Without preamble, Leo in his peculiar voice began his
account of what he knew. Gábor focused more on him and noticed that he
understood Leo better if he paid attention.
"Nan fell on ne. All went wlack. I see again, sonevody
dushing ne thrrough water for long tine. Swallowed waterr, dings not verry
clearr. After night and day and anoderr night, soneding under ne, dushing ne I
see land, felt ny wody touching sonedin sharrd, harrd and starrted going, not
verry farr den fell down and see dlack man walking away den went sleev. Next
you cane." He finished and looked at them and they looked back at him,
wondering what to make of the situation.
This story was just too much. Something, perhaps dolphins,
it seemed, rescued Leo, and also the other man. If he walked away, he must
still be on the Island and the authorities must know about his presence by now.
They would have talked with him. Lundy must have seen Leo falling and assumed
him dead, or perhaps out long enough to call others to recover a strange animal
dressed in clothes. It was not a big island. Possibly considering Leo to be an
injured animal, he could have thought it couldn’t go far. And now that they had
come and taken Leo, there was no evidence of an animal. The "Animal"
Lundy saw, either survived and was living trapped on the island, and in that
case they would find him, or was swept into the sea and drowned. Alternatively,
the sharks could have got him.
They set out to explore the beach in a good mood. In
Helena's and Gábor elation, it escaped them that Ivan had a furtive expression
on his face; something was not fitting, but his friend's relief was contagious
and so he didn’t follow his chain of thought for the time being.
He served as a combat instructor for the Soviet Allied
Afghan military and had a pretty good feeling when something did not fit, but
he could not put a finger on it yet and did not want to spoil the party.
Nevertheless, he would think about the situation, as time would allow.
With Gábor in the lead, they walked up on the beach and saw
the first signs of civilization, a plastic Coca-Cola bottle. As they
progressed, more signs of civilization popped up. A piece of driftnet material,
some burned timbers, and a wooden frame with a piece of plastic tarp, torn and
flapping in the breeze indicated that people visited this place. Somebody
obviously came occasionally to this island and it must have been some time ago
judging by the state of the frame and the plastic. This landing site would not
be ideal for Leo and Ivan, but it could be good when they brought provisions
and no one was around. They must find a place that others did not use and
allowed them to hide the boat.
They continued to look around and found no other refuse or
sign of human presence further up the hills and inclines. The area was dense
with vegetation and they saw many coconuts, of course, banana, mango, and papaya
trees, and others they could not identify or just did not know their names.
Then to the delight of Helena, they discovered the famous
pomelo, the Polynesian version, and a relative to the mainland grapefruit, but
on steroids, bigger and much sweeter. She picked a few and some bananas and
papayas and handed them to the others to carry. They would eat them back on the
boat. On the cruiser, they had a pomelo, surprised at the size and the
sweetness of it; it became their favourite in one taste. It also had several
medicinal benefits. Gábor talked about it for days after and swore they would
gorge themselves on them when they returned to Papeete. Back at the boat, they
sat down and ate the fruits they had "harvested." Leo's face was
hilarious to watch when he tasted the "grapefruit." His eyes squinted
and his mouth puckered up. He shook his head rapidly and saliva ran from his
mouth, but he kept licking it and his face screwed up into a sour mimic.
"Did you hear about the nun who had been taken
advantage of by the gardener as she was picking mushrooms?"
"No," said Ivan and Helena smiled; she did.
"Well, she was doubled over as she harvested
champignons and this guy took her from behind, and for a half hour she tried to
get the mushroom and afterwards she remembered her vows of chastity and went to
the Sister Superior and confessed her sin and asked for absolution to be whole
in the eyes of the Lord again. Sister Superior advised her to squeeze six
lemons into a glass and drink the juice.
“Will that make me whole in the eyes of the Lord again,” she
asked, and the answer was, “no, but it will take care of that silly smile on
your face.”
Helena and Ivan could not stop laughing and it brought the
whole family closer to each other. Ivan, seeing Leo's twisted face, had a
blast, imagining the nun drinking the sour juice. It had him in stitches. Leo
did not laugh as a human would. His vocal chords produced more of a loud
purring-growling sound in his throat, his eyes closed a bit, his upper face
lifted and revealed his canine teeth, but it didn't look threatening and he
licked the fruit again. Helena laughed more about Leo's face than the joke. She
loved this joke too but heard it a few times in the past and it had lost its
effect. Not this time, with Leo's facial expression aiding the visual imaging
of the fortunate nun experiencing heavenly pleasures on Earth, was priceless.
The first time in Budapest when they saw three nuns in a
café laughing about something, Gábor told the joke to one of their colleagues
from the Athletic club, that man retold this joke in the club later, and it
became a classic. They realized then that laughter was a key for all people to
tear down mental walls that separated mankind from each other and didn't
allowed for friendship and acceptance of differences. They discovered laughter
unites.
Looking forward to having more Polynesian grapefruits, they
now discussed their situation and decided to circle the island and see what
other options they had.
