Rescued

Enthusiastically, I stroll behind the men to the beach.
We have everything with us; lots of meat, camping chairs and a plaid. The night is balmy; a gentle breeze is going on, and the leaves on the trees rustle as we walk by. The men start the campfire when we finally arrive at the seashore. Perpetua and I spread the plaid on the sand to sit on it. Elena and Magda wash their feet in the water while singing an unfamiliar tune.
We watch as the men light the fire and hang the meat over it.
Soon there is a mouthwatering smell and my eyes begin to glisten at the idea of burying my teeth in a large piece soon. Beside me, I hear Perpetua laughing and I turn to her. "You're always hungry. How do you manage to stay this slim?" she laughs. I shrug. "Hard to say. I've only known myself for three days," I reply dryly. We laugh at my comment and then lie down on our backs.
And then I see it.
The Full Moon. Right above me, as if it were aimed at me. I wince as my eyes fixate on it. Then I remembered that it was also a Full Moon the night I arrived here. I flinch, how in God's name can I remember this and not everything else? I keep staring at the moon, hoping to remember more parts or all of my past. My brain refuses to help and after half an hour, I give up trying. It is clear that the Full Moon must have some special meaning in my life now that it is the only thing I can emphatically remember seeing before. Yes, I know this moon returns on a regular cycle, but there must be a reason why I feel so strange looking at it.
"Ladies, who feel like tasting the meat in advance?" calls Peter from a distance.
Of course, he knows I will come running first. Within seconds I am in front of him. "Hey, that was fast. I didn't know you were that hungry, Saray," he teases me. "Come, I'll cut a big piece for you. You deserve it". I hold up my plate and he puts on it several pieces of meat that he cuts off from the hanging beast over the fire. I close my eyes in delight as I put a strip in my mouth. The meat is deliciously pickled and tastes excellent. "Hey, what spices did you use? This is great. You might be a bad hunter but you wouldn't do poorly as a cook," I joke.
Peter prepares a plate for each and we sit around the fire.
Suddenly a cloud passes over the moon, it gets pitch dark on the beach. A few seconds later, the cloud has passed and the moon shines its full light over the area again. My hand lingers halfway to my mouth as I stare wide-eyed at the sky. "What is it, Saray? You look as if you have seen the devil in his own form," Esau asks in wonder. "This happens so often but it is most noticeable on the beach on the beach. Don't be afraid, we are all close to you, dear," he comforts me. I nod but still stare up. An uneasy feeling creeps up on me; it is as if this moon foretells doom.
I decide to end this interaction with the unknown.
Probably I imagine it all. Why would a universal phenomenon target a simple creature like me? When I turn away, I look straight into Magda's eyes. "Saray, I want to apologize to you. I misjudged you," she confesses honestly. "I should have given you a fair chance and not thought the worst right away." I nod but am not completely reassured. "What made you change your mind?" I want to know. "I have observed you. You are indeed a spoiled snob, but your behavior is not one of a criminal. The way you challenged and beat my father and brother and caught so much meat proves that you are cut from a different cloth," Magda explains. My eyes search her face and see genuine regret.
"Okay, apology accepted. Hope you learned from this. It was pretty insulting to be called a criminal. Although I can't remember anything about my past, I'm sure I had nothing to do with improper business. If I were a criminal, the police would have shown up by now to pick me up," I belittled her. She nods guiltily. "Yes, that was short-sighted of me. Friends?"
"Sure," I rebuke her. She comes closer, sits next to me and we silently stare over the sea.
"You are so different from the previous visitors we had here," she suddenly muses beside me. "There's something so familiar about you, it is like we're connected somehow." Amazed, I look beside me. Magda has been hostile to me since I arrived here. And now she declares to feel connected to me. What the hell! "Really, Magda? I thought you'd rather see me leave soon," I remind her. "Yes, the first day. But everything changed after that," she says, still staring across the water.
"Saray, do you see what I see? There is a boat coming this way," she suddenly whispers.
I run my eyes to the direction she is staring and indeed I see a flickering light and the shape of a boat rapidly approaching. "Esau, Peter! Look, a boat!" I shout. Everyone jumps to their feet. "Women, you go into the forest. We don't know who they are and I want you safe at a distance," Esau exclaims. I grab the plaid from the ground, take Elena by the hand and pull her into the forest with me. Magda grabs her mother and dashes after us. "This way, Saray. Esau has made a hiding place for us here in case we need it".
Perpetua points to a pile of palm leaves, which she shoves away.
A wide pit becomes visible, its walls are cemented. We jump in and pull the leaves on top again to shelter us. I hear the boat mooring and strange voices talking. They don't sound hostile and I even hear someone laughing. We hold each other tightly as we wait to see what will happen. And then I notice that my hearing sharpens, now I can even hear what is being said.
Two men have arrived by boat.
They declare they are looking for a woman named Rain. There was an accident with the yacht and she disappeared into the sea at night. The men state they still have every hope of finding her and that this island is in the route of that night's current. Then I hear them all moving, the men come near our hiding place. "This is the yacht's lifeboat. The serial number is correct. Have you seen her? She is my fiancé. Please, if she is with you guys, take us to her. She will confirm all I'm saying here if she sees me. Please, man, I have to see her, to know she is safe," I hear a man pleading desperately.
"I can confirm his statement. The woman has raven black hair and deep gray eyes. Small in stature, but a feisty personality," the other man sums up. And then suddenly, there is silence, no one says a word.
"Rain! Rain, baby. It's me, Ralph. Your scent is close, I know you're not far," the stranger calls out softly. "Baby, it's me. Come out. All these days without you, it drove me crazy. I really need to know you're all right". He walks closer to our hiding place. And then the leaves above our heads are gone in an instant.
"Rain!" the man exclaims with relief, extending his hands to me....