"You're hardly alone here," she said, glancing up at the woman who was still holding the smoking cup under my chin. "My family and tribe will care for you until your friends return."
The old woman said something to the girl in their native tongue and I flinched again, smelling the strong vapor rising from the bowl.
"What's this strange smoke you're having me inhale? It smells like incense—"
"It's burning hibiscus leaves. We've found that it helps neutralize the effects of the toxin. Since you were unconscious, it was the only way we could get the medicine inside you. But now that you're awake, there are some more potent herbs you can take internally."
The old woman reached down beside her and lifted a coconut shell filled with a milky substance and raised it to my lips. She smiled at me softly and nodded for me to drink the elixir.
"What is that?" I said, frowning from the pungent smell of the mixture. "It smells like something died in there."
The girl chuckled as she squeezed my hand.
"It's made from the same natural ingredients that I've been using to neutralize the pain and swelling on the side of your neck. It's a mixture of plantain leaves, papaya bark, and turmeric, dissolved in coconut milk. You have to trust us. We've been administering this medicine for hundreds of years, and we know it works. I think you'll find the taste quite pleasant."
I reluctantly lifted my head and parted my lips as the old lady tilted the bowl toward my mouth. The potion was thick and grainy, like a soup broth, but it tasted more like chocolate milk. I swished it around in my mouth for a few seconds, then gulped it down nervously. The old lady looked into my eyes and nodded as she tilted the cup higher.
"Sila atu," she said in a heavy accent.
"Drink the rest," the native girl said. "It will help settle your stomach and ease the pain."
I slowly emptied the bowl, then the old lady got up and said something to the girl before she stepped out of the hut.
For the first time since I'd woken up, I began to feel a little less anxious about my situation, and I gazed up at the native girl, studying her face. She was even more breathtaking close-up than I'd remembered. Her large brown doe eyes, small slender nose, and spongy cheeks gave her the appearance of a girl far younger than her sexy figure would suggest. I glanced at her chest and was disappointed to see that she was fully covered with some kind of dyed dress. The cloth looked thick and dense, more like a mat than the woven cloth used to make our Western garments. I glanced down my own body and was relieved to see that I was still wearing the same clothes I'd left the boat with.
"How long have you and your family lived here?" I asked, interested as much to learn about the history of her culture as her actual age.
"Our family and those of our tribe have lived on this island for centuries. As best we can tell from the oral traditions passed down from our ancestors, the island was settled by Polynesians traveling from the larger islands around 300 AD. I myself have lived in this little hamlet my entire life, which I'm told is eighteen rainy seasons."
So young, I sighed. With her flawless brown skin and soft cheeks, she looked even younger than her chronological age. I flashed back and remembered what she looked like naked under the waterfall, and shifted uncomfortably on the mat beneath me. I could feel the wetness building between my legs and blushed suddenly, realizing how attracted I was to this island goddess.
"You look even younger than that," I said, glancing at her tight-fitting frock. "At least, from the neck up. You're very pretty."
The girl smiled at me as she leaned in closer and lowered her voice.
"I saw you watching me," she said. "And I saw what you were doing behind that tree."
"Um..." I stumbled, not knowing how to react at being found out.
"It's okay," she said. "We're very open about our sexuality in our tribe. It's perfectly healthy and normal. I'm glad that you saw me. I think you're very beautiful also."
I felt a sudden tingle between my legs as I squeezed my thighs together, unconsciously rubbing myself against my tight cargo shorts.
"Oh?" I said, fishing for more details. "Have you had a lot of experience in that area? Where I come from, girls don't usually become active until your age or later."
"Most of the boys and girls in our tribe become sexually active soon after they reach maturity. But since I'm the daughter of the chief, he expects me to save myself until marriage."
"Now I see why you needed to find another form of release under the waterfall."
The girl smiled at me as I began to feel the perspiration building between our palms.
"A woman can only go so long with unsatisfied needs—"
"I know the feeling all too well," I nodded. "It's been a long time for me too."
The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she rubbed my ring finger with her fingers.
"You're not married? I would have thought a pretty woman of your age would have plenty of suitors..."