An Island Between Two Shores Read Online Free PDF Page A

mother had taught her. The words of the song were lost in the repetitions of her paddle strokes and the meaning of the words a stark reminder of everything she had lost. It comforted her to remember her parents and the three of them enjoying pain au chocolate and hot cocoa on the balcony of their Paris apartment.
    In the light of the moon, Pierrot, my friend
    Loan me your pen to write something down
    My candle’s dead, I’ve got no flame to light it
    Open your door, for the love of God!
    In the light of the moon, Pierrot replied
    I don’t have a pen, I’m in bed
    Go to the neighbor’s, I think she’s there
    Because someone just lit a match in the kitchen
    In the light of the moon, likable Harlequin
    Knocked on the brunette’s door, and she responded immediately
    Who’s knocking like that? And he replied
    Open your door, for the God of Love!
    In the light of the moon, you can barely see anything
    Someone looked for a pen, someone looked for a flame
    In all of that looking, I don’t know what was found
    But I do know that those two shut the door behind them.
    The ridges and snow-covered mountains formed a jagged boundary to the pale, cloudless sky. The looming forest bordering the river was covered in a dusting of snow. The water level of the river was low, and snow-covered gravel bars and beaches appeared around each bend. The leafless willow trees strained under the weight of the snow. The sun no longer gave much warmth and Liana pulled her collar up farther to protect her cheeks from the crisp, dry air. The fragile autumn landscape had lost most of its energy and everything seemed to slow. Alone and full of grief, Liana couldn’t leave fast enough.
    Liana continued to paddle, unaware that the river was changing. A low bank next to the right hand shore gradually became a ten-foot cliff. Spring floods and seasons of ice had polished its pink face smooth. The shift was too faint for Liana to notice, especially as she punctuated her rhythmic paddling with nearly obsessive recitations of “Au Clair de la Lune.” Inattentiveness can exact a bitter price.
    About half a mile farther downstream, a low bank on the left side of the river also rose into a low pink overhang. This change was imperceptible and gradual; Liana paid it no notice. However, the river—and Liana—were now trapped between these two rocky crags. These small cliffs would have continued as far as Liana could see if she had been paying attention. The river coursed through the canyon for several violent miles. There was no escape.
    Liana paddled downstream unaware of her fate. The river gradually quickened with the occasional small crashing wave. The rocky cliff’s fractured face slowly gained height until it towered twenty-five feet above the river. It was at this point that it dawned on Liana that she might be in a new kind of trap. Liana snapped out of her dreamy recollections and felt the gravity of her plight.
    Shaking herself, she studied the cliffs on either side of her and accepted that she was likely walled in. Her heart raced as she searched for a spot to land the canoe, but the river did not give any respite and coursed without bend as it approached a high, black bluff. The imposing monolith towered high above the river. She then remembered that Henry had once spoken of a fearsome canyon he called “The Fox” because “it sneaks up on you.” But that was all she could remember. Liana frantically tried to recollect what else Henry had said as she searched for a break in the canyon walls.
    The river took a dogleg and went abruptly left. As the water piled onto the right bank, a maelstrom of waves and foam threatened. Frantically Liana sought an eddy to land the canoe but there wasn’t any respite in the sheer walls and menacing rapids. Instinctively, she moved off the seat of the canoe and splayed her knees apart on the hull to better balance her weight. She continued to paddle quickly as she searched the riverbanks for a landing to escape