But no accident befell us, and the captain did not reconsider. The winds were brisk as our boats sailed out in choppy waves. We rose and fell, and my face was wet with salt spray as I watched my isle, my prison, my secret kingdom, slip away. The granite shore receded; the cliffs and rookery grew smaller, and all the places I had walked, all the brambles and rock pools, were swallowed up by sky and ocean. Then my eyes did fill with tears, despite my claim that I was unlike other women, and I bent my head and wiped my face, afraid the fishermen would see. I wept for joy because I could escape,
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