free spirit. The sun warming her face would evoke fiery deserts, golden beaches, sultry days spent with - a keen-edged excitement with the word - her future lover. To catch a flower's fragrance initiated thoughts on the existence of all things, large or small, animate or inanimate, and her part in such order. To see the moon-
A shadow passed behind her.
She turned and there was no one there; save for her, the dormitory was empty.
Posters and cut-outs of pop stars, movie stars, tennis stars, hair styles, fashion styles, crazee styles, covered the walls in carefully assembled groups. One or two raggedy teddy-bears and dolls, kept now as mascots rather than the cuddly, loved companions they once were, watched with dead eyes. Colourful mobiles over beds stirred gently as if touched by a breeze.
There was no one there; yet Jeanette felt there was.
The goose-bumps had returned to tickle her bare arms. The sun did not seem as bright. She moved away from the locker, treading warily into the centre aisle between two equal rows of beds, examining the shadows beneath each one before passing, almost as if she expected a hand to emerge and snatch her ankle. Her pace increased as she neared the doorway.
Then, with a rush, she was through, looking back and seeing only an empty dormitory, bright with posters, motionless mobiles and coloured quilts, the sun streaming in to warm and to disperse shadows.
There was no one else there. Nonetheless she hurried away.
16
She stood over him and vigorously shook her head, showering him with sea-water. He opened one eye, shielding it from the sun's rays which were still strong even though it was late afternoon, appreciating the cool droplets on his chest. 'How is it?' Childes asked.
'Cold,' Amy replied, dropping to her knees beside him and briskly rubbing her hair with a thick towel, 'but lovely. Why don't you come in for a while?'
He closed his eye again and answered lazily, 'Too much trouble to take out my lenses.' He did not mention he hadn't swum since his unfortunate experience of nearly a month before, when they had been snorkling; the near-drowning had left him feeling just a little too vulnerable in deep water.
'Ah, come on, it'll refresh you.' She placed a flat, damp hand on his tummy and giggled as the muscles there quickly retracted.
He pulled her down to him, enjoying her wetness, her salty, sea smell. 'I need rest,' he told her, 'not exertion.'
'Rest? This is exam week; you've never had it so easy.'
'That's right, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.'
Amy draped the towel around her head and shoulders, creating a shade over both of them. She crossed her hands on his chest, supporting herself, and pecked at his lips with her own.
'Nice taste,' Childes remarked. 'Like kissing an oyster.'
'I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, so I'll let it go.' Her damp, tangled hair trailed across his cheek and he raised his head slightly to lick moisture from her chin.
There were few people on the beach at that time of day, tourists from the mainland and the Continent not yet having descended upon the island in force, and most of the island's working inhabitants being still trapped inside places of employment. The cove held a wide stretch of sand, one end guarded by a triple-level German bunker, a huge granite monolith facing the sea, and a grim reminder of recent history. Jagged rocks, as if freshly tumbled from the cliffs, blocked the opposite end.
'You made it up with Daddy yet?' asked Childes.
Amy knew his use of the word 'Daddy' was only slightly mocking, a faint jibe that she was still her father's little girl and still using the word herself, and she had long since given up taking offence. 'Oh, he's still huffy with me and I'm still huffy with him, but I think he'll eventually
A shadow passed behind her.
She turned and there was no one there; save for her, the dormitory was empty.
Posters and cut-outs of pop stars, movie stars, tennis stars, hair styles, fashion styles, crazee styles, covered the walls in carefully assembled groups. One or two raggedy teddy-bears and dolls, kept now as mascots rather than the cuddly, loved companions they once were, watched with dead eyes. Colourful mobiles over beds stirred gently as if touched by a breeze.
There was no one there; yet Jeanette felt there was.
The goose-bumps had returned to tickle her bare arms. The sun did not seem as bright. She moved away from the locker, treading warily into the centre aisle between two equal rows of beds, examining the shadows beneath each one before passing, almost as if she expected a hand to emerge and snatch her ankle. Her pace increased as she neared the doorway.
Then, with a rush, she was through, looking back and seeing only an empty dormitory, bright with posters, motionless mobiles and coloured quilts, the sun streaming in to warm and to disperse shadows.
There was no one else there. Nonetheless she hurried away.
16
She stood over him and vigorously shook her head, showering him with sea-water. He opened one eye, shielding it from the sun's rays which were still strong even though it was late afternoon, appreciating the cool droplets on his chest. 'How is it?' Childes asked.
'Cold,' Amy replied, dropping to her knees beside him and briskly rubbing her hair with a thick towel, 'but lovely. Why don't you come in for a while?'
He closed his eye again and answered lazily, 'Too much trouble to take out my lenses.' He did not mention he hadn't swum since his unfortunate experience of nearly a month before, when they had been snorkling; the near-drowning had left him feeling just a little too vulnerable in deep water.
'Ah, come on, it'll refresh you.' She placed a flat, damp hand on his tummy and giggled as the muscles there quickly retracted.
He pulled her down to him, enjoying her wetness, her salty, sea smell. 'I need rest,' he told her, 'not exertion.'
'Rest? This is exam week; you've never had it so easy.'
'That's right, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.'
Amy draped the towel around her head and shoulders, creating a shade over both of them. She crossed her hands on his chest, supporting herself, and pecked at his lips with her own.
'Nice taste,' Childes remarked. 'Like kissing an oyster.'
'I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, so I'll let it go.' Her damp, tangled hair trailed across his cheek and he raised his head slightly to lick moisture from her chin.
There were few people on the beach at that time of day, tourists from the mainland and the Continent not yet having descended upon the island in force, and most of the island's working inhabitants being still trapped inside places of employment. The cove held a wide stretch of sand, one end guarded by a triple-level German bunker, a huge granite monolith facing the sea, and a grim reminder of recent history. Jagged rocks, as if freshly tumbled from the cliffs, blocked the opposite end.
'You made it up with Daddy yet?' asked Childes.
Amy knew his use of the word 'Daddy' was only slightly mocking, a faint jibe that she was still her father's little girl and still using the word herself, and she had long since given up taking offence. 'Oh, he's still huffy with me and I'm still huffy with him, but I think he'll eventually
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