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We continue through the wide crevice and see various kinds of plants, though neither of us knows what they're called. I hadn't read about flora, only the fauna. As we stop to admire the large blooms of a plant that has grown out of a hole in the crevice, I spot something incredible and yelp.
"Look at that, Craig! It's a crimson shining parrot."
"A what? I don't see anything."
I hook a finger under his chin and lift. "Look up. It landed on that big tree root."
Craig tips his head back and squints. "That thing? What's special about it? I think my grandmother had one of those."
"I doubt that very much. The species is endemic to Fiji and Heirani Motu."
I gaze up at the beautiful creature, with its green and blue wings and red body. The colors are so bright and gorgeous, and the parrot's eyes are a striking shade of gold.
Craig gazes up at the parrot too and seems to appreciate it more the longer he admires the creature. "What does 'endemic' mean?"
"It means the species is native to those geographic locations."
"Well, I can't deny that little guy is pretty."
"A minute ago, you said it's nothing special."
He smirks at me. "I was teasing you, Nessa. Can't resist doing that. You're sexy when you get annoyed."
Craig leads the way as we travel deeper into the crevice, going far enough that we can't hear the rumbling of the waterfall anymore. The songs of birds and the rustling of the trees fill the silence left behind by the thundering cascade, and we continue holding hands as we explore this hidden world.
Finally, we emerge into a small cove.
"Where are we?" I ask, though it's a rhetorical question.
But Craig answers anyway. "We might be on the other side of the island. Everything we've seen before today was on the side that houses the resort. This must be the empty backside."
"Are you sure it's empty?"
"Don't worry. I'll watch out for snakes, and you can jump on my back if you spot one."
I lodge my hands on my hips. "You are the king of exaggeration, aren't you? I don't shriek when I see a snake, and I would not leap on your back because of that."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Hmm." He points at the ground behind me. "Then that shouldn't bother you at all."
"What shouldn't bother me?"
His lips twitch, as if he's trying not to smirk. "The snake that's slithering toward you."
I shriek and leap onto his back. Only then do I realize there's nothing on the ground except grass. I slide off his back and smack his arm. "You rat."
Craig laughs. "That was a rotten thing to do. Sorry. But I couldn't resist. You were so adamant that snakes don't scare you."
"You know what this means." I lift myself up onto my toes to speak directly into his ear. "I will find a way to get back at you."
"Go on. I can handle it."
"We're acting like children, aren't we?"
He shrugs. "Maybe that's what we need to do right now. We spent most of our lives taking care of the kids. Now, it's our turn to go wild."
