Chapter 20 Section 19

When Lucy awoke, the storm that had blown up the night before was still howling.Not to disturb David, she tiptoed over to the bed and picked up her watch from the floor.It was just after six o'clock.The wind was still howling around the roof.David can sleep on: just a little work to do today. She wondered if the storm had blown off the shingles from the roof overnight.She has to check the attic.But the work had to wait until David was out, or he would be angry for not letting him do it. She slipped out of bed quietly. The weather is cold.The warm weather of the previous few days was an illusion, a prelude to this storm.It's as cold as November now.She pulled the flannel pajamas over her head and quickly pulled on her underwear, trousers and sweater.David stirred and rolled over, but didn't wake up.

She walked through the small corridor and looked into Joe's room.The three-year-old had graduated from the cradle, slept in a cot, and often fell to the floor during the night without waking up.This morning he was in bed instead, lying on his back with his mouth open.Lucy smiled.He looks so cute when he sleeps. She tiptoed down the stairs, wondering for a moment why she had gotten up so early.Maybe Joe made some noise, maybe it was the storm outside. She knelt in front of the fireplace, rolled up her sweater sleeves, and started a fire.She was whistling as she cleaned the grate.She scraped out the cold ashes, put the largest pieces of firewood on the bottom, and then put dry ferns as kindling, and added firewood and coal on top.Sometimes she just burns wood, but coal is better in this weather.She held the newspaper over the fireplace, and after a while she poked the fire up the chimney.When she removed the newspaper, the wood was already burning and the coals were red hot.She folded up the newspaper and put it under the coal bucket for reuse tomorrow.

The fire will heat up the little house quickly, and a cup of hot tea will warm you up.Lucy went into the kitchen and put the kettle on the electric hob.She put the two glasses on the tray when she saw David's cigarette case and ashtray.She made tea, filled two cups, carried the tray, and walked across the hall to the front of the stairs. She had just taken a step up the stairs when she heard a knocking sound.She stopped and frowned, thinking that something had been blown by the wind.The knocking sounded again, as if someone were knocking on the front door. This is ridiculous.Nobody knocked on the front door—there was only Tom on the island, and he walked back to the door, and he never knocked.

The knocking sounded again. She retreated down the stairs out of curiosity, holding the tea tray steady with one hand, and opened the front door with the other. She was startled, and the tea tray dropped to the ground.A man fell into the hall and knocked her over.Lucy screamed. But she calmed down immediately.The stranger was sprawled on the floor beside her, apparently powerless to attack anyone.His clothes were soaked and his face and hands were pale with cold. Lucy stood up.David sat down the stairs and asked, "What's going on? What's going on?" "Someone." Lucy said, pointing.

At the bottom of the stairs, David, still in his pajamas, propped himself up into his wheelchair: "I don't see why there's a lot of fuss about it," he said.He rolled the wheelchair, leaned forward, and watched the person lying on the floor. "I'm sorry. He surprised me." She bent down, grabbed the man by both arms, and dragged him into the living room.David followed behind.Lucy put the man in front of the fireplace. David stared at the unconscious body thoughtfully, wondering, "Where the hell did he come from?" "He was probably a sailor from a sunken ship."

"certainly." But Lucy noticed that he was wearing artisan clothes instead of sailor clothes.She studied him.He was a very large man, six feet taller than the hearth rug, with round, heavy shoulders.His face was resolute and well-defined, with a high forehead and a long chin.She thought, if it weren't for the pale color on his face, he should be quite handsome. The stranger moved and opened his eyes.At first he was frightened to death, like a child waking up in strange surroundings; but his expression soon relaxed, and he looked about sharply, stopping briefly at Lucy, David, the doors and windows, and the fire. superior.

Lucy said, "We've got to take this wet suit off for him. David, get a set of pajamas." David rolled out and Lucy knelt beside the stranger.She took off his shoes and socks first.He looked at her, and there seemed to be a look of pleasure in his eyes.But when she reached for his coat, he folded his arms across his chest, protecting himself. "You're going to die of pneumonia if you keep wearing this wet suit," she said kindly, in a nurse's tone. "Let me take it off." The stranger said: "I really don't think we know each other to that degree—at least, we haven't exchanged names yet."

