Skulls, Bones and Flowers 1

»Who would have thought that I could ever get annoyed by having to spend several months in the Caribbean?«

Lilly Berger yawned and combined stretching her body with slamming on her radio clock to stop the alarm. She thought of turning around again, to get some more sleep, but she knew that she had to get up anyway. The hostel only had one shower room, and she had to get up early if she wanted some privacy.

It had all started six months ago, when Lilly had still been at school, preparing for her final exams. Since she had no idea what to study yet, she and a few of her friends had decided to do a Voluntary Social Year, though they had all looked for opportunities to leave Germany. They not only considered their service as an opportunity to hone their language and social skills, but also to get to an exotic country without having to pay a fortune.

First, Lilly had thought that she had gotten the big win, for she had managed to go to Martinique, a Caribbean island that still belonged to France and therefore even was a part of the EC. The work would be at the local museum, and though Lilly had little experience in such work (none, to be precisely), she had pretended that she intended to work in the field of museum education afterwards. She hadn’t had too much hope, but some month before the exams, she had been accepted to spend eight months in Martinique. Eight months of beach and sun, and the institution would even pay for her flight, food and rent, including a little pocket money! It was like a paid vacation!

The first drop of bitterness had been that none of her friends would join, but nevertheless, Lilly had been more than happy when she had left for her adventure on August the 8th. Since her parents weren’t rich, it was only the second flight in her life, and the first over such a long distance.

Her euphoria had lasted until some hour after her arrival at Basse-Terre, the capital, though the hot, moist climate had been overwhelming. However, this was something she had expected, and she was sure that she would soon adjust to it.

Disappointment started little later, when the taxi dropped her at what the brochure had called a hotel, but turned out to be a youth hostel. A slightly grumpy woman led Lilly to the room that would be her home for the next eight months: some 15 square meters, sparsely furnished, and with a functioning, but noisy air conditioning. In addition, she would have to share both the bathroom and the only washing machine with the seven other girls living there.

The first week had been exciting, though, as she had done little trips (Lilly, not being 21, could not rent a car and therefore had to use the bus), and the beach was indeed great. Her flatmates were okay at least, and sometimes, even the Wi-Fi worked.

Then, however, her actual work had started, and the Museum’s director had left little doubt that she really would have to work 40 hours a week. Lilly’s job was not only to sell tickets, but to help with a new exhibition that would show the history of slavery on the island. It was an interesting topic, but not a very funny one, and in addition, after work, Lilly was often too tired to go out.

She worked herself to the bathroom, took a shower and got dressed. At least, the museum had no dress code, allowing her to wear a light summer dress. Just in time, she reached the museum, only to be greeted by a friendly

»Ah, just time for a little coffee before work starts!«

It was Nesrin, another exchange student from Germany, though she was born in Iran. Still, after three weeks, Lilly wasn’t sure whether to consider Nesrin a friend or just a colleague.

Like her, she was 18 and had passed her exams this summer, and she had also decided that she was too young to already start at the University. Her parents were a little richer than Lilly’s, so Nesrin could afford living at a better apartment, but that wasn’t the reason Lilly was a bit reluctant about her, for Nesrin was more than friendly.

However, she was also a bit of a nerd, always appearing a bit early for work, and never trying to skip unpleasant tasks. Once, Lilly had been able to persuade her to get to the court with Antoine, the young museum’s clerk, to have a cigarette break. Nesrin had either looked at her watch, feared that the director would scold them, or stared at Antoine smoking as if the young man was taking drugs right in front of her. When he had offered her a cigarette, too, she had shied back, and Lilly had taken one though she actually didn’t smoke, just to show Nesrin that this wasn’t the first step to hell. Well, maybe, it had also been because Antoine was a handsome guy, but seemed more interested in Nesrin than in her.

»Good luck, my friend, but you will shatter on her chastity belt!«

Actually, Nesrin’s parents were quite liberal – way too liberal for the Iranian Government, so the family had left the country for Germany when Nesrin had been just a toddler. Even compared to other Muslim families in Germany, they could be called tolerant and secular. Nesrin wore her hair open, she occasionally drank a glass of wine, and the mere fact that she was here in the Caribbean without a chaperone proved her parents were modern and open-minded. However, in Lilly’s eyes, Nesrin was a philistine. A friendly and kind, but nevertheless prudish philistine.

