Page 39 of Wild Life (STEAM-y #2)

Three Hours Later

Aleki

I watched Marina suckle lazily at her mother’s breast.

“She’s asleep,” Maris said softly, her finger tracing the baby’s smooth skin. I had never been more in love with Maris than I was right now. She was the strongest woman in the world for tolerating that much pain and never giving up.

The doctor from the hospital at the university that still employed Maris had left us alone, followed out by her assistant. They were staying on the boat docked at the beach, so it was just us in the hut for the next few hours until they came to check on Maris again.

“How long is she going to sleep for, Mommy?” Forrest was nestled in my arms, watching his little sister with curiosity. He reminded me of Maris in his appearance, but he had my need for understanding how things worked.

“At first, she’ll be very sleepy, then the newborn tiredness will go away and she’ll want to drink milk all the time.”

“Maybe she’ll want to eat my food, too? I can share some bananas with her.”

Maris let out a chuckle. “She can’t eat bananas yet. Before you know it, she’ll grow up and you’ll be able to feed her anything you eat.”

I could tell from her voice that she was exhausted and trying to stay awake to give Forrest attention so he didn’t feel left out. That was Maris—an excellent mother, even when she had very little of herself to give.

She was the busiest of all of us, wearing multiple hats during the day. Not only was she a mother, but a scientist. She still worked for the university, even after she had fully eradicated white-nose syndrome on the island. Because of her research, her colleagues in Washington had been able to publish the results of her treatment, helping other bat species suffering from the fungus around the world.

She facilitated research for other scientists to study the wildlife on the island since she lived here full time. When teams arrived, she served as their guide, helping them to acclimatize to the environment.

We had very little use for her salary out here, so she had arranged to have it deposited into a savings account in Washington in the event we ever needed to relocate to the modern world. She had decided it would be great to leave the money for our children if they wanted to study at university or start their own company one day. I agreed that our children should have options available to pursue their dreams.

“Okay, Forrest,” I said, taking over so my love could have a little peace while Marina slept. “Let’s give Mommy a little break. She needs to get some rest.”

“Ahh, but I want to stay with Marina.”

“You can while I hold her, and let Mommy sleep.”

“You don’t have to do that, babe,” Maris said. “I’m enjoying this quiet time with all of you.”

She was going to sleep. I’d make sure of it. “It’s important that you rest when she’s resting.”

She laughed softly. “You sound like a parenting book.”

“I should. I reread the one we used when you were pregnant with Forrest.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re obsessive.”

“ Protective . There’s a difference. And you really should rest. I can feed Forrest too, so he has something to occupy himself with.”

“Can I eat mangoes?” Forrest asked excitedly.

“No mangoes for dinner,” I said. “You’ll be bouncing off the walls when it’s time to go to sleep.”

“Sugar doesn’t make kids hyper,” Maris said. “They’ve proven that.”

“I don’t believe it.” My mother used to always say that sugar made kids hyperactive, and it had been ingrained into my head as fact.

“Don’t make me eat salted fish,” Forrest whined.

“It’s good for you,” I countered.

Forrest stuck out his tongue. “It tastes bad.”

“Then don’t eat dinner.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Ugh, fine.”

“He’s your kid,” I said, casting Maris a judgmental glance.

“I’m totally fine with that.” She kissed Forrest’s head. “How was Poaka when you went to check on him?”

I treaded carefully with my answer so as not to stress her out. Her recovery was important, and it was my job not to worry her with things out of her control, so I lied to the love of my life. “He was fine.”

How could I tell the woman I loved that our beloved animal had died…but then would come back to life…again?

Of the many things on this island that were strange, Poaka was the most curious case. I had met him when I was a child and had thought that he was just a pig. When he had died the first time, I had been heartbroken. My only companion had been ripped away, further deepening the wounds left by my deceased parents. Living by myself had seemed impossible—until Poaka had returned to me.

I hadn’t realized it was him at the time, since he had arrived outside my tent as an energetic piglet who soon pulled me out of my depression. Except, then I had started noticing signs, like the same configuration of spots in his fur, and how he seemed to know exactly where he was going to find water, or his favorite patch of mushrooms, or how excited he behaved when I named him Poaka, too.

My suspicions had only strengthened when I had lost the new Poaka. And like clockwork, he had reappeared again as a piglet, as if just waiting for me to let him in.

Poaka was not just my buddy, but my guardian angel. In every iteration of life, he found me. And it was only a matter of time before he found me again. The island truly had a way of taking care of me.

I had never shared the truth about him with Maris, because I had thought I’d have more time. This cycle had already lasted longer than past ones.

It was time to tell my family Poaka’s secret. I would share it with Maris later tonight when Forrest was asleep, then we could explain it to him together in the morning, before he interrogated me about where his best friend was.

As had happened before, I heard a faint screech outside.

I opened the front door, and on the doorstep was a little creature.

Forrest gasped. “Is that a baby pig?” He ran to the threshold and sat on his haunches, sticking his finger out for the visitor.

Maris poked her head up from the bed to see the little guy. “Where did it come from?”

I shrugged. “No idea.”

“Maybe it’s lost,” Maris said. “Poor little guy must be hungry. Wait, is it a boy?”

I glanced down quickly to check. Poaka had always come back as male, but there was a first time for everything.

“It’s a boy.”

Forrest jumped up and down. “Dad, can we keep him?”

I looked over to Maris, as if asking her opinion.

She nodded.

“Yay! Poaka is going to love him. It kind of looks like him, too, right?”

I grinned knowingly at the familiar arrangement of spots on cream fur. “Ready for another round of trouble together?” I whispered into Baby Poaka’s ear.

He let out a tiny squeak in agreement. Forrest and Marina were so fortunate to be able to grow up with Poaka just as I had.

“Welcome to our family, little guy,” I said loudly, scratching his head. “We’re a little chaotic, but we have a lot of love to give.”

Poaka would always find me, and I had a feeling that when it was my time, I would find him, too, because this island had a way of providing for those it loved.

The End