NATIA & The Invisible Island of Sawaiki

A ghost and a slow action vodka

“Sasha?” Sofia called when they neared the saloon.

The conversation stopped.

“Sonya?!” It was not Aleksandr who answered. It was Valentin.

"Dyadya Valya?"

Sofia entered the saloon, followed by Natia. Both Aleksandr and Valentin exchanged a glance when they saw Natia. Were they talking about her? She wondered. She couldn’t catch a word of what they had heard earlier, since it was in Russian.

“Why is everyone fighting today?” Asked Sofia while she moved to sit on a wide window sill. Natia remained in the entrance. She was thinking of going back to her room. She wasn’t sure if she was welcome here. And she was feeling a bit weird too. She doesn't know why. But, she hoped it was not an upset stomach.

“We are not fighting.” Said Aleksandr. His tone was clipped. And he didn’t really mask his displeasure at seeing Natia. She made her decision to go back to her room then.

“What were you girls up to?” Asked Valentin before Natia could excuse herself.

“Oh, I was just showing her around the yacht,” Sofia replied.

“Ah, right. It’s your first time on this yacht.” Said Valentin to Natia.

“Uh, actually-”

“WHO’S THAT?!” Sofia’s question cut Natia’s reply.

Sofia was looking through the window.

“He is not wearing the crew uniform.” She continued.

Everyone moved to the windows. Natia soon found out who she was talking about.

With the low external bulwarks, you can see a portion of the deck below. At the front of the ship, where the second helipad was situated, stood a man, facing the sea. He was tall and bulky. It wasn’t really clear from up here, but, he seems to have tattoos on his arms . The wind swept his long flamey red hair from his face. Natia was suddenly reminded of a huge shrimp. She shook her head. ‘Was the vodka finally getting to her?!’

“GHOST!!” Exclaimed Aleksandr.

They all looked at him. He didn't seem to be joking. Natia and Sofia exchanged a glance. He couldn’t really mean that, could he? But, before they could ask anything, he swept out of the room with real enthusiasm. Natia and Sofia exchanged another glance. This time, more confused. 

If it was really a ghost, if they really existed, why was Aleksandr happy to see it? Don’t people usually fear seeing a ghost? Was the ghost someone he knew? She thought. What are you thinking, Natee? Ghosts don’t exist. She chided herself. It really must be the vodka thinking.

Only Valentin sat there calmly. As he was not surprised about all this, neither at the man’s appearance on the yacht, nor at Aleksandr calling him a ghost. Was he familiar with this ghost too?

Sofia and Natia turned to him now.

“Who is that man?” Sofia asked Valentin.

“Is he really a ghost?” Natia asked at the same time.

Valentin barked a laugh at that. “No dear. He is definitely not a ghost.” He told her.

“Really?! You were thinking that?” Sofia asked her.

“You weren’t?”

“Of course not. Ghost could be the name he went by. I was thinking about why a man who was neither crew nor family, was on our yacht. And how does Sasha know him? He seemed a bit odd.”

Sofia was looking at her like she was really dumb. And why was that? Wait a minute. She did clear her head about ghosts earlier, didn’t she? She shook her head to clear it again. Ghosts don’t exist.

“I think I am a bit drunk,” she admitted.

“You were fine until we got here. And you only had one shot.” Sofia frowned at her.

“ Maybe the vodka liked slow motion.” Natia shrugged. "Or slow action?"

“ Maybe she really is drunk.” Sofia said to Valentin.

“Well, it was her first time,” Valentin said. He then turned to Natia. “You should probably sleep it off.”

“So, who is he?” Sofia asked again.

“Ah yes, who is he.” Valentin now turned to fully face Sofia.

“Do you remember this yacht’s maiden voyage and the inaugural party held at its start?”

“Uh, yes. Well, not in detail. I was only nine or ten at that time.”

“Do you remember Sasha’s accident?”

“That I remember.” She then turned to Natia.

“On the yacht’s maiden cruise, papa had invited some close friends and family. A grand party was held after the introductory tour of the yacht in the party hall. We were somewhere near the Kuril islands, I think. But, at the party, Sasha somehow got drunk. He actually sneaked into the party later at night. We were put to bed long before that. He was only a young teen then, was only thirteen or something. And he accidentally fell in the sea after getting drunk. Nobody noticed for a long time because everyone was busy at the party. It was some local fisherman who saved him.” She then gasped like remembering something.

