Lost Boys

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Helena woke up to the sound of blaring trumpets. It was tournament day! The Amazon warriors will battle against each other to show off their abilities. It was the perfect day for a covert operation, Helena thought. Everyone would be preoccupied and she and Alexa could slip out unnoticed.

Helena walked gingerly down the sloping road to Alexa’s house. It was still too early for anyone to spot her but she wanted to avoid scrutinizing stares. As she looked over her right shoulder, she saw the sun rising over the dark dense fog that perpetually hangs over the island. She ventured closer to the outermost edge of the path that overlooked a steep cliff, the lush vegetation a feast to her senses, and the waters tumbling down its perimeter like a woman’s long mane captivating her imagination.

Alexa’s house was adjacent to the base of the giant cascade of water that flowed from the top of the mountain down the terraced slope that cut through Themyscira like a wide streak of lightning.

“Lexa!” Helena softly whispered through her friend’s bedroom window as she crouched outside, hoping to remain unnoticed by the women who were walking past, making their way to the esplanade.

Alexa poked her head out of the window. She noted that her friend was still in her sleep wear and not the required armor for the celebrated event.

“What are you doing here, Lena?”

“Lex, it’s now or never!”

“What?! No. We can’t. I can’t. Mother expects me to be at the tournament today.”

“Shush! She’ll be too busy with the other grown-ups to notice you’re gone. The ship is leaving tomorrow! We need to sneak in there now while they’re all at the tournament!”

“I...” Alexa hesitates.

“You don’t have to come with me. I can go by myself,” Helena said as she eased out of her concealment.

“Wait! You can’t go alone. It’s too dangerous!”

“Are you coming with me then?”

“Yes... just... give me a moment. Change into some decent clothes, at least?”

"There's no need for that. I'll be fine,” Helena countered.

“It’ll be cold out in the open sea. You will freeze! Come inside. You can change into my clothes.”

“We don’t have time for that, Lex. We need to go.”

“You’re not going anywhere dressed in those Helena! I forbid it!”

“Okay, okay! But we have to hurry!”

As the two 12-year-olds dressed and inspected their reflections in the mirror, a knock on the door startled them.

“Hide, quick!” Alexa pushed her friend behind the curtain that separated her bed chamber from the dressing room.

“Alexa?” her mother called from the other side of the door.

“Mom? I’m in here.” Alexa’s mother sauntered in and looked out the window.

“Was Helena here? I thought I heard her voice.”

“No, she wasn’t, mom," Alexa lied.

“That girl would get you in such deep trouble one day and banish you off the island, Alexa. You need to be careful.”

“I hear you, mom.”

“Good! Don’t take too long. I’ll meet you at the esplanade. We’ll walk to the arena together.”

“You don’t need to wait for me. I’ll see you there.”

“Be on time. The Queen doesn’t tolerate tardiness,” her mother cautioned. 

“Okay, mom.”

When her mother left, Alexa motioned for Helena to come out.

“She still dislikes me, huh?” Helena said with a hint of sadness.

“She’ll come around the moment you stop all your mischief.”

“Mischief? Mischief! I’d like to see her face when she learns that you have masterminded all those ‘mischiefs’ I found myself in.”

“Now, now... no need to be vindictive.” Alexa laughed at her friend’s sudden change in demeanor. “Come, we need to go.”

The two climbed out of Alexa’s bedroom window. They headed to the courtyard in the back but stopped short as they saw the cook hanging kitchen rugs on the clothesline. They waited for him to go inside before stealthily crossing to the other end and climbing over the brick wall.

Outside they saw a group of women on horseback – the palace envoy. Helena stared at the cavalry in awe. She dreams of becoming a part of that elite group someday. There was only one problem: since she fell off a horse and broke her ankle two years ago, she couldn’t be near one without feeling apprehensive.

“Lena, this way!” Alexa brought her pal out of her musings.

They snaked their way through a maze of shrubs. When they reached the docks on the other side of the island, they spotted the gargantuan ship that was visible from the hillside even before they negotiated the steep descent to the shore. 

