I shunned the vid-screen, even the entertainment channels; I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. In my isolation, I could almost persuade myself that what had happened that night on Trevellion's island was nothing more than an hallucination, a nightmare scenario far more terrible than reality could ever be. Of course, another part of me knew the truth; when I had almost succeeded in convincing myself that Fire was still alive, her continued non-presence, and flash visions of the sand lion's attack, told me otherwise... Even then, when I came finally to accept the fact of Fire's death, my reactions were erratic. I could recall the times we had spent together, and feel gladdened that we had done so; then, for no reason at all, a small thing like the recollection of her smile, of her moccasin lying in the sand, would send me into fits of tearful grief.I took to sitting for long periods on the patio and staring out across the sea. Abe's island in the foreground, and Trevellion's beyond, a faint blur on the horizon, were constant reminders of my loss.
