Ocean's Gift

by Carlton, Demelza

  I frowned. Was this a sign of her advanced age? “You have been working for a solid week, so the researchers will speak tomorrow, but I have told you this already. What are these, and why did you not hear me when I came in?” I held the wire up, the round end pieces dangling before her face.

  “They are earphones, for music. I developed a taste for it when I studied amongst humans. I have found a new human musical group that did not exist when I was on land before. It is called something about a Machine. Here. Does this not sound like drifting beneath the waves in a storm?” She pulled the wire out of a hole on the side of the computer and human music filled the house, at considerable volume.

  I felt relieved. This was not a mental instability, after all. “I understand now why you could not hear me, or the young human fisherman.”

  Her face lit with eagerness. “Joe? Joe came here to look for me, and I missed him?”

  “He looks for you most days. I am sure he will return tomorrow to look for you again,” I said reluctantly.

  Her response reassured me further. “I will have finished by tomorrow, aside from speaking to the researchers. Perhaps it will be time to take a rest from working, for a few days only.”

  I spoke as a healer must. “If we must return to the deeps in less than two weeks, a rest will benefit you. You work too hard, Vanessa.”

  Vanessa protested my concern, as always. “I work only as hard as is necessary, to ensure a future for our people and for the humans, even if it is a future I do not live to see.”

  I laughed. “A future you do not live to see? You have perhaps forty more years before a future will occur without you. Have you forgotten that we are not as short-lived as humans?”

  “I do not forget, but I do worry.” Her eyes spoke of her age and the depth of her concern.

  I looked deep into her ocean-coloured eyes and let my affection for her colour my tone. “You worry too much, also. After tomorrow, you must rest.”

  She closed her eyes with a nod of acquiescence. “I think you are correct. I will.”

  42. Joe

  “There’s some sort of talk up at the Fisheries camp this afternoon. You should come, too,” Skipper told me one morning as we walked down the jetty, away from the Dolphin.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Some changes to the fishing rules out here or something. Fisheries Head Office bureaucrats bringing in some new rules, to justify why they have a job.” Skipper shrugged. He evidently didn’t like the bureaucrats. “They put on food and tell us what the changes are, so we fish by the rules. That leaves them free to go after the tourists who come out here, ignore the rules and catch too many fish.”

  “Sure,” I replied.

  “Head over there around two,” he called as he tinkled off down the shingle path.

  I had lunch and took the path over to the Fisheries camp. Their camp looked like one of the mining camps I’d helped assemble and rarely got to stay in. A bunch of big dongas, with decking in between. And the new uplink, sticking up where I’d installed it.

  I followed the other guys up the decking between two of the buildings and into a room that was obviously the common room of the camp. I saw it all now in daylight. Couches, a huge TV, a commercial-grade kitchen full of gleaming stainless steel and a bunch of dining tables. The tables were pushed up against the wall today, the dining chairs set out in rows behind the sofas. A screen was suspended from the ceiling, next to the TV.

  I took one of the dining chairs next to Skipper, who was deep in conversation with the bloke on his other side. The seats were only half full, with plenty of empty chairs. I let my mind drift, hoping I could stay awake through what looked to be a really boring talk.

  I was jolted out of my reverie by Vanessa sliding into the chair beside me. “Ooh, have I missed anything?” she asked me with an eager smile.

  I smiled in response almost automatically. “They haven’t started yet.”

  “It looks like a big change today – researchers and Head Office staff,” Vanessa murmured in my ear.

  “Do you know them?” I asked her.

  She shook her head. “No, I know some of the senior staff from the Geraldton office. That’s Glen, he fancies himself the Lord Mayor of the Abrolhos. I guess he sort of is, in a way. That one’s Nick. He’s quieter, doesn’t say much. That one’s Rob, the Geraldton manager. He’s not out here much, he can’t handle a boat. He is a good cook, though.” She pointed at each as she spoke. “Then there’s two from Head Office in Perth, plus two from their research office.”

