The winding, narrow road with thick vegetation on either side gave way to the small village of Caigual. There were a number of wooden one-storey buildings whose painted walls were now peeled and cracked; both time and a lack of care saw to their drab appearance. Some were private homes and in each window sat a curious owner, wondering who may be stopping and what gossip they could create. There was a general store that sold everything from tinned corned beef and lanterns to aspirin, and always a favourite place to pass some time. And then there was the rum shop, with its own still, hidden away in the back producing a foul tasting drink that only an iron stomach could handle.
The bus came to an abrupt stop, sending the passengers scrambling for something to hold on to so that they would not fall. The bus driver let out a loud sigh and then mumbled something under his breath about the faulty brakes.
"Caigual, there is only one stop." The bus driver reached over to the handle and opened the front door.
Robert and Anna got up. The passengers all stared at them, making up stories to entertain their thoughts.
"Thank you," Robert remarked to the driver as he reached the door.
"Well lucky today, sometimes the bus does only make it half way." The driver thought it was a wonderful joke and began to laugh.
Robert and Anna looked around, not sure where to start to locate Nancy's aunt, Trisky. They could feel the eyes of the town looking at them and they knew they must appear to be a strange sight.
The bus started up again, coughing out a large plume of black smoke. It jolted and then stopped. The driver began to beat on the steering wheel. He looked around and said something to the passengers and got off the bus.
"Shit, shit and more shit." The driver went over to the hood and unlatched it, "Just my luck."
Robert and Anna walked into the general store that was filled with as much conversation as there were items for sale. They were certain someone must know Trisky.
"Excuse me, can you tell me how to find Trisky?" Anna asked.
Everyone stopped what they were doing. The room became uncomfortably silent.
"She is an aunt of a close friend," Anna tried once more.
Finally someone answered. He was an elderly man sitting in a corner. His face was so weather-beaten that it was hard to see his features through all the wrinkles.
"What do you want with Trisky?" the old man inquired.
"Visiting. I have a message from her niece in Port of Spain."
"Visit you say. Not planning to stay long?" The old man gestured with his hand.
"What do you mean?" Anna wanted to do all the talking.
"No bags."
"Just want to give her a message," Anna replied quickly.
The old man stood up, grabbing a walking stick for support. He must have been very tall as a young man as even now, bent over the walking stick, he was close to six feet. "You would be better off not going to that woman's house, she is evil."
"What are you talking about?" Robert asked.
"Ah, an American," someone called out.
The old man waddled over to Robert and Anna, coming to a stop a few inches from Robert. "Do ya see my face Yankee? Well take a good look. This is not old age, this is a spell."
"Now stop your foolishness Harry. Do not pay him any attention." A Chinese woman turned to Robert and Anna, "Come, I'll show you which way to go."
The bus was still there with the driver's head buried in the engine. The passengers who were to travel on were still in the bus, most of them asleep.
"Just go down the street until you come to a dirt road on your left. Follow that for about two or three miles, there is a burnt out plantation house on the left, may be hard to make out as the rainforest has retaken most of it." The woman smiled.
"What is it?" Anna asked.
"Oh, just thinking about what old Harry told you. Trisky is a strange one, but you have nothing to fear. She just seems to know everything. Anyway, soon after you pass the ruins there is a small trail on your right. Follow that and you will come to Trisky's house."
Robert and Anna thanked the woman and set off down the road. They felt somewhat uneasy and hoped that Trisky would take their word for it as they no longer had the note from Nancy.
The dirt trail was no more than four feet wide and on either side was bordered by thick undergrowth. A scattering of abandoned cocoa trees hung on to life with their branches, seeking whatever daylight that filtered through the canopy. In the distance they could hear the screams of Red Howler monkeys deep in the forest, as they gorged themselves on figs and nuts. Their haunting sounds and the stolen sunlight from the leaf covered branches above helped fuel their unsteady nerves.
"This is a strange," Anna whispered as if someone might be listening.
