looking for Francoise. I walked straight up to him. ‘Hi,’ I said. ‘Are you drunk?’
He nodded unhappily. ‘The potchentong…They made me drink it and…’
‘I heard,’ I said, and tutted with sympathy. ‘Strong stuff, huh?’
‘Very strong.’
‘Well, no worries. Just come with me.’
? The Beach ?
96
A Loose End
The layout was simple. Concentric circles under the marquee, the first a ring of candles, the second our banana-leaf plates, the third our seated selves, and the fourth a final ring of candles. It looked spectacular and terrifying. Orange faces, flickering light, diffused through clouds of dope smoke. And such a level of noise. People weren’t talking, they were shouting. Sometimes screaming. Nothing more than jokes or requests to pass the rice pot, but it sounded like screaming.
I’d made us all sit together. Keeping us together made it easier all round. We were able to get rid of our stew more easily and it kept Keaty and Francoise contained between me and Etienne. It also meant that our relative temperance was less likely to be noticed, something that was fast turning into a problem. Keaty had picked up on it first, a little under an hour after we’d started to eat.
‘I told you they’d trip,’ he said. With the racket as a backdrop, he didn’t even have to whisper. ‘You put way too much in.’
‘You think they’re actually tripping?’
‘Maybe not seeing stuff, but…’
I looked over at Sal, who was directly opposite me in the circle. Strangely, despite the din, she looked like someone in an old silent movie. Sepia-toned, flickering, twisted lips with no discernible sounds coming out. Frozen lips. Arched eyebrows. She must have been laughing.
‘…But yeah, they’re tripping,’ Keaty finished. ‘Either that or I am.’
Unhygienix appeared behind us. ‘More stew!’ he shouted.
I raised a hand. ‘So full! Can’t eat more!’
‘Yes! Eat more!’ He reached over and ladled a huge dollop in front of me. It poured over the edges of my banana leaf like a lava flow, smothering rice grains, taking them with it. Little people in the lava, I thought, and suddenly felt like I was tripping too. I gave Unhygienix the thumbs up, and he continued on his rounds.
¦
A half-hour later, around quarter to nine, I excused myself on the pretext of a piss. I did need a piss as it happened, but mainly I wanted to check up on Jed. With the way things were going, I couldn’t see the manic level being sustained later than midnight, so I wanted to know if our problem was resolved yet.
I relieved myself outside the hospital tent. Bad form in normal circumstances, but civic responsibility wasn’t high on my list of priorities any more. Then I stuck my head through the flaps. To my amazement, Jed was asleep. He was in the same spot he’d been in earlier that day, but keeled over on his side. He’d probably been awake all the previous night.
Even more amazing was that Christo was still alive, doing his pitiful inflate-deflate thing. So slight I’d be hard put to call it a genuine breath.
‘Jed,’ I said, and he didn’t stir. I said it louder, again with no response. Next a huge cheer came from the marquee. It lasted a pretty long time, and when Jed still hadn’t stirred I knew I had the golden opportunity.
I reached Christo’s head by simply sliding around the left-hand side of the tent. Then, just as I’d suggested earlier, I pinched his nose and covered his mouth. There was no twitching, no resistance. A few minutes later I took my hands away, counted to one hundred and twenty and slid back to the cool outdoors. And that was it. It really was that simple.
As I returned across the clearing, clicking my fingers in time with my footsteps, I saw the reason for the cheering I’d heard. Both the Yugoslavian girls were in the central circle of candles, heads resting on each other’s shoulder, slow dancing to the buzz of noise.
? The Beach ?
97
Something Happening Here
By the time I’d retaken my seat, the Yugoslavian girls had inspired some of the others. Sal and Bugs started dancing too, then Unhygienix and Ella, then Jesse and Cassie.
I may have had a few screws loose, but I was able to recognize this as a nice moment. Watching the four couples revolving around each other reminded me of the way things used to be on the beach. Even Sal seemed at peace, all her plans and manipulations pushed aside for the time being, aware of nothing more than straightforward affection for her lover. In fact, Sal looked like a completely different person. None of her confidence was apparent in her dancing. Her steps were tentative and slow, and she clung to Bugs with both arms, head pressed flat against his chest.
‘You do not recognize her,’ Gregorio said to me, having followed the direction of my gaze. While I’d been killing Christo, he’d taken my place so he could chat to Keaty. ‘You have never seen her like this.’
‘No…I haven’t.’
‘You know why?’
‘No.’
‘Because tonight it is Tet, and Sal will only smoke or drink on Tet. The rest of the year, her mind is always clear, all hours in the day. We get high, but she keeps her mind clear for us.’
‘She cares very much about the beach.’
‘Very much,’ Greg echoed. ‘Of course.’ He smiled and stood up. ‘I will get us more coconut beer. You would like some?’
Both Keaty and I said no.
‘Just for me then?’
‘Just for you.’
He ambled off towards the fishing buckets, which held the last of Jean’s moonshine.
¦
Ten o’clock. The dancing had stopped. Moshe was standing where the dancers had been, holding a candle up in one hand, the other hand touching the side of his face. I didn’t know if anyone else was taking an interest in him, but I was. ‘This flame,’ he said, as hot wax ran on to his wrist and down the length of his arm, forming a slim stalactite on his elbow. ‘Look.’
‘Look,’ said Etienne, gesturing to Cassie. She was also studying the candle-flames, crouched over with an expression of rapt pleasure. Jesse was next to her, muttering something in her ear that made her jaw drop. Behind them, Jean sat with his back to one of the bamboo poles, covering his eyes with his fingers, removing them, and blinking like a baby kitten.
’
‘Night John-Boy,’ called one of the Aussie carpenters.
Six or seven people provided names, all at once. A ripple of laughter spread beneath the marquee.’
‘Night Sal,’ Ella called, above the competing voices. ‘Night Sal, ‘night Sal, ‘night Sal.’
Soon Ella’s cue became a soft chant that lasted as long as the cigarette I was smoking. Then Sal replied, ‘Thank you, children,’ and the ripple of laughter spread again.
A few minutes later, the carpenter who had called out ‘John-Boy’ said, ‘Is anyone else seeing shit?’ When no one answered he added, ‘I’m seeing all kinds of shit over here.’
‘Potchentong,’ sang Jean, like a tolling bell.
Moshe dropped the candle.