  “How can you tell which is which?” I asked her.

  She pointed at the floor. “From their shoes. All of us are in thongs and sandals, except the office people. They wear closed-in shoes, because they don’t like getting their feet wet.”

  I laughed. “You can’t be serious.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder and leaned closer to point at the offending shoes. “Look. They’re the only people in the room who aren’t showing their toes. Office staff, of course.”

  I looked around. Thongs, sandals...and three pairs of closed-in shoes. “What about that one?” I asked, pointing at a third pair of shoes that weren’t on the feet of a Head Office person. I looked more closely at the owner of the shoes.

  “That’s Rob. He’s an office person, too.”

  “Oh.” I felt stupid.

  She kept her hand on my shoulder for the whole of the talk, her leg brushing mine every time she shifted, occasionally murmuring comments in my ear. My heart beat faster than usual, probably because she was so close.

  After the talk finished, Skipper noticed Vanessa next to me. “Are you trying to steal my new lucky deckie, Vanessa? Now I’ve finally got a deckie who can tell one end of a cray from the other you’re going to entice him away to the Siren?” He sounded annoyed, but only half serious. He wasn’t immune to her smile.

  One end of a cray from the other? Yeah, one end’ll snap my fingers and toes off and the other end has beady eyes, watching to see if I’m stupid enough to get my fingers or toes within reach. But if she wants to entice me anywhere, all she has to do is ask.

  Vanessa laughed. “I wouldn’t dare steal your deckie, Skipper, even if he does have a thorough knowledge of anatomy.” God, what I’d give for a more thorough knowledge of her anatomy. “But I might want to borrow him when the girls go over to Geraldton to do the shopping, if you can spare him.”

  “For you, Vanessa, anything,” Skipper replied. “Just as long as you bring him back in one piece.”

  Great. Now he’s loaning me out like I’m a wheelbarrow. Do I have any say here?

  I glanced at Vanessa. To my surprise, she was smiling at me.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I want to ask a question.” She pressed my shoulder as she stood up, her eyes focused on someone across the room. She took something from the table where the food was and popped it in her mouth as she went past, not breaking stride.

  My eyes weren’t the only ones watching her cross the room. Heads turned to follow her, all of the faces carefully expressionless. As she stopped beside the Fisheries staff, the same heads snapped back to where they’d been before she moved.

  You don’t have a hope in hell. None of us do, and deep down we all know it. But we all wish we’re wrong.

  She greeted a Fisheries researcher with her eager smile and the two were soon in earnest discussion. The researcher pulled up a slide that showed a map of the Western Australian coast, with shifting colours across the ocean. I’d seen it during the talk, but not been interested enough to tune in to the commentary that went with it. Evidently Vanessa had paid more attention than I had.

  I turned to the food and piled some up on a plate. I took it to a seat where I had a good view of both her and the rest of the room. The other fishers and deckies descended on the food, too. I heard the door bang and looked out the window to see who’d left without eating. Vanessa’s deckies were walking stiffly down the decking toward her boat, as equally deep in conversation
as their skipper.

  I looked at Vanessa again. She’d finished talking to the researcher and she’d moved on to the Geraldton Fisheries staff. She said a few words and collected smiles from all of them. One of them mentioned the food, pointing at the table. She laughed and walked with Rob, the one with the shoes, to the tables where the food was laid out. She accepted a plate from him and selected a few items from different platters, as he pointed to them.

  She moved away from the table, still talking to him. He offered her a drink, which she accepted, balancing the cup and plate somewhat awkwardly. He made some comment that she found funny. When she laughed, she tipped the drink and spilled some on the floor. Rob jumped back quickly, so he didn’t get his feet wet.

  Trying hard not to laugh, she looked away from him. Her eye caught mine and she flashed me a brilliant smile.

  My head went hazy. Sure I have a say in whether she gets to borrow me. And what I’ll say will be, “For you, Vanessa, anything.” Joe the wheelbarrow, at your service.

