beardirectsun.Eachflowerlastsonlyoneday.Asasubstituteforthesunbird’stapered beak,Samlongusesathorn,needleortoothpick:“Youhavetohaveagoodeyeand agentlehand.”Samlonglovestheheady,smoothscentofthepods,whichaccentuatesthe plant’slustforlifeandelantowardthelight.Itsfruity,floralandchocolateyhintspromise arefinedlocaldish:duckwithvanilla. The man who danced on stones I leavethecoastandsurrendertothecallofthepeaksandravines.Theocean’sbluerecedes, yieldingtotheblueofthenightsky.NightfallsontheboldcolorsoftheCreolekazesin thetownofHell-Bourg.MoonovertheColdesBœufs.HeadingtowardtheColduTaïbit, beforereachingCilaoslikeamirage,inthemidstoftheclouds.Greenissinging:waterfalls andstreamsareubiquitous.Samlong’swords,steepedinhistory,cometomind:“Ourthree calderasareawonderfulsiteformeetingup,revitalizingabit,inventingabetterworld.” Thereis,onSalazie,MafateandCilaos,“asenseofElsewhere,”whichhedescribesin anessay,Entrecieletmer,l’île.Silenceandmysteryreign,fromthegrandiosegreenof thefanjans(treeferns),tothevirtuosogreenofthearumsdrapedinwhiteandthemossy velvetoftheprimaryforestofBélouve.IfollowbehindClaudeBurtaire,wholeadstheway. Withaweandrespectforthisopen-airsanctuary,heconveyshismessagesthroughhis expression.Astherainfloodsthepathway,Claudedoesn’twalk,butdancesoverthestones. Thisgracestemsfromhisextraordinaryendurance,likeaforceofnature,havingcom- pletedtheDiagonaledesFousUltra-Trailfourtimes.Alegendary164-kmtrekalong thesteepesttrails.Hegavemethisinsider’stip:hefindsrunningatnighthelpfulbecause heis“nottemptedbythepanoramanorthebeautyofthevegetation.”Greenhasastrong pull.ClaudeechoesSamlong:“Innature,I feeltotallyfreevis-à-vismyself.I leave thehustleandbustleofthelowerareasandthenoiseoftheengines.”Nightsrespondto night,wewalkfor14 hoursandendupatthePlainedes Tamarins.Therealbeacon,however, isMarla’sgîte.Withitschocolate,aswarmaslife,andtheliquidgoldofitsgeraniumsyrup. The pathways of memory Onthewayback,anotherjourneyawaitsus.ThatofthewordsofClaude’swife,who isanauthorandstoryteller.I askCélineHuettospeakabitaboutnature.Shementions thefascinatingPlainedes Sables,enroutetothevolcano,a“scorialandscape”fromwhich thegreenhasvanished.Butalsoherchildhood,engagingin“bantamfights”withtheflowers oftheflamboyanttree.Intheravines,shepickedfalsafruit(Grewiaasiatica)which she“atewithredpepperandsalt.”Claudejumpsin,describinghisfather:“Hegaveme acuttingfromalychee,whichovertheyearshasbecomeatreethatI’mreallyproudof.” Asforvanilla,forages,Célinedidn’tknow“thatitwasanorchidandthatithadaspecial linkto‘her’island.”Claudeusedtobeatdowntheleavesasachildinordertoplay:“They scratchedourarmsandlegs.”Thiswaswellbeforetheybegandelightingthepalate. I leavethemandfollowalongthecoast.Theearthisconstantlychanginghere.I encounter nature.Inatotallydifferentway.NotfarfromTrois-Bassins,RaymondLucaslordsover ancestralknowledge.He’sanexpertonthebeneficialeffectsofplants,heisatizanèr.I think backtoClaude,whodrinksa“lemongrass,heartofcherryandcinnamon”herbaltea attheslightestfever,andpicks“guerivite,”Jean-Robert(spurge)andaloeinthesugarcane fieldstotreathisfamily.OntheslopesoftheMaïdo,intheHautsdel’Ouest,Jean-Yves Bèguecarriesonthetraditionofdistillinggeranium.Eachdropconcentratesthebenefits ofnature.I closemyeyes.Arosyfragrancewaftsthroughtheair.Thescentofvetiver, aswell,difficulttofathom,woodyandsmoky. I keepmyeyesclosed,andvisualizeJean-FrançoisSamlong,CélineandClaude.Réunion isalandscapewith860,000 faces. Ingrid Astier Inadditiontowritingcrimenovels(Quaidesenfers, Anglemort and HauteVoltige),Ingrid AstieristheauthorofPetitélogede lanuit(performedonstagebyPierreRichardin 2017 and2019).Travelgivesherasenseofdirection:in2010,shefellinlovewith aTahitian wave(Teahupo’o)andin2019shepublishedLa Vague(LesArènes,coll.Equinox),atributeto surfandsurfing. 102