his eyes then a way then finely nods.

  But I love my memrys I dont want em to be taminated.

  The memrys are fine Alice theres no thing rong with em. You orter treasure em. Jus dont be leave in em too strongly cus like mos memrys theyre lusions theyre not real. This I-lands mor of a paradise than the befor world ever wer. An if

  Silents.

  Flamescraklingrainsmackingthunderboomingwindhowling silents.

  If wat Pa.

  If one day. By some chance. Hes talking real slow an sighing in tween like hes choosing his words out a big box of other words. If some body from that other world wer ever to come here an tell you its jus like it is in yer memrys you dint orter be leave em. Youve gotta no that the person whos telling yous probly taminated.

  I feel my brow make a V. But that worlds gon Pa I say. You told us. Its under water. Drownd.

  Probly Finn. It probly is. But you never no. Some others mighta survived the flood like we did. There might be

  But hes rupted by a nother KKRRAAKK an BOOOM an the room lights up. The walls of the ark shake in the wind an rain beats down genst the windows an it comes to me wat it is that the storm minds me of. I must be membring the journey we took over the raging seas in the time of the great flood. I must be membring how we came to the I-land.

  XI

  I wake up and remember. Thank God, thank God. This my child was dead, and is alive; she was lost, and is found. O, thank God! In my dream she drowned again: I saw her hair, in a golden circle, floating on the still hazy surface of the lake and tried to swim out to her, but the water was too thick, too heavy, my limbs were weak, and instead of arrowing towards her I seemed to move farther away with each stroke I took. Around me people calmly asked the same question – Mary, Christian, Alice, Finn, all accusing, Why didn’t you teach her to swim? – and I shouted at them to help me, to pull my daughter’s head from under the water, but they all said, It’s too late, she must be dead by now. Their pitiless voices! Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stone. Had I your tongues and eyes, I would use them so that heaven’s vault should crack. She’s gone for ever! I half-woke, and in my dream and in my mind she was dead. It felt so real. I closed my eyes and tried to give the dream a different ending, but it was no good. Each time I pulled her from the water, her eyes were closed, she did not breathe. And then I woke, and remembered.

  She lives! If it be so, it is a chance which does redeem all sorrows that ever I have felt.

  I get out of bed, stab on some jeans and walk to the kitchen. Daisy is sitting at the table, reading the Tales. She looks up at me and half-smiles, like today is just an ordinary day. ‘Pa, can I have some milk?’

  ‘Daisy!’ I pick her up, laughing with relief, and throw her into the air. She giggles and shrieks. I wonder if she remembers what happened yesterday, if she understands how close she came to. But I don’t want to ask.

  I put her back down on the chair. Both of us are laughing. She stops before I do, her eyes suddenly sober, and says again, ‘Pa, can I have some milk?’

  I pull a face.

  She giggles, then groans, ‘Paaaa …’

  ‘Some milk?’

  She nods. ‘And eggs?’

  ‘Sure, Daze. Where are your brother and sister?’

  ‘In bed.’ She frowns. ‘I think.’

  ‘You were the first one up today?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  ‘What’re you reading?’

  ‘Rapun
zel.’

  ‘Oh, the girl with the long hair? How does that one end? I can’t remember.’

  ‘They live happily ever after.’ She grins, involuntarily.

  ‘They do? Oh well, that’s good.’

  I kneel next to her and stare at her face for a few moments as she reads, savouring the gratitude I feel.

  She feels my eyes on her and looks up. ‘Pa! Please can you get some …’

  ‘Eggs and milk? All right, honey, I’ll be back soon.’

  I kiss her, then go outside. The air’s cool and white-grey, like the island’s floating not in sea, but in the centre of some gigantic cloud. The mizzle’s so thick, I can’t even see the chicken shed, but the cold droplets feel good on my face. I close my eyes and breathe in the moisture, the shadiness. Summer’s cauldron doused, if only for a day.

