The Birthmark (23 page)

‘See, it's bewitched,' Lily said. ‘It's making my hand die.'

‘Riki would know what to do,' Hector said.

‘But if the police go to the hut, they'll catch us.'

Christina calculated the odds: Lily's family would only contact the police after they'd taken Eldon to the hospital, if at all. Eldon would probably be too ashamed to get the police involved. ‘We should go to Riki straight away and if the police are hanging around I can distract them,' she said.

‘You…you don't have to help,' Lily said.

Christina recalled the first time she'd helped them avoid the police. She was frightened of Lily then. When Decima told her about Lily's home life she felt sorry for Lily. Fear and pity weren't the most honourable reasons to help somebody, but now she wanted to help because they were friends. It was probably unwise to get caught up but she could at least help them get to the hut.

‘Come on,' she said, ‘before my torch batteries run out.'

They made their way along the Witch Track in silence. When they reached the turn-off that led to the hut Hector told Christina to switch off the torch.

‘I think there's a car outside,' he whispered.

They staggered along in the dark, clinging to one another, edging closer to the hut.

‘I can hear voices,' Lily whispered.

They slipped behind a tomano tree and peered into the blackness. There were no lights on anywhere. The black-out must have affected all of Anbwido, Christina thought. Over on the porch she heard the old man cough. She could hear people speaking in Tevuan. One of them moved away and opened a car door. Moments later the engine revved and headlights flashed, lighting up the forest where they were hiding.

twenty-eight

Anbwido
5 July 1943

Edouwe cried out and one of the marines slapped her.

‘Listen to the thief cry,' one said.

‘She'll cry some more now,' said another, slapping her too. Then he forced her to the ground.

Edouwe struggled wildly but she couldn't fight off four men.

Two marines held her arms, pinning them to the ground while the one who had pushed her fought to keep her thrashing legs still.

Tepu had to help her, but he dared not move. If they found him during curfew hours he would be punished, but he couldn't bear the torture before him.

In a burst of fury he sprang out from the bushes just as Egirow shouted at his men from the other direction.

Anbwido
Saturday 2 July 2004

Hector wrenched Christina sideways, pulling her to the ground beside him. Lily pressed herself against the tree. She held her breath, hoping they hadn't been seen.

The engine rumbled, then the car moved towards them, the glare of the headlights intensifying.

‘What do we do now?' Christina whimpered.

‘Wait,' Hector said, ‘they're just turning around.'

Lily heard the gears crunch. The headlights swung away. Hector was right. The car drove down the hill towards the Ring Road.

Once it had gone they scurried over to the hut. A kerosene lamp glowed in the kitchen. Riki was lighting a small gas cooker when the three of them filed in through the door. He turned to them and shook his head. ‘What have you done, Hector?' he murmured. ‘The police were here looking for you.'

‘What did you tell them?'

‘Nothing. I never tell police anything,' he said.

‘Will they come back?' Christina asked.

Riki laughed. ‘They hate coming here, they won't come back. They don't want to work, they just play cards or sleep.' He rubbed his brown belly and tightened his
lava
lava
. ‘Now why are you here late? What did you do?' he said softly.

‘It's the sword,' Lily mumbled, holding it out towards him. ‘It's made my hand dead.'

Riki limped forward, his bowed legs creaking. He reached out, caressed the blade and, lifting it close to his face, sniffed deeply. ‘It cuts again,' he pronounced under his breath.

‘What do you mean?'

‘There is fresh blood.'

Lily cringed and turned to Hector for support, but he looked away as if he knew nothing.

They'd washed it together in the sea. They were sure it was clean. How did the old man know? She looked at Riki and shook her head.

The old man stared at her. ‘What did you do?' he whispered.

She shivered. Although she didn't want to look at him, she felt her eyes being drawn to his. She was certain he could read her soul.

‘An accident,' she muttered. She could feel herself shaking and her lip quivered as though tears would come, but she fought them back, determined not to cry in front of Hector or the old man. ‘He tried to get in my room... I hate him.'

A long silence filled the kitchen until the old man said, ‘I hated once too, hated enough to hurt a man.'

‘Who?' Hector asked.

Riki ignored him. ‘The man, he is alive—or you kill him?'

She took a deep breath. Her chest grew tight until the pressure was too much and the words raced out of her mouth, ‘He's OK, I think.'

‘Good,' the old man said. He leant back against the wall and nodded as if he knew the whole story even though she'd said so little.

‘We've got to get rid of the sword. The police will look for it,' Christina said.

‘The police?' Riki smiled and began to chuckle. ‘I don't think so. We must take the sword to the real owner. He'll tell us what to do.'

‘Do you mean the ghost?' Hector said.

‘Mmm.' The old man raised his eyebrows and gazed at them with a peaceful expression, but Lily noticed that he held his breath. It was almost a minute before he spoke again. ‘Where did you find the sword?'

‘Up in the bush here, just off the Witch Track,' Lily pointed.

The old man stiffened and shut his eyes.

‘But Ibu, that's not all,' Hector's words tumbled out. ‘I found a body there too.'

Christina gasped.

Lily was stunned. Why hadn't Hector told her? She glared at him, willing him to explain, but Riki had begun to tremble. He sat with his eyes closed. It looked as if his eyelids were stretched thin and his long rubbery face frightened her. When he stopped shaking he spoke, his voice a whisper. ‘Tell me more,' he said.

