The Reef

by Mark Charan Newton

  Forb said, ‘Cures ... sorry. There’s so many here. I can’t afford them to be lost. You could take some of those plant specimens back to the mainland. Look, I don’t want large quantities of people here. When I sent the message out, I knew that there could only ever be a small investigative party sent, if anyone at all. And I was desperate for help. Who’d be stupid enough to send a fleet? I’ve been meaning to have a word with Santiago. I want him to make clear that no one else should come. You understand?’

  ‘Of course,’ Manolin said. ‘I’m beginning to regret even our presence here.’

  ‘Why so?’

  ‘We just seem to get things wrong. Between us, that is. I’ve never known so many problems between us all.’ ‘You’re only human,’ Forb said. ‘That’s what it means to be one problems, suffering.’

  Manolin smiled.

  ‘But you’re helping,’ Forb said. ‘Being here, you’re preserving and protecting a whole species. A whole damn species. That’s something.’

  ‘Really?’ Manolin said. ‘How many do we eliminate with our careless actions in a heartbeat? These are only species you can see. Our industries and progress displace and kill ... countless more.’

  ‘Don’t be downhearted, lad. Every species has a right. By preserving the larger species, you preserve their habitats and their ecosystems. Think how many you can’t see that you save. Anyway, this lot are something quite special.’

  ‘Yes, they’re certainly unique,’ Manolin said. ‘I’d love to spend more time learning about them. Time just seems to go quicker and quicker these days. Far too quick.’

  ‘A young man concerned about time?’ Forb laughed, as if at some private joke. ‘What’s so funny about that?’

  Forb met Manolin’s gaze. ‘No, you would understand, of all people, but it’s a long story. I’m getting on, and my life’s a blur, let me tell you. It seems like yesterday when I landed here and met Myranda for the first time.’

  ‘That’s something worth remembering.’

  ‘She’s a great woman. She’s so simple, too. I mean that in a good way, not a derogatory term-uncomplicated, but I guess that’s island life for you. Simplicity is the very essence of things here. She’s very intelligent, so I don’t mean simple like that. She is intentionally pure in her acts.’

  Manolin was silent. He glanced at DeBrelt’s ship.

  ‘She likes you,’ Forb said. ‘She’s very fond of you.’

  ‘Haven’t been here that long for anyone to like me, surely.’

  Forb placed his arm on Manolin’s shoulder. ‘Look, you can tell me you would love to spend an evening with her.’

  Manolin closed his eyes for a second, then opened them, frowning at the doctor. He couldn’t work out what he was suggesting. ‘Well, she’s lovely.’

  ‘Lovely, that’s what he says,’ Forb said. ‘It’s all right, I know. It’s not difficult to tell. You’ve been having supper with us, and spending lots of time with us both. I can tell you find her lovely, I’m not stupid.’

  Manolin felt uncomfortable, a secret confessed. ‘I didn’t say you were.’

  ‘She likes you too,’ Forb said.

  ‘What?’ Manolin said. ‘He didn’t understand Forb’s meaning.’

  ‘She’s attracted to you.’

  ‘Look, Forb, I have to say I’m a little uncomfortable with all this.’

  ‘Nonsense. You’re both attracted to one another. But, Manolin, tell me: what’s happening with you and Yana?’ ‘What?’ Manolin said. ‘D’you have magic powers or something? You know an awful lot.’

  ‘I can tell there’s a bit of tension. It’s the classic story of tragic affection: the fact that you can barely look at one another. I guess that you’re all too busy looking around at the island, where as I’m fascinated by all of you. So, what happened?’

  Manolin sighed. ‘It was one night on the ship. Nothing more, nothing less. I was drunk-we both were. That’s all. I’m not attracted to her.’

  ‘Good, good. I believe you. And my wife? You’re attracted to her? ‘Yes, all right, she’s absolutely charming. Is that what you wanted me to say? I don’t feel particularly great for saying it.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’m not mad or anything like that. Truth is, Manolin, if anything happened to me, I’d rather like it if you ... looked after her.’

  Manolin gave a sideways glance, frowning. ‘How do you mean? Kill her?’

  ‘No, no. I mean, take her as yours.’

  Manolin shook his head.

  ‘I’m serious,’ Forb said. ‘Look, it’s not an easy thing to do, you know. If I died I would love it if you were to be her husband. I truly like you. I think you and I are the same.’