  Remembering last night’s storm, I check on the tomato plants and young trees as I pass them. A few broken stems, some scattered fruit, but nothing serious. Winds of euphoria blow inside me. That which is coming cannot be stopped, but I’m not afraid any more. Was it only yesterday I shot at thin air and believed the end was nigh? It feels an age away, that morning. Since Daisy coughed up water and began breathing again, I feel I am living in a new world: a sweet and precious and living world, which no shadow, no matter how vast, can ever truly darken.

  I collect the eggs and milk Cloud, then carry everything back to the ark. Alice is up now, sitting next to Daisy at the table. I enter and she smiles at me, for the first time in. How long? Too long.

  We eat and drink together, the three of us. When we’ve finished breakfast, we all go out to work. All except Finn, who’s still sleeping. It’s so rare, him staying in bed past dawn, that I decide not to wake him.

  XII

  The risings speard a gen now. Wen you look tween the sea an the sky all you sees the thinnest line you cant even tell wat colour it is. Shured I turn a way from the sea an look past the orchard trees to the gardens. Pas tending the vines Daisys clecting matoes an Alices washing clothes in the river. Ive jus woken up. I breath in an the air feels cool in my nostrils an throat. Evry things misty grey. I feel kinda guilty bout scaping now but I no ahm the hardest worker of us all sept Pa an ahm tired from the night. I dint sleep too well I had weird dreams. So I side to walk over to Snowys grave an tell him all thats happend. He dont no bout Daisy nearly drowning nor Pa culling me nor all the talk bout tamination an other survivors. Weve got a lot to scuss.

  In my head I go thru all the things I want to say to Snowy. I dont only have to member em I have to figure out how I feel bout em. With Pa saving Daisy thats easy but with Alices memrys of befor say or the I-dear of the others not all be-ing dead its mor plex cus I dont truely no if these things are good or bad. Ahd all ways thought we wer the only ones left in the world an no-ing thats possly not trues some how larming an siting at the same time.

  All so it curs to me now that theres things I orterve askt Pa that I dint. He wer in a good mood an he probly wunta minded. I orterve askt him bout the boxes I saw in that house in the woods. An the books an wy he dint tell us bout em. An wat are them black windows in the ground. I walk long the rivers edge an past Alices sun flowers jus thinking an thinking till I reach the rocks that go down to the sea.

  An thats wen I see it. Its there on top of one of the lowest rocks. A dark marks wat it looks like from up here. Wen I get nearer I see that its two dark marks an closer still I can see wat they are even tho I dont see how they can be. I keep walking fast as I can over the sharp rocks till I come so close my eyes cant possly be seeving me.

  Its a pair of boots with socks inside em.

  My first thought is they must be Pas an hes been keeping em secret like he did with the house in the woods. But then I look closer an I see the size on the inside tongue an its 10 an Pas a 12. I stare at the boots for some time trying to work out wat they mean. I touch the socks theyre soakt thru an so are the boots. I turn an look all round. I cant see any thing that dont belong there only the rocks an the trees an the sea an a couple shrawking birds.

  I leave the boots where they are an walk on looking round but still I cant see any thing. Venturely I give up an take the path that goes to Snowys grave. Its strange but wen I round the corner an enter the spinny wat I see firsts the stone an how the name SNOWYs been rased by the rain. Soon as I see wats nex to the stone the black bird an the berfly start flapping an flying at the same time.

  Its a mans body. The mans all mos naked an hes lying on his back his eyes are closed. I-ther hes a sleep or hes dead I dont no which. Slowly quitely I walk over to him an bend down. I touch his shoulder. Its warm.

  Sunly his eyes are open.

  XIII

  He is breathless, his eyes huge, face illuminated with blood and happiness. I try to look surprised, not fearful.

  ‘Pa, Alice, Daisy, come quickly!’ Finn calls. ‘Listen, there’s a stranger, I found him by the shore. Near Snowy’s gravestone.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘A man! I found a man, hardly wearing any clothes. He says he swam here! He’s hungry and thirsty. Come on, we need to help him.’

