Dedicated to Steph, for being the sweet girl she is.


**
If I could reach, reach higher
Just for one moment to touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I put my spirit to the test
If I could reach
(chorus of "Reach" by Gloria Estefan)
**



The plane touched down on Christmas Island at precisely sunset. Soft stars twinkled merrily on the far horizon, while the sun sunk lower and lower. It sent red streaks through the orange sky. The ocean, just barely visible, reflected the glorious colors, by ten.

There were only twenty-five or so passengers on the little plane, so getting off wasn't an ordeal, like it had been in Sydney. The terminal was a few hundred feet from where the plane was parked. A flight of metal stairs was guarded closely by two flight attendants who waited at the bottom.

When Liz reached the third stair from the bottom, the closer one said, "Watch your step, miss." Liz was tempted to smile at her accent. She looked down as she stepped off of the last stair. Her eyes widened, and she hurriedly turned to Lucky, who was behind her. He looked at her quizzically, then took her arm. He stopped mid-stride. Liz nodded, her eyes remaining the size of saucers.

"What in the world?" Lucky asked aloud. A broad-shouldered man in a straw hat overheard him. He chuckled and motioned for the two teens to fall into step beside him.

"You're wondering what all this," the man pointed to the ground, "is." The man had a thick native accent. Both teens were having trouble understanding him.

Little red crabs littered the ground. Some were dead, smashed by careless people and airplane tires. More crabs were alive, all crawling in the same general direction. The Australian man waved his hand in circles while he spoke.

"*This* is what we term the March of Crabs. It'll last a week, as they head for the beaches on one side of our island. Then it'll be another week for them to travel back home."

Lucky copied the man's confident stride through the crabs. Liz avoided them, carefully sidestepping and hopping over them.

"What kind of crabs are they?" Lucky asked curiously.

"Just plain Red Crabs," the stranger replied. He waved good-bye to the teens and jogged over to a woman who waited with a huge grin on her face. They kissed passionately when he neared her.

"Quite a welcome," Lucky commented, earning a light slap from Liz. They continued toward the terminal. Lucky grinned when Liz made a face at an ugly crab.

"You shouldn't do that, your face could get stuck like that," he told her. Liz rolled her eyes. The terminal was reached with a minimum of "crab hopping" and Lucky held open the door for Liz, who ducked through it with a relieved sigh.

The baggage was claimed and the pair dared to go through the front doors, Liz on the lookout for crabs the entire time.

"Why are you so worried about it?" Lucky asked, beginning to get exasperated.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm wearing *sandals*," Liz shot back at him, struggling with her duffel. Lucky took it from her wordlessly. He slung it over his shoulder, taking the added weight without complaining.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Lucky asked. Concern overrode his irritation.

A group of three yellow cabs waited under an overhang in front of the terminal. Lucky waved to one of them and led the way for Liz. She hopped from one foot to the other as the cabbie opened the trunk and loaded up their bags, and the large box that had paid their way to the Island.

Once inside the cab, Liz relaxed against the seat. Lucky sat beside her and they were off to deliver Liz's package, after Lucky had given an address. Liz was dozing when movement near her right foot caused a shiver to travel through her body. She looked down and clutched Lucky's arm. He jumped, having almost been asleep himself. Liz pointed out her predicament: the crab had latched onto her sandal.

"Get...it...*off*...of...me," Liz said slowly, enunciating every word. Lucky sighed, pried the crab away from Liz, and tossed it casually out the window. The cabbie hid a smile behind his hand. Liz groaned and leaned her head against Lucky's shoulder. He slid his arm around her.

---

Back | Fanfic | Feedback | Next