Robert reached down and held her hand, "Oh just the sounds of the jungle."
"What do you know of the jungle? Besides, it's a rainforest."
The trail began to climb and they had to slow their pace as the surface was loose and very uneven. On one side the land sloped steeply while on the other it ascended upwards into the rainforest. As they reached a bend on the trail, the gushing sound of running water reached their ears, giving a sense of calm with its murmured melody.
"Must be a river close by," Anna remarked.
"A large one." They stopped to listen. All the other sounds seemed to give way to the river, almost a gesture of its importance.
They began to move up the trail again and with each step, their minds dug deeper into the unknown. 'Who was this person, and why did she live away from the main town? Could the old man at the shop be telling the truth?'
The trail came to a sudden end. A large tree had fallen across it, blocking the way. Its trunk was more than twelve feet high, making it impossible to climb over.
"We'll have to go around," Robert cautioned.
"It's a silk cotton tree, is that some sort of omen?"
"Your imagination is getting the better of you."
They moved over to the side of the trail and carefully began to creep around the fallen tree. Each step took several minutes as they planted their feet on the slippery slope, praying that it would hold. The branches offered some support as they grabbed hold of them to take some of their weight.
"We are nearly there," Robert reassured Anna. "I can see the trail."
Robert reached up to a large branch which would see him over the fallen tree and back to the safety of the trail. As he took told of the branch it felt different as it seemed to move beneath his hand.
"Snake!" Robert jumped back, losing his footing. He tried to scramble to regain it, but the slope was too damp and slippery. He tumbled down and vanished into the undergrowth.
"Robert!" Anna cried at the top of her voice. "Robert!"
Only the sounds of the rainforest answered her.
Anna stood for a moment. She was scared as the undergrowth seemed to move in around her, stifling her thoughts. 'I must think clearly.'
She finally sat down and began to slide down the slope using her bottom to create some friction between the ground and herself. She used her outstretched legs to guide her towards the path created by Robert when he had tumbled down the gorge.
"Robert!"
There was still no answer.
Anna paused to listen, "Robert."
Progress was slow as Anna did not want to lose her footing. Her mind was now racing as pictures of every kind of disaster played out to a horrible end. 'Was he dead; broke something, his neck?' She felt as though she was going to be sick.
She reached a tiny clearing in the forest of trees. She could see something just beyond a clump of tall bamboo shoots. She called out again, her voice trembling in fear. A gust of wind propelled up the gorge, rattling the bamboo; their loud clanking sounded like a firework explosion.
"Robert." Anna's voice was stifled by the provoked bamboo patch.
"Ahh."
"Robert." Anna thought she heard something. She moved closer to the bamboo, "Oh my god." Robert was lodged between two tall shoots. His body was twisted into the tight spaces due to the speed he had achieved while tumbling and rolling down the slope.
"I'm alright, I think." Robert looked up, trying to free a leg that was entwined in bamboo. "Just sore, nothing seems to be broken." He pushed his weight to one side and carefully manoeuvred his leg around the shoot. "Nearly there."
The wind stopped and the bamboo was silent once more.
"What am I going to do with you?" Anna asked, almost in tears.
Robert dug his hands into the damp ground to help get some leverage. Suddenly, he pulled back his hand.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. I touched something hard just below the surface." Robert examined the ground into which he had just dug his hands. "There is something there."
"Will you please be careful? The last time you touched something look where you ended up." Anna tried to smile.
Robert began to shift away the mud. A small object not more than a few inches wide appeared. He picked it up.
"What is that?"
Robert wiped the object in his shirt. "It's a piece of iron." He rubbed it in his shirt again. "It's a child's toy."
"A toy?"
Robert's hands began to tremble. Loud shrieking sounds rang in his head, and strange images flashed in front of him.
"What is it?"
"I don't know. It was just so weird. I saw these blurred images racing around in my head..."
"Must have been from the fall," Anna interjected. "What is the toy?" Anna continued pointing towards object.
"Ah, it feels like cast iron. It's a horse and carriage."
