The wild girl on the desert island

This is a sad but warm story, at least I think so.

The main character of the story is named Dorm, Rouge de Van Rhea, who lives in Lisbon and has a decent job, but in his heart he longs for the world beyond the Iberian Peninsula. Like all adventurers, recklessness seems to be an instinct. So he sells the family fortune and sets sail on a ship: Palermo, Constantinople, Egypt ...... those many extraordinary and simply incredible places and things that make Torm feel as if he has all but forgotten his past life.

Since it is a story, there will be a twist, so a shipwreck makes an appearance - a storm plus a reef. Like many similar second-rate novels and third-rate dramas, our protagonist is the only survivor, taken to a remote and unknown island by a few pieces of driftwood.

He is not the only human being on the island, and there is no hidden master on this island, so the story finally begins to take on a new meaning. The island is inhabited by a group of wild people, with habits and language systems belonging to another world.

At first, Torm was extremely frightened, but at the same time, there was also a kind of surprise: as an adventurer, he thought he had met enough in his life to match such a title, there is a kind of relief to die without regret. But what he didn't expect was that instead of hurting him, the wildlings provided food and water for this exhausted and uninvited guest, and that a wildling maiden began to prepare food for him every day and then stayed by his side without saying a word. Of course, even if she said anything, Dormu can not understand. In any case, Dorm was grateful to the wildling girl, and he began to use the language and gestures he could think of to express his gratitude to the girl, but the girl obviously did not know what he was saying, but she kept listening quietly, as the night classical sea. So, Dorm will be all their gratitude, worries, thoughts, such as murmuring to tell the maiden, and the maiden always in such a confession quietly sleep, as if it is an ancient lullaby ......

Sometimes, Dormu gazed at the maiden under the moonlight and found her to be so beautiful, healthy skin, well-proportioned bones, polished face ...... Later, Dormu began to live with the maiden, but he despised the wildlings from the bottom of his heart, he refused to learn their language, into their lives. Gradually, his words became less and less, and his memory became more and more disorganized, even broken beyond expression ...... he found that he had begun to forget the language and life he once lived.

And so I do not know how long, early one morning, the island suddenly appeared another group of people, Dormu found this group of people wearing their own familiar clothes, speaking their own language, he ran towards them like crazy, want to tell them what he had been experiencing for many years, but he sadly found that, in addition to like a savage shouting, he could not say anything. The men outside the islands, suddenly seeing such a wild man rushing toward them, were terrified and raised their weapons, ready to shoot. Just in the nick of time, Dorm's tongue seemed to stop tangling and finally cried out, "Sir, have mercy on me!"

The group was happy that such a distant country found a fellow countryman, not only kind, but also could add a readable story to their adventurous life. They brought out cookies, canned food and other food of modern civilization for Dorm, talked with him, hoping to jog his memory as a civilized man, and promised to take him away from here.

Before sunset, each person goes to the island to search for the souvenirs they wish to take home. So, Dorm returns to his familiar dwelling and tells the woman that he is leaving. He struggled to express himself with words and gestures, but of course the woman listened as always, and at the same time was as unaware as ever. Looking at her still uncomprehending but serene expression, Dormu ruthlessly left and fled.

When he arrived at the beach, it was not yet sunset and the others had not yet returned. Looking at the soft and ancient waves of the sea, Torm's heart could not let go, he felt he had to explain to her clearly. So he ran back again.

Just when he was hesitating how to speak to the woman, he saw how she prepared food for him. She carefully set aside the best fruit for him, while she herself ate the speckled fruit ...... After everything was ready, she sat quietly at home waiting for his return.

At this moment, Dorm feels obliged to go home as usual, to meet the woman's day's work and expectations ......

At sunset, people ready to leave the collection, did not find Dormu, began to search for him separately, calling his name. In fact, two people were very close to Dorm, but Dorm was so afraid that they would find him that he embraced the woman beside him, as usual, and faked sleep, waiting quietly for them to leave.

Compared to fellow Czech writer Milan Kundera, who confronted the coolness and cruelty of life head-on, Čapek's warmth simply made me want to shed a tear.