to read - Jaltemba Bay Life

THE HANDSaturday, 26 February: I was in the town of LaPenita and had decided to explore the beach. AsI strolled to the north end of the bay I saw agraveyard under several palm trees. On closerinspection the graveyard area began to resemblea war-torn scene. Gravestones, markers,crosses, plastic flowers, trash, and tombsseemed to be strewn about and tumbled endover end. I could see that a powerful Pacificstorm had once surged onto the graveyard.Walking along a path I discovered a humanthighbone. A little further up the path was anotherhuman bone. Though aghast, I felt a morbidcompulsion to explore further. I was amazed thatthere were sections of the graveyard thatseemed to be well-tended and other parts thatwere in total disarray, like some sort of mixed-uppuzzle. It seemed that no effort had been madeto repair any storm-damaged graves or to cleanup any of the unearthed bones. I saw one largeoverturned brick sarcophagus at the beach line.Several bricks had broken loose from the tomb.Walking up to the sarcophagus, I could tell thatthe sunlight was reflecting a small pinpoint rayfrom something within. I peered in, and lyingbefore me was a complete skeletal hand. The leftindex finger bore a ring. Even in the semidarknessI could see a slight glint of the diamondsetting (and thought how easy it would be forsomeone to reach in and take that ring). Whowas she? I wondered. What had her life beenlike? And why had she been finally abandoned?