Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:59:54 +0200
From: Amy Redek <adultreading@gmail.com>
Subject: The Ridge. Part Eleven.

            This story is for persons of eighteen years or over.  All
comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.

            Part Eleven

     Carlton was up early next morning and as soon as they'd eaten he
announced that they were going fishing.

   `Fishing?' Judy asked.

     `Yes. We are going to have a feast tonight for tomorrow I'm going into
battle. I've got to settle things one way or another,' he said.

   `What if you get killed?' Toni wailed. `What will become of us?'

     `Then you'll either have to fight him or live under his shadow for the
rest of the time you are here on this island,' he said grimly. `But it's
not going to come to that, I promise.'

     So armed with net as well as their spears, they all went down to the
beach and with two guarding the beach and one watching for sharks, they
fished all morning. The catch was twice as much as they'd had before and so
should be enough for all. They had been cleaned and gutted as soon as they
had been caught, some of the innards netting two nice big fish. The net got
torn a bit but it was still serviceable.

     They didn't stop for a lunch of fruit and nuts but all would rather
wait for the pleasure of eating the fish. Fuel was gathered and water
carried as well as the fish and they went up to the crater to cook and
gorge themselves. It was a lovely meal and though they tried to enjoy
themselves, the spectre of the next day's battle was uppermost in their
minds.

     Unbeknown to Carlton, the girls, when back at the shelter drew straws
as to which one would make love to him on what might be his last night on
the island. Toni won and so when they settled down for the night, she slept
with him and he understood why but not the why it was her in particular.

                                                *

     There was an air of false jollity at breakfast though before this,
Carlton had gone up to the pool for a swim in some form of act of
purification and hoped that he would be able to do so again at a later
date.

     The sun had been up for three hours when they set off for the
beach. He strode boldly along the sand, pausing briefly at the graves to
say a short prayer before turning to Judy.

   `See that the crosses are made and put up as soon as possible.'

     `I'll let you do it,' she smiled and gave him a kiss on the
cheek. Prompted by this, Tiki and Toni followed suit and kissed him the
same way. He smiled at them and turned and carried on and for a moment
stopped and looked at the undercarriage of the plane and then at the ridge
before climbing over it. The others followed and then stood in a line
behind Carlton as he faced the space between the trees where their shelter
had been on their first night on the island.

     `King!' Carlton called out. `King. Come out and we'll settle this once
and for all. You and me! Let's have no more killing except this last one.'
They stood there for a whole minute waiting for an answer.

   `King? Did you hear me?' Carlton called out again.

     `I heard you,' came King's voice from the trees. `Just getting ready.'

     Carlton checked his three knives at the back right hand side of his
belt before taking the spear and short stabbing stick that Tiki handed to
him. They waited in a tense silence, the only sound being the gentle lap of
the waves on the beach. Then came the rustling of the leaves of the trees
and bushes and George King stepped out into the sunlight armed with a spear
and stabbing stick the same as Carlton.

     He looked even bigger than before, his three week beard quite big and
his chest looked broader than when Carlton had last seen him.

     `So the little Limey pup has come to fight the big dog eh? You need
back up then?' he sneered.

     `They're here to keep Drew back from helping you,' Carlton snarled
back.

     `He's no help. Never has been and he won't interfere. He's buried over
there,' his head twitched to one side. `Died yesterday.'

     `Well you'll be good company for him then,' said Carlton as he moved
forward. King shifted his grip on his stick and moved forward as well and
both men went into a crouching posture as they began to get closer while
moving in an anti-clockwise movement.

     As they got closer to each other, the spears twitched in both their
hands and the points clashed as they parried. Several times the spears
smacked against each other as they tried to force one away to be able to
get in with the stabbing stick. When an opening was made, these then came
together with solid clunks, flashing and slashing to try and get the point
into the opposing flesh.

     King's spear caught the top of Carlton's shoulder but left himself
open for a slash that cut a line down the ribs. Not a deep one but it
brought blood .