  43. Belinda

  “You will head to Geraldton tonight or first thing in the morning to replenish supplies. You may return early next week, as you please.” Vanessa’s voice came from the jetty, as she stepped aboard.

  Maria was the first to reply. “I thought we didn’t need supplies until next week? This is a sudden change of plans.”

  Vanessa’s tone brooked no argument. “I would like some more fruit: we have only a few raspberries remaining.”

  Maria was deferential. “Do we take the vessel, or did you have some other means of transportation in mind?”

  “I will not accompany you, so the vessel will remain with me. You may go by air or sea, as you please. There is one more flight this evening, if you wish, with return flights every day this week. The carrier boat departs in the morning for Geraldton and will return in three days,” Vanessa said curtly.

  Maria’s eyes widened with alarm. “Fly, in a tin tube in the sky? I think not. I would rather swim.”

  Vanessa’s tone was patient, but no less firm. “You may travel to Geraldton as you wish, but you must return with human transportation, accompanying the supplies. I recommend you return with the carrier boat. If you miss the boat, you will fly in a human aircraft.”

  Remembering her need for rest, I suggested, “Why do you not accompany us, with the boat? I can never recall your preference in ice cream. Are you staying so that you may assess the performance of the young human fisherman? Surely he can wait until you are rested.”

  Her face reddened as she spoke. “His employer is running the carrier boat this week, as the usual skipper is down in Perth. Skipper decided on my advice to take the carrier boat crew and not his usual deckhand. The young human fisherman has a few days off, with no fishing. I would like to engage in some recreational fishing and water sports with him, for which I will require the vessel. You may enjoy yourselves in Geraldton as you please.”

  I relaxed as I realised she would take a break from her work, with or without us. “We will leave tonight once it is fully dark and enjoy a long swim. We will return with the carrier boat. Likewise, enjoy your water sports.”

  44. Joe

  I slept until after the sun was up, for the first time in a month. It felt good to wake up in daylight. I made myself a coffee and took it outside. I stood on the veranda in my shorts, sipping from the chipped mug, looking out over the anchorage as I thought about what I might do today.

  I didn’t see Vanessa in the shade of her veranda, so her voice startled me.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she teased. “Did Skipper decide to leave without you?”

  “Yep. He’s taken the carrier boat back to Geraldton and won’t be back till Monday. At the last minute, he decided he only wanted the carrier boat crew and he didn’t need me after all. I don’t have any electrical jobs scheduled yet, because no one but you knows that I’m not in Geraldton. I get the whole weekend off,” I told her, as I stepped onto the path, squinting into the deep shade on her veranda.

  She was sitting on a deck chair, wearing a tiny pair of blue shorts and a t-shirt that hugged every curve of her torso perfectly. A steaming mug was on the table beside her, a heavy book in her hands. As I approached, she closed the book and put it down on the table. I turned to read the title: Anderson’s Fairy Tales. A children’s book of short stories. I’d expected her to read something off the adults’ bestseller list, which all seemed to be about magic, myths and monsters. Not a book for children.

  Grabbing her mug, she joined me on the path, interrupting my thoughts. “That makes two of us, then. The girls went back to Geraldton last night to do some shopping. They said not to expect them till Monday afternoon, but they promised to bring me back some ice cream.” She lifted her mug and clinked it against mine. “To a whole weekend off with ice cream at the end of it!” Her nose disappeared into the mug as she drained the contents.

  I laughed. “I’ll drink to the weekend, but I’ll only drink to ice cream if you’ll share it with me.”

  She didn’t even hesitate. “It’s a deal.”

  I took a sip of my coffee and we both looked out over the anchorage in silence for a few seconds. The water was almost calm, a phenomenon I’d heard about but never seen.

  “So, what are you planning to do with your weekend off?” she asked casually.

