The Island by Jen Minkman

there’s no one here. They’re all probably out hunting, fishing or harvesting. The grain on the fields was already partly ripe yesterday.
    When I enter the house, I hear voices down the hall. Saul and Ben are just stepping out of the old dining room in the manor. The long table in there accommodates up to twenty people. When Colin and I were still allowed into all rooms of the house, we’d often fantasize about our forefathers having dinner parties there, all sitting together. Nephews, nieces, children and grandchildren – all who have given life to the island. Swords are on the wall above the fireplace, and although they don’t emit light like the ones Luke and Leia are holding on the front cover of The Book, I’m sure those weapons belonged to them.
    I wonder what Ben and Saul were doing there. Nobody goes into that room anymore nowadays.
    “Hey, butch,” Ben yells at me across the hall. “Where’s your lovely girlfriend?”
    I clench my jaw. Oh, how I would love to kick that piece of shit in the shins and throw all the roots in these baskets at his miserable head, but I shouldn’t. He’ll get his just deserts tonight.
    “She went fishing with Andy,” I reply, avoiding his eyes.
    “Hmm,” Saul says. “Well, when she gets back, you tell her she should come see my brother. He has a surprise for her.” His smile is dripping with malicious pleasure.
    I can’t help but gloat when I think of the blow Ben’s ego will suffer once he discovers Mara’s gone. It’s going to hurt even more than that nasty punch to his hooked nose. I smile at him sweetly. “Of course, Saul. I will.”
    I dodge around him and push the kitchen door open. My hands tremble when I put the baskets on the table, and they only stop shaking when I walk over to the well to haul up some water to wash the vegetables. Soon, this whole nightmare will be over. I’ve lasted all these years – surely I can tough it out for a few more hours.
     
    ***
     
    When evening falls, I help the others when they bring out the candles to light up the portico. Saul barks orders at us to put candles on either side of the stairs, alongside the white flowers a few other girls have gathered.
    “What the heck is he planning?” whispers Padma next to me, decorating a big candle with some bindweed. “Is he finally tying the knot? This looks like a wedding venue.”
    I say nothing and catch Ami’s eye while she’s fussing around with some wild daisies. She knows what’s going to happen tonight. I talked to her and Colin right after I was done in the kitchen.
    “Who knows,” Ami shrugs.
    “Well, who’s the lucky lady?”
    “No idea. N ot me, that’s for sure. Let’s just wait and see.”
    “Whoever she is, I’m eternally grateful,” Padma sighs. “ Saul is a total grinch. It’s about time he left for Newexter.”
    If only.
    When the sun dips below the skyline, we light the candles. It’s perfectly still. There’s not a breath of wind, and even the crickets seem to have stopped chirping waiting for something. The world awaits the big shift that will take place this evening, under these stars.
    At the edge of the manor grounds, behind a storage tent, Colin is waiting. He and Pete have made torches, which they will use to set fire to a part of the field. Pete sprinkled oil on the already dry grass earlier today so it will light up in no time. Once the flames erupt, they’ll suddenly appear, call Saul a liar and a fraud, and insist he has to step down.  Hopefully, this will cause enough of a kerfuffle to distract Saul’s bodyguards, so Andy can sneak up from behind, knock Saul unconscious and read from The Book to our group without censorship. With a little luck, Saul’s chums won’t dare to silence him with everyone present.
    In the silence, we all wait for something to happen. Then, the door swings open and Saul steps onto the portico, followed by his burly friends. Ben positions himself on Saul’s right side, next to a column, a sly smile on