This is the first time he has spoken.His tone was very confident, his words were very formal, which did not match his terrible appearance, and Lucy laughed: "Are you embarrassed?" "I just think that a man should maintain a sense of mystery." He opened his mouth to smile, but quickly restrained his smile and closed his eyes in pain. David returned with a clean set of pajamas over his arm. "You two seem to have gotten along pretty well," he said. "Come and undress him," said Lucy, "he won't let me." David's expression was unpredictable.

"I can take it off myself - I hope it's not too rude," said the stranger. "Go ahead," David said.He threw the suit onto a chair and rolled out. "I'll make some more tea." Lucy said as she followed him out.She closed the living room door casually. David was already in the kitchen filling the kettle, a lighted cigarette dangling from his mouth.Lucy neatly packed up the broken teacups in the hall and came to him. David said: "Five minutes ago, I wasn't sure this kid was alive - but now he can dress himself." Lucy was busy with the teapot.

"Maybe he's shy." "It's because he knew you were going to undress him, so he recovered all of a sudden." "I can't believe anyone would be this shy." "You don't know how to blush yourself, which makes you underestimate the ability of others to be shy." Lucy crackled the teacup. "You usually don't start to be awkward and sarcastic until after breakfast. Besides, is your ability in this area so great?" "You're always using literal words as your last line of defense." David threw his cigarette butt into the sink's puddle of water.