“Don’t tell me! Is that...him? The one who saved Sasha? I mean, I didn’t see him that day. It was well past my bedtime and I slept through all that ruckus of him missing. But, I remember seeing an odd man with papa the next day. With flame red hair and arms and face full of tattoos. It’s the same man, right? I was curious then, but, mama didn’t let me get close to him to ask any questions that day.”

“Yes. It’s him.”

“But what’s he doing here now? Is he Hawaiian or something? That’s very unlikely. I thought he was a local fisherman. We are a long way from Kuril islands for him to be a local there.”

“He is a part-time crew member.”

“Really? Isn’t it normal to give money and settle the matter in such cases? I am sure he wasn’t qualified for the job either. Otherwise, he would have been part of the permanent crew. I didn’t even think we had any part-time crew members, unless you count papa’s doctor.”

Sofia was really surprised at the news. Natia didn’t understand why. Why couldn’t he be a part timer? Why was everyone opposing part-time jobs?!! They nourishes your working...... life.........and...and...some other skill. She can’t remember right now. But, it definitely does.

“Andrey did offer money. But he refused to accept it. His only request was that he be allowed to work on the yacht when it is in the Pacific."

“That’s such a strange request. A rather foolish one, I must say. This is a private yacht, not some merchant ship. There is no saying as to when the yacht will be where,” Sofia said.

“Well, there is more to the story which you will find stranger,” Valentin said with a bemused expression.

“He said he was local. Didn’t say from where exactly, just said he was from the devil’s triangle. That’s not really local, but we didn’t mind it, just assumed he must be a Japanese fisherman from some island near the devil’s sea. He had no records whatsoever. Andrey did a discreet background check later. But nothing came out of it. We couldn’t find anything that proved his existence in any of the nearby lands. So, he kind of had an apt name. He is a ghost, in that sense.”

“So we don’t know anything about him?! Then why did papa agree to hire him? I mean, he can be dangerous!”

“Well... He is most probably Polynesian from his tattoos and the few words he spoke in his language. Unfortunately, that’s all we know. And Andrey was reluctant to hire him until he heard his story.”

“Story?!”

“The man roams in the ocean searching for his missing wife and child. Apparently, he lost them in the ocean, years ago, while trying to escape from his family who were against that relationship. And he still searches for them, even though it’s been decades since they went missing. And he is helping whoever is lost in the ocean in the hopes that someone might have helped his wife and child too. And he also said, if he worked on this yacht, it would be more helpful for him to reach them.”

“And papa just bought this story?The man is either crazy or has some ulterior motive!”

“Surprisingly, yes. He agreed to the part time job, but, instructed the other crew to keep an eye on him. He just said that the man saved Sasha’s life after all. I was surprised then too. Yes, that man saved Sasha’s life, but we don’t know his background, intentions or anything. This is a yacht where some of the most powerful and rich people in the world travel. We can’t afford a lapse in security. But, now thinking back, the man’s words must have touched some emotionally sensitive part of your father.” Valentin then looked at Natia, meaningfully.

Natia tried to think about why he was looking at her like that. Now, Sofia was also nodding her head, with her mouth forming an ‘O’. But Natia couldn’t focus on her thoughts now. It all seemed to slip from her grasp when she tried to concentrate. So, she just gave up on that.

“So he has been working on the yacht for nine years? What does he actually do here?” Sofia asked.

“Well, the yacht was in the Pacific, only a couple of times since then, I think. And he showed up only twice. One, when Sasha came with his friends. And Sasha might have actively sought him out from what I heard. The other time was last month. When the yacht reached Hawaii. He just showed up one morning and said he happened to be around and saw the yacht. And he didn't stay for long either; he said he would be back when the guests arrived. It was only this evening that he showed up again.” Replied Valentin.

“And he worked as a deck hand, a life guard and a diving instructor the last time.”

They chatted for some more time. And Natia stood up.

“I will head back to my room now.”

“Do you need me to come with you?” Sofia asked.

“What? No, no. I am fine.”

“Well. Good night then.”

“Good night.”

There was no trouble for Natia to find her room. The problem is with thinking only, it seems. She thought.

She changed into her pajamas and got into bed. But, even after an hour spent tossing and turning on her bed, sleep still evaded her.

She groaned and sat up. It seems she had spent a lot of time sleeping that day. What could she do now? She didn’t feel like reading. Maybe a few laps in the pool on her level? She changed into her swimwear, grabbed a towel and got out of her room.