The Forbidden Island of Life

In the middle of the night, I woke up and saw the girl sitting by the fireplace, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the flickering flames. The sound of me sitting up startled her. She looked at me, and I looked back at her. I asked, "Have you eaten? Why didn't you take the money and leave?" She didn't answer but pointed at the table. The money was still there, with the cured meat and bread from the storage cupboard beside it. I understood. Taking the money didn't change her mother's mind, and it wouldn't stop her from choosing to jump into the sea. As for the cured meat and bread, I remembered they were the last bit of food left in the cupboard last night. She had kept it for me, while she herself had gone hungry all day. 

I told her, "Eat, I'm not hungry." She looked at me sadly, then lowered her head and shook it. It was clear that she wanted to save the food for me. I smiled, got up, and walked over to the table. I picked up the cured meat and bread and tossed them to her, telling her to eat quickly. She stubbornly shook her head. This time, I didn't get angry, nor did I want to scare her again like last night. I knew she was afraid that if she ate, I would make her leave. So I said, "Eat, but you must keep a secret." 

With that, I crawled under the bed and opened a wooden panel. Like an eel slipping into the mud, I disappeared. This was a secret underground room I had set up, stocked with enough food, and of course, weapons. Soon, I climbed back up, pushing a wooden box with me. The girl stared at me in surprise. I used a knife to pry open the sealed box, took out some dried fish, and tore it open to give it to her, telling her to eat. Then I piled the cured meat and nuts in front of her. 

At that moment, she finally took a big bite of the fish. Seeing how desperately she ate, I realized I was hungry too, so I squatted down with her and began chewing the tough food. The girl looked at me, and we both laughed. I said, "Talk to me. I don't like silence. Say whatever comes to your mind. There's only you and me in this room." 

Shyly, she lowered her head, steadied herself, and said, "My mom said women who marry men like you will be very happy." 

I froze. The mention of her mother made me think of what happened in this room that day. I asked her, "Why did your mother say that?"