Chapter 2 // Episode 2 - The Story of Sa

Photo: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Now that you know the story of the oldest resident of the island, you shall also know the story of the youngest resident.

The beach. Stretching, cold, windy, yet it is the place where emotions gather and convulse in a climax of the greatest hope, and crash broken dissipating into the greatest loss.

On one such morning fishermen gathering to go out for their daily catch, noticed a small object on the beach. They walked over for a closer look and what they found was something that no one would ever expect. A basket full of sheep skin rocking just slightly as little feet hit the side of it.

Anton carefully pulled back a piece of the sheep skin, a tiny face was revealed, the baby stretched her tiny naked hand towards his face, cooing to him. How long has this baby been here on the cold beach? Who could have left her? More urgent question of when was the last time this child has eaten? Anton quickly bundled her up back into the sheep skin, feeling relieved that the baby girl seemed warm and her chubby cheeks seemed satisfied with a recent feeding. He protectively hugged her to his chest yelling to his men to search the beach, as he started to run back towards the village.

He ran fast to the home of Estelle who was still feeding her own baby. Estelle, alarmed, without a word took the baby to feed her right away, who began sucking greedily. Where could this baby have come from? It was not possible for her to come from a woman on the island. It would have been known by the tight community. But how could she have appeared from the sea when no ship has been sighted? Who was her mother?

That evening the islanders gathered in the center of town, campfire roaring making the crisp snow sparkle. The story of a little baby girl has made the rounds and everyone was ready to make decisions about her future.

“What shall her name be?” Asked Anton looking around frost colored rosy cheeked faces of the fellow islanders.

Melissa, Rosa, Larissa, Alyssa…. were heard.

“Why don’t we just call her Sa.” Said Rosalie. “A half name is fitting for a child whose past we don’t know. But we can all give her a future.”

And so it was. The baby girl was named Sa. It was then time to give her a family.

“We will be her parents.” A couple with no children stepped forward to offer themselves.

“And I will be her grandmother.” Said Rosalie.

“I will be her sister.” Said Jul.

Sa became the youngest resident of the island. Babies were one of the biggest joys, and islanders hugged each other to wish best wishes with the new tiny member of the community. They drank warm spiced wine and rum well into evening keeping the campfire burning warm.

They never again wondered where the girl came from. After all, she was not so much different from any of them who all appeared on this island from somewhere else, with their past erased by the great flood, to build a new future, together.