The Birthmark by Beth Montgomery

coughing and spitting. ‘Come on, Ibu, tell us about the Japs,’ he repeated.
    â€˜They were bad, brutal, evil men. They shouted at you...never let us be. If they caught you with any food, you must give it to them, then they flogged you…beat you with a lump of wood. But they stole...stole the island... stole our life. So many islanders died.’
    The old man paused and swallowed back the pain of memories. He shifted in his seat and sighed.
    â€˜Did they have swords?’ Decima asked.
    Lily glared at her.
    Again the old man paused, looked up and gulped the air. ‘Yes, they had swords. They chopped your neck if they wanted to.’ He was crying, Hector knew. Not openly like a child, but his eyes were wet and he blinked in an effort to stop the flow.
    How would the girls react to this? The old man droning on and blubbering about his memories. No wonder Lily’s family thought Riki was weird. But the three girls seemed transfixed by Riki’s story. Lily had relaxed and was even smiling now. Maybe it was all right to mention the sword after all.
    â€˜I told you about the sword we found, Ibu. Do you think it was Japanese?’ Hector said.
    As soon as he said it he felt the sting of Lily’s kick beneath the table. Above the table she scowled at him.
    Riki grunted and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. ‘Could be,’ he muttered. He gazed steadily at Lily and his voice shook as he spoke. ‘I’d like to see it one day, my girl, just to look—no pabwa .’ He pushed back his chair and moved to get up.
    Lily’s expression was troubled.
    â€˜You seen a Jap yani, Riki?’ Decima asked.
    Riki clutched at the balcony wall and almost stumbled.
    â€˜You OK, Ibu?’ Hector asked, moving towards him. But the old man waved him away, sat back in his chair and took a deep breath.
    â€˜Ghost? Plenty ghosts on Tevua.’ He helped himself to the food. ‘I came back from overseas, from Majuro, I saw an old lady one day, a friend when I was young. She sat on the cemetery wall. I talked to her. She just smiled but she didn’t talk. I walked away. Then I found out she died when I was overseas.’ He smiled and his belly shook, like he was trying to stop himself from laughing. ‘She’s a ghost.’
    â€˜Are you sure it was a ghost?’ Christina asked, frowning.
    â€˜Yes. I talked to the ghost, but I didn’t know it!’
    â€˜Did she try to hurt you?’ Lily asked.
    â€˜No, she was a friendly ghost, not like that witch in Baringa, she’s evil.’
    The group fell silent again. Hector picked at the mackerel with his fingers, pulling the tender flesh free and coating it in the sauce before eating it.
    â€˜How do you know if a ghost’s evil or not?’ Decima asked.
    â€˜You must ask yourself, was it evil when it was alive? My friend was not evil.’
    â€˜But how do you know, if you didn’t know them when they were alive?’ Hector said.
    â€˜Yeah,’ said Lily, wiping rice from her lips, ‘that witch is an old ghost. She might have been good when she was alive, but because her children were taken, she’s angry. That’s why she wants to steal other children.’
    Riki stared at Lily before he answered. ‘Some people die in so much pain, fear or shame, that even though they’re dead, they walk the land they die on. They want peace, to set them free,’ the old man said.
    â€˜Are there any Japanese ghosts on Tevua, Ibu?’
    Riki snorted. ‘I don’t know.’ His tone was gruff and he moved to get up once more.
    No one spoke as he rose and the girls exchanged nervous glances. Hector had to keep him interested. ‘Lily saw a ghost, just last week.’
    This time Lily swore at Hector and Christina’s mouth fell open. Hector wondered whether Lily would ever forgive him, now her secret was out. But Ibu was talking and it was so rare that he had to make the