I awoke cold and wet and none too refreshed from my ordeal. I started pulling myself toward the Starshine and was amazed at how close Edmund and the islander had gotten us. I felt a little better knowing that they had pulled the little skiff as far as they had. The current by the waterfall had been murderous and they had come close to working a miracle for us. I rested occasionally, tying off the rope whenever I did so I wouldn't float back to my previous position.

Eventually I noticed that the current wasn't as strong and I was able to pull myself a little easier toward the ship. I hovered on the border between currents, tying the rope off. I treaded water, conserving my strength until I could continue on. As I entered the current around the ship, I found it sweeping me past the Starshine. I grabbed onto the line and tied it off again, bobbing in the water and resting some more. The water in the lagoon was much warmer and that helped me regain some strength. I napped again, lulled by the gentle current.

When I awoke, it was a simple matter to swim back to the ship and start climbing back up the rope. I had just enough energy to pull myself over the side before collapsing on the deck. I lay there for a while, feeling the water run off me and onto the deck. After I had regained some strength, I rolled over and pushed myself to my feet and looked around the ship. No place had ever looked so good as the deck of the Starshine did at that moment. The only person I saw was the female lost soul. I shambled over to her.

"Where are the others?" I asked hoarsely.

"They have fulfilled their destiny and gone into the light," she replied calmly, still looking out from the prow.

"Why are you still here?" I inquired.

"I have not yet fulfilled mine," she said.

"Am I your destiny?" I asked.

"I have not yet fulfilled my destiny," she repeated in a way that made my blood turn to ice.

"Very well," I informed her, "as for me, my destiny right now is to get something to eat and then sleep. As soon as I have done that, we'll be sailing away from here." She ignored me and after glaring at her uselessly for a moment longer, I turned and made my way down to my cabin.

After changing into some clean, dry clothes, I fixed a hot meal for myself from the stores and settled down for a long nap. When I arose, I ate another hot meal and brewed a pot of coffee and went back up on deck. I stood for a moment at the head of the stairs, listening. Gone forever was the sound of my crew at work. The only sounds to be heard were the lapping of the waves against the side of the ship and the wind blowing through the masts.

I carefully set the sails, raised anchor and sat down by the wheel to steer. The tide in the harbor swept us in a circle around the lagoon and toward the inlet that led to our exit. I steered through the choppy water where the incoming and outgoing currents mixed and we were soon gliding down the river on our way away from the island. I steered the Starshine through the gentle curves of the river, keeping my eyes straight ahead and trying to keep my mind off my fallen comrades. We emerged into the lagoon on the other side of the island just as the sun was setting. I let the current sweep me around the beach and then steered the ship out into the open water. I dropped anchor just off the island, opened up a cold bottle of ale, lit my pipe and mourned my crew.