The short exploration lasted about an hour and it was now
1600h. All boarded the boat again and Gábor waded out to the tree he previously
tied the line to and untied it. Ivan started the engines and kept the boat in
position while Gábor untied the line and coiled it while returning to the boat.
Helena, together with Leo, retrieved the anchor and stowed it away in the stern
locker. With Ivan at the helm, they moved a short distance from the shore and
continued their exploration from the sea. Helena and Gábor used the binoculars
and Leo just with naked eyes could pick out details even better than his
parents with their binoculars.
At the western side of the island, they noticed a few small
waterfalls, nothing spectacular, yet it indicated a fresh water supply. Gábor
decided to take a closer look. Cautiously and aware of the surge they
approached the wall. It looked very forbidding and the vegetation clang to the
crevices like a blanket. Sharp rock formations awash looked very intimidating
and Ivan watched warily as he got closer. When he was about ten meters from the
steep wall a small cave appeared, about seven meters wide, flanked on both
sides by some nasty looking sharp rocks, like sentinels. Only about a half
meter above the present water level, it would not be possible to hide a boat in
there and when there were swells, the water reached the ceiling.
As the swells rose and fell, the hole was covered and
uncovered and they could see the high-water mark was just about even with the
present water level. At low tide, the cave would be about a meter clearance and
more visible. This would not serve as a hiding place for the boat. At high
tide, the water would squash the boat against the ceiling, probably puncture,
and sink it. Additionally, it would be perilous to scale the wall to get to
higher ground. Gábor thought to see something and wanted a closer look and to
see if it led anywhere. Informing the others of his intention, he put on his
fins and mask, grabbed his light, and rolled into the water.
Ivan decided to retreat to keep a safe distance. Gábor dove,
his fins kicked, and then he was gone for about a minute. Resurfacing, he told
them the bottom was about seven meters down, and then headed for the cave
entrance. He floated there, near the wall, rising and falling with the swells,
and Helena was a bit apprehensive seeing him that close to the jagged
sentinels, but he waved back, indicating all was well, and with the next swell
he disappeared from their view. For about five minutes, he was gone and Helena
got nervous, but then he reappeared at the entrance and motioned to her that
all was okay and should join him. She was curious about what he'd discovered
and asked him what it was.
"It's a tunnel and it goes in farther, and then it
opens into a bay," he informed her.
"What did you find?" Helena asked.
"Just come and see. You too, Leo. You won't need a
mask. When we come back, you should see it too Ivan. It's gorgeous."
Helena tied up her hair, got into the water with fins, and
waited for Leo. When Leo got in, the three swam into the opening. When the
swell came, it just about touched the ceiling and pushed them deeper into the
tunnel. They swam and continued on for about five meters, and then the ceiling
opened up at least three meters over their heads.
Gábor shone the light onto walls glittering with crystals
and water dripped onto them from the ceiling, fresh water. There was light
coming from the left and as they continued to swim toward it, it became
brighter and then suddenly there was the sky. Looking around, they realized to
be on the bottom of a cauldron. Eerie as it seemed at first, it was
breathtakingly beautiful.
An oval opening, about a hundred meters in diameter with
steep rise, and lush vegetation in bloom covered the steep walls, allowed a
wide view of the sky. The upper edge of the hole was covered with flowers. The
wall itself had small trees growing on it, but nothing strong enough to allow
them climbing the wall, which was about ten meters high. A white band of sand,
about forty meters wide from the wall stretched out in front of them. They stared
with wonder and then Gábor pointed forward. Swimming toward it, Helena touched
the white, sandy bottom about five meters from the beach and stood up. Leo and
Gábor followed.
"I don't believe this. This is incredible. Is there a
way up?" she said and removed the fins and the mask, placing them on the
soft sand and shells.
Gábor pointed to his right. "If you want to climb
rocks, I think it might be possible over there," he pointed to a kind of a
ramp while removing his fins also and lay them besides Helena’s and then doffed
his mask.
"I didn't get to check it out. I wanted you two to see
it. This could be the perfect place if the entrance was a half-meter higher.
The boat without the superstructure could possibly make it in, I'd think."
They walked on the sand and saw nothing indicating anybody
had ever walked here. With the exception of bird and crab tracks, it was virgin
territory. Then Leo's voice called to them and they turned toward the sound. It
was coming from above and they saw Leo's head looking down at them.
"Conn." Gábor and Helena looked at each other with
a smile, happy to see Leo taking the lead. "Let's join him."
"Where is the path?" Helena shouted, unnecessary.
The sound rose in the confined area. Leo indicated toward the far right wall
that Gábor had pointed out before. They found the path that was easy to climb,
but slippery from moss and plants growing on the stones and rocks made it up
without a big effort. Arriving on a relatively level plateau circa two hundred
meters long and about seventy meters wide with several trees, slightly
elevated, with thick, short grass and some bushes, all three stopped in wonder.
