Galapagos

The land Mary spots from the crow’s nest is Santa Rosalia, and Adolf turns the ship toward the island, hoping to find people or—at the very least—something to eat. Leon understands that his curiosity about the passengers outweighs his desire to go to the afterlife. He explains that he has now spent a million years on Earth, watching the island and haunting the ship “without a chance of parole” (144). Adolf runs the ship aground to allow the passengers to disembark to the island, where they can stock up on food for their return “at leisure to the mainland” (144). He doesn’t know, however, that the ship’s engines will never restart. Adolf and Mary explore the island, learning about the flora and fauna. They feel positive for a while—until they discover that the engines no longer work.

On the island, Hisako’s daughter, Akiko, will be the only person able to converse with the Kanka-bono orphans. The Bahia de Darwin sinks in 1996, and a short time later, Mary begins to have ideas about a science experiment. Though the group is still “expecting to be rescued at any time” (146), she begins to contemplate an artificial insemination program using the Kanka-bono orphans, who are now in their late-teens.