  Manolin felt sweat run down his face. The sun was overhead. Along the beach he could see Myranda walking towards a group of brown children. They ran around her as she met them. It was one of those fantasies, to be here. He had a live on the mainland, a career, the business with his ex wife to sort out. Friends, lifestyle, meetings. But

  Forb looked as earnest as any man he had ever seen.

  Manolin said, ‘I don’t know what you’re getting at, Forb. I really don’t.’ ‘No, I suppose I’m the only one who can know.’ Keen to move the subject on a little, Manolin said, ‘Look, shouldn’t we get ready for the dive? We’re all keen. I’ll get Calyban and Soul, and I’ll be back soon, right?’ ‘Right,’ Forb said, and wiped the sweat from his head.

  Manolin was last on board DeBrelt One. Calyban, Soul and Forb were all standing with Santiago when he stepped on to the deck. The boat was lying against the mangroves and the air was, as it always seemed, clean and humid. The men were gathered around the vessel they were to dive in.

  ‘It doesn’t look sturdy enough,’ Calyban said.

  ‘Nonsense. This’ll get us down and back easily,’ Santiago said.

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘Hello, are they complaining?’ Manolin said.

  ‘Ah, Manolin,’ Santiago said. ‘Tell them about the Pilar. Tell them how sturdy she is.’

  ‘Yes, she’s very good. You used her on a deep dive a few years back, didn’t you, Santiago? On that private expedition. Very sound. And we used her in shallow waters last year. The Pilar is as sturdy as they come.’

  ‘Moreover, she’s made from old technology,’ Santiago said. ‘Strong, reliable stuff -like they used to make.’ ‘You mean a relic?’ Calyban turned to Santiago. The agent was smirking.

  ‘And you’d know all about that, of course,’ Santiago said. ‘Look, it’s all legit. She’s big enough to keep the six of us down for a long time. Which won’t be necessary. Anyway, I’ve fixed the gas up so we’re ready to go.’ Santiago turned to Manolin. ‘Are the others going to come aboard to help lower us?’

  Manolin shrugged. ‘I asked Becq to wait for them, but there’s no sign.’

  ‘What the devil are they playing at?’ Santiago said.

  Manolin glanced to the deck. ‘Look, we need only one to operate the pulley. I’ll ask Becq. We can get a villager to inform Yana and Jefry when they see them.’

  Santiago nodded.

  Manolin walked to the edge of the ship. Becq was on the beach. Myranda was nearby. He called to Becq, waved at her. She was climbing into a raft. It was a little before midday, the sun turning the water to prisms, and he leaned casually on the rails watching her row out to the boat, enjoying the sunshine.

  He turned to face the others. ‘She’s coming.’

  ‘Good. Let’s climb aboard then.’ Santiago secured the top of Pilar to the rope then checked the ropes at both ends. He walked to one side, grabbed the lock-wheel. He turned it over twenty times until he could hear it unlock. He pulled the door open and, with his hand raised, said, ‘Enter, gentlemen.’

  The Pilar was definitely designed for scientific exploration, Manolin thought, and not a luxury cruise. As he sat on the metal seat, with Santiago in the front seat, Forb to his right, and Calyban and Soul behind, he could see the beams of light that came from the several port
holes. At the front, there was one, large porthole through which Santiago would navigate. It smelled of rust, although none was present.

  The Pilar jolted as Becq restarted DeBrelt One’s engine. Santiago had brought the boat out so that it was in profile on the ocean side of the reef. After he made the final checks to the submersible, he left Becq in control. One last check, then he went inside.

  Becq operated the basic pulley system that lowered the submersible into the rough waters and eventually the ropes went slack. She let the remaining rope drop into the water and looked down to see that the vessel had gone down. She could hear the waves striking the bottom of the ship, feel the cool, sharp breeze, the strong sun on her face. She stood against the rails for some time.

  It took them half an hour to allow the gas mixtures to be released fully, then Santiago, sat at the controls, started the motors of the Pilar. A bass vibration shuddered across the vessel. Through the large porthole, he could see the clear, sharp tropical waters, and the abundance of marine life that drifted by. Slowly, they descended, hovering past the reef. Santiago steered them downwards. As they descended, light faded, the water became a deeper blue. Fish flashed by the portholes as if the men were watching an aquarium.

  Santiago turned Pilar so that she was parallel to the reef. ‘I think it would be best to follow the reef and see where it ends up.’

  ‘Why?’ Calyban said.

