3BATAN ISLAND IS beautiful at night, too. But I suppose I could say that about most places. This is the magical property of darkness, the ability to coax out beauty from
ugliness, to soften the harsh lines of potholed pavements, to artfully drape shadows on trees. I could see the lighthouse, the sweep of its beam falling on the far shore. Batan has its own magic,
too. It looks weightless, a quiet shape-shifter. It feels like you could sleep through the night and wake up to realize that the island has moved to another patch of water, like a sea god playing a
prank on his minions.
In the early mornings, a curtain of light-speckled mist covers the island like a veil. When the sun scuttles up Mount Iraya and perches on the peak, the island looks ghostly as if it were
discovered a long tim
