Let Us Dream of Turtles

THE DISASTER On the beach, Marcia pulls sunscreen and a hat out of her purse, thinking, "Can't let the demon sun make me old before my time." As they walk, Ricardo wonders what he can say to this self-centered person. Then he sees indentations in the sand, and thinks, "Now's my chance." Quickly the young man says, "See those shallow pits? They indicate turtle-egg nests. There¹s a station of volunteers near the restaurant who keep track of the nests and protect them from poachers trying to sell the eggs. Would you like to see the station?" "Not especially. I just want to eat and then get this meeting over with." Ricardo is about to tell her what he thinks of her when he hears a strange rumbling noise, and the earth shakes violently, almost throwing them to the sand. They look at each other paralyzed by fear, as a sickening terror overtakes them both. But it does not stop. Now he feels frightened himself, never having experienced an earthquake, which tosses sand, topples palm trees and, finally, knocks them to their knees. As the shaking ceases, the two begin to breathe easily again. Rising from the sand, they brush themselves off and are about to continue walking, this time back to the village. Ricardo is worried about his family. Suddenly a strange rushing noise like a waterfall grabs their attention. Ricardo gasps as he sees the ocean receding. Marcia is riveted, staring at the nearby anchored yacht being pulled by the retreating tide, the four crew members scrambling on deck, trying to raise the anchor so the ship can drift outward. Their efforts are futile as the water encompasses the yacht, sweeping its crew overboard and out toward the open sea. Marcia screams as she sees her four friends drowning in the water. And quickly, the Merriweather, no longer buoyed by the withdrawing water, capsizes and crashes onto the now revealed ocean floor. Ricardo horrified, knows they have to get out of there quickly. He yells at Marcia, "A tidal wave is coming! We’ll be drowned ourselves. We have to get out of here!" As begins pulling her up the slope of the beach, beyond where the palm trees had been beyond the tree line, Marcia resists his entreaties to run inland with him. She desperately wants to help her crew. She jerks away from Ricardo and starts to run from the beach and the frightening sea, which is being sucked miles out from shore as if by some gigantic magnet. They come to a building site adjacent to the beach, once a forest, and continue to run. There is no high ground, not a tree in sight, no safe haven. After some time Marcia begins to falter, holding her side, barely able to breathe. Gasping for breath, not knowing where his strength comes from, Ricardo puts her on his back, and somehow puts one foot in front of the other, carrying them forward to where, he does not know. Presently a large tree appears silhouetted against the sky. This image gives him renewed energy and he continues slogging across what seems an endless, flat expanse of land. At last they reach the ceiba tree, which, though being choked in the latticework of a fig tree, is tall enough to give them safe haven. Ricardo yells at Marcia, “Climb the latticework. “ Moaning and sobbing, Marcia obeys, pulling herself up. With the strength that comes from fear, Ricardo draws himself onto the first branch, then rests, waiting for his heart to stop pounding. At that instant a tremendous crash erupts and the earth is trembling again, the air withdrawing. A two-story high wall of water rushes toward the shore as the tsunami has struck the coastline with millions of tons of water. They can hear the colossal tide rushing toward them. "Hurry, hurry," Ricardo yells, "climb as fast as you can. I'm right behind you." They grab the strong vine, hoisting themselves higher and higher up the tree, oblivious to the bark scraping and cutting their skin. Sounds [don’t say this—instead, state exactly what it sounds like] of the surging water come closer, and now high in the tree they look out to an unbelievable sight of a raging river of water thundering toward their tree. "Hang on tight," shouts Ricardo. They both cling to the great tree , watching as the water envelops their world, drenching them on their tall perch, and shaking the tree to its roots. They cling to the branch, trying to make themselves part of it. Miraculously, the ceiba holds strong, and after the first onslaught of the powerful water, they can feel the tree stabilizing. IN THE TREE Trembling, Marcia and Ricardo watch the massive river beneath them pulling everything in its train: trees, boards, fish, birds, animals, people, tumbling about like clothes in a dryer. Perched on the wide crook of branches joining the huge trunk, Ricardo turns to Marcia. They look at each other, and sobbing, lean on each other’s shoulders. They sit this way for a long while, dreading the sight of the devastation. Slowly the floodwaters grow calmer, distant screaming is no longer heard, and a stillness encloses them as if Nature herself were trying to understand the cataclysmic event. As their emotions subside, they become aware of their bodies; they are wet, cold and exhausted. They try to make themselves more comfortable in their hard niche, drawing closer together to keep warm. Marcia is still trembling and breathing heavily, in shock. He pulls her closer to him and begins to rub her back, trying to bring comfort to the terrorized young woman. As he soothes Marcia, he prays quietly, trying to ease himself and assuage his worries about his family, his pueblo. He thanks God for the shelter of the enormous tree, its wide branches protecting them from harm, and asks that his loved ones also be safe. Marcia begins to cry again, "Oh my God. What will Dad say? The yacht is gone, along with the crew. How could it have happened ­ in a flash? I am sorry I ever came to this country. Things like this do not happen in the United States. It's in these poor countries where terrible things happen." She goes on and on. Darkness descends quickly as it does in the tropics and the humid air carries a chill. Ricardo pulls leafy twigs off the branches to pile around them and preserve their body heat; they wrap their arms around each other to stave off the penetrating chill. When Ricardo is sure Marcia has grown calmer, he allows himself to feel the exhaustion sweeping through his own body; they both doze, leaning against the tree's immense trunk stretching up toward the unchanged sky, glittering with emerging stars. Their narrow perch does not allow them to sleep for long, and as they try adjusting to more comfortable positions, unexpectedly, they become aware of each other's bodies. When Marcia hugs herself closer to Ricardo, he strokes her head and kisses her cheek. Quickly, her mouth searches for his, and they kiss deeply.