  Santiago said, ‘Because, most of the organics down here depend upon the reef. It would make sense that most food chains will be based around it, including the sirens’ . ‘It’s only a piece of rock, I think we should scout the open waters,’

  Soul said. ‘Surely we should have some say in the matter of our descent?’

  ‘Fucking idiots,’ Santiago said.

  ‘Sorry?’ Calyban asked.

  ‘I said you’re wrong,’ Santiago said.

  ‘Why?’ Calyban said.

  ‘The reef is not a piece of rock,’ Manolin said. ‘It’s animal and plant that secrete limestone-’ ‘A massive symbiosis,’ Santiago said. ‘I was getting there, y’know.’ Manolin turned back to Calyban and

  Soul. ‘Yeah, a symbiosis. The two work together. It’d make sense to go this way as everything in these waters depends upon it. It’s the basis of nearly every food web. It’s more likely that sirens would be near it. Follow?’

  Calyban and Soul looked at each other then looked back. They nodded. ‘Good,’ Forb said. ‘Exciting, isn’t it? I’ve been here for years and never yet seen underwater to any great extent.’

  ‘Really? I’m looking forward to bagging a siren,’ Santiago said. ‘One of them will fetch a very nice price back home.’ His mind raced across all sorts of possibilities-fame, fortune, women.

  ‘San, what about research?’ Manolin asked.

  ‘Yes, yes,’ Santiago said. ‘That too. I can’t believe we’re finding a myth-an actual myth. We’ll be famous.’ ‘We’re not here for fame,’ Manolin said. Santiago said, ‘I’m technically your boss, so you ought not to talk like that.’

  Manolin said, ‘You’re so far up your own arse, you know.’

  ‘Beg pardon?’

  Manolin sat back on his seat. He wriggled before sitting up again, then turned to the window. ‘I said you’ve forgotten what we operate for. I think this sniff of success has gone to your head.’

  ‘Indeed,’ Santiago said, dismissing Manolin’s speech as a young man’s folly. ‘Right, I’m taking us down quicker now. You may experience a change in pressure, but this little vehicle is pressurised. Your head isn’t going to explode through your ears.’

  They descended for over an hour. Inside, the vessel was dark, and as they fell further, the temperature fell uncomfortably. The sound of water passing around the craft seemed amplified by the metal shell. Santiago reached into a bag that he kept on board, then he handed around thick, woollen jumpers. Manolin pointed out bizarre shapes that spirited past the portholes. None of the scientists knew what the genera were of many of these creatures. Santiago had turned on the spotlight, and as the waters became dark, they had to look out the one large porthole at the front, following the beam. Despite reaching only several feet, the spotlight illuminated a large number of organisms, all of them unknown. Santiago tilted the Pilar past the sharp coral ridges, and as the waters became darker he took more caution.

  The Pilar passed down into even darker water, and Manolin could feel the pressure change in his ears. ‘How far now, San?’

  ‘Few hundred feet.’

  Manolin nodded, then turned to Calyban and Soul. ‘So, come on you two. What’re you guys looking for? You’re clearly wanting to see something. ‘

  ‘That’s our business, Manolin,’ Calyban said.

  ‘Oh, come on,’ Manolin said.

  ‘There’s no point, Manolin,’ Santiago said, calling back over his shoulder. ‘They’ll hold back any piece of information-they think it’s power.’ ‘We’re interested in these sirens, just as you are,’ Calyban said. ‘But a lot of ships go missing travelling this way. A lot of ships.’

  ‘You think the sirens did it?’ Manolin said.

  Calyban shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

  The submersible shuddered. ‘Sorry,’ Santiago said. ‘Scraped the reef.’ ‘Well don’t damage it, will you,’ Manolin said. ‘What, the ship or the reef?’ Santiago said. ‘Both, if you can help it,’ Manolin said. ‘Try not to destroy anything natural.’

  They descended further, staring at the porthole all the time. The lower their altitude, the less powerful the beam was. Santiago had said that when he had the light replaced when he bought the submersible, they no longer possessed the technology to make the beam effective.

  Manolin didn’t think the water could get any darker, but it seemed to, and soon the species that he saw were more alien. Impossible shapes and ghost-like matter floated by.

  ‘Are we still following the reef?’ Manolin said. He leaned forwards.

  ‘Indeed,’ Santiago said.

  ‘Goes rather deep, doesn’t it,’ Manolin said. ‘Can you hover and steer the light towards it?’ ‘Why?’ Santiago said. ‘To look at it. I didn’t think that reefs came down this far. I thought the plant within the coral needed light. Not much light down here.’

