“Big fish,” I commented to myself. I wasn’t worried though. The fish that frequented the cove during the day were all harmless. I’d read the manual before bed last night. The only cove visitors I had to watch out for were colossal crustaceans called a goliath snapper crabs.
The carnivorous animals grew up to eight feet across, twelve feet tall, and could weigh as much as eight hundred pounds. Which thankfully made them too heavy to leave the water. Smaller ones stayed closer to the hatching grounds in the deepest trenches, while larger individuals roamed far and wide. Armed with massive, razor sharp pincers, it was a blessing the animals couldn’t leave the ocean floor as they hunted. They were entirely nocturnal, so no moonlit dips in the ocean. Standing, I used an extra tie to pull my hair up again as I walked back into the water. Fixing my dive goggles over my eyes this time, I watched the waves as I waded in to my waist, then dove under the next big one that rolled in.
The view under the water was incredible. There were so many colors. A gentle current supported me as I paddled out to the reef. A quick bob into the air and I dove again. Pulling myself down by the rock edges. Tiny neon fish hid under ledges. Wriggly urchins crept through the sand. Blob-like creatures clung to the rocks alongside bright green plants and waving seaweeds. Hunger eventually drove me back to the shore and I flopped on my towel with an arm thrown over my eyes.
Lazily, I dug through the basket for a snack. There was a splash and I sat up just quick enough to catch sight of a big fin again. Was it the same fish? A large shiny shape hung in the water, blurred by the waves. Curious, I threw a grape out into the water and watched it bob back and forth for a bit. A ripple broke the water and it disappeared. Grinning now, I chucked another one out there. It never bobbed back to the surface. Lobbing three more I watched closely as they floated away from each other. A ripple. a flash of fin, and they were gone. Standing, I stood at the edge of the water and threw the last few. Nothing. I waited, watching the water closely. The grapes floated untouched.
Disappointed, I turned back to my towel. Fish must have left, I thought. A splash had me whipping around to find all the grapes gone. I laughed. Sneaky fish, must be shy. Shaking my head, I gathered my things. It was time to check the sensors and then I needed to clean.
Kano
Female! The stranger was female! Watching from a distance, I’d scented her distinct musk as soon as the wave knocked her under the water. She was disoriented and couldn’t right herself as the water rolled her over and over, so I swam over and shoved her towards the surface. She coughed, sucking in air. Pushing her towards the beach, I stayed close until she could stand on her own again. I ducked back into deeper water before she could clear her eyes and see me. She moved to the shallows and sat there catching her breath. Hair loose and disheveled, her body had felt so soft when I pushed her to safety.
The shell she’d been holding was now clutched in one of my lower hands, while the other gripped the strange red thing that had held her hair back from her face. I’d taken a risk stealing it from her, but I wanted something of hers. Absently, I slipped it over my wrist while I waited to see what she did next.
Surprisingly, she returned to the water. Pushing her hair back, she fixed something over her eyes and waded back in. She was covered in a tight black material that left her lower legs and arms exposed. This time, she dove properly and I was delighted to see how well she swam. She was sleek and elegant in the water, diving like a corlus before returning to the surface to breathe and diving again.
Staying hidden was difficult with the way she explored the reef. She touched somethings. Came back to others. Looked in the crevices and the tiny caves. Even ran her fingers through the sand on the ocean floor, rising and diving over and over as she looked at everything she could find. Finally, I settled in an area she’d already searched thoroughly, tucking myself under a rocky ledge and matching my skin to the surfaces around me.
Her scent filled the water, delicious and tempting. My body responded to it in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Females were rare and hard to find. There was a lot of competition over the available females of my kind. It made them vain and generally unpleasant company. But here was a female whose scent made my mating glands swell. That indicated she was compatible and I found myself attracted to her strangeness. I wanted this female, but would she be drawn to me as well?
The sun was high overhead when she returned to the beach. She lay on her back and it was harder to see her. I found myself wishing she was watching the water instead. When she stared at the ocean it felt like she was looking at me.
Daringly, I flicked my tail, splashing the water above me. She sat up and I flicked my fin again, knowing she would see it. She stared thoughtfully at the place my tail had been. Her hand curved back over her head and swung forward. A small red object plopped into the water nearby. Approaching it cautiously, I tasted the water around it. It was strange but not unpleasant. Grabbing it carefully, I bit into it. The object was sweet and tart. I liked it.
Another one hit the water and I snatched it before it floated back up. She was smiling now. More were thrown. Delighted, I quickly collected the treats, not bothering to hide the ripple of my wake. Then she stood and walked closer to the water’s edge.
Warily, I retreated deeper and watched again. She threw more, but she was too close this time. I couldn’t risk it. She stayed there, waiting for me to gather the food, but I remained hidden. Finally, her face fell and she turned away. Taking a chance, I darted up, seized the sweet things, and raced away as she turned back at the noise I made. Seeing the food gone made her smile again. She returned to her seat on the sand and gathered her things, then headed back into her den.