  I wished I’d planned something thrilling so I could invite her to join me, but since Skipper had told me late last night that I wasn’t going to Geraldton all I’d done was sleep and dream of her. “I haven’t decided yet,” I hedged. “What did you plan to do?”

  Her face lit up. “I wanted to go up to the reefs in the Wallabi Group and snorkel some of the dive trails. The girls were talking about some superb fishing spots up there, too.” She looked almost embarrassed. “But I can’t go up there by myself. I’ll need someone to go with me, to help me to handle the boat. Did you want to come?”

  I hesitated, dying to spend the day with her but worrying about how I was going to manage that without putting my foot in my mouth or making her regret ever inviting me in the first place.

  She mistook my hesitation for unwillingness. “I’ll do most of the work. All you’ll have to do is help me tie up and untie the boat, and watch the controls if I go to the toilet. You don’t have to go in the water, or bait up a line if you don’t want to. I’ll even cook you dinner, whatever we catch.” She clasped her mug to her chest, pausing to take a breath. “Please?”

  My eyes had followed the mug and I was having difficulty pulling them away from the front of her t-shirt. I closed my eyes briefly, then lifted my head to focus on her face. She looked worried.

  I smiled and was honest. “I’d love to. I haven’t snorkelled here before and I’ve heard it’s really good. I’ll even clean and fillet the fish, if you cook them.”

  Her face lit up with a smile. She jumped, bouncing a little, then suddenly hugged me. Before I could respond in kind, she jumped back again. “You are a legend! This will be fun.” She took another step away from me, toward her house. “Let me know when you’re ready and we’ll go.” She turned and went inside the house.

  I hurried back to my house, slurping the coffee as fast as I could. I barely felt it burning my tongue and the back of my throat.

  I dug out my snorkelling stuff from the bottom of my bag. I grabbed some boardshorts and a couple of towels. I dumped the lot on the dining table, heading for the bathroom, and scanned the shelves for the sunscreen. It was next to an unopened box of condoms, which had been sitting there untouched since I arrived. I hesitated, then snatched both up and took them to the kitchen. You never know, I might get lucky.

  I stuffed the mess on the table into my old backpack. I opened the box of condoms and shoved a few in my pocket. I stuck the rest in the backpack. The chances of any of them getting used were less than me winning lotto, but I figured the chances of me getting any action without them were pretty much zero. Sex tickets. You had to be in it to win it.

 
I went back to the bedroom to find a shirt. I had exactly one clean one. I put it on and bundled the remaining ones into the washing machine. I’d do a load of washing when I got back.

  Slinging my backpack over one shoulder, I went outside for the fishing gear on the veranda. I grabbed the first packet of bait I saw in the outside freezer, picked up the tackle box and the rods and headed for Vanessa’s jetty.

  I stowed the gear on the deck of her boat, which looked a lot neater and cleaner than Skipper’s.

  Siren, it said on the side, in dark blue letters next to the boat number.

  I strode down her jetty to her front door, knocking nervously. She opened it almost immediately, smiling.

  “I’ll be right out,” she said, turning to snatch up a bottle of water before stepping outside, closing the door behind her. She carried nothing but the bottle.

  She must have noticed me looking, because she smiled again, telling me, “All the rest of my gear is on board already.”

  She led the way, almost skipping down the jetty. She climbed aboard effortlessly, like any of the other experienced guys, except that she didn’t look like one of the guys in those tiny shorts and snug t-shirt.

  She glanced at the mess I’d left on her deck as I climbed onto the boat behind her.

  “You can stash your dry stuff in the cabin below.” She pointed at the door to the main cabin. “Anything you don’t mind getting wet can stay out here on deck.”

  “What about the bait?” I asked.

  She kicked the icebox on deck. “In here.”

  She opened the door to the cabin. I dropped the bait in the icebox and followed her in.

  Shit, this is a nice boat. Inside the cabin, level with the deck, was a kitchen almost as big as the one back in my camp on Rat. Next to it was a table with plush bench seats around it.