  ‘Good thinking, Manolin,’ Forb said, nodding.

  ‘Thanks, doc.’

  ‘It’s quite obvious, really,’ Santiago said.

  ‘You didn’t say it,’ Manolin said, feeling slightly smug.

  ‘Fine. Anyway, I’m turning now.’ Santiago tilted the submersible so that it was facing the coral rock that still, despite being hundreds of feet below the surface, contained surprising amounts of life. The beam highlighted a bold circle of the substance, and Manolin, Forb and Santiago all leaned forward to look through the large porthole.

  ‘Amazing,’ Manolin said. ‘Look at the thing. How does it survive?’

  ‘Most irregular,’ Santiago said.

  ‘Any of you two experts on the deep? Forb asked.

  ‘Not really,’ Manolin said. ‘Most of what we do is land based. Shallow waters at the most.’ Forb nodded. ‘I’ve only known shallow waters, too.’ ‘What are you three confused about?’ Calyban said. ‘It’s just a piece of rock-sorry, animal.’

  ‘And plant,’ Manolin said. ‘And plant. Everything working together.’ ‘Unlike you lot then,’ Soul said. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Santiago said. ‘Nothing. Just that you’re always too busy fighting amongst yourselves to get on with anything practical.’

  ‘Fuck off,’ Santiago said.

  ‘You two shut up,’ Manolin said. ‘We’re trying to concentrate.’ He took out a sketchbook from his pocket, began taking notes, describing the structure. The reef seemed alive, even at that depth. Coloured tubes protruded, waving in the currents. A network of eccentric looking animals swam into then away from the spotlight, diving beneath the latticework in the coral. He could see spiked plants, fish that oozed up to the rock and stuck their mouths to the limestone. ‘Very od
d,’ he said.

  ‘What is?’ Santiago said.

  ‘I don’t understand-shallow waters, where there’s plenty of light, you’d expect this abundance. Not down here, not at a few hundred under.’

  ‘Well, it’s right there in front of you,’ Forb said. ‘I’ve stopped wondering about the natural world. There’re weirder things in real life than you can dream up.’

  Manolin looked at the reef. He found it difficult to describe in his notes. He couldn’t get his head around the shapes and colours and movements. He looked at it for some minutes.

  ‘Are we all done?’ Santiago asked.

  ‘Nearly. Another minute.’ Manolin gazed at the rock. Suddenly, he thought it moved, a subtle, slow vibration of the rock, up then down. ‘Did you see that?’

  ‘What?’ Santiago said.

  ‘It moved. The rock-it shuddered.’

  ‘It must’ve been the current,’ Forb said.

  ‘No, I swear it shuddered,’ Manolin said. ‘A reef shouldn’t do that.’ ‘Tremor?’ Santiago said. ‘It’s possible,’ Forb said. ‘We’ve had tremors near the island. Small-scale tidal waves once or twice a year.’

  ‘That’ll be it, Manolin,’ Santiago said.

  Manolin nodded. ‘Fine. Okay, let’s move on.’

  Santiago tilted the Pilar. The vessel cut through water parallel to the reef then went down further. They travelled through the blackness for minutes. Manolin felt as if he was on another planet. ‘Make’s you realise how little we know about this place, doesn’t it? How for down now?’ ‘Over a thousand feet now,’ Santiago said. Then, ‘One, one hundred.’

  A rush of thin fish shot by the porthole, into the darkness. The group watched, in quiet awe, as other alien shapes drifted in and out of sight. Clouds of plankton were illuminated. Manolin saw a large fin covering one of the side portholes. He could see the scaly texture that covered it. Then he frowned, tapped the porthole.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Forb said.

  ‘Damn fish won’t move,’ Manolin said. ‘Ah-there it goes. Funny thing. We seeing much else, Santiago?’ ‘Nope. It’s getting more barren.’ ‘As I thought,’ Manolin said. ‘Finally the lack of light is having an effect. Turn her into the reef again.’ ‘Yes, master.’ Santiago stopped the Pilar then turned it, a clunk of levers indicating his struggle. ‘Hang on. The current’s strong down here.’ The spotlight fell on to the reef again. Manolin and Forb leaned forwards. ‘Well, fuck me,’ Santiago said. ‘It’s still there. You know, I only thought reef formed in warm, shallow tropical waters.’ ‘Doesn’t have to use light though, does it?’ Forb said. ‘It could feed on the plankton down here or something like that.’ Manolin scribbled further notes.