Prose

It is a humid hot evening, but a cool breeze is blowing over the beach were Maria Ramos is watching the lights of Luanda from a big rock.
 
It must be hours that she is sitting there, as she first realises that its high tide when a big wave breaks against the rock splashing her wet.

For a moment she tries to remain on the slippery rock, while the water tries to pull her into it with its slippery fingers and quickly she gets ready to jump down to go to the beach.

She suddenly realises that the rock has become an island and every time that the sea pulls back, the water near to the beach is hip deep.

Maria waits on the next wave before she jumps into the water next to the beach and rides with it onto the beach.

Her bathing towel still lies where she had left it beyond the high-water mark and Maria dries herself quickly, before she walks with her beach bag back to her hotel.

In of one of the cafes on the beach she hears guitar music and further down the street a few prostitutes give her dirty looks, before she walks past them without them bothering her.

Here and there some soldiers are walking about in the street and it’s as if the night gives a romantic atmosphere to the city and there is no sign of the decline that is daily visible.


***

Earlier that evening the candle light had thrown long shadows over the face of the officer that she had met in a restaurant and it was fear and some strain that she had read on his face.

The hands of the officer had shaken when he had put the magazine that he brought along on the table between the two of them and she saw something near to panic in his eyes.

The moment when she leaned forward to kiss him over the small table, her hand slipped the envelope filled with money under the cover of the table into his hand and there was naked fear in his eyes.

It only took seconds for her to pick the magazine up and to put it away in her handbag.  Something in the way that he was looking at her had warned her, that things was going terribly wrong and unobserved she tried to spy through the restaurant.

In the one corner a group of soldiers were drinking wine and telling jokes and but for a group of businessmen, there was only a couple that had fallen in love looking at each other.

The hairs on her skin was rising and it was as if something had walked over her grave and although she could notice nothing suspicious, she could not shake the feeling of anxiety.

She waited until the meal that they had ordered was served, before she left the table to go to the loo, to professedly go and freshen up.

The window in the toilet opened into the dark alley and she wormed through the window and then moved quickly from dark spot to dark spot, along the alleyway away from the restaurant.

Something forced her to make sure if any danger was hiding in the restaurant and with a roundabout she returned to the promenade at the beach and walked back into the direction of the restaurant.

At first she kept herself from jumping to conclusions and tried to convince herself that something else had made that officer so anxious and afraid, but from several blocks away she saw three jeeps with soldiers stopping in front of the restaurant and how the soldiers went forcefully into the restaurant.

It was enough to let her realise that she have got to leave Angola quickly, if she wants to stay alive. 
 
***
 
She tries to convince herself that nobody will expect her back in her room in the best hotel in Angola, right under the noses of the PJI, while she is waiting on the lift at the entrance.

It was somewhat difficult to arrange with the owner of one of the fishing boats to smuggle her out of Angola and she looks at her watch, to make sure that she still has got time left.

It is only an hour before she is going to sail to freedom, to be picked up by a ship in international waters.   She showers, dresses in a jean, T-shirt and jacket and time passes extremely slowly.

Later she leaves the hotel using the fire escape and a carry bag is the only luggage that she takes along with her.  Maria walks in the direction of the harbour, where some fishing boats are moored and the breeze from the sea is pulling at her hair.

When she reaches the harbour, she notices that there are many boats already on their way to sea and their lights dance like starts on the water.

It is strange that the fishing boat that she has got to use is deserted when she walks nearer and she draws the zip of her jacket close before she climbs on the deck of the boat.

Suddenly there’s a blinding light in her eyes and she notices two soldiers coming from the small cabin and some more soldiers are running nearer on the quay.

”Do not move!  If you move we will fire!” She is ordered and when she spontaneously brings a hand before her eyes to stop the sharp light from blinding her, a sub-machinegun starts firing and she notices the red stripes from the tracers flying over her head.

They want me alive she realises and that thought brings life to her reactions, where she had frozen in her step at the side of the boat.

She measures the water with her eyes and notices the lights of the city reflecting on it.  “Put your hands up Ramos,” one of the soldiers on the boat behind her orders.

When she lift her hands she throws her carry bag against the soldier that is nearest to her and flings herself quickly over the edge of the boat into the sea.

While she is falling the sub-machinegun starts firing again, but she is already in the safety of the dark water before bullets can touch her.

She swims passing underneath the boat and brake through the water next to the quay to catch some air.

When she notices the bright lights of the three Jeeps, she knows that she cannot stay in that spot without being noticed.

It is out of desperation that Maria passes beneath the next boat and for a moment she clings to the other side of it to take another breath.

The water is icy against her skin and her jacket clings like an octopus onto her and when she swims to the next boat to draw herself up over the side of it, she notices how a soldier throws a cigarette in an arc over her head.

She immediately realises that there are probably soldiers on all of the boats next to the quay and that she cannot get out of the water at the quay.

For a moment she rests at the edge of the boat right next to the smoking soldier and wonders in despair in what direction to swim to get away.  Moments later she swims under the water in the direction of the open sea.

When she again breaks though the water to take some breath, she knows that she had made a mistake as a searchlight is lighting up everything around her.  The sub-machinegun is again chattering and she hears bullets hitting the water around her.

It is now clear to Maria that it is not important anymore to capture her alive.  Instinctively she knows that she is going to be killed, if she does not immediately disappear under the protection of the water.

She fills her lungs with air and dives deeper while she swims further away in the direction of the sea, but it only feels like seconds before her lungs starts to burn and she is forced to take another breath.

When she breaks through the surface there are more searchlights on the water dancing around her and she hears the sound of some approaching motorboats that is coming from the direction of the sea.

Luckily they are not firing again although all the searchlights are focusing on her and she drifts for a moment on the water to try and rest, before she disappears again under the surface while she is trying to escape.

Suddenly Maria notices that there is something in the water near to her and there are three dark forms that are getting nearer to her and is starting to circle her.

Sharks, it shoots through her thoughts and fear almost causes her to swallow water, while she is trying to avoid them.  The dark forms however switch lights on and she has got to surface to take another breath.

It’s however despair and fear that makes her dive deeper to the bottom, but the divers follow her mercilessly and one grabs hold of her while he forces an oxygen pipe into her mouth.

The oxygen tastes sweet in her mouth and she realises that it is hopeless to try and escape but still she worms herself out of the arms of the man that is holding on to her, before her knee hits him on a very sensitive place.

He loosens his grip for only a moment, but it is enough for her to escape from his arms and to drag the oxygen tank from which she is breathing along.

She does however not account for the other two divers and within moments they are close to her, with their spear guns pointing threatening at her.