Nesrin dressed modest – so modest that Lilly’s dresses looked slutty in comparison, she hardly went to the beach, and it seemed that she was almost frightened whenever a guy tried to talk to her. On one occasion, when they had done a walk at the beach, Lilly had tried to find out if there was a story behind this, but it turned out that Nesrin was just terribly shy.

»Even my own father is joking that I will end up with a bunch of cats!«

Lilly guessed that Nesrin had never even been kissed by a man. Not that she was that experienced. There had been two or three boys in her life, and her last relationship had lasted long enough for her to lose her virginity, but the man in her life was still hidden somewhere in the future.

»If only Antoine would not only have eyes for the Persian Ice Princess, this future could start right now!«

Reflexively, she took back her shoulders, so her breasts thrust out more. At least, Antoine should get a glimpse of what he would miss if he kept on courting Nesrin. Antoine smiled, and though Lilly guessed that he was training his trademark smile in front of the mirror, it worked, and she felt a slight tingle in her womb. A naughty little part of her demanded to find out whether it was true that Black men were – well, better equipped than Whites.

»Today, we should – oh no, the Coast Guard! What have you girls done at the beach last evening?«

Indeed, a person was approaching through the marble hall. She wore a white uniform, consisting of a short-sleeved blouse and knee-length shorts. In her left, she held a cap with a badge. Lilly knew that the Police sported dark blue uniforms, but so far, she hadn’t seen a member of the Martinique Coast Guard.

Several thoughts ran through her brain: first, she tried to figure out whether she or Nesrin had indeed done something wrong when they had been at the beach; then, she realized that the woman was very attractive. The shorts were rather widely cut, but they couldn’t hide the shapely legs and the swag of her hips. Like in Antoine’s case, her skin colour was emphasized by the choice of white clothing, and her smile was as broad and shiny as his. Lilly sensed a concurrent, a small sting of jealousy that turned into a red hot iron when the beautiful woman and Antoine hugged and kissed, albeit only on each other’s cheeks.

They exchanged a few words in the French Creole that Lilly could hardly understand; then, Antoine turned towards Lilly and Nesrin.

»May I introduce my sister!«

Sister! Lilly had to oppress a sigh of relief, for now, the black girl was focussing her and Nesrin.

»Hi, I am Désirée! However, I spent three years in the US, so, you may call me Daisy!«

The girls said their names and they shook hands. Lilly, who considered Daisy much more sympathetic since she knew she was just Antoine’s sister, had to admit she had a firm handshake. Obviously, the Coast Guard hadn’t chosen her only for her looks.

Antoine said something in Creole that made Daisy both smile and roll her eyes. In French, he repeated, grinning at the girls:

»I said, we now have a bouquet of flowers – a Daisy, a Lilly, and afaik ›Nesrin‹ means ›Wild Rose‹!«

Nesrin had told Lilly about the meaning of her name, but now, her cheeks just reddened, as if she wanted to match the meaning of her name. Daisy patted her brother’s shoulder.

»Be a good gardener and get your sister a coffee, too!«

Antoine bowed and disappeared in the small kitchen. His sister turned towards the girls and asked:

»Just tell me if he doesn’t behave well! I will have him arrested – or tell our Nana!«

Said »Nana« was Antoine’s (and obviously Daisy’s) Grandmother who had left with the two orphaned kids some 15 years ago when she had left Haiti, where a dictatorial regime, political chaos, poverty and natural disasters competed in making people’s lives miserable. There were quite many Haitians at Martinique where the living standard was relatively high and where there was no language barrier.

»Please, don’t tell Nana, she will cast a spell on me!«

The two siblings laughed when Antoine handed Daisy her coffee, but Lilly sensed that although they were joking, there was something else. Perhaps, their Nana had indeed threatened them with spells when they had been younger, and now, they still had some respect for that, though they of course knew it all was fiction.

They had a few minutes until Daisy had to start her shift, and before she left, they had agreed upon them all having dinner at the sibling’s grandma’s house the next day.

»Tomorrow’s my day off, and so, I will visit Nana in the evening and stay overnight to help her with the preparations! You may all join when the museum closes tomorrow! Just take the number 5 bus line till the end, it’s just a few steps from there!«

Daisy left, and during the day, Antoine sometimes told them about their grandma. According to him, Nana was a real Voodoo priestess, a spell master – and also the kindest old person and the best cook under the sun.

