J.M.J.
Author's note: Thank you for reading! Thanks especially for all the reviews! The next chapter will be September 27. God bless!
September 25 – Monday
There was no difference between summer and fall on the island. Tony couldn't help thinking about how back home in Bayport, there was a good chance that this would be a cool day as summer faded into fall, but thinking about that would be no help. It was hot here, and that was what mattered.
"You know, you don't have to do this," Phil told him one more time.
When Phil had told his fellow castaways that he was going to make the Yom Kippur fast, Tony had offered to do it with him for morale support. Phil's initial reaction had been to insist that that wasn't necessary, but Tony had cited the many Ash Wednesdays and Good Fridays where he had had to go to school and virtually no one else was fasting, and so he knew how much more difficult it was to have to observe a fast which no one else was. He did almost change his mind when he found on that the Yom Kippur fast including no water, but he decided to go through with it after all.
The other castaways were also concerned when they heard about the water situation. Frank, especially, was skeptical of whether this was a wise thing to do.
"It'll be fine," Tony had tried to convince him. "I'm sure the rules are that if you're literally going to die, you can drink some water, right, Phil?"
"The rules are that you can drink some water even if you're just going to be sick from not doing so," Phil had replied. "So we're not going to do anything stupid. We'll assess the situation as the day goes on. And you know, Tony, since this is completely voluntary on your part…"
"Okay," Frank had agreed reluctantly, "but I don't want to see either of you doing any exercise or being out in the sun."
"You're not supposed to work on Yom Kippur, anyway," Phil had pointed out. "Only pray."
"Good," Frank had replied. "Then you can both do that in the shade."
It was the day itself now, probably about noon, judging from the position of the sun. Since the fast had started the evening before at sundown and would end at sundown today, that meant that it was well over half over now. It was just the long afternoon hours when it was hottest and the boys were already both hungry and thirsty that were left to get through. Tony was glad for once that there were no clocks on the island, so that he couldn't count the slowly passing seconds until sundown. As it was, he simply had to think about something else.
"If you're getting too thirsty, you can get some water any time," Phil reminded him.
Tony rolled his eyes. Heat, thirst, and hunger were making it harder to be patient than it had been a few hours ago. "I'm fine. You know, this isn't the first time I've ever fasted before."
"You know you're not fooling me, right?"
"I didn't know I was trying to fool you," Tony replied.
"You don't have to fast from water on your fast days," Phil pointed out. "For that matter, you can still eat on them."
"Yes," Tony conceded, "not as much as most people seem to think, but yeah, we can have some food and anything to drink we want, as long as it's not a smoothie or something that's basically food."
"Uh-huh," Phil said. "So it's not quite like this."
"Well, if you want to do a more severe fast, there's nothing stopping you."
"Have you ever done that?" Phil asked.
Tony didn't reply, letting Phil make of that what he would.
"Well, in any case," Phil said, "this is voluntary, and I'm not sure I quite understand why."
Tony leaned back against the tree he was sitting under. "For the reasons I told you. Morale support. Besides that, fasting is a good thing. I'm not quite sure if I believe the health gurus that it's particularly good for your physical health since it does usually take a few days to recover from it, but it's good in a lot of other ways. Gives you a chance to practice self-control and learn to be less materialistic. Reminds you that no matter how in control you think you are of your life, you're only ever one inconvenience away from being very uncomfortable. Helps you to be more grateful for what you have. Teaches you empathy for people who don't have any food. And most importantly, it helps you to get closer to God and make reparations for sins."
"I thought Christians believe that Jesus paid for all their sins."
"Yes, but there are still a lot of good reasons to do penances, besides all the ones I named off before, which go for any kind of penance, not just fasting. It's also gratitude. You're more grateful when you get a taste of what it cost to redeem you. And besides that, if you have a big debt that you can't pay and someone pays it for you, you're going to have a hard time convincing anyone you're very grateful if you don't still pay what you can, even it's nothing compared the whole debt. Then, too, it's true that we don't have to endure eternal punishment for sins because of Calvary—as long as we repent for those sins—but there are other effects that still remain: all the wounds and shame and weakness that comes from sinning. There is difference of opinion on this between different Christians, but Catholics believe that all of that isn't just going to be covered up and ignored in Heaven; it's really going to be removed from us, but that process requires our cooperation, partly because we have free will and we need to freely accept being forgiven and partly because it's better for us to cooperate, for the reasons I've already been saying. But maybe the best reason of all is because religion isn't just supposed to be about following the rules and getting the reward—those things are important—but they're important because religion is supposed to be a love story. You're only willing to follow rules when you love the person making them and spending eternity with someone you don't love is a punishment, not a reward. And if you love someone and they're suffering—especially if they're suffering because of you—and you can't stop them from suffering, then you at least want to suffer with them, even if there's literally no visible gain from it. I know the Crucifixion was a long time ago, but we're talking about God. Time doesn't mean the same thing to Him."