******
ANNA'S HOUSE, 1994
"But, how is that possible?" Peter asked, sitting up.
"Well it is true. When Betty was fleeing the burning house that night with Peter bundled up in her arms, he must have dropped it. We had no idea what it was or where it came from at the time, but that belonged to the child."
"What did you do with it?"
Anna pointed to a narrow shelf on the wall, "Over there."
Peter got up, shaking his legs, which had become numb from sitting for so long. He reached up onto the shelf and picked up the tiny toy.
"It's a horse and carriage."
"You look surprised. They don't make things the way they used to. Solid iron. It was rusty when your grandfather dug it up, but it is almost as good as new."
Peter sat down. His fingers traced over the tiny toy as he closed his eyes and images of a dark forest night with a red stained sky flashed by. He could feel the pounding heat against his face and a firm grip across his back. In his hands he pictured holding the horse and carriage, a link to the past.
"Well, we learned about the toy a few days later, and it wasn't that it fell from the child's hand, but we will get to that."
Peter opened his eyes, he was back in Anna's house.
"We managed to climb back up the slope to the trail much dirtier than when we went down, and your grandfather had a few bruises and lots of ant bites. It was not long after that we sighted the remains of the Lambert house."
******
CAIGUAL, 1944
The trail widened to one side, veering off to the left. Robert and Anna stopped. They remembered what the woman at the shop had told them about the plantation house.
The forest had worked its way around the structures that had remained after the fire. Long interweaving vines launched out from the damp ground, capturing their intended target, creating new shapes and patterns. Parts of the tiled veranda still existed although trees were now growing through them, twisting the tiles as they grew. Some yards away, a clay brick wall stood guard over the site, remains of a boiler room where molasses was once heated.
"This must have been the Lambert house," Anna remarked. "Look, you can almost imagine the large courtyard." Anna pointed to an area in front of what was the veranda.
They stood in silence, trying to picture the great house and all the bustling activity around it. But the advancing rainforest seized the opportunity to claim back all that was around it, leaving very little evidence of what was once there.
The sugar mill was covered in vines, creating a circular cone, reaching up to the canopy like an odd monument to a lost time.
"I guess the house must have been abandoned after the fire." Robert took a step towards what was once the front gate, "Look, the post is still here." He brushed the leaves aside with his foot, exposing an iron pillar with an etched carving on one side.
"We should go," Anna waved to Robert to rejoin her on the trail.
They continued up the winding path and soon found the narrow trail moving off in the other direction.
"This must be it." Robert led the way. The rainforest seemed to move in around them, the trees looked like giant soldiers watching their every step. Many of the moss covered branches were enveloped with bromeliads; their red flowers appeared like prying eyes. A sharp chirping sound filtered down from the tree tops, which was answered by another, deeper in the forest.
"What is that?" Robert asked.
"It's a cricket, an insect. They are calling the rain."
The dirt path led to a clearing where a small house could be seen. The house was made entirely of wood and resembled a log cabin. It had a narrow veranda in the front with two rocking chairs waiting to share their comfort. On either side of the house was a kitchen garden, boasting of every shape and colour vegetable.
"Should we go up to the house?" Anna asked cautiously.
"Maybe we should call out from here. Hello!" Robert shouted. "Anyone home?"
The front door opened and a very old woman stepped out onto the veranda. She was holding a 12 gauge shotgun and had taken aim at Robert and Anna. "Yes, I'm home and you are not welcome." The woman was bent over, her back no longer able to support her frame, but her arms were strong as she continued to hold up the heavy gun. "I may be old but me aim is good."
"Miss Trisky, Nancy sent us," Anna called out.
"How the hell you know my name?" the old woman replied.
"Nancy Oswald."
Trisky lowered the gun. She took a step forward. "You know Nancy?"
"Yes we do. She said you might be able to help us."
"Come a little closer so I can get a better look at you."
Robert and Anna started up the tiny path towards the house.
"That's close enough. Now what do you want?"
"Nancy said you might allow us..."
