Years ago, before Prospero and Miranda, while Caliban's mother was still alive, she would often take him to this very spot on the cliffside: a small, triangular piece of open area that stuck out from one of the island's many forests. She had called it their "special spot," so when it came time for Caliban to bury her, he found that this place was appropriate.
He thought that he would be happy after Prospero and Miranda and the others had finally left the island, and for a time, he certainly was--he reclaimed his island, his home, and there was no one left to seize it from him once again. As time passed, however, a deep loneliness set in, bringing back memories of his mother, her death, and the hardship of having to grow into a man on his own without her care. A part of him wanted to leave the island somehow, and find a new home with new companionship to be made.
But how? His thoughts trailed over that question frequently. He had no raft, no ship, and certainly no clue as to how to build either. He knew the cardinal directions from the stars, but no map to use as guidance. Would I even want to go to a place like Italy, where I could encounter hundreds of other Prosperos and Mirandas? That thought made him shutter. Besides, he could not imagine living anywhere but the island; his soul was attached to the island's, and parting with the island would mean severing a lifelong bond he shared with it. He could never bring himself to do that.
He heard a rustle of underbrush behind him, and turned around to find Ariel approaching him.
"Can I sit in peace for a moment longer?" Caliban asked the spirit curtly.
Ariel glided onto a spot of grass next to Caliban and sat. "I like checking on you. It keeps me entertained when there is so little to do here."
"I would prefer it if you sought entertainment elsewhere."
Ariel laughed at that. "Elsewhere? Sure, there are the other sprites around the island, yet even they sleep from lack of nothing better to do. This island hums with magic, but that doesn't mean its sprites do not go dormant when there is nothing happening."
Caliban sighed. "Then what is it that you want? I'm in perfectly good health." Caliban glanced at the grave before him and Ariel and felt a painful twang in his chest. Grief never truly leaves you, only the sore spot in your chest gets touched less as time goes by.
"You're lonely," Ariel said. "I can feel it radiating off of you. Maybe some anger, as well. How long has it been since Prospero and Miranda and their odd company left? I believe I have counted 472 days exactly. You got what you wanted, but you paid the price in loneliness."
As much as Caliban wanted to punch Ariel for talking so much when he just wanted silence, he could not argue with his words. He looked down at the grass for a moment. "I suppose... I suppose that you are correct. I want a wife, some sense of family," Caliban managed to say after a pause. "What can I do about it, though? The only way to solve my loneliness would be to leave the island, but I certainly cannot do that. Nor would I..." Caliban looked again to the grave. "I would not want to abandon my home that I sought to regain for so long."
"Take a walk with me," Ariel suddenly said, standing up. "Allow for me to help you cheer yourself up. I could summon some of the forest's magic and make a show out of it. How does that sound?"
After a few seconds of reluctance, Caliban stood. "I suppose I have nothing better to do. I hope it's worthwhile."
Ariel smiled. "Of course it will be worthwhile. I'm an immortal spirit, I've known how to put on a show for a very, very long time."
With that, the two began to walk back through the forest, leaving Caliban's mother's grave behind. He would return to it again, but at least for today he had one living friend to lean on.
One day, unbeknownst to Caliban, another ship would anchor at his island. One day, Caliban would find companionship, not just his friendship with Ariel, and he would finally be content with his life on his island.
Analysis:
In this creative writing assignment, I wanted to answer two questions that had bugged me ever since we finished The Tempest: what on earth happens to Caliban after Prospero and Miranda leave? Is he happy with his life as being the only human on his island? As inspiration, I drew on the passages from the The Tempest where Caliban talked about the magic behind the island, almost as if the island had a spirit of its own, as well as the passages where he talked about Sycorax, his mother. Obviously, I did not use iambic pentameter for this narrative, so I settled on pretty standard 21st century prose instead. In this way though, I feel like it makes Caliban and Ariel a little more "accessible" as characters for me, because since they now talk like we do, it's that much easier to understand and sympathize with them. I wanted Caliban and Ariel to be friends (or at least friendly to each other), because it makes sense to me for the two living beings on the island to grow into a friendship over time, even if it was potentially slow moving at first. Lastly, I decided to add that last little paragraph at the end because I really could not stand the idea of Caliban just... being completely alone (other than Ariel) on his island. It doesn't feel like a satisfying end to his character, and it's not unrealistic for another ship to land at the island at some point in Caliban's life. For a character who has suffered a lot of hardship, I want him to have a happy ending of some sort.