The three of them scrambled on to the raft. As Jack lifted himself out, the plank beneath him snapped and he felt his heart lurch as he fell back into the sea. His head went under. The swirl of water filled his ears. He sensed the malicious shark coursing straight for him. Bursting to the surface, he flailed for the edge of the raft. Yori and Miyuki seized his outstretched arms and yanked him on to the deck.

‘Stop paddling,’ spluttered Jack to Saburo.

‘But the island –’

‘The shark’s attracted to the splashing.’

Saburo immediately stopped.

The five of them huddled in the middle of the flimsy raft, the waves lapping around its sides. A foreboding silence descended. No one dared breathe, their eyes fixed on the rippling surface of the sea. A slate-grey shape with a pointed snout slid beneath them. Jack shuddered at the sight, feeling his blood run cold. The shark was at least double the raft’s length.

They waited for the inevitable attack, all the time their raft slowly drifting further from the cove.

‘Let’s make a swim for it,’ said Miyuki. ‘Before it’s too late.’

Jack shook his head. ‘If we do, one or more of us will surely die.’

‘Maybe that’s the sacrifice we have to make to save ourselves,’ said Saburo.

Jack looked at his loyal friend. The resigned yet valiant expression on his face told him that Saburo thought he’d be the slowest and most likely victim, his belief in the code of bushido giving him the courage to make such a suggestion.

‘No, we all survive,’ said Jack, unsheathing his katana. ‘We didn’t come this far to be beaten by a shark.’

He gripped its red handle tightly with both hands, steeling himself to fight off the fearsome predator. His eyes hunted the surrounding waters. But no fin re-emerged.

After a while, Miyuki asked, ‘Do you think it’s actually gone?’

Risking a closer look, Jack peered over the sides of their raft. The sea dropped away into inky blackness, but there was no sign of the shark.

‘Shall we start paddling again?’ suggested Cheng, glancing towards the receding shoreline.

Jack shook his head. ‘Not just yet –’

‘Jack …’ interrupted Yori, pointing to his forehead. ‘Your cut’s reopened.’

They all watched in horror as several beads of blood dripped from the wound into the sea. They spread across the water like a blossoming rose.

For several moments, no one spoke or dared move. There was just the lap of the waves against the raft as they drifted further and further from the salvation of the island.

‘It must have swum on,’ said Cheng, picking up Yori’s paddle. ‘Let’s go before it comes back.’