»I may not look the part, but there is not a single creation by her that can’t be described as delicious!«

***

So, the next morning, Lilly not only had her best dress with her, but also a bottle of expensive wine, as a gift for Nana. Nesrin had even managed to bake a cake, but at the museum, the senior clerk told them that Antoine had called in sick.

»Now, what shall we do now?«, Lilly asked Nesrin as they were both alone at the room of the special exhibition, placing descriptions at the smaller artifacts, »have the cake ourselves and keep the wine until Antoine’s back and we can have the dinner then?«

Nesrin pondered. She didn’t share Lilly’s disappointment about Antoine’s absence, and she proposed to get there anyway.

»If Nana has prepared the dinner, she might be angry if it’s cancelled! In addition, we know where to go! I think we should go – and if Nana sends us away, we still have the cake!«

It sounded like a plan, and so, the two girls continued their tedious, but easy work until the museum closed at 6 pm. Then, they changed their clothes, and Nesrin couldn’t help smiling when she let her eyes wander over Lilly.

»Do you want Antoine to just get well, or to propose to you?«

The emerald green dress was made of real silk, and its skirt reached to her calves, but had two daring slits in its sides, showing quite a lot of her legs that were emphasized by her high heeled sandals. The dress had only one shoulder strap, ornated with a silver brooch, so Lilly wore a strapless bra underneath, begging that Antoine would be too distracted by her pearl necklace and the matching earrings not to notice the pale line on her shoulder, indicating she had been wearing a bikini when getting her tan.

»He will hardly notice, since he will only have eyes for you!«, Lilly pouted, and Nesrin blushed slightly. She was wearing an off-white dress with a coloured sash and long sleeves, whilst a hairband matching her sash held back her black curls. Nesrin had put on decent makeup and wore earrings and a necklace, but unlike Lilly, she didn’t look as if she was up for her prom night.

»Most likely, he won’t be there at all! But I am sure Daisy will take a few pictures and show him!«

They went for the bus station, finding out that number 5 ended at a small village that looked as if it came from another century, though some satellite dishes, a few cars and people using cell phones destroyed the picturesque image. Except for an old couple, they were the only Whites.

They had expected Daisy to wait for them, but there was no sign of her, and so, Lilly and Nesrin went to the next shop whose owner told them the way to Nana’s cabane. Nana lived a bit outside the village, but if one of the girls had expected a wooden cabin with dead chicken dangling from hooks and strange symbols painted all over the walls, they got disappointed: the cabane looked plain, but it had white, clean walls, a satellite dish, and beside it, there was a small, well-groomed garden.

There was an old fashioned bell beside the door, and Lilly pulled on the string. There was no response, though she was sure she had heard someone inside.

»Perhaps, Nana’s hard-hearing?«, Nesrin who carried the cake suggested, but at that moment, the door opened, and an old black woman peeked through the gap. Nana, admittedly the kindest person under the sun, barked:

»What you want?«

A bit abashed, Lilly told her who they were, but Nana only shook her head, not opening the door any further.

»Antoine not here! Désirée not here! Now go!«

She slammed the door shut, and Nesrin put her hand on Lilly’s bare shoulder.

»Perhaps, Antoine and Daisy forgot to call the dinner off and now, she’s quite angry! Let’s get back and have the cake, and once Antoine’s back, he will have to do our chores as an apology!«

»Kindest old person under the sun my ass!«, Lilly hissed towards the door. She wanted to do what Nesrin had said when her eyes fell on a hook close to the door. On it, a black cap and a leather belt were hanging, the latter carrying a holster with a gun.

»Martinique Coast Guard«, Lilly read, having to bend forward to see the badge properly. She usually wore glasses, but had kept them in her handbag out of vanity. She turned towards Nesrin.

»That’s Daisy’s cap – and most likely her belt and holster, too! So, she has been here, as she said! But why hasn’t she at least informed us that the dinner got cancelled?«

She opened her handbag, put on her glasses and then looked at her cell phone. Daisy had given them her number, and she looked at her WhatsApp status, indicating that Daisy had last been online the evening before.

»Perhaps, she fell sick, too, and therefore-EEEK!«

Lilly gasped when the door opened, and Nana was waving a kitchen knife.