The rest of the day she spent in and around her den. I varied my time between watching the female, hunting for myself, and collecting pretty shells similar to the one the female had dropped.
Sunset had her back on the beach with another meal. This time she watched the sky. It was an impressive show of pinks and oranges that slowly faded to purple. I found a comfortable spot in the reef to relax as the sun went down. It almost felt like we were watching the sunset together.
This was my favorite time of day, when the stars appeared and the air cooled. I liked to sit on the rocks outside my own home and watch the stars come out. My island was a day’s swim into the sunrise, I’d been hunting the silver-fin schools, which brought me further from home than normal, but as I lived alone, it didn’t matter that I hadn’t returned yet.
Full dark came and she eventually retreated inside once more. Waiting until her lights went out, I eased out of the water and crept towards the female’s dwelling. The holes in the walls were still open and I could hear the small sounds she made as she readied herself for the night. A flat surface near her entry was a perfect place for my gift.
Very precisely, I placed the large pink shell she’d found. Then, I arranged the others I’d collected around it. Presentation was everything when you courted a female. I topped it with a large, purple vika. The plant only bloomed under water, but the blossom itself could last days in the open air. It would still be just as beautiful when she found it in the morning.
As a final touch, I squeezed a small amount of pheromone-heavy oil from my mating glands and dripped it onto the vika blossom. When the female touched or smelled the flower, she would be exposed to my scent. I would only use it this once to indicate my interest, then my pheromones would be saved for our mating. When we met for the first time, she would know I was her mysterious suitor.
Satisfied with the results, I laid my still oily hand on the cover that blocked the entry to my female’s dwelling, leaving my print as a sign that I’d claimed the female here. Other males who may investigate the island would smell my pheromones and think twice about pursuing her for themselves. I could still find myself facing more determined rivals, but most would allow me to court her in peace.
Chapter Three
Betsy
The morning breeze ruffled the curtains
in the bedside window. It had been nice sleeping with the windows open. The sound of the waves against the sand was soothing and the room was much less stuffy. Making a quick breakfast of eggs and sausage, I carried my plate to the door, intending to eat on the front step. There was a little table beside the door that was just tall enough to sit my glass on while I ate.
Turning to put my cup on the table, I paused. I could have sworn it was empty when I went to bed, but now it was covered in seashells and bits of coral. A big purple flower sat on top. Sitting the plate and cup back inside, I picked up the flower. It was heavier than I’d expected. The petals were thick and waxy, almost meaty feeling as I stroked them, but the surface texture was velvety soft with an oily residue. It was lovely, but there had been no mention of this type of flower in my flora guide. Raising it to my nose, I sniffed cautiously.
The scent was complex. There was a salty tang in its floral sweetness, along with a spicy musk that, oddly enough, made me think of cozy nights and warm blankets. It was a safe, warm feeling and I smiled, sniffing the flower again. The warmth spread through me, leaving a tingle along my skin that had me wishing I could bathe in the flower’s scent. That seemed strange and I shook my head, trying to clear it. Setting the flower aside, I looked at the other items on the table.
Directly under the flower, was a shell just like the one I’d dropped when the wave hit me. Examining it, I was a little shaken to discover it very likely was the same shell. I distinctly remembered the shell having a chip on the outer curve. This one had damn near the same chip if it wasn’t the same shell.
As I inspected the other items, I recognized more things from my dive. A bit of blue coral I had come back to look at more than once. A segment of driftwood I had started to dig up, until I found a tiny crustacean living underneath. The yellow rock I remembered trying to reach but it was wedged too far down in a crevice. Everything on the table was things I had been drawn to the previous day.
Shaken, I put the shell back on the table and turned to look around me. My eyes darted around the beach, searching for signs of anyone nearby. Movement in the tree line made my heart leap, before I realized it was just a baila, probably looking for food. The small six-legged reptile meandered across the edge of the beach before returning to the jungle undergrowth.
Nervous now, I turned to go back inside and stopped short at the mark in the middle of the door. It was a handprint. Sort of. There were five fingers, but they looked longer than normal. The print was oily and left a residue on my fingers when I touched it. The residue smelled a lot like the flower and left a heat on my skin. The back of my neck prickled and I jerked around at the feeling of being watched. There was no one behind me, but I spotted a familiar fin disappearing into the water again.
I hurried back inside and closed the door, breathing a little too fast as I wondered what to do. If I called my supervisor, he would think I was losing it already. It had been hard enough to get this position. Could I afford to jeopardize it over some seashells and a strange handprint? Was it even a strange print after all? Could I have left it while I was cleaning and just not know? Maybe one of the guys I replaced had left it and I was only just now seeing it. Where had the shells come from though? They weren’t threatening, but something had watched me while I dove and then collected them for me. A gift then? Maybe I should wait and see if anything else happened?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I pulled the door open and peered outside. Still nothing to indicate who was watching me, but I knew they were there. Somewhere. I felt their eyes on me. It was disconcerting. Another deep breath and I picked up my breakfast again and stepped out.
