BIRDSEYE, CAPTAIN;

now returned to the shores, a revitalized man.

All faculties intact.

Wishes to deny premature reports of his demise previously recorded in these columns

Will shortly address the nation re affirming that his fingers are the ones.

The year progressed as Dominic had anticipated, and hope turned into reality. They married. Harry's idea had found favour with Jean too.

'Quite wonderful; and the parrot too. Yes Harry a piece of inspiration," she had told him when he raised it again that evening they had all been together. It was how she had first 'come across' Dominic on a boat trip aboard Compton Castle to Totnes so what better place to seal their relationship than aboard her again.

It was a great occasion.

"You all look lovely," said Alice.

"All?"

"Yes, you Dominic, you Jean; and you polly too"

Then there was the surprise honeymoon. When did the idea first come into his head?

"Jean, it might be warm. Be prepared. I am saying no more except I only wish we could steam our way there and arrive aboard Compton, but that's something we shall just have to imagine. It was, in a way, her idea."

 

The third day of the holiday was now drawing towards evening. They both registered it was the 15th day of September 1973; neither knew the other had remembered nor wanted to ask for fear of disappointment. They were sitting in a cliff side bar in Fira, the capital of the island of Santorini. The tiny port of Skala Firon lay 570 steps below. They were exhausted from the climb. The sun on it's descent was now shining head on to the terraces of colour-washed houses built into the volcanic cliffs around them. The moment had come. Dominic could contain himself no longer.

"Jean, Do you re--?”

She produced an envelope.

"I do my dear Dom,I remember very well. How could you think I would forget? Shall I open it now? Yes I will," she said without waiting for a response.

He looked on, loving everything about this moment of fruition.

Jean too stretched time, assimilating each word slowly, enjoying every letter, and prolonging the experience to it's limit.

" You're right. Far too good to refuse! " She stretched out her hand and held it in his.

"Very early in the New Year you will be made an offer you cannot refuse."

"I'm a good prophet Mrs Robb?"

"Indeed Mr, sorry, Captain Robb."

"Later you will be taken by a Captain to an island far way."

" And here we are. You are a wonderful romantic Dom and I love you. Thank you for making my life so happy."

She looked out to sea. "I wonder where James Onedin landed. We'll pretend we arrived by Compton too.”

Dominic was not sure whether the eruption that almost cost James Onedin's life had ever actually occurred. He knew though around the time of Moses Santorini had been a circular volcanic island which erupted. It blew away It's heart into which the sea flowed creating the crescent shape it is today.

Then they sat a while longer. From the lip of the caldera they looked on in awe at the inextinguishable sun above the eternal sea. If God existed anywhere, it was surely here .

 

It was Monday 22nd July, 1974, a typical first day of the week. Nothing seemed to be happening, little got done. The day seemed to hang around. Dominic was not too happy with the world either. Jean had bought the Times which she occasionally read when she had time. Today she had. Nevertheless she found a few chores, and a couple of letters to write first. She would get the paper off him when needed.

"Pity they didn't sink the island." Dominic's solution to the main article.

In the battle over Cyprus Turkey claims three Greek navy ships sunk. British troops escort a convoy of 1000 vehicles carrying 4500 civilians from Nicosia. Britons flown home from Cyprus yesterday told grim tales of the terror of the past few days.

"Good. Nasty little man."

Doctors decide not to operate on General Franco.

"More trouble than they're worth; quite dangerous. At last our government has seen some sense."

Government will not press seat belt law. The Government is not to press on with the proposal to make the wearing of seat belts compulsory.

That's rich coming from them."

Israel. By an overwhelming majority the government oppose the idea of a separate Palestinian state and resolved that Palestinians could find their identity in a single state with the Jordanians.

 

Soon Jean was reading the paper. She had arrived at the Personal Columns which she liked to flip through. She suddenly exclaimed.

"Well, how about that?"

"About what?"

"A resurrection."

" Who?"

She got up and took the paper over to him.

"Look. Here."

He looked to where her finger was pointing. Page 26. Column 4.