Island of the Doomed

The Hunger of Day

The Hunger of Day How did day come to the island? Ah, there is plenty to say about that. First of all a bow looked as if it were rising from the eastern horizon, horseshoe-like, coated with silver on its outer edge; it pressed up gently against the sun, framing it for a moment like a bucolic triumphal arch, then shot off at reckless speed in wellpractised loops across the sky, over everyone's head, as far asthe opposite horizon, and then seemed to give way to some unknown pressure and fall towards the sea. Eddies appeared here and there in the morning-blue water, and before it was hit by the broken bow, you could sense a degree of understandable nervousness clinging to the surface which until recently had been so hysterically tense; suddenly the nerves of the sea were exposed so nakedly that an enormous outbreak of despair seemed about to occur at any moment; the gigantic fish whose spears used to pierce the bare flesh of the blue expanse nevertheless seemed blissfully unaware of their role as executioners. Then the crash came; still pliant despite its broken back, the bow sank down into the sea, its long, supple linesoutlined for one brief moment on the surface itself before being pulled 64 rapidly down by an invisible hand, and all at once a remarkable colour change took place: the bright silvery gleam disappeared without warning, leaving only a stinging blueness which spread rapidly under the surface of the sea from the pitiful remains of the bow, only to be hauled up into the day like nets being winched into a boat. The blue of day made its entrance and the white morning horses of the clouds galloped wearily towards the horizon, in rolled the round sheep, grazing lazily in the very hot sun which was now a lonely ball of fire swelling slowly from its own heat. A remarkable period of great, confused optimism now followed on the island. Once again, they all realized with a shudder that they were still alive; the chill of death which had clung to them throughout the night was thawed yet again as the heat caressed their limbs, gently, gently. If anyone thought he suddenly heard birdsong, they would all stand up apprehensively without a word and stare at each other in bewilderment ; it was like diving into unknown waters - but nothing happened as yet. They were just sucked down into the greenery, but nothing happened yet, only those floating corals that were always pushed aside by their foreheads. The fire was burning on the beach, the wet branches they broke off and threw down from the cliff top gave off unwavering, tearful smoke which always rose vertically and produced little heat; and now there was nothing to roast or boil over it. It just went on burning, like a hope rising to the heavens,unstoppable. In silence, but filled with joy which was perhaps not obvious but nevertheless for most of them felt like the glow that used to emanate from their nursery window the first Sunday in Advent, they gathered round the fire, pushed the dark leaves closer to the flames, poked 65 at a charred branch and steered their gaze along the column of smoke right to the top, where it broadened to form a blue plateau. Occasionally they would also glance out to sea, surreptitiouslyor quite openly like the English girl: shewould shade her eyes with her hand and watch the banks of clouds sailinglike convoys across the horizon. She was still calm, unspoilt by all the temptations which hopelessness entails willy-nilly; but her gentleness, in her face, body, movements and thoughts, sank slowly down, fell off her like the soft clay clinging to a shell, leaving it glistening and hard as enamel. It was still not very warm, not as hot as it would become when the heat flung itself upon them almost with a roar, and they would collapse panting in somebody's shadow. If one wanted, one could now close one's eyes and be strolling along the holiday beach in the quiet summer bay some years previously. The water slowly fell asleep and, suddenly, the white edging of froth bordering the beach started gleaming red as tens of thousands of shells were caressed out of the calm. The English girl waded slowly out into the water in her bare feet...