He had been watching her from afar for the last two days. He had found her body washed up on the beach, with pieces of the wreckage of the boat floating nearby. As far as he could tell, she was alone, for he had not seen any other bodies and sensed no one else near the water, nor hiding in the forest behind the beach since he discovered her. With the exception of the woman, his paradise remained undefiled. He had carried her, unconscious but breathing and still wearing her life jacket, to a small cave protected by trees and laid her there. Then he returned to his hut in the forest and waited to see if she would survive. He felt no particular sense of responsibility toward her – he had not invited her to come.
She slept for the whole of the following day, giving him time to dispose of the pieces of the boat. On the second day, she had awakened, but did not venture away from her sheltered location. Instead, she seemed to alternate between crying and staring into the distance. Twice, she moved a few feet from the cave to relieve herself in the underbrush but quickly returned. That night, she used the life jacket as a pillow when she slept. On the third day, she seemed more alert, and began to explore her immediate surroundings. She had not gone far when she discover the small inlet, and decided to bathe.
He studied her intently, patiently taking in her awkward movements as she took off her filthy clothes at the edge of the water in the small cove. She waded in cautiously now, and when she saw that the water was shallow, she sank gratefully to her knees up to her chin, tilting her head back to wet her hair. At first, she just soaked, her back to him as he silently moved in closer. Then she began washing her hair and body, and when she was finished, she rose gracefully to her feet and carefully stepped onto dry land.
