The Emerald Key - By Christopher Dinsdale Page 0,27

leaving, he spied an unfinished object on the workbench that could also prove to be very useful.

After lowering the bag to the grass, climbing out and repairing the window, Jamie worked his way past the families eating dinner on the shore until he found himself on the far side of the island and among the graves of thousands of his countrymen. Jamie fought his aching heart as he searched among the graves for what he needed. It was now almost pitch dark and he thought he remembered seeing one somewhere in this area. There it was! He had almost walked right into it.

The simple coffin was empty, thank goodness, and it was probably going to be filled in the morning with a dead body whose family had enough funds to avoid the mass burial. He dragged the wooden box around the rows of freshly covered graves until he found the water’s edge. He put down the bag of tools, lit the candle, pulled up a fallen log, and got to work.

“Colin. Time to wake up.”

Even in the dead of night, the quarantine building was awash in a sea of moans and coughs, punctuated with the occasional retching. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Colin for three weeks in this disease-infested purgatory. He had been through far too much already. For once, Jamie had the power to stop another death, and he was going to do everything he could to save the young boy.

Colin’s hazel eyes fluttered to life under the weak light of the oil lamps. The little boy’s bed near the doorway was the wooden floor itself. Colin had used his meagre sack as a pillow. A passing nurse had covered the young lad in an old blanket. Jamie prayed that the blanket itself wasn’t festering with sickness. Keeping an eye out for any movement, Jamie snuck Colin out through the door without incident. Jamie was proud of Colin. He was following perfectly the instructions for silence he had given him earlier in the day.

By looking at the position of the stars in the clear sky, Jamie estimated they had three hours of darkness left before the sun began to rise. They circled around the sleeping families near the shore and then angled away from the mass graves and Colin’s mother’s final resting place. Once they made it over the hill, the pair wound their way through a thick stand of trees to a small clearing beside the river. This was Jamie’s temporary work station. He relit the candle on the log and sat the boy down.

“You did well, Colin. Now, do you want to get off this island as badly as I do?”

He nodded sleepily. “Is Mommy staying here?”

“Your mother will be laid to rest here, along with the others who didn’t survive the crossing.”

He looked up, concerned. “Can I come back and visit her?”

Jamie rubbed his head. “Sure you can. You can come back and visit Grosse Isle some day, but first let’s find your living relatives. I know they want to meet you.”

“But we’re on an island.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right, lad. But not for long. All we need is a boat, and look what I made for you while you were sleeping!”

Jamie pulled the coffin out from behind the bushes. He had cut a large oval hole out of the top of the lid and an unfinished paddle lay across its makeshift bow. It was a bit of good luck that someone was making a paddle in the workshop on the night he broke in. Colin walked up to the box and touched its side.

“It’s sticky.”

“That’s just the glue. It should be mostly dry by now. It will help keep the water out. And look at the name.”

Colin looked at the letters painted in black. “I can’t read.”

“I’ve named our boat the Good Erin. Erin was your mother’s first name and now she’s going to help us go find your family.”

Colin smiled and touched the name on the side.

“I think it’s time to cast off. You hop in first. I’ve put a blanket down in front. You can go back to sleep if you want while I paddle us to shore.”

Jamie helped the boy climb into the strange watercraft and then pushed it off the rocks and into the water. Taking the paddle, he climbed in and pulled at the water. He was pleased to see that the coffin moved silently away from shore. It was surprisingly stable. Digging in with greater confidence, Jamie set