Days and weeks and months passed. Hannah stopped recording. What was the point? She felt despondent. One day melted into another. What did it matter if it was Wednesday or Saturday? Who bothered whether it was July or December? Nothing changed. The weather was warm each day. It either rained or it was sunny. When you are shut out of the outside world time doesn't matter. It stands still. They were standing still. Not knowing what to do. Reverse? Move forward? Embrace the situation and circumstances? They seemed to stay away from each other for the most part. Trying to stop something that was not stoppable. They talked little. Nevertheless clearly caught up in their individual thoughts about the other. What to do?
One night they first sat by the fire and ate their supper, then Talbot lay down on the sand and looked up at the starry heavens. He wanted to have conversation with her. He missed her. He had to put aside his strong feelings and love for her.
"William Shakespeare said, 'There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'"
"That is true." Hannah commented back. "There is so much to see and learn about in the heavens and on earth. Many lifetimes could be spent on one thing alone."
He smiled sweetly at her. She returned a sweet smile. As though it were a truce, an armistice of sorts. Their minds forced their hearts to come to an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time.
They both spoke, unspoken words, their eyes said, if we can't be anything else let's always be friends.
Talbot sighed, "Look there Hannah," he pointed high in the sky, "See that constellation?"
"Yes I see." She said softly and profoundly.
"That's known as the Great Bear, a prominent group of seven stars in the constellation Ursa Major, containing the Pointers that indicate the direction to Polaris."
She just stared at him with admiration.
"Where did you go to school?"
He mumbled the answer. Not really wanting her to hear.
"Excuse me?"
"Oxford." He muttered.
"You went to Oxford University?" Hannah exclaimed!
"A-huh." He muttered again.
"That explains a lot."
"Like what?" He smiled impishly.
"Like why you are so intelligent and knowledgeable!"
"I am not." To lighten the whole situation.
"Yes you are!" She laughed.
They both started laughing. But happier for the lighthearted conversation they were having once again.
"Where are your parents?" Curiosity got the better of her.
"They passed away."
"Oh I am so sorry about that. What happened?"
"They were lost at sea. We took a trip after I graduated with honors from Oxford."
"Oh my!" Hannah had her hand over her mouth once again. "I am so sorry."
"I survived and vowed that I would give myself to the sea and became a sailor. I suppose it made me feel closer to them somehow." He shrugged his shoulders.
She wanted to embrace him. Then thought the better of it.
"Any other siblings?"
"I am an only child." Talbot said matter of fact, unemotional and practical.
"I am sorry to hear that." Hannah thought of the photograph with the other children and his father and mother. They must have been cousins. She didn't dare to ask about it.
"Nothing to be sorry about. It is."
"The sad part is that on my next voyage I was going to be promoted to captain of my own vessel. I suppose that is not to be." He stared out into the distance searching the stars for more constellations. "It is my misfortune that I have been shipwrecked twice in one lifetime. Although....." He stopped.
"Although what?" Hannah queried.
"I would not change this shipwreck for anything in the world." He then looked at her piercingly. He could not help himself.
She matched his intensity.
Coming to his senses once again, "Well, time for bed, I suppose. Good night." He jumped up and walked away.
She watched him go and just said quietly, "Good night."
She didn't see him again for the rest of the night. Sadness covered her like a thick gauze.
Days passed slowly. Most days were hot and steamy. Hannah busied herself with household duties. She wrote a lot. Walked to the waterfalls. Swam. Picked berries and fruit. Napped in the shade during noonday sun. She tried to distance herself from Talbot as much as she could. There was no point in being close to him. A relationship beyond friendship was never to be. What was the point of allowing her heart to lead? If she led with her head she would be fine. She was a very sensible woman. She had dreams of getting off this island and going back to her previous life and salvaging as much of it as she could.
She was searching for something amongst the trunks one day and found this small box. Very heavily carved ivory with leaves. Beautifully crafted. She didn't remember finding this herself. She went in search of Talbot to ask him about it.
She found him at the distance searching for and chopping firewood.
"Talbot, where did this box come from? It's beautiful."
"Oh that, I had completely forgotten about it. It belonged to Captain Elmshurst. It was on his desk. I took it on the day that the ship went down."
It was locked. Talbot took a small knife and picked the lock trying not to damage the actual box. The lock would have to be replaced eventually. With some effort the box could be opened. Both Talbot and Hannah were very curious, by this time, as to the contents.
Eyes widened as they opened it and saw an engraved plate along with a single key on a long gold man's chain. The engraved plate read:
To Hezekiah Isaiah Talbot
Code: 835669
33 Downing Street
London, England
United Kingdom of Great Britain
Talbot looked from the contents of the box to Hannah and back again.
"What is this all about?" He queried.
"You don't know?" Hannah added to the confusion.
"I had no idea. The Captain never said a word about this to me. Although come to think of it I did tell him often how I admired the box."
"How intriguing."
"To think that it almost went down with the ship. It is sheer providence that I thought to grab this box."
Hannah watched as Talbot took out the necklace with the engraved plate and the single key hanging from it and put it over his head and around his neck. He then took the box and put it away in another trunk. The box itself had great value. It was from India and carved out of elephant ivory.
"What does all this mean?" Hannah still not fully satisfied but loving the mystery of it all.
"I have no idea. I guess we will never know."
