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We had finally arrived on the outskirts of this island. It had not occurred to me that we would visit anywhere above land, but it was a welcome change. It was good to feel the sun and sand. See trees and rocks. It was on one of these rocks that I sat, journal and pencil in hand, drawing and writing. I was intensely studying a tree to get the hang of it’s shape, so I did not notice the Captain’s footsteps approaching or the slight chuckle as he realized my ignorance. I will admit I jumped and may have made a small scream of alarm, but my recoil sent me almost falling backwards of my seat. This landed me firmly in Captain Nemo’s waiting hands. I saw his smile, and my heart beat fast. I felt the heat coming to my face as he helped me sit back up. He stayed behind me, but sat on the rock. Perhaps we both felt more comfortable than we would normally. I went back to studying the tree, as I attempted to keep myself distracted from the embarrassing moments before. And then, as I had laid my hand on the paper on defeat, the Captain placed his hand upon mine to get my attention. I felt the heat returning to my face once more as he wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned forward until he was next to me. I would have opened my mouth in protest, but he leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“Do you see that, professor?”
I shook my head in the negative, unable to make any noise and unsure what he meant. He put his hand under my chin and guided my head up into the branches of a tree. I will never, for the life of me, disclose exactly how I felt in that moment. I looked into the tree, studying it as I had the trunk, when I spotted what the Captain had mentioned. I gasped. There, in the tree, was one of the most colorful and extravagant birds I had ever seen. I could not identify it, as I had never seen it before. Neither me nor the Captain spoke for a few moments. Nemo then released me, and walked away to check on something or other. This left me smiling, with my mind racing, as I stood still for a few moments. I will forever be grateful that neither Conseil nor Ned saw me in such a dumbfounded state.