Page 36 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

Shinji nodded toward the cluster of weeds the helmet had been buried under. “Just right there,” he answered. “Why?”

Oliver looked uncharacteristically grim. “I don’t like what that means for this place,” he muttered, scratching

the back of his neck with his cane. “A lot of the Polynesian islands were occupied during World War Two. Tahiti and Bora Bora were both under occupation for several years before the war ended. Not good. Soldiers and isolated communities usually don’t mix well.”

“Ocean!” Mano called from up ahead, his voice booming through the trees. “I think you should come take a look at this!”

Shinji and Oliver hurried to where Mano, Phoebe, Lucy, and Roux were standing at the edge of the village. All were gazing at something beyond the trees, something Shinji couldn’t quite see. “What do you make of that?” Mano said, nodding to the space beyond.

Maneuvering between Lucy and Roux, Shinji frowned. A portion of the thick, tangled rain forest looked like it had been cleared. The undergrowth had grown back and was wilder than ever, but Shinji could see several stumps where trees had been chopped down, and places where the ground had been flattened. In the center of this open space, a large concrete slab sat in the weeds. It looked like a structure might’ve been there at one point, one that could be hastily constructed and taken down again. Piles of junk lay scattered around the concrete; Shinji saw empty shelves, loose tires, aluminum cans, even a steering wheel lying in the weeds and long grass. Atop the slab, a trio of fifty-gallon drums sat rusting in one corner, a dark brown oil stain baked into the concrete below.

“What is this place?” Lucy wondered, gazing at the piles of junk in disgust. “What happened here?”

“Soldiers,” Mano explained. “I’m guessing they used this place as a staging ground for troops during the conflict. Of course, that wouldn’t exactly mean good things for the people already living here.” He sighed, gazing back to where the village lay, silent and empty in the trees. “Wars are terrible, but the people who get caught in the middle of them are the ones who suffer most. I guess now we know what happened to the people living here.”

“We will remember them,” Phoebe said emphatically. She stepped forward, her chin raised and her lips tight as she gazed around the lost village. “We have to try to learn as much about this place as we can. The Natia lived here once. This was their home. If we remember them, their stories will not be forgotten. And neither will they.”

Mano gave a solemn nod. “Yes. This is what the Society does. We preserve history as much as we can. People, as well as artifacts, deserve to be remembered.”

“Yeah, but…” Roux gazed around, his expression wary. “I know forbidden places when I see them,” he said. “And this place might as well have a bunch ofno trespassingsigns tacked up on every tree. What if we wake up a bunch of angry ghosts that don’t exactly want us on this island?”

“Worry not.” Phoebe pulled a small glass container out of her pack, holding it up triumphantly. “I have salt!” she

announced. Roux blinked in confusion, and she raised a finger. “You see, if we’re targeted by any angry ghosts, all you have to do is stand inside an unbroken salt circle and you should be fine. Or…” She tapped her chin with a knuckle. “Was that the fae who don’t like salt?”

“Both,” Roux said, and they all glanced at him in surprise. “It works on fairies and ghosts. Or you can also burn sage to keep ghosts away.” He blinked at the amazed stares surrounding him. “What? I can read, you know.”

“Unbroken salt circle,” Mano mused, tapping his chin. “I’m going to have to remember that.”

Oliver scratched his head with his parrot cane. “I guess we should let Dr. Grant and the others in on this now,” he said. “Before they come looking for us and explode with excitement. Phoebe, round up the research team and tell them we’ll be basing here. Ask them what equipment they’ll need to get started.”

Phoebe gave an excited squeak and bounded off. Oliver shook his head and glanced at Mano. “You and I should probably start looking for a place to set up some kind of camp,” he said. “I’m guessing close to the village, but far enough away that we’re not in danger of disturbing anything. I’ve known a few scientists; sometimes they get so excited about their research, they don’t notice their camp is right next to an ancient burial site or a sacred temple. I’d like to avoid angry spirits or restless dead if at all possible.”

“What should we do?” Shinji asked.

“Oliver!” Phoebe called before he could answer, her voice echoing somewhere inside the village. “Dr. Grant is here. She wants to talk to you right now!”

Oliver cursed under his breath and tapped the golden parrot beak against his temple several times. “Ugh, who put me in charge of this expedition? That was a terrible idea,” he muttered. “Kids, you just…stay out of trouble.”

He walked away with Mano, leaving Shinji and the others alone. They looked at each other uncertainly, until Roux shrugged.

“Okay, then. See you guys later.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Lucy wanted to know.

The other boy gave a conspiratorial grin as he backed away. “Me? Nowhere. Just going to look around for…stuff.”

“Don’t you dare steal anything from this village,” Lucy warned in a vehement tone. She pointed a finger at him, as if wanting to stab it through his face. “Did you hear what Oliver said about sacred temples and burial sites? If you take anything, you might anger the spirits.”

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that,” Roux said. “There are places you steal from and places you don’t. An abandoned village in the middle of a jungle, in the middle of a forbidden island, in the middle of a freak storm, in the middle of the ocean…isnotone of the places you steal from. I’ve seen horror movies.” His nose wrinkled, and he

shook his head. “I’m not going to touchanythingin this village. I like to avoid curses and angry ghosts, thanks.”

“Then where are you going?” Shinji asked.

“Wow, suspicious much?” Raising an arm, Roux gestured to the adults milling through the village behind them. “I’m just going to look around. We’re on a mysterious island surrounded by weird fog that we found because asharkpointed us to a treasure map. I mean, how can you not want to check this place out? I thought you two were part of this super-specialexplorersclub.” He shrugged. “But if you’re scared, I’ll go myself.”

“You know, you don’t have to be such a troll.” Lucy tossed her braid back and gave him a superior look. “We were going to come anyway. Also, talk to me about being scared when you’re hanging from a giant spider’s web.”

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