The breeze, sweet with the scent of hibiscus, jasmine, tiare, and other
tropical flowers pleasant in their nostrils, made them breathe in deeply and
smile.
The view was breathtaking. Turning in a circle, they saw the
volcanic cone rising high with craggy rocks, fissures, and plants. Small trees
grew where they could. They felt they had discovered paradise. Helena pointed
at the bridge that spanned the tunnel under which they came in, leading in an
angle toward the sea wall. It looked almost inaccessible, due to the heavy
vegetation, but Gábor saw a few possibilities for gaining admittance to it. And
as he got closer, it turned out to be correct. A path that reminded him of a
Japanese garden setting in Okinawa, winding and twisting in a few turns led to
a relatively clear area, and then they were on the "bridge". A gentle
slope toward the sea made for an easy walk. Hand in hand, Helena and Gábor
followed Leo who had discarded his clothing since they had arrived on this
island and moved on all four limbs effortlessly.
Reaching to the edge, they looked straight down and saw Ivan
in the boat about twenty meters from the wall, looking toward the shore.
Helena, yelling to Ivan, got his attention. He glanced up with a look that was
worth a million dollars. Grinning, Gábor waved. The surprise on Ivan's face was
complete and Gábor committed his face to memory.
"You need to see your face," he shouted to Ivan.
His friend shook his head and called back.
"You should see yours. If I had your grin I could eat a
banana sideways. That would be worth a picture."
"You've got to see this. We'll come back and then you
could come up here."
"I wait forr hin herre," said Leo. They made their
way down again, got into the water, and swam back to the waiting man in the
boat. Ivan had his fins on and a mask around his neck.
"Won't need it," said Helena, but Gábor knew Ivan
well enough to guess he would want to see the bottom of the sea and perhaps the
sea life.
"See you from the edge," he said and entered the
water with a splash. Leo followed Ivan with his eyes until he disappeared from
view, then turned and loped off to meet his friend and mentor inside the
grotto.
"Knowing you, and the look on your face, it's telling
me you are cooking some plan in your head how to get in here,” Helena grinned
at Gábor. "If you find a way, I'll reward you with a night you won't
forget," said Helena with a wide smile.
"I'll call you on
that. But you're correct. I'm looking for ideas. A submarine is one. It is
between tides now and the tunnel is barely open. Perhaps at low tide it will be
enough to slide in, but I doubt it"
"Too
bad the entrance is too low and the boat can't fit through. It would be the
ideal place," said Helena with a voice that expressed disappointment about
the inaccessibility of this beautiful place, but she was looking for a way to
make it possible. Gábor had a furrow between his eyes and forehead, his right hand
was scratching his head as he did when he faced a problem and searched his mind
for a solution. Obviously he worked on an idea.
"Let me think
about this. There may be a way, so let's put our heads together. When Ivan
returns we will have a brainstorming session. He and you always have ideas I
can build on, like when we designed the staircase for our basement, you
remember?” She did and it raised her hopes.
"This is not as easy as that was," she objected.
"You're not giving up, are you?"
"Never. As long as you are around it would be
impossible. You wouldn't let me live it down. You seem always to come up with
something unexpected in any situation. I've noticed that a long time ago."
She had a secretive smile on her lips and a mischievous smirk on her face. Gábor
threw her a loving glance; he had the impression she talked about more than his
ability to come up with architectural ideas. Again, he marvelled how she could
support him so easily by just trusting him. Still, at this time, it seemed
impossible to come up with an idea.
A little later Ivan appeared on the high edge with Leo
beside him. Gábor and Helena waved at them and Gábor turned to her.
"This is a Kodak moment. Never would have believed he
could chew on both of his ears at the same time. He seems to like this place. I
think the three of us will come up with some solutions to make this place the
ideal hideaway. Leo feels like home already, at least that's the impression I
got."
On the way back to
the boat, his mind had started to look at the situation and nothing came to him
at the moment, but he was sure there was a way; there always was. He needed a
sounding board to toss ideas against and then something would start to
crystallize. Helena was perfect in that regard and Ivan had also some wonderful
ideas when they were working on the house.
His train of thought ended when Leo and Ivan returned to the
boat. His face had still had the traces of the impression of their discovery
and Gábor knew him well enough to see that his mind was in high gear thinking of
a way to have access to that grotto.
“This place is truly a paradise, my friends. We must find a
way making it accessible somehow. We could try overland from the landing site,
but that would be hard if we had to lug supplies through the jungle. The tides
this close to the equator are not very variable, a half meter at best, and with
the opening now not more than a foot, it will not be possible to enter, unless
we could raise the ceiling somehow. The problem then would be that anybody
could see it if they get close enough. Houston, I think we have a problem.”
He scratched his head and eyed the steep raising, sparsely
covered with plants rock façade as if it was an enemy.
Turning back to the family behind him, he made a gesture
with his hands, expressing a momentary indecision, and finished his thought.
"We need to get
our heads together and find a way to get in there. But for now, we better get
going before it gets dark. We need to get around the island and see what else
there is."
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