As I ate, I considered different ways to attempt to discover whoever it was that had visited me. Could I catch them if I sat up all night? Would I hear them coming? Maybe yank the door open when they weren’t expecting it? How could I even be sure they’d be back? Should I go looking for them? Would they show themselves if I got close enough?
I looked out at the cove. The waves were calm this morning, barely rippling as they lapped at the sand. The big fin rolled up from the water and sank again. There were no records of a large fish in the cove, it must have moved in recently. As long as it didn’t try to eat me, I didn’t mind sharing.
I decided to stick to my plans for the day which included a hike around the island. The previous keeper had said the island was fairly small. I wanted to explore the perimeter and see what the rest of the beach looked like. I had a rucksack packed with water and food already, along with a handheld satnav console that would keep me connected to the station sensors and alert me if I needed to return right away. Pulling on my boots, I grabbed a walking stick and headed out.
Kano
She found my gift. I watched from a shadowy nook in the rocks along the arm of the cove. At first, she looked surprised and moderately pleased, holding the vika blossom up to her face. A slight flush crossed her skin as she inhaled my pheromones. There weren’t enough to cause a mating frenzy, but the shift in her color was rather pretty. I wondered if she could camouflage like I could.
The rest of her inspection left me a bit worried though. Her body tensed and she turned, eyes searching the area warily. She seemed anxious as she held one of the shells in her hands. Putting it back, she turned away, stopping to stare at my mark. Touching it lightly, she glanced anxiously around again, then went back inside her den and shut the entry. Was she rejecting my gift?
I didn’t have long to fret about her reaction when her den opened again. Cautiously, she peered out, then gathered herself and stepped into the sun once more. Thankfully, she appeared to have calmed. Taking a chance, I slipped out of my hiding place and back into the water. There were no cries of alarm and I hoped that meant she hadn’t seen me yet.
A short while later, she set off down the beach. Following her from the water, I watched as she explored the island. She walked for a long time. Every so often, she would pick up something and put it in a pouch that hung from her coverings. When the sun was high, she stopped to rest. Sitting on a massive chunk of driftwood, she pulled some food out and ate.
After that, she walked some more. It was fairly obvious she intended to circle the entire island. Good thing it was a small island. A flowering tree drew her attention and she spent some time examining it and even picked one to tuck behind her ear. It was beautiful against her dark mane. A different tree hung heavy with fruit, but she couldn’t reach them and eventually continued on. I smiled when she admired a big twisty length of driftwood, brushing sand from it and testing its weight as she considered trying to carry it. Sighing she left it where it was.
The sun was setting once more by the time she made it back to her den. She was obviously tired, but her smile said she’d enjoyed her day. I waited until the light in her den went out and set off around the island again.
It took several trips to collect my next gift. The twisty driftwood was the heaviest. I dragged it into the water and floated it back to the cove, where I pushed it up onto the beach, away from the high tide line. Arranging it just right so that she could use it to sit and watch the water was a time-consuming process, but I was finally satisfied. Unfortunately, by the time I finished, the razor claw was hunting around the reef and I’d be unable to return to my hiding place until it left. I was forced to walk along the beach as I returned for the rest of my gift.
Chapter Four
Betsy
I was mildly anxious the next morning. Standing with my hand on the doorknob, I wondered if there would be another unexplainable surprise on my steps. I had felt eyes on me the entire time I explored and it had been unnerving at first, but after a while, I realized I didn’t really feel threatened by it. Like whatever was watching was simply curious. Sighing loudly, I opened the door. The pile of shells on the table had been rearranged and neatened, the flower sitting on top again, but other than that, there didn’t seem to be anything new.
The sky was gloomy today. Fat, ugly clouds hung low over the ocean. A stiff win
d whipped the water into high, choppy waves and made the trees rattle against the station walls. It was pretty obvious a storm was coming in.
Breakfast today was a simple bowl of hot cereal and fruit. I carried it out to the beach, intending to watch the water while I ate. It took me a few seconds to register what was different about the beach today as I stood staring at the driftwood that sat under a tree just above the tide line. The beach had been nearly pristine since I arrived. Now it wasn’t. And that wasn’t just any driftwood.
It was the piece I’d seen on the other side of the island. A trench in the sand showed where something had shoved it up onto the beach. A huge jungle leaf sat on the ground next to it. On the leaf was a pile of the rola pears I couldn’t reach during my walk and a bouquet of random jungle flowers, including fire roses like the one I’d stuck in my hair.
Somebody was definitely watching me and wanted me to know it. They kept collecting things I liked and presenting them to me. Everything was arranged to look its best. This was so strange. It was like they were trying to impress me by getting things I wanted but couldn’t reach.
“Holy crap,” I blurted, staring at the gifts. I was being watched, but by what? And where were they? I turned full circle, scanning the jungle and beach as I went. Still nothing. Maybe I did need to talk to someone. Backing away from the beach, I hurried back inside and powered up the comm system, dialing my supervisor’s signal.
From the Depths Page 26