Lucy poured boiling water into the teapot: "Let's stop arguing today, we have more interesting things to do, let's have a change." She picked up the tray and walked into the living room. The stranger was buttoning his pajamas.She walked in and he turned his back on her.She put down the tray and poured out the tea.When she turned around, he had already put on David's nightgown. "You're such a nice guy." He kept his eyes fixed on her as he spoke. He really wasn't that shy guy, Lucy thought.He was a year or so older than her, though, she guessed.This may be the reason for his shyness.He looked less and less like a man in distress. "Sit down in front of the fire," said Lucy, handing him a cup of tea. "I'm not sure I'll be able to hold the cup," he said. "I can't quite get my fingers." He held the cup in his stiff hands, bringing it carefully to his lips. David came in and offered him a cigarette.He declined. The stranger finished his tea and asked, "What is this place?" David said, "This place is called Storm Island." The man showed a relieved expression: "I thought I was blown back to land." David stretched out his hands, rubbing his fingers over the fire. "You could have been blown into the bay," he said. "That's not unusual, that's how beaches are formed." Joe came in, his eyes still smeared with gum, dragging a one-armed panda his own size.When he saw the stranger, he ran to Lucy and hid his face in her arms. "I freaked out your little girls," said the man, smiling. "He's a boy. It's time I cut his hair." Lucy picked up Joe and put him on her lap. "I'm sorry." The stranger closed his eyes again, and swayed in his seat. Lucy stood up and put Joe on the sofa: "David, we have to put the poor man to bed." "Wait another minute." David shook the wheelchair, approached the man and asked, "Are there any other survivors?" he asked. The man raised his head and murmured, "I'm only one person." He was terribly tired. "David—" Lucy began. "One more question: did you notify the Coast Guard of your voyage?" "What does it matter?" said Lucy. "It does matter, because if he had called, someone might be looking for him, risking his life, and we need to let them know he's safe." The man said slowly, "I...no...yes." "That's enough," Lucy told David.She knelt in front of the man and asked, "Can you go upstairs by yourself?" He nodded and stood up slowly. Lucy put one of his hands around her shoulder and helped him out. "I put him in Joe's bed," she said. They walked up the stairs step by step, step by step.When he reached the second floor, the blush that had been baked on his face by the fire just now faded away again.Lucy led him into the cubicle, and he lay down on the bed. Lucy threw the blanket over him, wrapped him up, and left the room, closing the door softly. A sense of relief came over Faber.In the process of surviving, he survived the last few minutes with superhuman perseverance, and now he feels weak all over, as if suffering from a serious illness. He managed to climb to the front of the cottage, and let himself collapse for a moment as soon as the front door opened.When the beautiful woman started to undress him, he remembered the negative film that was pasted on his chest.To cope with this situation, all the nerves in his body were mobilized again.He was also worried that they would call an ambulance, but luckily they didn't, probably because the island was too small to have a hospital.At least he wasn't on land—otherwise they couldn't have failed to report the sinking.Listening to the tone of the husband's inquiry, he was not ready to report it for a while. Faber didn't have the energy to calculate the risks he might encounter next.He seems safe for now, and he can only go so far.Moreover, he was still alive, his body was no longer wet, he felt very warm, and the bed was very soft. He turned around and surveyed the room.The walls are painted pink, as if the young couple were expecting a baby girl at the beginning.There is a toy train and many picture books on the ground.It's a safe place with family fun, a home.He was the wolf who broke into the flock, but a lame wolf. He closes his eyes.Even though he was exhausted, he forced himself to relax bit by bit.Gradually, he stopped thinking about anything and fell asleep. After Lucy tasted the porridge, she added a pinch of salt.They've all fallen in love with making so-called Scotch porridge the way Tom does it: no sugar in it.Even if the supply of white sugar is abundant and rations are no longer needed, she will not make sweet porridge again.Interesting to say, people often form habits out of compulsion: black bread, margarine and salty porridge are all. She served up the porridge and the family sat down to breakfast.Joe's cereal has a lot of milk so it doesn't burn.David has been eating a lot recently, but he hasn't gained weight. This is because he has a lot of activities.She looked at his hands on the table: rough reddish-brown, the hands of men who do rough work.She had noticed the stranger's hand just now: the fingers were long and thin, and the skin was fair, but covered with bruises and blood.He was not the sort of man used to rough work at sea. Lucy said, "You can't do much today. The storm doesn't look like it's going to stop." "It doesn't matter," murmured David, "whatever the weather, the sheep will always be taken care of." "Where are you going?" "Tom's there. I'll go in the jeep." Joe said, "Can I go?" "Not today," Lucy told him, "it's raining heavily and it's too cold." "But I don't like that guy." Lucy smiled. "Don't be silly. He's no harm to us. He's too sick to move." "Who is he?" "We don't know his name. His ship has sunk and we have to take care of him until he gets well enough to go back to land. He's a nice guy." "Is he my uncle?" "Just a stranger, Joe. Eat quickly." Joe was a little disappointed.He once saw an uncle.In his impression, his uncle gave him candy, which he loved to eat, and his uncle gave him money back, which he had nowhere to spend. David finished his breakfast and put on his raincoat.The raincoat was a tent-style robe that covered him and the wheelchair almost entirely.He also wore a seaman's waterproof cap, fastened at the chin by the strap.He kissed Jo and said goodbye to Lucy. After a minute or two, she heard the sound of the jeep starting.She went to the window and watched David drive away in the rain.The car's rear wheels were skidding in the mud, and he had to be more careful. She turned to Joe."It's a dog," he said. Jo was drawing on the table with milk porridge, and Lucy slapped his hand, and said, "Look at the mess you've made!" The little one looked very dissatisfied, and Lucy thought he was just like his father.They all have dark skin, jet-black hair, and a sullen look when upset.It's just that Jo loves to laugh - he's still