Chapter 49: The Pearl of Great Price

Charlisse sat on the sandy beach, admiring the creator's artwork as he splashed oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows across the horizon in an exquisite masterpiece of light and color. She didn't remember the sunsets being quite so beautiful when she had been marooned on this same island, but perhaps it was because she now believed in a loving God, and everywhere she looked, there were glimpses of his radiance.

Each evening she sat in the same spot watching the sun go down, praising her Father in heaven, and lifting Merrick into his safe hands. Yet each evening the same fears crept into her heart, testing her faith to the breaking point. Would she ever see Merrick again? She was beginning to have her doubts. He had told Sloane to wait two months before taking her to the Americas, and that time was coming to a close.