There is this island

There Is this Island

The Island

There is this island. Actually, it is barely, technically, an island, surrounded by the two main streams of a usually sleepy river. But there are two bridges that join the island to what the locals call ‘the mainland.’ They have long called those living on the other side of those bridges “mainlanders”, but since the Diana Galbadon books and the popular television series, they started labelling them ‘outlanders’. There is a main street that links both bridges. Newly-licensed mainlander teenagers can tell you their fastest time driving from bridge to bridge. According to some of the island old folks, who will tell any islander who is willing to listen, the mainland police don’t do enough to stop this practice, “Someone is going to get killed some day crossing main street, just you wait and see.”

           Although the island is part of a small city, the islanders think of themselves as separate. They call themselves Stokes Islanders on paper, taking the name of the pioneer family that first owned the land on which they live. The name Stokes Island does not appear on any paper map. Nor does Google Maps recognize it. Descendants of that family are almost always elected to councillor positions. Who knows the island better than a Stokes? You can’t have anyone from the mainland getting elected to represent islanders.

           There are two bars on the island, and two regular restaurants,  and a grocery store, none of them chains, but all five do quite well. A sense of local commercial loyalty exists on Stokes Island. People like to talk about how expensive their counterparts are on the mainland, how bad the food is, and how unfriendly the people are that serve you.

           There is some animosity between islander and mainlander teenagers as well. In the high school that all the islander kids go to, The Heights Collegiate (located on the mainland to which the kids are bused), there are often bullying and fights between members of the two groups, both with the boys and the girls. It is quite rare for kids to have a boyfriend or girlfriend from the ‘wrong’ part of town. The social pressure can be a relationship killer.

 Island parents are often asked to see the principal about their children. As an outsider to the city, she does not really understand what is going on, and why it continues. The vice-principal is from the mainland, so he comprehends a bit, but has a tendency to blame the island kids for any complaint, conflict or downright violence that takes place. He says things like, ‘They’ve always been that way. I got into those fights myself as a teenager, and I didn’t start them.”

           Although no official statistics were ever recorded, but islanders feel, probably with some good reason, that when it comes to being hired by city-based companies run by the local elite, they re leass likely than mainlanders to have a good chance. The Stokes Island folks believe that the elite had long memories when it came to what went on in high school. 

           And theft cross bridges…frequently enough for people on both sides to notice.

A Problem With Water

Spring has arrived and the river is running high. Winter brought a lot more snow than is usual. Spring came suddenly – with quick melt and streaming down rain contributing to a high flood potential.

The higher water captured the low banks first, but then moved inland on to bite and swallow significant chunks of land. Eventually main street is beginning to have a few flooded patches, which not even the oldest islander can remember ever happening before.

           There is no help coming from the city administration. The people are warned by the mayor to “stay away from the river.” That is hard to do when the river is not staying away from your home. Islanders are probably right in feeling that the mayor is remembering the time he last came to the island with his fancy entourage of mainlanders who did not otherwise come to that part of the city. It was an election year of course. He was soundly booed when he talked of ‘building social bridges’. Eggs bought in the island grocery store were thrown. Some targets were hit, including the mayor himself. They missed his shiny bald head, but messed his flashy new suit quite a bit.

           The water situation is growing much worse. Houses near the river are beginning to have flooded basements. The three island churches are providing short term accommodation for the newly homeless, at least until the floods stop. No one has any idea when or even if that will happen as the waters keep rising. The need is growing .

           To no islander’s surprise, the city mayor is of no help. He has said to the islanders that he would talk to owners of motels on the mainland to see whether they might drop their prices slightly for them – not a good solution at all. The situation is getting desperate for the islanders. For once they cannot rely just on themselves. They need help.

A Beautiful Surprise

Then one day there arrives a beautiful surprise. Approaching both bridges are what first appears to the islanders to be some kind of parade. There are even marching bands, with trumpets, and drums. Each ‘parade’ is led by a person carrying a large white banner, on which are inscribed in big letters the initials in black: S-A-I-N. Underneath the initials are written the words all led by large capitals: Be SAIN. Save An Islander Now.

Following the marching bands are cement mixers, and trucks, carrying the basis for what will eventually be dikes that will never let the water again get to the houses and businesses on the island ever again. Vans are appearing too, each with seating and space to carry islanders and their necessities to safe havens in the dry part of the city. And there are a large number of people driving and walking, bringing food and dry clothes with them. All in all it is a great show of city solidarity, the likes of which has never been seen before. Although the land on which the islanders live is physically a kind of island, as far as most mainlanders are concerned now, no part of their city is socially an island onto itself anymore.