past 10 years. So now is the time when the Bikinians, if they desired, could go back." These findings leave Bikinians in a sort of cultural, scientific, and financial limbo. Considering the record of the U.S. government, it's hard to blame them for being skeptical. But even if they had the money for one final cleanup effort, return would be difficult. There are only 34 Bikinians still living who were born on the island. Though these and other Bikinians, like Alson, still yearn to go back to their old home, most of the young people have no such dreams. They have never been to Bikini. For them it's a myth. With 40 percent unemployment in the Marshall Islands and a four percent population growth rate, increasing numbers are leaving altogether for places like Salem, Oregon, and Springdale, Arkansas, where they are allowed to hold jobs based on the Marshall Islands' Compact of Free Association with the U.S. Still, Niedenthal, who has spent the past three decades trying to help the Bikinians realize their dream, isn't ready to give up. "If somebody came and said Bikini was suddenly safe, you would not see all 4,800 people jump on a boat," he concedes. "But they view the land as a gift from God, theirs forever. They are still Bikinians and think of themselves that way. Our duty is to provide the option, so they could move back if they wanted to." DURING OUR SEVEN DAYS on Bikini, our lives follow a lazy