Phil rested his chin on one fist. "You really believe all of that?"
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't."
HBNDHBNDHB
Callie dropped her backpack on the floor of her apartment and flopped into an armchair. It had been a long day, even though she enjoyed her Monday-Wednesday classes more than her Tuesday-Thursday ones. She had had two tests that day and while they hadn't been especially hard tests, she was mentally exhausted. The one consolation was that, since she had had tests in both classes, she didn't have any homework tonight. She could do whatever she wanted for once.
It was a rare occasion when she had an opportunity like this, and Callie didn't want to waste it. There were a million things she needed to do and a million things she wanted to do, and she wasn't sure where to start. She needed to clean the apartment. It wasn't a total mess, but it could definitely stand some sweeping and dusting and general tidying up. Then she still wanted to decorate this place better so that it actually felt a little like home. She hadn't called her parents in a few days, either, and she also thought she should probably check in on Iola at some point. But at the same time, it sounded so nice to just sit and watch a movie, although deciding which one would be hard, since there were so many that she had been wanting to see, but she never had the time to do it. Maybe it wasn't a million things, but it was enough that the choices finished overwhelming her overtaxed brain, and so she just sat there, doing nothing.
She probably never would have done anything that evening if her phone hadn't rung. She lazily reached for where she had laid it on the floor next to her backpack and held it up to see the screen. That snapped her out of her lethargy. The name on the screen was Casey's, and she groaned as soon as she saw it. He was getting to be a big part of Callie's stress. It was becoming more and more obvious daily that his interests in her weren't merely friendly, but he hadn't overtly asked her out, giving himself the perfect alibi to play innocent. She was tempted to tell him flat-out that she wasn't interested in dating anybody so soon, but that seemed rude. She tried to find ways to bring it up casually in conversation, as if she didn't suspect that Casey was building up to asking her for a date, but every time she saw an opportunity, Casey would change the subject just enough that she would miss it. Callie really didn't want to have to deal with him right now, so she just let the phone ring.
It seemed like it rang forever, but it finally stopped. A few seconds later, a text came through from Casey. Callie didn't read it. That was partly because she didn't want him to see that she had read it and simply wasn't answering, but also because she wanted wait to handle that situation until some time when she had more energy.
She wasn't sure if Casey would try again, but if he kept calling and she kept not answering, he would probably ask her about it in class tomorrow. Callie would simply have to have an excuse for why she wouldn't talk to him. She opened the contacts on her phone and placed a call to Iola.
The phone rang for a few seconds before Iola answered. She sounded quiet and subdued, as she had every time Callie had talked to her since the recording had come to light. "How's everything going, Callie?" she asked.
Callie allowed herself to groan. "Stressfully."
"Is it your crazy math professor?" Iola asked.
"Oh, she hardly even makes the list of problems these days. I've got a new one. Oh, hold on." Callie's phone had beeped, indicating that she had another call coming in. She pulled it away from her ear to see Casey's name displayed on the screen. "I've got another call," she told Iola.
"Do you need to go?" Iola asked.
"No! Definitely not. But he'll probably keep calling and interrupting us."
"Who's he?"
"My new problem." Callie stared across the room with narrowed eyes for a second before explaining the whole situation to Iola. "So, you see, I don't know what to do. He hasn't come out and asked me for a date, and so if I tell him before he asks me that the answer would be no, it sounds like I think any guy who so much as talks to me must want to date me. And I suppose I could be wrong. Maybe he just is overfriendly."
Iola didn't reply right away. When she did, all she said was, "I don't know why these things have to be so complicated. You'd think you could just talk about it and be straightforward. I miss how uncomplicated things used to be."
There was no need for Callie to ask about what Iola was talking about when she mentioned how things used to be. Joe had always been so open and honest with everyone that Callie couldn't imagine that Iola had ever had any difficulty talking to him about anything. Callie's relationship with Frank had been wonderfully uncomplicated, too, even if some people liked to gossip and invent drama where there was none. How Callie wished that her worst problem was people talking behind her back about Frank and Nancy!
"Are you okay?" Iola asked when Callie hadn't said anything for a minute or two.
"Yeah," Callie said unconvincingly. "I was just thinking about how everything used to be. I never realized how lucky I was. But let's stop talking about Casey. I'd rather stop thinking about him altogether."
"That's fine by me," Iola replied. "I've never even met him and I don't like him."
"Have you heard anything from Mr. Hardy lately?" Callie asked after a minute or two.
"No. He's still in Mexico, investigating that cartel."
"So the two cases are connected after all."
"I guess. The whole thing is too confusing for me to keep up with it." Iola paused and then she added in rush, "Callie, I'm so, so sorry."