     They drew slightly apart before they moved in again spears and sticks
colliding but with King having managed to get his under that of
Carlton`s. Though Carlton's stabbing stick caught King's upper arm, King's
forward momentum carried the point of his stick into Carlton's side. As he
uttered a cry of pain, King made one of joy as Carlton staggered back off
the stick's point, blood coming out with the removal of the weapon. He
dropped his stick to staunch the wound with his hand and brought the spear
down hard on King's head. This made King yelp but he still came forward as
Carlton staggered to the left, bending his body that way. Carlton was able
to parry the spear but again got caught by the stabbing stick point on his
left forearm.

     It was deep but the sight of this second wounding triggered Toni into
action. In one fluid motion she drew a knife from her belt and ran in and
stuck it into King's side, just under the rib cage. He gave out a roar and
swung round, snapping the wooden point but caught Toni round the side of
the head with his stabbing stick.

     As he swung back Carlton's spear caught the arm and that caused him to
drop his stick. Sweat was pouring down their faces as they continued to
circle and King didn't see Toni get to her feet again and with another
knife in her hand, jumped on his back and brought the knife up into his
throat. His roar was more of a gurgle as he swung her off again to land on
the sand between him and Carlton. As she landed, she knocked Carlton's
spear aside and by the time he'd brought it back up again, King had lunged
at Toni and buried the point deep into her chest.

     Carlton carried on with his move and went forward and thrust his spear
into the heart of King. With blood from the neck wound in his throat, he
could only gurgle as he fell backward, letting go of his spear to hold the
one in his heart and pulled it from Carlton's grasp as he fell to the sand.

     Carlton was the first to Toni and pulled the spear out of her chest
and then cradled her head in his good arm.

     `I did so want to have your babies,' she said in a whisper. `I even
threw my birth pills away.' She then gave a cough and her back arched and
with a shudder, died in his arms. Judy and Tiki were then by his side and
they both were crying at the brave thing she had done in saving
Carlton. None of them gave King a second look.

     After closing Toni's eyes, Judy pulled her out of Carlton's arms and
laid her on the sand and pushed him down so that she could see to his
wounded side. She'd had the foresight to bring the medical box with her and
now cleaned it and poured some antiseptic in and with a small square of
gauze, covered it and then placed some plaster over the top. She daubed his
other cuts with iodine and told him to just lie there and rest for a little
while.

   She got up to meet Tiki coming out from the trees.

     `No one there,' she said walking down to meet her. `What do we do with
that?' she asked, indicating King's body. `Bury him too?'

     `Not bloody likely!' Judy said. `We've got our own to see to. Let the
sharks have him.'

     `Good idea.' So they both took a leg and dragged him down the beach
and into the sea. `No fishing for a while with him out here,' Tiki said as
they pushed his floating body out as far as they dare go and quickly got
out of the water before the scavengers arrived.

     The two of them carried Toni's body to the ridge but didn't have the
strength to lift her over, So they had to take her up through the trees
till they could get over and back down on the other side. It took them half
an hour before they put her down near the other graves,

     `Now let's get Bob back to this side.' They climbed over the ridge and
this time, taking it easy, managed, with his assistance to get him over to
the western side. They helped him to where Toni lay and sat him down. They
rested for a few minutes before starting to dig with their hands.

     Three hours later, they put Toni down and covered her with leaves
before filling the hole with sand.

     `We couldn't leave her over on that side.' Judy said. `It's better
that she lie with her friends.'

     `What about King?' Carlton asked. He hadn't seen what they had done.

     `He sleeps with the fishes,' Tiki said in an atrocious American accent
which made him give a wan smile, thinking of the film The Godfather.

     `Okay,' Judy getting up. `We're all tired and we'd better see to
getting this warrior back to the shelter. He's got some plumbing to do
later.' Tiki grinned and help Judy to get Carlton up on his feet and helped
him as they went home.

                                                *

     It wasn't really home but still a shelter and Carlton was nursed for
two weeks before he felt fit enough to start making an effort towards
helping them. Though the first thing he had them do, was gather enough wood
and creepers to make crosses for the graves down on the beach. He didn't
rush but he finished them before supper time.

     The next day, they took them down to the beach and put them over the
graves, not needing to carve their names into the wood for they would
always remember who was lying where.

     That evening, they had a fire going for the first time outside their
shelter having no fear now of being attacked. It was while sitting in front
of this welcoming warmth that he broached the subject of moving their
shelter back down to the beach.

   `What about the water pipe you were going to lay,' Tiki asked.

