Nation

d’you see, but just as a face under a crown. Oh, it’s all so wretched. But Father needs me.”
    “Yes, he does,” said Mau.
    Daphne glared at him. It was stupid to think like this, but she’d wanted him to argue…well, not argue, more like protest…well…not protest, exactly, more like…be disappointed. It’s hard to talk to someone who understands. She gave up and, only then, noticed his arm.
    “What happened to you?” she said. “That looks horrible!”
    “It’s just bruising. I got tattooed too after the feast last night. Look.”
    She looked. On Mau’s left wrist was a little blue hermit crab.
    “That’s very good!”
    “Milo did it. And on this arm…” He turned to show her.
    “The sunset wave,” said Daphne. “Oh, I’m so glad you decided to have it done at—”
    “Look again, ghost girl,” said Mau, smiling.
    “What? Er…oh, the wave is going the wrong way.”
    “The right way. It’s the sun rise wave, and we are its children, and we will not go into the dark again. I vow it. It’s a new world. It needs new people. And you are right. Your father is a good man, but he needs you more than…this island does.”
    “Well, I think—”
    “He needs your strength,” Mau went on. “I’ve watched you together. You give his world a shape. He will give your poor nation a shape. You must be with him on that ship. You must be by his side. In your heart you know this. You will have a purpose. People will listen.” He took her hand. “I told you Imo made many worlds. I told you that sometimes I think I can see a little way into the world where the wave did not happen. Well, now you will get onto that ship, or…you won’t. Whatever you choose, your choice will mean there are two new worlds. And perhaps sometimes, on the edge of sleep, we will see the shadow of the other world. There will be no unhappy memories.”
    “Yes, but—”
    “No more words. We know them all, all the words that should not be said. But you have made my world more perfect.”
    Frantically, Daphne sought for something to reply, and came up with: “The bandage on Mrs. Whi-ara’s leg should come off tomorrow. Er, I still don’t like the look of Caah-a’s hand; the Wren ’s surgeon said he thought it was getting better, but it’s worth waking up Mrs. Gurgle to have a look at it. Oh, and don’t let her fool you—she can’t chew meat with those gold teeth, so someone else needs to do it, and…I’m getting this wrong, aren’t I…?”
    Mau laughed. “How can that be wrong?” He kissed her on the cheek, a little clumsily, and went on: “And now we both walk away, without regrets, and when we meet again, it will be as old friends.”
    Daphne nodded and blew her nose on her last good handkerchief.
    And the ship sailed away.
    And Mau went fishing. He owed a fish to Nawi.

Today
    I N A CORNER OF the office, a seismograph ticked away quietly to itself.
    The old man stopped talking to watch a flying boat land on the lagoon. “Ah, that will be young Jason, who’s come to work on the Submillimeter Array.” He sighed. “I’m sure they’re doing wonderful things over there, but between ourselves I’ve never been happy with a telescope you can’t look into. Sorry, where was I?” he said.
    The boy and the girl stared at him. “You said the ship sailed away ?” said the boy.
    “Oh, yes,” said the old man. “That was it. The ship sailed away. It’s what they do.”
    “And?” said the boy.
    “That was all of it. The ship sailed away.”
    “And they didn’t get married or anything?” said the girl, looking truly shocked.
    “Oh no,” said the old man. “Well, they didn’t get married. I’m not so sure about ‘anything.’ A kiss or two, maybe?”
    “But that’s just no way to end a story,” said the boy. “He went fishing !”
    “But it’s the kind of ending you get in real life,” said the old man, “and isn’t the story about being real? Though I’ve always thought he went fishing so that people wouldn’t see him cry. He must have felt very lonely. ‘If you will sacrifice,’ Mau said later, ‘then sacrifice your time on the altar of the common good. Eat the fish, or give it to someone who is hungry.’”
    He looked at their downcast expressions, coughed gently, and said, “A ship did come back.”
    “And the ghost girl was on it, wasn’t she?” said the girl.
    “Oh yes,” said the old man. “About a year later.”
    “Ah, I knew it!” said the girl