»I said go! Next bus in 30 minutes, so go! Go!«

The two girls stumbled away from the cabane, hearing how the door was slammed shut again. They withdrew behind a corner where Lilly once again took her phone.

»I will now call Daisy! She’s a member of the Coast Guard, so, if something’s wrong, she will know what to do!«

She did so, and whilst she was listening to the monotone beeping at her ear, Nesrin suddenly frowned and held a hand to her ear. Then, she pointed at the bushes.

»There!«

Lilly cancelled the call and also listened, but Nesrin shook her head.

»When you phoned her, I think I could hear a phone ring somewhere there!«

Now, Lilly felt a mixture of relief and anger. It was all a prank! Sure, Daisy was hiding behind a tree and Nana had just feigned the grumpy old hag. Again, she dialled  Daisy’s number, though this time, she also listened towards the direction Nesrin was pointing at.

Indeed, there was a faint melody, barely audible. The two girls carefully stepped on the narrow path, following the sound. After a few yards, Nesrin pointed at a small tree. They approached, and there, hidden by an exotic flower, was the cell phone. Lilly picked it up. However, it had a fingerprint lock and so, they could only tell it was indeed Daisy’s.

»Okay, this was all very funny, but now, you can show up, we are starving!«, Lilly said, raising her voice. She prepared for Daisy, or maybe even Antoine, jumping from behind a tree to scare them, but there was nothing but the faint sounds of the nearby village and that of the animals in the bushes.

»If this is a prank, they forgot about the funny part!«

They looked around for other signs of that strange scavenger hunt, but there was nothing – except for a few bent twigs beside footprints on the sandy ground. Nesrin suddenly reached for Lilly’s hand.

»It looks as if there has been a fight!«

»Or, as if someone made it look like one!«, Lilly replied, more to fight down the tingle in her nape, indicating upcoming fear. She peeked through the bushes, where they could see the roofs of the houses, and hear the sounds of people and cars.

»I don’t think that a bunch of gangsters is hidden behind the trees, waiting for us! Now, as Nana said, the next bus will go in 20 minutes! Let’s just follow that path for, let’s say, 5 minutes, and if there’s nothing, we return to the village!«

Nesrin didn’t seem to like the idea, but she placed her cake on the ground and followed Lilly who held the wine bottle like a club as she carefully staggered forward, trying not to entangle her dress in the twigs.

»I think Antoine owes us an entire week of doing our chores!«

They followed the path for some 50 more yards, and now, whilst the sounds of the village were drowned by those of the animals around them, they could make out another sound in front of them. Obviously, they were approaching the beach.

»Look!«

Lilly had whispered involuntarily as she now pointed at something in front of them, some 30 or 40 yards away. It was a small bay, and there was a wooden hut, too. A burning lantern was dangling from a hook at the veranda, indicating it was inhabited by someone.

»I told you it’s a prank! They have prepared everything here for the dinner, and I am sure that any second, Nana will appear with the starters!«

Nesrin didn’t seem to be convinced, but Lilly insisted:

»What do you think it is, a pirates’ cove? Let’s just have a look – if it’s just some local fishermen, we will excuse and go to the bus station!«

However, Nesrin didn’t want to go further, and so, they agreed upon her returning to where they had found the cell phone, to guard the cake.

»Just give me five minutes! Then, I will return, either with Daisy and Antoine, or alone!«

Nesrin went back to the spot, and when she could see the little airing, she noticed something that made her feel much, much better: the cake had gone!

»So, it was indeed Daisy, or her and her brother, and they are-«

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of cracking twigs behind her. Before Nesrin could react, strong arms were slung around her arms and body, and a heavy hand clamped her mouth shut.

***

The bay was indeed small, just wide enough for the small boat moored at a rock. However, it looked lovely, and Lilly could imagine having a swim in the moonlight, together with Antoine. She could imagine him persuading her to join him in the water, despite her having no bathing suit with her…

Reflexively, she took off her glasses, stowing them in her handbag. Now, the hut looked a bit blurred, but she was convinced that she looked better without them. Slowly, she approached the hut’s veranda, and she asked:

»Antoine? Daisy? Nana?«

There was no response, but Lilly was sure she had heard something from inside the hut. She reached for a dangling dreamcatcher, to stop it from jingling, and once again called.

