Pete closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could hear the angry flapping quite close, and it was exactly as Imelda had predicted: a group of dolphins were approaching, but this time they were not as friendly as in Pete’s dream.
Suddenly, the pitch-black water threw up huge waves, and Pete and Imelda found themselves thrown overboard in an instant. The boat disintegrated into pieces. The group of dolphins circled around the two castaways in exactly the same way that sharks approach their prey.
“I hope you can swim. After all, who knows! We might stay here forever. Or the dolphins might drag us under the water!” Said Imelda, holding on to a piece of the boat. “I ‘ve got nothing to lose, but you had some nice dreams ahead of you!”
“The dolphins would never hurt us, ever!” Pete was a good swimmer, but the currents were strong: it was getting harder and harder to stay afloat. He somehow waddled over to Imelda and grabbed the other end of the wooden debris. “And don’t say there is nothing to lose! Even you can have dreams. It’s just a matter of choice!”” ““Well, my little friend, if it’s all a matter of choice, would you please be a dear and make a choice to save us, because I’m getting tired and cold! We have been floating in the middle of nowhere for at least an hour and a half now!”
The dolphins, though they didn’t attack them, did not budge either, and continued to cruise around them.
“Someone must be coming… Someone has to be coming, dawn is breaking, and my mum and dad must have noticed I’m not in my room. And then they will call the shaman to save us!”
“You know, my little friend, dreams don’t come true most of the time! Imelda said bitterly. But then the island’s lighthouse flashed, and the dolphins disappeared in a second with a huge splash”.
“What happened?” Asked Pete.
“I think the shaman has come,” said Imelda, frightened. And indeed: the shaman’s magical floating boat glided over the water in the distance, but as fast as a real aeroplane. And the dolphins were fidgeting around the boat as if they were the shaman’s trained pets.” ““A boy’s job, huh?” The shaman laughed so loudly at the story Pete was telling him that there were tears in his eyes. The fireplace was blazing, and the two soaking wet castaways, wrapped in thick blankets, were warming themselves at the huge carved table.
“Hot cocoa?”
“I’ll have some!” Pete said and glared at Imelda.
“To hell with your cocoa! Pronounce your verdict, and let’s get this whole ridiculous procedure over with. I suppose the same thing will happen as last time,” Imelda said, although visibly intimidating; she was afraid of the shaman.
“Wait and see, Imelda, wait and see. I need to talk to you first, in private. It’s not nice to steal little children’s dreams,” the shaman put a mug of hot cocoa in front of Pete, and gave him a stern look. “I have some words for you, too. How many people do already know about Manono? Who did you betray us to?”
“Just Lucy… And Giovanni… And Giovanni’s mum… And Giovanni’s dad. But no one else knows anything, I swear! And they promised not to say a thing!”” ““Remember, my son, it’s people like that who become tourists. First, they promise not to say anything, then they sneak onto the island to have a look around, and finally we find ourselves surrounded by strangers who take photos of our wonders without even understanding them. I have to consider my decision carefully. But I’ll deal with you first, Imelda. What do you think you deserve?”
“I don’t know what I deserve… But now I have a vague feeling that I want to stay here on the island… Go back to my old house, raise chickens… I don’t really know what I want. I’ve never really wanted something before”.
“There we go! It looks like you are starting to have dreams. This is a good sign!” the shaman also put a cup of cocoa in front of Imelda. “Come on now, drink this. I’ve decided that you can stay for now, but if I see the slightest sign of you stealing around again, you’re done for!”
A strange feeling began to creep into Imelda’s heart. What could it be? Perhaps gratitude? Or relief? Either way, she took a sip of the cocoa.” ““Thank goodness you’re all right!” said Pete’s mum, as she hugged him. Imelda turned her head away.
“It was a bad idea to sneak out in the middle of the night, Pete, to say the least! You can expect a severe sanction!” Dad was seldom angry, but now he seemed to mean what he said.
“There will be no need for punishment,” said the shaman, after closing the door behind Pete’s parents. “Or to be more precise: I will take care of his punishment myself”.
“My ruling is as follows” he continued. “Imelda, you can go back to your old house, but beware of every step you take! One tiny mistake and you’ll be banished like last time, but this time for good! Now you, son!” he turned to Pete. “You have brought us a great deal of trouble by betraying our people, but what’s done is done. Your friends and only your friends can visit here sometimes, but only during the day! They can’t stay for the night! And your punishment is to help Imelda fix up her old house, which has crumbled over the years, and her garden is full of weeds”.
Pete looked at Imelda, sweating. The old woman’s eyes glittered in contrast to her tattered clothes: it was hard to tell if she was happy or angry. That’s how the story ended; their lives, at least for a while, were intertwined.