“We were on our way to your house to see you, Madame Meding,” Paquette said, breathing hard and struggling to catch her breath. She laughed. “When I was a girl I used to run the length of this beach and never even breathe hard.”
“If you lived here again for long, you would get your wind back,” Meding said. “I’m glad you have come. You can join us for fish and rice. Also, I have a new pet.” She unfolded the cloth and showed them the sea heron egg. “You can watch while I persuade one of my hens to adopt it.”
“That should be fun,” Paquette said.
The group continued walking up the beach a short distance, then turned to walk through the coconut grove to Meding’s house. They had no sooner reached the shade of the trees when they heard the ruckus: chickens were squawking and Meding’s sow was squealing. Alarmed, Meding dashed ahead, Jess close behind her. What she saw when she reached the yard made her pull up sharply.
In the middle of the yard was the biggest komodo dragon she had seen in all of her life. It was about ten feet long; thick, squat, and leathery. The big reptile was devouring a chicken, mashing the bird in its massive jaws. Other chickens were frantically fluttering their way to the safety of the tree branches while Meding’s sow strained at her rope, eyes rolling in terror. The cat was on the porch rails, his back arched and fur bristling. Jess hesitated only a moment, then dropped the stringer of fish and ran past Meding, waving his arms and shouting. The American was there too, casting looks around the yard for something to use as a weapon. The dragon saw them.
Startled, it paused, then dropped the mangled chicken, whirled, and, stubby legs churning in the dirt, slithered away from them toward the edge of the jungle on the far side of the yard. What followed all happened in a matter of seconds. The dragon had chosen its escape route unwisely and found itself trapped between the pursuers and an impassable stand of bamboo. It turned and lunged for Jess. Jess pulled up fast — too fast. He slipped in the mud and went down on his back. Instantly he cocked both legs to ward off the attack. The dragon never reached him. The American was there, grabbing the thrashing tail with both hands and arms. Its tail and back lifted off the ground, the dragon twisted its head around and snapped at the American. Grunting with his effort, the American spun and slung the huge reptile into the bushes by Meding’s garden. Clear of obstructions, the komodo dragon didn’t look back. It barrelled away into the jungle and was gone.
Hearts pounding, they were all transfixed for several moments. The American was the first to move. He helped a speechless and shaken Jess to his feet. Paquette and the boy ran to the American’s side.
“Well, now we know,” Meding said. Then she laughed. “I think that the lizard was more frightened than we were. He will not stop running for miles and I do not think he will ever do his raiding in Antipuluan again. His brain is small, but he has a very good memory.”
“This net should be finished soon,” Jess said. He held up the nearly completed corner he was working on. “This is all I have left to do.”
Meding was working her way around the outside edge of the net, tying the fiber rope to the mesh every few inches with short lengths of monofilament line.
“And just in time,” she replied. “Tassig has agreed to buy this net from me to replace the one he lost in his accident.”
The two were seated crosslegged in the shade on Meding’s porch, the net draped between them. It was midday and hot. They were both tired; their morning had been a busy one. Early that morning, Jess had walked to Narra and arranged to rent a jeepney to take Paquette, her husband, and their son to Puerto Princesa. While he was doing this, Meding had helped the family with packing their things, and had gathered fruit for them to eat during the long trip back to the city. Later a large group of villagers had gathered by the road for the goodbyes. Paquette had promised that she and her family would try to return next year for her birthday. She was crying, but her husband and son, Meding thought, appeared to be glad to be on their way home. Soon they were gone, the jeepney speeding away up the dusty road. Their visit had been something new and interesting for everyone in the village. A little sad, they returned to their chores, to the routine of their existence.
Jess shook his head and laughed. “I am having a hard time believing Tassig’s story about his accident. It is difficult to believe that a man who knows boats could have his engine quit on him, then drift all the way to the southern tip of the island before he could get the boat ashore, find parts, and make repairs. I would not be surprised if there is more to the story than he told us when he showed up on the beach last night.”
“You are right. There is more to the story,” Meding said, “and I will tell you the rest now, but you must promise to tell no one else.”
Jess nodded his agreement, and Meding continued.
“Rosemary will also be home soon. Her story to her parents will be that she ran away and was staying with friends in Narra. But she found that she missed her family and decided to come home. The truth is that Rosemary and Tassig have been together on Arena Island all this time.”
Jess’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “I begin to understand now,” he said.
“While I was ashore on Arena yesterday looking for a sea heron egg, I saw a small house built back in the jungle a short distance from the beach. When Paquette was on the island the day of her birthday, she walked all the way around the island and did not see a house. So I looked some more and soon found Tassig’s boat pulled up in the bushes where it could not be seen from the water. After that, it didn’t take me long to find Tassig and Rosemary. There is much difference in their ages and things had not worked between them as well as they had expected. Both of them wanted to go back to Antipuluan and their families, but did not know how to do it.”
“And so you helped them with their stories,” Jess said.
Meding nodded. “Of course there may be a problem later — Rosemary could be pregnant. If that should be the case — well, we will worry about that if it happens. I have counseled with families and worked out such troubles before.”
“So now all of the unusual things that have happened here recently are explained,” Jess said. “And, as you thought, the American had nothing to do with any of them.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes.
“It was best that Paquette and her family went home instead of trying to live here,” Meding said. “Life here is hard and much different from what they are accustomed to in the United States. That is true even for Paquette; she has been gone from here for a long time. And the American, even though his intentions were good, he was wrong and could have brought us serious trouble with the bandits.”
Jess raised his eyebrows in question.
“The American is used to dealing with problems from a position of power,” Meding explained. “He is used to having money and, if needed, guns. Here, we are not in that position. The government cannot help us against the bandits, and neither will they give us the weapons we must have if we are to stand up against them ourselves. As it is now, one bandit with a gun could kill everyone in the village. The bandits and their foolish cause have been with us for many years, and during that time their numbers haven’t grown. It is best that we continue to throw them our scraps to make them satisfied, and keep on living in peace. This is something the American would not understand.”
“But he is a good man,” Jess said. “Paquette did well.” He paused, then added: “And you are a wise woman, Madame Meding.”