  The three of us are standing around him now, the girls asking questions, Alice’s sceptical, Daisy’s irrelevant. Finn grows impatient with them and shouts at me. ‘Pa, will you come and help him? He needs something to eat and drink. I think he’s had a long journey.’ And then, in a softer, pleading voice, ‘He seems nice, Pa. I don’t think he’s contaminated.’

  ‘That’s not something you can see, Finn. But sure, let’s get some food and drink together. You and Alice go first. Me and Daisy’ll come after.’

  My heart quakes as I say this. Am I making a mistake? But I need time to think.

  I ask Finn what he looks like, and he replies, ‘Dark-haired, tall like you.’

  ‘Younger than me?’

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘Stronger than me?’

  ‘No. But he looks quite strong. You can see his muscles under his skin, you know.’

  ‘Does he have a gun or a knife or anything?’

  ‘No, nothing. He didn’t try to hurt me, Pa. He’s nice, honestly.’

  ‘What’s his voice like?’

  ‘Not as deep as yours, but it sounds a bit the same. He talks the same language as us! He understood everything I said!’

  O mine enemy, hast thou found me?

  My heart gallops as I trot slowly alongside Daisy, she carrying a bag of fresh-picked cherries and me a bottle of wine, Goldie running up ahead. A warm little welcoming party. Does he know I tried to kill him, this stranger? Will I see it in his eyes? Or what if he isn’t a stranger? Would he say anything to Finn or Alice that might … upset them? For without are dogs and sorcerers and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I carry the hunting knife in the holster inside my vest, just in case. It takes maybe half an hour for us to reach the shore, then I have to help Daisy over the rocks because her legs aren’t long enough. From a distance, I hear Goldie bark – once, twice, three times – and then go quiet. Just before we enter the cove, Daisy holds my hand and walks behind me. She’s shy, for the first time in her life. I almost laugh.

  I don’t recognise him instantly. There’s a moment when his face is in profile, his left eye covered by a shock of dark hair, and all I really see is his mouth, opening and closing (talking to Finn, who’s crouched beside him), and his left hand (patting Goldie, who’s curled up at his feet), and his shoulders and chest, which don’t have the barrelling girth of mine, have obviously never dug holes for a living, but are also wider, more toned, and lead down to a belly that is all ridges and hollows, not the bulging wineskin that’s grown beneath my own pectorals. So my first impressions are envy, dislike, mistrust, and I touch the handle of the hunting knife as he turns, and.

  There is a silence, charged, for what feels like a minute but is probably only a second or two, as our eyes meet (we are, I guess, eight or ten feet apart now), before Will smiles, all fake easy charm, and says, ‘Finn here was just telli
ng me how you make these delicious pancakes …’ His voice goes on and I see, from the corner of my eye, his rucksack, black and green, lying in the grass near Snowy’s gravestone, and Alice, standing over by the trees, her body tensed, eyes wide, face pale, and Finn, crouched next to him, his face turned, eyes searching mine, excited, expectant, like Goldie when he’s caught something, and I say, my voice harsh and sudden,

  ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’

  (Finn looks worried.)

  Will goes silent then stands up, smiling (what feeling lies beneath that smile – nervousness? irony? cunning?) and moves a couple feet towards me, his right hand held out. He’s maybe two inches taller than me. I stare at his hand (soft skin and dirty fingernails never done a hard day’s work in his) as if it’s a piece of shit, and he gets the message, lets it fall, and says (mockingly?) respectful, ‘Sir, my name’s Will and I’m from …’

  ‘Babylon.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘You’re from the other world, I can hear it in your voice. The world we left behind. The world that got drowned by the flood.’

  Silence, the flicker of a frown. ‘What …’

  ‘Don’t you lie to me, boy. You may be young but you’re old enough to remember the Great Flood. How did you survive it?’

  His mouth opens and closes. ‘I, er … I guess I was lucky.’

  ‘You certainly were. We built an ark. I knew it was coming, you see, I could read the signs. But anyway … we can talk about this later. Finn tells me you’re hungry and thirsty?’

  ‘Well, Finn’s been kind enough – Alice too – to bring me some food and water already. And …’