"What's this shit, you doing all the talking?" Trisky interrupted. "Mister, do you have a voice?"
"Yes mama," Robert replied.
"What the shit, an American!" Trisky laughed out loud.
"Mama, we were..."
"You're running away from the war," Trisky interrupted again.
"But how do you..." Robert did not finish the question.
"Look Yankee boy I know, and just leave it at that. And young lady, what are you doing with this US man?"
"We were hoping to stay with you until it is safe to go back to Port of Spain, Nancy said you would help." Anna took a step closer.
"Young love. It can cloud the brain with stupidness." Trisky paused as if she was looking for something, "Where are your bags?"
"It's a long story. Got left on the train," Anna replied.
"Ah, fighting over a woman no doubt."
"But how..."
"Look here, I ask the questions. What is your name?"
"Anna."
"And you army boy?"
"Robert."
Trisky walked to the edge of the veranda, "Come closer." She rested the shotgun against the banister.
Robert walked up to the woman.
"Robert you say," Trisky stared at him for a moment. "My God, what the hell. You're a Lambert!" Trisky grabbed hold of the banister to steady herself, "I must sit."
Anna and Robert went quickly to her aid, taking hold of her arms and guiding her onto a chair.
"I don't understand." Robert stooped down next to Trisky.
Trisky took a deep breath. "I know, believe me I know what I am saying. This valley still holds the memories of your family. Their spirit lives in trees, in the river, in the birds and animals. You will see all, as they will show you."
Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out from the clouds above, as a large black bird scooped down on a fleeing mouse that ran across the path.
"What was that?" Anna asked.
"Our version of a raven. The spirits know you are here."
Anna stooped next to Robert and together they looked on in awe. What were they to make of this? How could she have known Robert's name? No one spoke for a while.
The afternoon light was fading as the sun slowly took refuge behind the tall trees to the west. Across the valley, a chorus of different bird songs echoed sweetly as they sorted out their nests in preparation for the coming night.
"We must go inside. Must get the lanterns ready." Trisky stood up, using Robert's and Anna's arms for balance. "When was the last time you had a bath? You smell like pig shit."
The house was constructed of cedar wood with a v-shaped notching at the corners. The horizontal spaces between the logs were filled in with mud and dried animal dung. There were windows on each side with the framed glass panes stained a dirty grey from age. The roof was made of galvanize sheets that were covered with dead tree branches to help absorb the midday heat. Inside, there was the main room that included a small sitting area, a circular dining table and some shelves with odd shaped ornaments on them, and in the back was the kitchen. The kitchen contained a wood stove made entirely from dried mud, its walls now blackened from the fires. In one corner were several buckets of water used for cooking and washing which would have been drawn from the hand pump that was anchored next to the sink.
The bathroom consisted of an outhouse a few yards beyond the back door which was made up of galvanize, surrounding a deep hole in the middle of the ground. There was a clothes-line tied to one end of the outhouse and the other to a mango tree.
The interior walls were plastered with old newspapers and a diluted whitewash was painted over them. There were two other rooms containing a bed in each and free standing cupboards.
"Robert bring me gun inside. Anna seat," Trisky instructed. She went over to the far corner where three lanterns were stored. She lit them all, placing one in the kitchen, one on the dining table and the other she brought back to where Anna was sitting. "The night comes very fast up here. As soon as the sun dips behind the valley, you can't see your hand in front of you."
Robert returned with the gun, leaning it against the wall by the door.
"Thank you for letting us stay." Anna smiled a sheepish smile.
"Who said anything about staying? I can't send you back out, you would be lost in a minute." Trisky placed the lantern down and sank down into an oversized armchair. "Sit Robert, and tell me what I do not know."
Trisky's complexion was a burnt brown in colour and her eyes were dark as midnight. Her face was strong and stern but beneath there was softness. Her grey hair was cut short, almost a boy cut and perhaps the only feminine touch she flaunted was two gold earrings.
