The Light in Aquala

Marta, one of the older women who had helped raise half the village, led the smallest children, the ones who no longer had parents, down to the waterline. She stood watching the fishermen lifted the children, one by one, into the waiting hulls.

Her hands were steady, her voice was calm and the children settled down as she sooke soothingly to them, like they always did. When the last child was in, she was assisted into the boat and sat looking back towards the empty village.

The old woman who gave Mara the box had refused to leave with the villagers.

Bijiji stood at the edge of the sand, watching the boats load, and when Marta called to her, she simply shook her head once and did not move. She smiled at Marta, her best friend and nodding her head at Marta,who was worried but still smiled back.

They had been best friends since childhood and although Marta didn't fully understand why her best friend was so determined to stay behind, she knew that there was a very good reason. She wasn't just stubborn; she was extremely clever and had surprised everyone many times over the years with her inventions.

But she knew that there were some parts of her best friend's life that even she did not fully know about or understand.

This must be one of those times.

Marta’s dogs whined and turned in circles and had to be lifted into the boats now that the children and Marta were settled. One of them, a smaller wiry dog, wriggled free twice before someone finally got a grip on it and carefully placed it next to Marta. It calmed down as soon as it realized that Marta and the children were there.

The first boat pushed off, then the second and so on until all the boats were in the water and then they started on their way. The oars creaked in their locks and the hulls of the boats swayed gently in the small swells of the ocean.

From the shore where Mara and Lena stood, they could see the boats leaving, moving slightly away from the island then heading up North to the meeting point, hugging the shoreline.

The overland group that had formed up on the far end of the beach were gone now. The last to leave were the strong men guarding the back of the group, carrying lanterns, canteens, their hunting gear and backpacks with food and tools. They could barely be heard as they made their way along the jungle trail.

It was only then that the clicking changed.

It had been steady for hours, three and a pause and three, and then suddenly it was faster. Three quick clicks and a shorter pause and three more, and then again.

"The clicking sound changed. What does that mean?" Lena asked Mara.

"I’m not sure yet." Mara answered thoughtfully while looking at the measuring equipment that was hanging from her belt.

"Is it coming closer?" Lena questioned, her voice more anxious this time.

Mara looked at the display. The signal was stronger now but didn’t seem closer. "I really don’t know what’s happening, but we need to leave now before anything else changes."

Lena and Mara quickly turned for a final look at the village.

The last few cooking fires were still burning low, and the old woman was still standing at the edge of the sand with her hands folded, still not moving. Then they watched as she turned and walked back towards her home with a serious but knowing look, determined to stand her ground. She looked up at them and gave them a big smile before going through the door to her hut and closing it.

Somehow, deep down, Lena and Mara knew that she would be safe.

"Ready?" Lena asked, turning towards Mara and smiling encouragingly.

"Ready."

They walked into the jungle together.