title: Landfall
author: Mulder, Lee B.
description: A lone sailor races the sun to find a safe anchorage near Virgin Gorda. It is a race, he knows, for if he does not anchor before dark, he risks losing his ship and his life, for only a fool sails at night in the Virgin Islands. At last light, Ian Dunn finds a protected cove where he can spend the night. It is the morning, however, when the adventure of his life begins. He wakes to the sound of someone snorkeling nearby. It is a beautiful girl, completely naked, heading for a nearby coral reef. Though he dives in after her, she is nowhere to be found... until he re-boards his boat to find her waiting for him. Her name is Mariah, beautiful and exotic, captivating to a young man who has been a long time at sea. She invites him ashore. He accepts her invitation to dinner, finding her with an appetite for more than just a meal. Musty old wine, the moon and the stars lead to a night of passion - and an invitation to accompany the sailor to St. Thomas. But passion has its price. There is an accident. Ian Dunn awakens back on Mariah's island. He is angry and tries to escape and, in the process, nearly loses his life in a leaky dinghy being swept out to sea.This is a tale of love and lust and the spirits that inhabit the islands... with an ending that wil leave the reader lusting for more.