»Uuhhmmmm!«

It was a faint humming, and Lilly frowned. Then, she knew what it was: Daisy, or maybe Nana, was oppressing a giggle. Of course, they were hiding behind the door, ready to yell »Surprise!« when she entered.

»Okay, time to turn the tables!«

Lilly placed the wine bottle and her handbag on the floor, reached for the door handle and then opened the door with a push.

»Surprise!«

Her eyes fell on a dark room, only equipped with a few makeshift beds. Definitely not the location for a surprise party!

»Uuhhmmm! Mmhhmmmmm! Mph!«

The moaning could be heard again, and now, Lilly could see something sway from a ceiling hook. It was a canvas hammock, and it twitched and from it, the strange noises seemed to come. Lilly felt a shiver run down her spine, but at the same time, she stepped towards the hammock and went on her tiptoes to look inside.

»Mhhmmm! Uuhhmmm!«

Lilly gasped when she recognized the woman inside the hammock. It was Daisy, still sporting her white Coast Guard uniform. Her arms were behind her back, indicating they were bound, as a rope was wound tightly around her upper body. More ropes bound her legs at the ankles and above and below the knees, and the lower half of Daisy’s face was covered by several rounds of silver duct tape.

»Daisy! Oh my God!«

Again, daisy mewed, and this time, her moaning seemed to cause an echo, for there came similar sounds from behind her back. Lilly spun around, and she could see a man stand in the door. He was a tall, muscular Black wearing sunglasses despite the dim lighting, and he had his hand loosely on the gun in his belt. Beside him, Lilly could see Nesrin’s face – or rather half of it, for a black hand clamped her mouth shut. She stared at Lilly with eyes like saucers and squirmed in her captor’s firm grip.

»Behave, or he’ll break her neck!«

The man entered the room, followed by his comrade who dragged the squirming Nesrin with him. Lilly shied back to the wall, unable to say anything. The man grunted something in Creole Lilly couldn’t understand properly. It sounded like »Maybe, they will pay more!«. Then, he grabbed a coiled rope and approached Lilly.

»Please, no, I-«

»Shut up!«

He drew a switchblade and let the blade appear inches in front of the frightened girl’s eyes. Grinning wolfishly, he then cut a length of rope and grabbed Lilly’s wrists, turning her front towards the hut’s wall.

»Ouch, that hurts!«, Lilly complained as he tied her wrists. She had spoken German, and so, he perhaps misunderstood her words as a complaint that her bonds were too loose, for he tightened the ropes before knotting them off. The ends of the rope were slung around her arms and upper body and knotted off. Then, he forced her to kneel and cut a second rope to tie her crossed ankles. To keep balance, Lilly had to part her thighs, and though the front part of her skirt covered her crotch, most of her legs was exposed.

The man brought the ends of the ankle tie over her shoulders and knotted them at her throat, so Lilly gulped when the rough hemp touched her neck, though she still could breathe without problems. Helplessly, her chest heaving, she watched as now, the pleading Nesrin was tied up the same way, forced to kneel beside Lilly who suddenly felt guilty: had she not insisted to go to the hut and followed Nesrin instead, none of this would have happened.

The first man now produced a rag and balled it up. Lilly knew what was coming, and she vigorously shook her head.

»No, please, I won’t scream!«

The man just shrugged. Then, he took a second rag and wrapped it around the first, producing a rather big wad. He then stepped behind Lilly, and, without warning, he pulled her hair back, so she had to arch back her head and shrieked with pain. Her protest was stifled though by the cloth that was pressed against her lips.

»Oouuhmmm! Mmhhmmph! Ghhuummm!«

Lilly tried to fight, but she was no match for the strong man. The wad was forced deeper and deeper into her mouth, blocking her tongue, filling her cheeks and almost touching the back of her throat, triggering her gag reflex. Lilly’s muffled screams turned to throaty groans, and she retched as the man worked all of the cloth behind her pristine teeth.

»Spit out, and you dead!«

Even if Lilly had dared to try, she would perhaps not have been able to push out the thick wad with her tongue. His comrade now held a roll of tape to her captor, but he shook his head and said something that sounded like »inappropriate«.

Instead, he took a narrow strip of cloth and, having pushed her gag that had come out a little back into her oral cavity, he tied it between her lips, so it cut into the corners of Lilly’s mouth. Above, he tied a broader cloth, and then, he roughly groped Lilly’s breast.

