15.1 Luna Mar

Next morning, I woke up around four and had a fast breakfast on bread and jam, two eggs and coffee at my kitchen-office cubicle. I turned on my computer and hey presto it loaded Windows 7 instantly. On Twitter, it talked about a mega yacht and browsed some pictures of the type of yacht they were talking about. I could hear the chirps of the birds and it was so quiet that I decided to step outside the gate. Lit a fag and stepped out.

She comes out from that blue gate and that blue gate of Ferris Wheel stood slightly ajar. I was born in Safa, raised in Caba, returned to Safa in 1999. Since then, I did not know who lived around my place and much about my neighbours. Like I said, I was not a socialising person. No. Now that gate on the opposite side of the road came to my focus in the faint light of the beacons. A black Raleigh bicycle stood outside the gate – a ladies’ bike with double down tubes or one without a crossbar.

I know that blue gate is a secondary gate of the house of Ferris Wheel and the main gate is further up on Kamana Boulevard and I cannot see it. I have never seen the inside of that large premise. My curiosity has risen at that point and instincts drove me towards that blue gate to take a look.

I slowly stepped on to the other side of the road and now I could see the glass panels of the to-lets on the north façade of Bienvenidos, some panels lit in night light and without curtains, spreading an orangish glow on the roadside. Leaves of the Rosewood trees swaying in these lights and in front of the beacons.

By now I had approached the blue gate and took a pause by the white wall. This gate even got a threshold that elevated a foot above ground. The Divi natives would tell you that that kind of a blocking on the foot of a doorstep stopped spirits from scattering out of the gate.

I touched the gate and slowly pushed it open not to make so much noise. I stared down at the backside of a house and to some extent familiar to me. A house stood blocking a square patch of a backyard garden. It was dark in there and no light whatsoever. There were two rows of shrubs on both sides of the path from the gate. They were marigold flowers, yellow and orange. Those leaves were rather spectacular. Red and green leaves, meaning; a red leaf and a green leaf on each stalk and not red and green on one leaf, nor reddish green leaves. I noticed a lapidary well standing in the backyard behind the brush with a stepping stone bedded around. There stood a huge shady tree behind it. The building facing me looked to me like a modern kitchen and the overhang on the right was the main house. All the doors were open but I could not see anything in the dark interiors.

Brusquely, there appeared a girl and her sudden sight sent a shockwave that frisked my skin. I could not say whether she popped out behind a door or she popped up from a squat behind the bushes. That was a white girl with thick black hair standing naked within three yards to me. She paused to look at me with a silly smile on her face, polite, shy and warm. She was of my height with tiny cups of tits and probably around sixteen years of age. She continued to do what she came to do. Squatted down on the stone and began to pee.

I withdrew after narrowing the gate. I never saw that girl before. I never saw anyone from this house. Only that Sophie Nadz was going in and coming out through this blue gate.

I enjoyed a ride around the Azul in the afternoon and arrived at battery park to meet my associates. There were joggers, strollers, bikers and a stage set in the park. Music would begin at 5:00 pm and continue until dawn. None of the events for the New Year had been cancelled and the lockdown had not officially been declared. Fresco heads, folks in Nativa, Florina, Nectar, other villages and towns did not support the mayor to go ahead with a lockdown. And the true nature of the wreck still remained unknown.

Asmr had not been to Nativa in weeks and that leather bound old book was passed to him by some folk who came from Nativa.

New Year celebrations came to life, dancing and music took place all around the island. There were three stages set in Azul on the northern bight and beaches. We decided to find a spot in Playa Spa, which was the beach in front of Donato’s home and where Sophie took me the other day. This beach was crowded of people. Canteens, grills, colour bulbs, mobile toilets and medical tents, all that put in place. And the weather was splendid, cool and breezy.

From time to time, firecrackers burst in our feet, little kids blowing those toots and a spectacular firework was expected later in the night.

For the most part, we wandered through in and out the crowds, pausing for a beer or to watch a band on a stage with flashing lights in our faces. Watched the fireworks from a mile distance and danced in the sand.

It was on the winding side, after a cool, I had an opportunity to open a conversation with Asmr. We were then bedded in Playa Spa on the beach near the palms.

I began, “Traves said…”

“Who is Traves?” he interrupted.

“A former classmate. He said it was a superyacht and hundreds of passengers stranded on the ship waiting for visas. Do you know anything about that?”

“Not much. The origins of the ship have not been disclosed. I don’t know why if it is not a stealth from the Pentagon, they are holding it back. Maybe those hundreds of souls are the problem. They have not disembarked.”

“The ship is quarantined.”

“Some kind of disease on board.”

“Another thing I have to find out is about Shalin. Sophie says she is from Jamaica of a Chinese descend and an architect. Sabo said she is a relative of Usi. I know his wife is from Saint Nadine.”

“Do you have a number?” he asked.

“No. Her firm is called Fenfiyaz Architects.”

“Well, we have something to start with. I will find that out for you.”

In conversation, I brought this subject of Sophie, “She confessed on the Muro that she sleeps with young boys from Hilly High.”

“Hush!” he released a sudden sonant, “Not here! Don’t mention it here!” he whispered in my ear, “There is a boy among us who sleeps with her.”

I was shocked, “Who?”

“I can’t mention his name.”

“Simon!”

“Don’t ask!”