Honeymoon Life

Iggy returned and lay on the beach, using his tee-shirt like a pillow.

"Tell him he'll be eaten alive with sand-flies," Sean pointed to Iggy.

The trio sat with backs against the inflated survival raft, its bright orange tubes and canopy contrasting with the green foliage behind it. Water from the still washed down their dessert of tender soft coconut flesh. Iggy walked to the sea; his bare feet slapping on the wet sand. Bending down he drew sea-water to refill the desalination contraption. Sean was growing to like him.

"Moscas de la arena," Rachel called.

"Mi casa es tu casa," Sean said smiling: "my home is your home."

Squashed together in the life-raft tent, the three slept until the sun lowered in the blue sky. "No nookey tonight then," Rachel giggled.

The chatter of the monkeys woke the group, the animals swung in the tree branches jabbering. Ignacio imitated them and then spotted a lizard a few yards from the camp, and chased after it with a large stick.

"Leave that, it'll do us no harm," Sean said, "come on let's lay some traps."

He laid a few snares in the forest areas where there were small tracks. On the way back he spotted a large Durian, a very large fruit weighing ten pounds. The skin had big sharp pines so Sean inserted his combat knife blade, separating the fruit into two halves. The fruit skinned, the spikes removed, while Ignacio, the eager apprentice, watched with fascination, his eyes on the knife.

At the camp the pair made coconut-shell containers to preserve any meat, adding sea-salt from the still's cone. While Rachel prepared some salad for the evening meal fishing resumed. As the sun was sinking Ignacio tugged at Sean's arm: a fin appeared near to their fishing pool.

The young Filipino said "tiburn, Meester Sean. Beeg JAWS"

The pair raised their lines and watched the fin. Incredibly the fin lay submerged a few feet from the water's edge and a turtle appeared. The creatures head and scaly neck broke the surface with a spurt. It pulled itself slowly up the beach, leaving a shallow trench behind its efforts.

Sean subdued Ignacio, who wanted to chase the turtle and ride it. Carrying him kicking and struggling back to the camp Sean asked Rachel to translate his gibbering.

"He wants to ride it, like on Swiss Family Robinson," Rachel translated.

Iggy nodded, "si", and mimed riding.

"Jesus. Does he get all his words and ideas from the TV and cinema?" Sean asked.

"He was left as a toddler at an orphanage," Rachel said, "he spent some times in foster homes but kept running away. From what I can make out he is 10 or 11, maybe 12 and has lived on the streets since eight years old. Maybe he sneaks into cinemas. It's all he has."

"God in heaven," Sean uttered. "OK, tell him he can ride it if we can catch it. These things are fast." Sean added with a wink.

Following the trail on the beach the three arrived at the place where the turtle busied herself excavating the beach with its flippers. Sand was flying upwards in spurts and a small hill emerged.

"It's a medium-sized sea turtle which could be good in soup for days." Sean wiped his hands on his pants. Rachel's face showed horror at the thought. Slowly they crept towards the turtle, keeping some feet away.

"Aww, it's going to lay eggs, " Rachel's eyes moist. "I read that females nest a few weeks after mating, usually during the warmest months of the year. Most females return to the same nesting beach each year." The turtle heaved sand with her huge flippers, creating mounds.

"Aye, and from what I remember she deposits 50 to 200 Ping Pong ball-shaped eggs into the egg cavity. The eggs are soft-shelled, and are papery to leathery in texture. What it means is that we'll have scrambled eggs for dinner. We won't take them all. We'll leave most to hatch. Tell young Mowgli here what we're gonna do. He can have his ride when she's done."

Rachel explained what Sean had said, and Iggy pointed to his chest, "Mowgli."

Thursday June 14 around the camp-fire Sean told stories of Robinson Crusoe and Robin Hood. Rachel talked of King Arthur and his knights, Ignacio had no stories to tell but his face lit up when Sean talked of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

"What day is it, my fair knight?" Rachel asked, "and I wonder what Little John is doing?"

"It's Thursday June 14th." Sean said. "Good night and good night John boy wherever you are."