the water’s edge and peered towards our village. But there was nothing but water, its surface almost solid with smashed dwellings. Oh my God. 'I am coming for you, little boy.' Who said this?
Pandanus whose fruits resemble the woody pineapple is the staple food of the Shompens. Unit- - - Critical - - There was a second wave behind the first. Crouched on its back. Six feet higher, high enough to snatch me off my little hill.
I scrabbled at the tree trunk again, but it was slick and gave me no purchase. I turned to face my doom. I saw people in the water. And houses.
The Shompen boy had me by the shoulders, hauling me into the neem tree. Then I was in the branches. Cowering behind a sheet of leaves, as if they could shield me from anything. What did it matter?
The wave would surely uproot the tree. We would both be dead in a few seconds. . The Shompen boy squatted beside me, apparently calm.
His eyes were wide, but his body was relaxed and casual. He knew that there was nothing more to do. Whatever happened was beyond our control. What happened was that we survived.
The wave flowed inland for what seemed like an eternity, but it never managed to uproot our ancient tree. The hill became a little island on the back of our sunken island, and the Shompen boy and I were the only two inhabitants.Things flowed beneath us that nobody should ever see. The sea had claimed its bounty, and now it was revealing it to me. Shacks, bicycles, livestock, and of course people.
My heart was torn from my chest as I saw a girl I knew float past, her beautiful dark hair trailing behind her. I think she was a distant cousin. She was encased in driftwood and rubbish, like something lost and worthless. I will never forget that image.
I have thought about her so much since that day that I feel she is known to me now, much more than in life. Why did