"For what?" Callie asked in genuine confusion.
"For the way I was acting and that I wouldn't accept…"
"There's nothing to apologize for," Callie assured her. "At least, you don't have anything. I should be apologizing to you. Some of the things I said…I'm really sorry I said them."
"Oh, forget it," Iola told her. "You were right."
"I wish I hadn't been. Let's both forget about it. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to either of us. Let's just leave it at that."
She heard Iola sigh and then say, "Okay. You know, I've really missed you, Callie."
"You're always welcome to come and visit," Callie told her. "Why not come up this weekend?"
"I can't this weekend. There's some family coming in from out of town. But they're leaving Sunday afternoon. Maybe I could drive up after they leave and stay with you during the week. I know you've got class and work, but I could just hang out around campus while you're busy and see if the university life is for me."
"If that sounds like fun to you, we could make it work. I could even ask my English professor if you could sit in on class. You'd like her and that class, I think."
"Okay, but don't bother asking your math professor. I don't think I want to sit through her classes."
Callie laughed. "I don't think I want to, either, for more than one reason. I'll see you on Sunday then."
HBNDHBNDHB
Judging from the position of the sun, it would be an hour or so until sundown. It was still hot, but the sun was at enough of an angle now that it wasn't the oppressive heat of midday. The Hardys, Chet, and Biff were busily working on making a good dinner for Tony and Phil once they were finished with their fast.
"I couldn't do it," Chet declared as he was peeling a carrot. "Going all day without water in this heat. I'd be dead by now."
"Are you sure it's just the water that would be a problem?" Biff teased him.
"After the forced diet we've been on, you should have learned to appreciate decent food," Chet defended himself.
"Nope," Biff replied. "After this, I can appreciate food of any kind, as long as it's not fish."
"Sorry," Joe interjected. "That's what we're having for dinner. Again."
"Maybe all you guys should have joined Phil and Tony," Frank said. "Then maybe you wouldn't complain about the food so much. We should be grateful we have any food at all."
"True," Biff conceded.
While they were talking, Joe thought he heard a faint sound from somewhere in the distance. He paused in his work to listen, and as everyone else fell silent in a natural lull in the conversation, the sound became clearer. It was a girl's voice singing a soft, slow melody in a foreign language.
"Is that Katina singing?" Joe asked.
The others paused to listen.
Then Chet said, "I hope it is. If there are any more mysterious people on this island…"
"No, it is," Biff interjected. "I've heard her singing that before."
"It sounds like a lullaby," Frank commented.
Biff shrugged. "It's probably just something she knew from before she got stranded here. Is it important somehow?"
"No, probably not," Joe replied. "I just wish we knew more about her and who she is and how she ended up here. And now with that boat she showed us…" He shook his head. "The whole thing is very mysterious."
"And we all know how much you Hardys hate a mystery you can't solve," Chet said knowingly.
"Except there's never been one of those until we wound up on this island," Biff pointed out.
He and Chet chuckled while the Hardys shook their heads. It wasn't far from the truth; there weren't many mysteries that Frank and Joe hadn't been able to solve, but the past few months had shown them that a reputation like that wasn't everything. It couldn't get them past the hundreds of miles of water surrounding and trapping them.
The castaways went back to work, but Joe still tried to listen to Katina as long as she continued singing. The melody almost felt familiar and it was hard enough to hear the words that it was easy to imagine that he would have been able to understand them if they had been clearer. It gave him a strange feeling, and even after Katina stopped singing, the feeling didn't go away. On the contrary, as the evening went on, it grew stronger.
Supper was a little delayed from what they expected, as Phil explained that the fast should go a little past sunset to keep it more in the spirit of the law rather than the letter alone. After a moment's clear disappointment at this, Tony agreed to go along with it, so supper was pushed back to about fifteen minutes after sunset.
"I'm going to go for a walk," Joe announced abruptly. "I won't be too long, but if I'm late, go ahead without me for supper."
"Thank goodness for that," Tony murmured, but he managed a faint grin as he did so.
Frank watched as Joe walked rapidly away. Some instinct told him to follow him, and so he did without another word. He caught up with his brother a few hundred yards from the cabin, just where the ocean was visible from the path. Joe had paused to gaze out intently over the water. It wasn't dark yet, and so the uninterrupted waves were visible for a long way.
"Is something wrong?" Frank asked.
Joe shook his head. "No. Probably not. I don't know. It's just a feeling that I have. Like something's about to happen."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." Joe grinned faintly. "My feelings aren't usually that detailed. It probably doesn't mean anything."
Frank also looked out over the ocean. There were no ships or anything else to break up the interminable expanse of water and give some credence to Joe's feeling. "No. But it wouldn't hurt to look around tomorrow."