Alexa crossed the makeshift bridge from the beach to the boat’s menacing mouth. She looked back to check on Helena but she couldn’t see her friend through the heavy mist that descended upon them without hesitation.

“Lena?” Alexa whispered softly and hoped that Helena was close enough to hear her.

“I’m here, Lex. It’s hard to walk. I can’t see my feet and I don’t want to fall through.”

“Just feel your way around. Hold on to the ropes. We can’t dawdle here. Someone might see us.”

When they found their way into the interior of the behemoth vessel, they heard voices from a distance. Alexa quickly scanned the room for a place to hide and found two barrels that contained barley and potatoes. She commanded Helena’s attention with a quick tap on one of her bracelets of submission – an indestructible metal cuff that all the women in their tribe wear as a reminder of their subjugation under Hercules – and led her deeper into the heart of the ship where the barrels were.

From their vantage point, the voices became more audible and distinct. Alexa slowly rolled the barrels that concealed them closer to the door of the enclosure where two women were engaged in a hushed debate.

“Why can’t we just wait till Lystra gives birth? It would be a waste of time if we leave with these two babies now only to leave again when Lystra delivers a boy?”

“Those are the Queen’s orders. Besides, Hephaestus is expecting us. We are in dire need of those weapons he forged. He said they’re ready and once we deliver these babies to him, he’ll make good on the deal.”

“How many of these boys have we sold to him already? He must have an army of them by now. Aren’t you concerned that once these boys become men and learn how we’ve sold them as slaves to Hephaestus in exchange for weapons that they might turn around and attack us?”

“They won’t. Hephaestus was sworn to secrecy.”

“Secrets have a way of coming out you know.”

“Even if they did chance upon the truth and attack us, we’ll fight them. Besides, would you rather we kill these babies? At least with Hephaestus, they’ll have a chance at a life!”

“Why can’t we just keep them?”

“You know why. Men are not allowed on our island. Our lives are at stake.”

The women paused when they heard a loud gasp.

“What was that? Go check it out,” the one with the deeper voice asked the more timid one.

“It was just a gust of wind. A storm is approaching. We better head inland now. The tournament is about to start.”

“You’re right. I’ll meet you here tomorrow an hour before sunrise. We have to catch the tailwind so we could make good time on our voyage.”

When the two women left, Alexa and Helena inspected the room they vacated. At the far end, situated beside three large boxes was a receptacle that housed two containers made of woven horsehair. In it were two sleeping babies.

“Alexa! We can’t let them take these babies!”

“But they’re not just babies, Lena! They’re boys who would grow up to be men. They’re not good for our people. That’s what my mother always says.”

“Boys... I have never seen one of these. Curious,” Helena said reaching for the foot of one. “Boys or not, we can’t let them be sold as slaves. That’s not right!”

“We can’t just keep them either...” Alexa said trying to sound reasonable. 

“We can hide them somewhere off the island! And when they’re grown, we can let them go to wherever they want. At least they won’t be slaves.”

“Off the island? That means...”

“Yes.”

“But if we go, we can never come back. They’ll know we took the babies. We’ll be banished,” Alexa responded in utter anguish.

“It’s a difficult choice, Lex; one you don’t have to make.”

-----

Two hours later, onboard a small boat floating along the eastern waters under the cover of dense fog, Helena mused about the future and how it seemed so certain when she went to bed the previous night; but just then it was receding in the distance along with Themyscira – the only home she knew. Will she ever see it again?

“Lena? Get some rest, we have a long journey ahead of us,” Alexa said.

“Lex, what have we gotten ourselves into? We were just supposed to check out that big ship for the fun of it,” Helena said regretfully.

“Hush! We can’t dwell on such thoughts anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Lena. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

“My mother was right: you, Helena, would get me in such deep trouble I’d have to leave the island.” Alexa said then added, “But you didn’t drag me. These babies need us and I’d make the same choice all over again.”

“Oh, Lex! Do you think saving their lives is worth losing ours?”

“Any life is worth the sacrifice, Lena.”

“But our people will just keep selling more of these boys, Lex. What difference have we really made?”

“We don’t know yet. But I am certain that we will someday. For now, let’s just focus on keeping these two alive.”