   `Well it'll take a bit longer, but I can still make it work,' he said.

   `Which side of the ridge?' Judy asked.

     `Whichever has the best site,' he replied, `though I've got a gruesome
task ahead first. I don't think that King buried Drew properly so I'm going
to have to move him.'

   `Ugh!' exclaimed Tiki. `Do you have to?'

     `I think so. I don't think King would have bothered to have buried him
properly. Besides, it will set my mind at rest if I know that he's really
dead. Now we know he's on the east side, so you look in amongst the trees
on the west side till I've done what I've got to do.'

     So the next day, Carlton went straight over to the east side of the
ridge and left the girls to check the trees while he probed for Drew's
body. It took him half an hour before he found it. As he told the girls, it
was a gruesome job, though what he did was to only uncover the feet so that
he could then have his back to the body and grasping the heels with his
hands, began pulling Drew's body out of the sand. He dragged it this way
down into the sea, twisting his body when waist deep so that Drew's body
swung out and away from him before he let go without turning round as he
made his way back up onto the dry sand. Only then did he turn to look to
see the almost submerged body drifting out. It only took ten minutes before
a fin appeared and seconds later, the floating body disappeared beneath the
surface.

     He went back up the beach, scuffing the tracks he'd made and also
smoothed over the area where he'd been buried. He could now let the girls
check out this side of the ridge for them to choose where to place the
shelter that would become their home.



                                             AFTERWORD

     It was strange that the only place that would suit was exactly where
they had set up their first shelter. It took them three days to make this
one. Larger and with movable sides and much more rain proof. In time, a bed
was made, big enough for the three of them to sleep on instead of on palm
tree leaves and ferns on the ground.

     In three months they had fresh water piped down, a plug being used
instead of the normal tap. Attention was then turned to the rocks at the
very eastern end of the beach where he was able to build a fish pen and a
gate, luring the fish in with pieces of fruit for them to be netted.

     Not once did they see or hear an aircraft in the skies overhead. A
year later, Tiki gave birth to a baby girl which was named Lali. Judy had a
son three months later and he was called Robbie. It was another year before
they produced again only this time Tiki had a boy and Judy a
daughter. These were named John and Marina.

     They lived as one happy family, no clothes being worn now and all were
the colour of natives. The children were educated by all three, spelling
and writing done in the sand as well as arithmetic and as many other
subjects that they could think of. The children were shown the dangers of
the sea by attracting sharks with dead fish for them to see for themselves
how big and dangerous they could be. Swimming was only allowed in the
shallows and under supervision.

     It was with great excitement when the children saw a yacht heave to
just off the shore eight years later. This possibility had already been
discussed before of this happening and their decision had already been made
to what would be the obvious question. They also had made two grass skirts
for Judy and Tiki and a palm leafed one for Carlton, it didn't matter with
the children.

     A motor boat set off from the moored yacht and the three of them stood
on the beach to greet them, the children behind them and their spears and
other weapons hidden back at the shelter. They saw that the boat held five
people, four men and one woman and when the boat reached the shore, one man
jumped out and helped the woman out and three of the men, two staying with
the boat as the others walked up the sand.

   `Bonjour,' the leading man said as he got close and stopped.

   `Good afternoon,' Carlton replied.

   `English?' the man asked in surprise. `I thought you were natives!'

    `The sun does this sometimes to all white men,' he laughed. `Anyway,
welcome to our island.'

   `Your island?'

     `Well I suppose it really does belong to somebody else but we've come
to regard it as ours as we are the only people here and have been for about
nine years now.'

   `Mon Dieu! Nine years? Do you know where you are?'

   `Non Monsieur.'

   `This is an un-named island in the New Hebrides.'

     `Ha! Did you hear that?' Carlton said to the two girls, and turning
back said, `Well we've given it a name, Banz Island or as we're in French
Territory I suppose it should be Ile de Banz.'

   `Banz?' the man looked puzzled.

     `British, Australian and New Zealander. That's our nationalities. Oh,
do forgive me. I am a poor host and you are our first guests. My name is
Robert Carlton from England, this,' he turned towards the girls and
children, `is Judy from Australia, Tiki from New Zealand and my four
children, Lali, Robbie, Marina and John, all born here on Banz,' he
finished holding out his hand which was shaken.

