Alex Garland - The Beach

'I know you are, Richard. I know . But do try to see it from my position. Keaty needs to move out of the garden, I can't separate Étienne and Françoise, Gregorio has been fishing for two years, the Yugoslavians...' Sal shook her head. 'Well, I shouldn't really tellyou this, Richard, but they haven't the wit to do anything else. Jean can't bear them and they could never cope with carpentry. I regret bringing them here at all. I'm a pushover for refugees... Truly, Richard, if I had a choice

'Yeah,' I muttered.

'...And it isn't like I'm going to put you on the garden detail.'

I paused. 'You aren't?'

'God, no. I don't think I'd be able to do that after the things Keaty must have been telling you.'

A terrible thought crossed my mind. Given a choice between the garden detail and working with Bugs in carpentry, I'd have taken Jean's iron discipline any time.

'Well,' I began to say, not bothering to disguise my nervousness. 'He hasn't said that much...'

'I'm sure he's said plenty, Richard. No need to be diplomatic.'

'No, Sal, honestly...'

She waved her hand. 'It doesn't matter anyway. You won't be working on the garden detail...'

I closed my eyes, waiting for my sentence.

'...You'll be working with Jed.'

I opened my eyes again . 'Jed? '

'Yes. He wants a partner on his excursions, and he suggested you.'

'Wow,' I said, genuinely. It had never occurred to me that Jed might want someone with him. Although we'd become friendly, he still struck me as a loner.

'I know, he never seemed the team type,' Sal continued, apparently reading my mind. 'I was just as surprised. You must have made a good impression on the Rice Run.'

'...But what does Jed need help with? Doesn't he just... steal grass?'

'He does that, yes, but other things besides. He'll explain.'

'...I see.'

Sal beamed. 'Richard, I'm so glad we've sorted it all out. I've been worried about telling you this for days... Now then, all that remains is to find Keaty. Would you like to give him the good news or shall I?'

Ich bin ein Beacher

When we reached the garden, Jean told us that Keaty had already started out back to the camp, so I jogged off to catch him up and Sal stayed behind, explaining to Jean that he'd have to make do with one less worker.

I found Keaty a few hundred metres down the track, and when I told him the news he was very sympathetic, despite the fact that it was good news for him.

'I feel shit about this, Rich,' he said after I'd finished explaining. 'I didn't mean for Sal to take you off fishing, I swear.'

I nodded. 'My guess is it has more to do with Jed than you. You've been asking to leave the garden detail since I got here, and it's only now that something's happened.'

'Maybe... You're pissed off, right?'

'...Well...'

'I'm sorry.'

'No, it isn't your fault. It's just bad... luck. Or something. But not your fault.'

'Well, I hope not, Rich... And I'm sorry anyway...'

We walked in silence for a few moments, then Keaty said, 'Do you know why Jed's suddenly decided he needs help?'

'I don't even know what he needs help with. We still don't know what he does up there.'

'At least now we'll find out.'

'I will, you mean. If I were to tell you what goes on I'd have to kill you straight after.'

Keaty smiled. 'You know what? I bet you're secretly pleasedabout all this. I bet you're looking forward to prowling around up there.'

I shrugged. 'Ask not what your beach can do for you.'

'That's the spirit.'

'Yeah...' I paused. '...I suppose if I've got to leave the fishing detail then I'd rather I was working with Jed than anyone else.'

'Uh-huh. I wouldn't wish the garden detail on you.'

'And the other option was carpentry. For a moment I thought that's what Sal was suggesting and I nearly had a fucking heart attack. I got this sudden flash of working with Bugs all day, so when Sal said it was with Jed... I don't know... I almost had to feel relieved.'

'If you say so, Rich.'

'I think I do.'

We turned a corner on the path and saw the longhouse through the trees. There were figures around the kitchen hut, so I guessed the other fishers were back with their catch. I couldn't see any of my detail. They probably weren't back from the corals yet.

Just as we were about to enter the clearing, someone behind us called our names. We both turned round and saw Jesse jogging along the track with a bag of vegetables from the garden.

'Hey, man,' he said to Keaty, as he reached us. 'Hear you're leaving the Jar Dan.' It took me a couple of seconds to translate his Kiwi accent to jardin.

'Yep. I'm moved to the fishing.'

'I heard, you lucky bastard.' Jesse looked at me. 'Not you though, mate. You must be pissed off, losing that cushy number. You'll be sweating with us now.'

'I'm not going to the garden.'

Jesse grinned. 'Carpentry! With Jesus!'

'No. Jed.'

'Jed?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Blow me. What's all that about? Not enough weed to go round?'

'Maybe. I'll find out soon, anyway.'

'Yeah... You will.' He nodded thoughtfully, then he patted Keatyon the back. 'You'll be sorted, anyhow. Get to watch Françoise swimming all day. I could do with a bit of that.'

Keaty shot me a quick glance, which puzzled me, and said, 'Watch it, Jesse. You don't want Cassie to hear you.'

Jesse laughed. 'Too right. Skin me alive.' He winked at no one in particular, then looked into the clearing. 'So. Looks like the cooks have got food on the way. Better get the veg down there.'

'Sure,' said Keaty, and Jesse jogged off. Keaty watched him go, then turned to me. 'He's the one person I'll really miss out of the garden detail.'

'Seems like a decent guy.'

'He is. You'd like him and Cassie a lot. Especially as they aren't exactly Bugs' biggest fans.'

'Oh?'

'I used to bitch about Jean being a tough boss, but Bugs... he drives Cassie nuts.'

'I'd picked up on that before.'

'...I guess you'll miss working with your detail too.'

'Mmm.' I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Probably too deeply and too slowly, because I noticed Keaty giving me another curious glance. 'I'm sure I will.'

Dislocation

It was a long walk from where I entered the clearing to where Étienne, Françoise and Gregorio stood talking. I had plenty of time to think about how much the change of work detail would affect my life on the beach. Mainly I thought in rapid slide-show images, different shots of the four of us chatting and having fun: diving off our favourite fishing boulder, taking bets on who would catch the biggest fish, swimming for spears that had missed their mark or found their mark, or re-enacting throws that were comically bad. The image I lingered on the longest was, unsurprisingly, of Françoise. Françoise as an Amazon, frozen, with a spear poised above her head, concentrating fiercely on the shapes beneath the water. Even now it's a picture I can clearly recall.

It seemed to me, as I got nearer, that they must have heard the news. They paused in their conversation and all turned, watching me with quiet and serious expressions. But it was simply that they'd read the look on my face. That and my posture, and the speed I was walking. If someone walks unhurriedly towards you, head bowed, you have to know that something's up.

There was a strange moment when I reached them. They remained silent, waiting for me to speak, but I felt like I'd already been isolated from their group. It reminded me of the first morning after my fever, discovering that Étienne and Françoise had made themselves a part of the new world while I had been asleep. When no words came I frowned and put a hand on the back of my neck, then shrugged helplessly.