They told Trisky everything and she listened without saying a word. Once in a while she would shift in her chair and scratch her bottom and complain about her skin shedding like a snake.
"I have much to share with you," Trisky announced halfway through a sentence Robert was making, "But I must know for certain if you are the one I must share it with."
Trisky looked at the young couple as though reading their thoughts. "So did Harry tell you where to find me?"
"Sort of," Anna replied. "He told us why not to come here..."
"What a shit. He was me common law husband until I caught him with a young Indian girl. Acid does remind you of your evil deeds."
It was soon dark, and the night sounds came in like uninvited intruders. The room slowly filled with the somewhat sweet smell from the lanterns as they burned off the oil, prompting Robert to inquire about it.
"Its citronella oil," Trisky announced. "It's made from different leaves and stems from many plants. It keeps the blasted bugs away and you can be sure those damn mosquitoes don't bother you."
"Can you tell me about the child, the one that was saved?"
Trisky's dark eyes lit up. "The child, I know everything about the child."
"What happened?" Anna asked.
"You will learn. I will tell you some things and the spirit world will tell some. But now we must eat. There is some water in a bucket in the kitchen, use it to freshen up. Don't worry about the floor, its dry mud and the water will run off. Tomorrow you bathe in the river."
Robert and Anna went into the kitchen and stripped down to their underwear. They took a cloth from the windowsill and soaked it in the water. It was cold but it felt good as it removed the dirt that clung to them.
Trisky appeared in the doorway holding a towel and two large men's shirts. "You can use this to put on, belonged to Harry." She handed Anna the items. "Leave the dirty clothes on the floor and I will see to them in the morning." She retreated into the main room.
Later that night, they sat down for a dinner of homemade bread, some wild meat and vegetables. The conversation shifted from living in the United States, to the war and to Nancy's house in Belmont.
"That Nancy, she was always a thinker, a trouble maker but shit she was more like me than her mother," Trisky laughed. "On that Nancy, people thought she was possessed even as a child. Some say stones would rise up in the air to hit her when she walked down the street. They took her to the monks in the mountain to draw out the devil. But I knew differently." Trisky rubbed her eyes, "Anyway, I'm tired and will be going to bed now. You can use the other room."
Trisky got up and burped three times. This was followed by loud flatulence which thankfully was smothered by the smell of the burning citronella oil.
"Now, I sleep naked, so if you don't want to be scared shitless, don't come into me room.'' Trisky picked up her shotgun, smiled and left them to wonder who this unusual person was.
Outside, a silvery moon had carved a passage through the blackened sky. Its light exposed parts of the forest canopy, casting images of monsters and dragons to the active imagination. The night sounds had gone quiet, except for a few male frogs determined to find a mate with their calls for attention.
Robert and Anna fell into a deep sleep as soon as their heads hit the feathered pillows. Dreams of trains circling an altar with a policeman giving chase, and an old woman shooting wildly at nothing, filled their heads like a silent film that went on and on.
Finally the night surrendered to the darkness as the moon disappeared behind the mountain.
Robert and Anna's bedroom door was thrown open. "Where did you find this?" Trisky demanded as she stood in the doorway holding the small iron toy. She had picked up the dirty clothes in the kitchen to wash when she found the toy in Robert's pocket.
"What the..." Robert sat up in the bed. Anna tried to focus her sleeping eyes.
"Where did you find this?" Trisky asked again, shaking her hand.
"By the, by the trail. I had fallen off of it; it was partly buried in the ground."
Trisky stared at them for a moment. "Get dressed. There is something I must tell you." She closed the door behind them.
Robert and Anna dressed in the shirts and joined Trisky in the main room. The breakfast was already made and a delicious aroma greeted them as they sat down across from Trisky.
"There's catfish and fried bake. Now tell me about this," Trisky put the toy on the table. Robert explained what had happened in more detail. Trisky listened, her eyes fixed on Robert as she searched his words for the truth.
"I believe you," Trisky touched the toy with her hand.