     `I am Monsieur Pierre Tambard and this is my wife, Louise, and the
captain of the yacht "Melani".' Carlton shook all the hands as Tambard
continued. `I am Charge d'Affaire at the Administrative Offices in Vila on
the island Efate. We are on holiday and thought it a good idea to have a
cruise around the islands. It was by chance that we stopped here for my
wife just wanted a few hours ashore,' he explained. `Tell us how you came
to be here?'

     `Certainly, but let us get into the shade of the trees, I think this
sun is rather hot and making Madame uncomfortable.' He led them up to the
tree line and offered them the only place to sit which was the bed in the
shelter. The visitors noted that all it contained apart from the bed were
four hammocks made from creepers, and six melon husks.

     Tiki, Judy and the children, who were very good, this being their
first sight of other people, sat on the palm and fern spread floor. Carlton
stood and told them of the plane crash and that they were the only living
survivors. Monsieur Tambard made notes and when he'd finished, Carlton
answered as many of the questions that he could, though in a few instances,
they were only half truths.

     `Well all I can say that it's a miracle you have survived all alone of
this small island for so long, and our yacht is at your disposal to
transport you back to civilization,' Tambard said.

     `With all due respect sir,' Judy spoke up now. `We've discussed this
many times, but since Marina, our youngest was born six years ago, we have
decided to stay here. We would be most grateful if you could get the
authorities to grant us residency and we promise you, we would not be a
burden on the tax payers money. We've survived here for nearly ten years
with the world having forgotten us, we now wish to forget the world.' This
little speech flustered Tambard and was about to reply when his wife,
Louise put her hand on his arm.

     `Well I must say you've done a wonderful job,' she said to the girls,
`not only to have adapted to this life but to have raised such healthy
looking children. But what about their education?'

     `They have learned their ABC and are good at spelling. The writing is
difficult as is the reading. When you do it in the sand the sea does tend
to cut the lessons short sometimes,' Tiki said.

   `Tell me what you need,' Louise said.

     `Some paper and pencils, and of course some erasers so that we can
re-use the paper, oh, and maybe a couple of books. That's all.' Tiki said.

   `What about yourself?'

   `Just a pot and a spoon, oh, and maybe a few vegetable seeds.'

   `You?' she asked looking at Judy.

   `A needle and some thread and maybe a bottle of antiseptic.'

   `Is that all?' she asked incredulously, `surely there must be more?'

   `We live simple and that would be sufficient,' Tiki said.

     `Well we can let you have this from the yacht, well not the seeds, but
we can get them sent to you. And about you Mr Charlton?'

     `Carlton ma-am. Well a saw and an axe would be most helpful and a
couple of knifes and a stone to keep them sharp. I could do an awful lot
with those as you can see,' he replied, waving his hand around the shelter.

     `How do you get on for food and water?' Tambard asked, so they were
given a short tour of the island and marvelled at the water pipe system and
the fish pen. The saw the graves which had since been bordered with small
pieces of rock and told the names of the occupants.

     `It's a pity about this rock running across the beach, it somewhat
spoils the whole look.'

     `That's what we call the ridge. It's solid rock lava and it caused the
ultimate destruction of the plane we were in,' and Carlton showed them what
was left of the undercarriage, the tyres having long since
disintegrated. `But for this, the pilot might have landed us safely.'

     Back at the shelter, Tambard took their full names to get them new
passports and those of the children, all their surnames being Carlton.

     `Oh one last thing you could do for me,' he said. `Can you post a
short letter for me if I may have a piece of paper and a pen?'

   `Certainly,' Tambard said giving him his note book and pen and Carlton
wrote just a few lines and handed it back.

   `I've put the address there, and thank you.'

     Farewells were said after the boat came back with the items Tiki and
Judy had asked for, and a promise that Carlton's tools and the seeds would
be sent out as soon as possible.

     Carlton stood on the beach with his arms around his two women, Tiki
one side and Judy on the other, the children at the water's edge, waving
goodbye to their first visitors.

   `What was in the letter you wrote?' she asked him.

     `Nothing much. Just tidying up a loose end. It was to where I once
worked. It was my resignation.'


                                             *    *    *

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