Kensuke's Kingdom

When Michael awakens, he is in Kensuke’s cave. He is still immobilized and in pain from the jellyfish’s toxins. For many days, Kensuke tends to the boy, feeding him, bathing him, and singing to soothe him. Stella also stays close to Michael during his convalescence. Gradually, Michael becomes able to move his neck, allowing him to see more of Kensuke’s spacious cave, which contains a kitchen, a sitting room, a studio, a bedroom, and a small cooking fire. Kensuke spends much of his time painting seashells with images of dolphins, birds, gibbons, butterflies, and orangutans. One day, he gives Michael a seashell painted with a tree in blossom. Although the boy still wants to see his parents, he no longer misses them as much as he did when he was alone.

After Michael recovers, he regains his ability to speak, but he senses that Kensuke would prefer to preserve their companionable silence. Kensuke teaches the boy how to spearfish and find fruit and honey in the forest. The orangutans follow the man and love his singing voice, and they begin to express friendly curiosity toward Michael. The boy is deeply curious about Kensuke, but he stops asking questions because Kensuke doesn’t want to talk about his past.