"Flint? No. I got something a lot better than that." He reached into his shirt pocket-one she hadn't searched-and pulled out a silver box stamped with an eagle. With his thumb he flipped over the top half of the box to reveal a small tube and a button. He pushed down on the button and then a flame came out of the tube like that of a candle. "It's magic."
"It's a cigarette lighter," she said. "A…Zippo."
"Good guess. So your memory isn't all gone, is it?"
She shook her head. "Sometimes I remember things if I see something or hear something."
"But not your name?"
"No. I don't know where I came from either."
"That's pretty rough." He handed the lighter to her so she could start the fire. It took only a few seconds for the kindling to ignite. Samantha flipped the top back over the lighter. Then she handed the lighter back.
"Is that going to be close enough? I could move you-"
"This ought to be fine."
Samantha settled herself across the fire from him. He tossed his cigarette to the ground and then took a package from his other shirt pocket. "Don't know how these survived," he said. "Lost damned near everything else."
"Was there anyone else on your boat?"
"No, just me."
"You were fishing by yourself? In a boat that size?"
"I used to have a crew. Four of them. Times are a little tough right now. Not as many fish as there used to be."
"There aren't?"
"Not in these waters. Too many people fishing them for too long. Can't really make it out here anymore. I kept thinking of going down south. Maybe to Florida, or even Mexico. Take yuppies out to catch marlin or something."
"What are yuppies?"
"Rich people."
"Oh. So why didn't you?"
"I didn't want to leave, not until I knew what happened to Lucinda."
"What happened to her?"
"I don't really know. She vanished about five years ago. She'd been staying with her grandma on account of her parents being dead, but I'd come over and visit when I could. Even took her out on the Lady Jane a few times. She loved that.
"Then one morning her grandma called me. Lucinda was gone. Just up and disappeared in the night. No note or anything, which wasn't like her at all. She was always the most responsible kid. Never even needed a curfew."
Samantha's body went cold as she listened to Mr. Delgado's story. "How old was Lucinda when she disappeared?"
"About your age. She would have been thirteen in a couple of months. Her grandma already had the party planned out."