Page 26 of The Beach Holiday

I looked to the boat where Mary had finished packing everything on board. Was it my imagination or did she seem a little less stressed now? She was jogging back to us with a little less speed than before. Where was the sense of urgency that had been there minutes ago?

Clara was making a noise and I looked at her as she coughed and then choked out a few hurried words.

‘Keep . . . away . . .’

‘I can’t, Clara. I have to help you to the boat. Now try and push all your weight onto your other foot.’

‘That’s right, Clara, listen to what Sadie is saying,’ Kali said suddenly next to me. I felt a moment of exhilaration that I was doing something right.

She took the other side of Clara and just before we hauled her up, I looked down at her to see if she was going to say any more. Her lips were open as though she were about to say something else. She had a fierce look in her eyes, then her head flopped back, and she passed out.

18

THEN

We pulled up on shore on Totini Island. Mary began shouting to a few people on the sand, and within a minute there were enough women at the boat helping to carry Clara ashore. She remained passed out all the way back. I held her hand even though there was no grip from her.

I spoke quietly to Kali. ‘What happened?’

Kali’s voice was a little shaky. ‘We were standing in the shallows. I saw a fish, harpooned it, turned out her foot was in the way.’

It seemed like a mistake that could have been avoided if she had been a little more careful as I recalled how all three of them were when they took off into the water, like three overexcited children. Perhaps they had been showing off. How many times had they done this fishing trip before I arrived? Was thispossibly my fault? Had my presence affected their behaviour, resulting in the accident?

Avril came out of her hut and walked over to me.

‘Oh my God, are you okay? I saw Clara; it looks really nasty.’

‘It’s bad. What’s the protocol, do you think? Will they get her to a hospital?’ My words came out staggered and breathy.

‘We’ll let Paula take a look first.’ Avril touched my shoulder. I wanted to say it felt like more of an emergency and that she needed to be seen by a proper doctor in a hospital. What did Paula know, was she a qualified doctor? But surely they’d dealt with emergencies before. I reminded myself of how efficiently they had dealt with the man.

Before I could ask anyone any more questions, Clara was getting carried through the camp to the huts and beyond. I followed after them to see they had taken a left where the main communal area ended and became dense bush and foliage. To the area where I had not yet been.

‘What’s that way?’ I thought of the other side of the island, the place Precious had refused to elaborate on.

‘The hospital.’

‘Hospital?’ I repeated imagining a bright sterile room where Clara would be cared for and return to full health.

‘Is Paula a doctor?’ I asked.

Lola appeared next to Avril and placed her arms around her waist.

‘We will do what we can for her, make her comfortable,’ Avril said. She gave me a smile that seemed sympathetic.

Avril turned with the young girl towards her hut and I watched them walk away, arm in arm. But just before they went in, Avril glanced back at me. She held my gaze, a softnessovercoming her entire face. After what had just happened? Maybe I was just overreacting, maybe this sort of stuff happened here all the time and they were used to it.

I ran to the clearing past the camp, past the huts where I had seen the women take Clara. But I saw no path leading through the bushes. But I had seen them come this way. I was sure of it.

I turned and Mary was there.

‘Don’t worry too much, Sadie. We have plenty of medical supplies here; they’ll be stitching her up as we speak.’

‘They?’ I asked. They could be a team of Oompa Loompas for all I knew. For some reason I had not seen any women who looked as though they practised medicine professionally. But then none of the women were going to be walking around with a stethoscope and glasses peering down at me. Who would help Clara? I couldn’t bear to think of her in pain the way I had seen her on the sandbank.

Then an almighty roar came from the bushes where they had just gone, followed by a pitiful cry that went on until eventually, it faded to nothing. I grabbed hold of Mary’s arm, and she pulled me closer. I buried my head in her hair and held back the tears.

Avril stood up after we had all eaten dinner.

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