Senhor Ernesto Ortiz never came around. Early the next morning, he went to find Johnny — he’d find out if it was the right one — at the lower pool where he knew he’d find him.
   There they were, the first ones up as usual.
   ‘Which one is the grandson of the man in that house?’ He pointed at the hut.
   ‘I am,’ said the Johnny belonging to that island.
   He turned to the other. ‘Do you have your compass?’
   ‘Yes, Papa,’ he said, and brought it out to show him.
   Ernesto saw it was the one he gave the first time, when he had both picked up and dropped him at the Island that was two degrees South.
   ‘All right, you come with me.’
   He took him by the hand and walked briskly to the ship, leaving the other Johnny standing, looking after him bewildered.
   ‘Get in,’ Ernesto ordered, as he picked the rope off the post. Immediately he hoisted the sails which billowed with the wind, and they were off.
   Seeing the sails billowing so, the other Johnny immediately went running.
   ‘Papa! Papa! Wait for me! Wait for me!’
   That roused several others of the islanders, including Grandpa.
   In a minute or two, several of the islanders stood on the pier, watching in dismay, as the ship went off towards the horizon.
   ‘Where are we going, Papa?’ the Johnny on the boat asked.
   ‘I’m taking you home where you belong,’ said Ernesto.
   ‘What about the other Johnny?’
   ‘He’s already home where he belongs. That will no longer concern us.’
   ‘Why?’
   ‘We’re the living. We will live in the land of the living.’
   ‘But what about them?’
   ‘They drowned in the sea when the ship went down.’
   ‘But they’re still there!’
   ‘No. They are only phantoms — ghosts.’
   ‘What about the other Johnny?’
   ‘He to. I had to get you away from him. These islands are haunted. All the natives of all the other islands know it. That’s why they never come.’
   ‘Oh.’
   When they reached the island of Lao-tuna, he turned the boat around.
   ‘Where are we going now, Papa?’
   ‘We’re going to take the correct course back to Doma island, our home.’
   ‘Which course?’
   ‘Whenever we come from Tiguna, and we pass Lao-tuna, we turn the ship two degrees to the South. That is the way to Doma.’
   ‘But last time we came here, and I was steering, you told me to turn around two degrees North.’
   ‘Ah, but when we do that, there is an evil current that sends us to the island of the dead. There, we meet all the dead brothers and sisters of your mama, your grandpa and grandma, and all your uncles and aunties. That is where we were just now.’
   Early the next morning, as they began to approach the island, Ernesto said to Johnny, ‘João, my son.’
   ‘Yes, Papa.’
   ‘I want you to promise me something.’
   ‘Okay, Papa.’
   ‘I want you to cross your heart, and make a solemn promise that you will never tell anyone you were with your dead relatives.’
   Johnny thought a while.
   ‘Will you, João?’
   ‘O-okay, Papa.’
   He crossed his heart and swore that he would never tell anyone about their dead relatives.
   Soon, they were in midst of a rejoicing crowd of friends and relatives.
   ‘Where did you find him?’ asked Grandpa.
   ‘Some natives from another island were fishing not far from here, and found João trying to swim after the boat. They were such kind people, they took care of him until I happened to stop at their island, and there he was!’
   Johnny knew that was a lie, but as he had sworn not to tell the other version of the story, he kept his mouth shut.
   Ernesto decided that he would begin spending much more of his time at home with his wife after that, and not so much time travelling about the other islands. Milly was happy about that. So was Johnny, although not quite so thoroughly happy as he let on.

• Return to Table of Contents
• Go to next chapter