"We never knew if the story was true. Some say the child had died with his family, others said he was rescued by his nanny. And there was this talk about the child's favourite toy, a horse and carriage." Anna broke off a piece of bake and placed a piece of fish into it. "The Lambert tomb in town, many think it is not at rest because the child is missing." She bit into the bake.
"People like to talk. But now I know the truth, and you Robert are the descendant of the child." Trisky picked up the toy once more.
"But that can't be possible; I've lived in the States all my life. My parents are American." Robert looked up from his plate, trying to decide if he should have any of the fish.
"That night when Betty ran with Peter into the darkness, the child clung to her breast with one hand and in the other his little toy." Trisky glanced over her shoulder as though something was there. "See, people believed that the child was Betty's; that the master of the house had his way with her and the child was brought up as his own."
"I guess that is why Betty wanted to save the child," Anna commented.
"Yes. But she could not tell anyone about this as she believed that the child and she might be in danger."
"But how do you know about the toy?" Robert finally got the nerve to have a piece of fish and warm bake.
"They were spotted once many years later in the cemetery, near the Lambert tomb. She was a lot older then and the child must have been about your age, Robert." Trisky picked up a piece of fish with her hand. "That was just before he set sail."
"I still don't get it."
Trisky sucked on her fingers. "I was just five or six years old and I had gone to the docks with my parents to see me brother off. He was sailing to New York; oil was discovered in western Pennsylvania." Trisky burped. "The California gold rush had now become Titusville oil rush."
*****
PORT OF SPAIN HARBOUR, 1859
The harbour was bustling with people and the strong smell of pitch, tallow and sulphur. Along the dock, a frigate was careened onto one side as its bottom was being repainted to strengthen its seal and discourage further sea growth. Several sloops dotted the bay, with their one-mast sails, delivering goods from a barque that lay at anchor a short distance from the pier. Three brigantines were tied alongside the dock, waiting to transport passengers to the barque that would later that day hoist their square riggings and set sail to New York.
The black gold rush was on, and almost overnight, the quiet farming region of western Pennsylvania changed. Towns sprang up out of nowhere, with people coming from all over, looking to make their fortunes.
The Trinidad dock was crowded with young men eager to travel to the promised land, with their minds filled with a dream of great wealth, all promising to come back rich and famous.
Trisky held on to her father's hand in fear of losing him in the thick crowd. Her brother was hugging her mother who cried openly. America seemed to be at the end of the world and she felt he would not return.
Trisky looked around, and from her three foot vantage point all she could see were hundreds of legs. She noticed a white man bending down to tie his shoe laces when their eyes met. He winked at her and she smiled.
Trisky got onto tip toes to better see who the stranger was. He was standing next to an old black woman and she was sobbing heavily. He kissed her on the cheek, picked up his bag and began to walk towards Trisky. The old woman turned and disappeared into the crowd.
The man came up to Trisky, "Well hello little one." He turned to Trisky's father, "Sir is it alright I give your daughter a gift?"
Trisky's father nodded.
The man bent down, "What's your name?"
"Trisky."
"That's a nice name. My name is Peter."
"Hi, I like your eyes."
He reached into his pocket and handed Trisky a small toy.
Trisky kissed him on the cheek. He stood up and was soon lost in the crowd. She looked down at the toy. It was horse and carriage.
******
CAIGUAL, 1944
Trisky picked up the toy. "I was about ten years old when me family came to Caigual. There was work in the cocoa fields and me papa needed the work. He built this house with his own hands, took him more than six months to do so."
"And the toy?"
"I lost it. I remember the day well." Trisky stood up and walked towards the open front door. "I was helping papa pick the cocoa pods, they were red, and I remember jumping up to grasp a high one and I fell over. It must have dropped out of me pocket." Trisky turned back to face Robert and Anna, "Shit, that was seventy eight years ago."
No one said anything. This little toy was now the link to a past and present generation of the Lambert family. At least Trisky was convinced of that.
"But how do I fit in?"