got his matrilineal stuff from Lucy, thank goodness. Jo took her intent stare for anger, and said hastily, "I'm sorry." She washed his hands and face at the sink, then cleared the breakfast dishes, thinking of the stranger upstairs.Now that the danger was over, she knew he would not die, and she became curious about him.Who is he?Where is he from?what was he doing in the stormDoes he have a home?Why was he dressed in craftsman's clothes, with clerk's hands, and with a London accent?This is quite interesting. It occurred to her that if she had lived anywhere else, she would not have been so unafraid to receive an unexpected visitor; she speculated that he might be a deserter, a criminal, or even a runaway prisoner of war.But living on such an isolated island, no one sees other people as a threat.What a surprise to see a new face here, it would be unnatural to be suspicious.Or maybe—it was an unpleasant thought—she was more eager to welcome an attractive man than anyone else?She immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. How foolish: he was so weakened that he threatened no one; no one, even on land, could possibly refuse to receive such a drenched and delirious man.When he is better, they can check his background again. If he can't explain the reason for coming here, it's not too late to send a telegram to land. When she had washed everything, she went upstairs to spy on him.He fell asleep facing the door, and when she looked in, his eyes opened immediately, and a momentary fear flashed in his eyes. "Nothing," whispered Lucy, "just to see if you're all right." He didn't speak, and closed his eyes again. She went downstairs, and she put on raincoats and boots for herself and Jo, and went out.It was still pouring rain, and the wind was still howling.She looked up at the roof: indeed some slates had been scraped off.She bent down into the wind and rain and walked towards the top of the cliff. She held on to Joe's hand—otherwise he could easily be blown away.After walking for two minutes, she regretted coming out.The rain poured in from the neckline and the top of the boots, and she was soaked in no time.Joe did the same, but since he was already wet, it didn't hurt to stay in it for a few more minutes.Lucy wanted to go to the beach. However, when they reached the top of the slope, she realized that it was impossible to go.The narrow wooden boardwalk is very slippery, coupled with high winds, it is easy for people to slip and fall to the beach under 60 feet.Check it out here. The scenery is spectacular. Huge waves as big as huts swept in in rows, with the back waves following the front waves.The waves crossed the beach and surged higher, and the waves they raised bent into a question mark, and then they slammed furiously at the bottom of the cliff.The waves splashed over the top of the cliff, forcing Lucy to retreat hastily, but Jo screamed with joy.The roar of the wind and the tsunami have overwhelmed all other sounds.The reason why Lucy could still hear her son's laughter was because he had just thrown himself into her arms.She hugged him, his mouth facing her ear. Standing close to the cliff and watching the raging waves and splashing water, it is shocking.She felt both afraid and safe, shivering with cold and sweating with fear.It was exciting, and excitement was the thing most lacking in Lucy's life. She was worried that Joe would catch a cold, and was about to go back when she saw the boat. Of course, it wasn't a boat anymore—that's what was scary about it.All that remained were the deck and the large chunks of wood for the keel.They are scattered under the cliff, like a handful of matches thrown away.Lucy could tell that the boat was not too small. Although it could be steered by one person, it was by no means easy.The sea completely disintegrated the artificially crafted hull, and the scene was terrible. There were no two pieces of wood that were still connected. God, how did that stranger get off the boat alive? She couldn't help shivering when she thought about the possible consequences of the collision of waves and rocks on a human body.Jo felt her sudden change of mood, and whispered in her ear, "Go home." She turned at once, and hurried back down the muddy path to the cabin. Once inside, they took off their soaked caps and boots and hung them in the kitchen to dry.Lucy went upstairs and looked at the stranger again.This time he did not open his eyes.He seemed to be sleeping very peacefully, but she had a feeling that he woke up as soon as she went upstairs, and recognized her steps, only to close his eyes again when she opened the door. She filled the tub with hot water, undressed Joe, put him in the tub, and then—on a whim—dressed herself and soaked in the tub too.It's so hot.She closed her eyes and relaxed her whole body.It was good: to be at home, warm, while the storm beat helplessly against the solid stone walls outside. Life suddenly becomes interesting.A storm, a shipwreck, and a mysterious man come overnight, preceded by three tedious years.She longed for the stranger to wake up as soon as possible, so that she could know everything about him. It's time for her to prepare lunch for the men.She has lamb breast for a stew.She stepped out of the bathtub and wiped her body lightly with a towel.Joe was playing with his bath toy, a bitten and battered rubber cat.Lucy watched herself in the mirror, examining the streaks on her belly from pregnancy: they were slowly fading, but never completely.Full-body sunbathing may help.She smiled to herself, thinking: This kind of opportunity is probably rare!Besides, who would be interested in her belly but herself? Joe said, "Can I stay a little longer?" This was his customary word, and "a while" could be as long as half a day. "You'll have to get up when I get dressed," said Lucy. She hung the towel on a rail and walked to the door. The stranger was standing in the doorway, looking at her. They looked at each other.The scene was embarrassing--it was an afterthought to Lucy--but she wasn't frightened at all.It was because of the way he looked at her: there was no threat, no obscenity, no smirk, no desire in his eyes.He didn't look at her lower body, or even at her breasts, but at her face - straight into her eyes.She looked back at him, a little surprised, but not embarrassed, just wondering why she hadn't screamed, covered herself with her hands, slammed the door shut in his face. There was something in his eyes, at the end—maybe she imagined it, but she saw admiration, a flicker of sincere kindness and a touch of sadness—and then the moment was gone, and he Turning around, went back to his bedroom and closed the door.After a while, Lucy heard the crunch of the springs as his weight hit the bed. For some reason, she felt a terrible sense of guilt.