»Mmmhhrrrmmm!«

Satisfied that she was efficiently silenced, he then turned for Nesrin who had watched the gagging of Lilly with horrified fascination. She didn’t dare to complain and therefore only got one rag stuffed into her mouth, and the grip on her hair seemed to be less brutal. The gag was then reinforced with her own hairband and another cloth above. Then, the man tested her gag by squeezing Nesrin’s breast, and despite her own panic, Lilly had to think that maybe, this was the first time a man had touched Nesrin there.

Now, Daisy was taken from the hammock, the man carrying her upper body quite deliberately kneading her boobs as she was made to kneel opposite to the two girls. In the dim light, Lilly could see a yellowish spot at her crotch, indicating that Daisy had been held captive for so long she had lost control over her bladder. Lilly shuddered.

Daisy also got her ankle connected to her neck, and then, one of the men unwound the tape from her lips. Her mouth was stuffed with a dense packing, and the man now prevented her from spitting it out before he enforced the gag with a cleave gag and a second cloth above. Then, he pointed at the door through which the darkening sky could be seen.

»Now, we wait for dark!«

The two men each lit a cigar, and they shared a bottle that looked like white rum. Lilly desperately stared at the open door, hoping that rescue would arrive. Her eyes wandered to Daisy, and she became even more frightened: the girl had perhaps been here since she had visited her Nana, and nobody had found her.

»What will they do to us when the night comes?«

Neither she nor Nesrin were rich; however, for local standards, they perhaps were. Lilly could think of another reason the men had grabbed them, and she had to fight down the urge to pull on her bonds and to scream through her gag. So far, they hadn’t done worse than groping their breasts, but what if they just wanted to get drunk to be in the right mood?

In the tropics, the night came without a prolonged dusk, and after a while, the man who seemed to be the leader pointed at the door with his chin. They got up, and then, Nesrin, who mewed and squirmed was carried outside. Both Lilly and Daisy tried to free themselves, but to no avail. After only just a minute, they came back for Daisy.

»Please, dear God, let someone find us before they-«

Again, the men returned quickly, and they carried her outside, to the boat. Inside, the other two girls were stowed already, so the rowing bench was still free. Lilly heard the sound of the men’s feet in the water, and when they climbed into the boat, she screamed through her gag: both men were naked except for their shorts.

»They will row onto the open sea, have their way with us, and then drown us!«

All three whimpered and moaned, hoping that someone would notice them and call help, but the boat slid through the water, until they were some half a mile apart from the shore. Then, the two men stopped rowing, and the leader suddenly pulled a tarpaulin aside, revealing a clay bottle and a small bag.

»Maybe, will take longer to be found! Then, you need!«

He then mockingly bowed towards the three bound and gagged girls – and then jumped overboard! His comrade grinned, and with considerable glee, he kneaded each girl’s boobs a little before he followed his comrade. The boat swayed a little, and then, there was nothing but silence, except for the heavy breathing and moaning of the three captives.

»What the hell was this? Do they want us to die from thirst, or do they think we will free ourselves? And what benefit do they have from such an action?«

Lilly tried to pick the knots of her wrist bonds, but they were out of reach, and her fingers were feeling numb. She squirmed, so she could see Daisy who was closer than Nesrin who had been positioned near the stern, and she tried to get closer to her. If she could reach her bonds-

»Uuhmmm! Mmhrrrmmm!«

It was Nesrin, her eyes had widened with fear. At first, Lilly feared that their kidnappers had come back, but then, she could also see it: there were clouds, purple clouds, and they were getting thicker and thicker. It wasn’t just like fog; after a few moments, Lilly couldn’t even see Daisy anymore.

»A smoke grenade!«, she thought, but then, she realized that she still could breathe. Now, she could see nothing but purple, a bright, and yet impenetrable purple, and she felt that the boat suddenly started to spin.

»Mmhrrrmmmmm! Uuhhmmmmm!«

Around her, she heard the muffled screams of Daisy and Nesrin, sounding as if they were far away, though she still could feel Daisy’s knee near her shoulder. The boat now rotated like an attraction at a carnival, and Lilly felt like she was hovering.

»In a few seconds, I will wake up in my bed, and it will turn out I had just too much of Bahama Mama, and everything will be okay!«

It was Lilly’s last coherent thought before she fainted.

***