"Ah, this toy lay buried, waiting for the true owner to return." Trisky raised her hands into the air, "Thank you." She sat back at the table. "You will discover other ways through the spirit, it will come to you." Trisky reached over and held Robert's hand.
Outside, the morning dew, which moments before had clung to the leaves and tall grasses, was now surrendering to the sun as it climbed higher into the sky. This presented a refreshing drink to a large, green lizard that had climbed up from under the house to drink the cool water as it trickled down the leaves into its waiting mouth.
Robert and Anna had agreed to Trisky's suggestion to go down to the river to wash off the remaining mud that had stuck to them like glue.
They followed the river until it came to a waterfall. The waterfall had two levels; the highest part was over forty feet that emptied into a large, clear pool. Peach palms, ferns and giant Taro leaves cradled the waterfall whose rock face was now smooth from the brushing waters. Rays of light flickered through the canopy, creating spots of dancing sunlight as they reflected off the water's surface.
"This is beautiful," Anna walked to the edge of the pool. "I could stay here forever."
The mix of sounds from the flowing waters to the sweet whistles of Jacamar and Honeycreeper birds filled this natural amphitheatre like a melodious opera.
They were still wearing the oversize shirts that Trisky had given them the night before. Their clothes were now drying on the line at the back of the house, Trisky having washed them earlier. Robert slipped off his shirt and underwear and dove into the pool. It was surprisingly very cold.
"Wow, this is cold," Robert shivered.
"Well, I'm not sure where you will find something to warm you." Anna bent down and scooped up some water which she drank. She allowed some of it to run down her chin and down her neck onto the shirt she was wearing. As she stood up, the water trickled down the shirt revealing parts of her body.
"If you don't get in here quickly, I will come and get you." Robert could see her firm breasts through the wet shirt as she stood there teasing him.
Anna took her time to unbutton the shirt. As each button came loose, it exposed a desire to touch, to kiss, and the promise of igniting a fire deep inside. The garment slipped off her shoulders like cream melting into chocolate. Slowly, she tucked her index finger into her panties and pulled them down. She stood there for a moment like a queen, one with nature and all that surrounded her.
"You're driving me crazy," Robert began to swim towards the bank.
Anna waited until he was a few feet from her and then she dived in.
Robert quickly swung around and caught up with Anna, "Now I've got you." They hugged, their bodies moved across each other sensuously in the cooling water as they kissed.
They made love on one of the polished rocks, just above the first level of the falls, allowing the cascading water to clothe them as it flowed between their bodies.
The sun now embraced their nakedness with its welcome warmth as they lay there, feeling a sense of calm and fulfilment. They looked up at the overhanging trees whose branches glided back and forth with the passing breeze. Neither spoke for a while, the music in the forest did all the talking. Everything seemed so perfect.
******
ANNA'S HOUSE, 1994
Peter stood up and walked over to the wall of mementoes.
"You look puzzled?" Anna inquired.
Peter shook his head. "I have such mixed feelings about my grandfather not returning to the base. I guess it is hard to understand."
"All your life you will make decisions, some good ones and others. Well perhaps in hindsight you may choose differently."
Peter had so many more questions to ask. He wanted to understand.
"You will get to know a grandfather you can be proud of, but for now a world war was raging and tomorrow seemed to be years away." Anna leaned forward placing her hands on the armrest and pushed herself up. "Come let us have some lunch."
They went into the kitchen. Anna reached into the fridge and pulled out a plate with some sliced meat on it. "Sandwich?"
Peter smiled, "Sounds great."
They sat at the small kitchen table and made a few sandwiches which they enjoyed, washing them down with fresh mango juice. The conversation was focused mainly on Peter's early days when he became more and more inquisitive about his grandfather.
"I am still trying to understand the family connection and how I fit in. So when did you and grandfather go looking around the burnt out Lambert house?"
Anna looked up from her sandwich. "We must have been at Trisky's for about five days. I did not go that morning, something kept me away." Anna took a bite of the sandwich, the butter squeezing out of its sides as she pressed down on it.