‘It's just bones—a skull and things. It must be him, Ibu. The skull is only a few metres from where we found the sword.'

Riki closed his eyes. ‘It must be our ghost. Tell me, Lily, what does he look like?'

Lily sighed and shut he eyes. ‘He's got a baseball cap with an anchor on it…he's got long black boots… he shouts at me all the time but I can't hear him... he looks like a Chinaman.'

‘Where did you see him? What did he do?' Riki asked. The shadows from the lamp made his eyes seem hollow and his nose loomed bigger than ever.

‘At my house and at the pillbox. He held up his arm like this,' she said, mimicking the raised fist.

‘It is a marine,' Riki said. ‘He wants to raise his sword but it's lost.' He coughed. ‘What does he say?'

‘He never says anything,' Lily said.

Riki nodded, ‘It is good. It must be the same one.' He sat quietly for a long time, scratching the stubble on his chin. Finally he said, ‘We must put him to rest.' He reached up to the shelves above the sink and took down the bottle Hector had found. ‘He will speak this time.' He nodded at Hector. ‘You show me. We'll go now and give him the sword.'

‘How?' Lily whined. ‘I can't let go, I can't get rid of it.' ‘It is his spirit. It's poisoning you, Lily. We must give it back.'

‘No,' Lily heard herself say. ‘I don't want to.'

‘But it's evil, it's a bad thing, this sword,' Riki said softly.

‘No, I need it.' Her words echoed about the room.

The old man looked at her squarely. ‘You don't need it anymore. Before it gave courage to you, now all it gives you is pain and death. I know what they do. They are evil these swords. The marines killed many islanders. Chop, chop. They cut the necks of every one. Good people died because the marines were cruel. Already this sword has made you cruel.'

She looked down at the floor.

Riki laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Many people are cruel and hurt others,' he said. ‘We must not be afraid of the memories—even when they hurt so much. The stories are important—they teach us something.' Then he turned to Hector. ‘Get some torches. I'll get a bucket. Our marine must rest tonight.'

twenty-nine

Anbwido
5 July 1943

‘Leper!' Tepu screamed at them.

They all turned at once and faced him with blank faces.

‘Leper, she's a leper!' he yelled, gesturing at his fingers and toes. They didn't understand and the nearest marine moved forward to grab him.

But now Egirow was snapping at them in their own language. ‘
Rai-byo no onna
,' he barked and instantly they recoiled from Edouwe.

The marines shouted, howled and cursed each other. They wiped their hands on the nearest leaves in a furious dance of disgust and shame.

In that moment of confusion Edouwe vanished into the forest. Tepu turned to run too, but Egirow caught him round the head with his rifle butt. Tepu spun and fell to the ground. He struggled to regain his footing but Egirow was quicker, kicking the wind out of his lungs. Tepu gasped for air. The last thing he remembered that morning was the thrust of Egirow's boot in his face.

The Witch Track
Anbwido
Saturday 3 July 2004

Hector led the way along the Witch Track. Even though he had company he felt his breath rattle with every step. He swung the torch about so the beam wouldn't reveal his shaking hand.

‘It's up here,' he said, his voice fast and squeaky. Coughing to clear his throat, he pushed past overgrown bushes. The clearing opened before them and Hector pointed the torch beam up the hill to his right, illuminating a stand of thin trees.

‘This is where we found the sword. The bones are in there…behind the trees,' he said.

Riki hung his head and muttered something into his chest.

‘I wonder how he died?' Lily said.

No one answered her. Hector fought off an urge to run home, but he couldn't run because he had to show how brave he was. Lily and Christina inched closer to him. He sensed their trembling. But the old man was not afraid. He stepped towards the trees, put down his bucket and beckoned for the light to come closer.

Hector hesitated. The air about him chilled. He didn't want to disturb any evil ghosts but he wanted to see what would happen.

‘Bring the sword, girl,' the old man called.

Lily twitched and clutched at Hector's T-shirt. Her eyes were staring. ‘My arm's so cold,' she croaked.

‘It's OK, Ibu will fix it,' Hector whispered, although he had no idea how, and when he looked towards the trees his
ibu
had vanished.

‘Shit, where's he gone?' Christina said, switching on her torch and scanning the forest.

‘I don't know,' said Hector. Had his
ibu
deserted them? He struggled to control his thoughts. Of course he wouldn't do such a thing, but Hector felt abandoned. He couldn't bear looking at the trees where the skull lay, so he shone the torch at his feet instead. The three of them huddled together, the sword still gripped in Lily's left hand. They were a tight knot in a small pool of light.

Then Hector heard Riki cough somewhere nearby. Leaves rustled and branches snapped. The old man hobbled back into the clearing. Hector and Christina swung their torch beams on him.

He looked enormous illuminated by both lights. He held two leafy branches and chewed something crunchy. Saliva dripped from his mouth. He dropped the branches at the base of the trees, then came over to Lily. He spat into his free hand. ‘Be still,' he said, wiping the mush from his mouth down the length of her frozen arm. As he did so he chanted some strange words. Then he massaged her limb so roughly that Hector thought she would cry out, but Lily stood motionless.