Shadows under the Sea

by Sally Grindley

‘Are you suffering?’ Angela smiled sympathetically. ‘It is horribly sticky today, isn’t it? There should be a bit of a breeze over the sea, but we won’t be travelling fast enough to create our own. You can always slip over the side into the water to cool off.’

  ‘Not now!’ Joe butted in, anxious to be on his way.

  ‘Of course not now.’ Aesha scowled at him.

  At that very moment Rey managed to coax the engine into life and the boat began to move forward, gradually picking up speed.

  ‘Hold on to your hats then – we’re off!’ called Angela above the noise of the engine.

  This is so exciting! thought Joe as the boat bumped up and down on the waves. I hope we see some dolphins.

  ‘Will we see any dolphins?’ he asked his father, who was sitting on the bench opposite, fiddling with his camera, which prompted Joe to bring his own camera out.

  ‘I’d love to swim with dolphins,’ said Aesha. ‘That would be so cool.’

  ‘You’re such a good swimmer, they’d be queuing up to swim with you.’ Peter laughed.

  ‘I’m afraid there aren’t any dolphins in this particular area,’ Angela informed them. ‘But you might be lucky enough to see them when you visit some of the other islands,’ she added when she saw Joe’s look of disappointment.

  They headed out to sea, turning towards a large wooden hut on stilts. Angela explained that it was a guardhouse, built to enable a constant watch to be kept on the Marine Protected Area.

  ‘It’s the job of several specially trained fish wardens to man it day and night,’ said Angela. ‘They keep an eye out for any unusual or illegal activity.’

  Joe thought it would be quite good fun spending a night there, though it would be scary as well, listening to the strange noises that seemed to start up the moment darkness fell. He had been comforted to have Aesha sleeping on the mat next to him the previous night, even if she did keep complaining that he was a fidget.

  ‘You mean they have to stay there all night just watching?’ His sister was aghast. ‘How boring is that!’

  ‘They find ways to entertain themselves,’ said Angela. ‘They have a radio and play cards and cook meals there.’

  As she spoke, a man and a woman appeared on the balcony surrounding the guardhouse and waved at them.

  ‘We’ve made their day bringing visitors to see them.’ Angela waved back and exchanged a few words with them in Cebuano, the local dialect. ‘They’re excited too about seeing a whale shark early this morning,’ she reported.

  ‘Cool!’ cried Joe. ‘I wish I’d seen it.’

  ‘You’ll have to spend the night out here then,’ said Peter. He was only joking, but to Joe it sounded like the best idea in the world.

  ‘I wish I could,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t worry, Joe.’ Angela smiled at him. ‘We’ll make sure you have plenty of excitement while you’re here.’

  Chapter 8

  The Brook family and Angela spent the day touring the Marine Protected Area, which was marked out with buoys, while Angela talked about its history.

  ‘The area measures fifty hectares altogether and was set up in 1995,’ she informed them. ‘It’s part of a very rare double reef – there are only six in the world. Because of decades of illegal fishing, only five per cent of the Philippines’ reefs are in good condition.’

  ‘Is this the only Marine Protected Area?’ Binti asked.

  ‘Some five hundred have been set up over the past thirty years, but many have been hampered by bad practice and weak management. Ours is one of the best in the Philippines,’ Angela added proudly. ‘Further along the reef, though nothing to do with us, two enormous religious statues have been erected eighteen metres below the surface to deter illegal fishermen and remind them of their duty to preserve the world’s wonders.’

  ‘What an extraordinary idea!’ said Binti.

  ‘We need extraordinary ideas to conserve our planet,’ Angela said, nodding.

  ‘I like it!’ said Peter. ‘I’ll have to make a special dive trip to photograph them.’

  Joe couldn’t wait to find out what was going on underneath the gently rolling waves, but he was more interested in the marine creatures than in two giant statues. When Angela suggested to Rey that they stop for a swim, he stood up so fast that he lost his balance and nearly toppled over the side.

  ‘Steady,’ said Peter, grabbing his arm. ‘It might be better to take your shorts off first!’

  ‘There aren’t sharks or anything, are there?’ Aesha asked.

  ‘There’s nothing that will bother you here,’ Angela replied.

  One after the other they dived overboard. Joe watched enviously as Aesha knifed her way through the waves, scarcely creating any disturbance, and was soon a long distance from them. He paddled around, keeping close to the banca and occasionally hanging on to the outrigging while he put his head underwater to look for fish.

  The sea’s so warm, he thought, remembering outings to Brighton, where they had hardly dared put a toe in the water for fear of hypothermia. It’s like being in a bath.

  After their swim, they clambered back on board the banca and headed towards the mangroves.

  ‘Keep your eyes peeled,’ said Angela as they drew nearer. ‘If you’re very, very lucky you might spot a monitor lizard.’

  ‘What else?’ asked Joe eagerly, immediately scouring the tops of the trees.

  ‘Dugongs have been spotted very occasionally among the seagrass,’ said Angela, ‘and there used to be mangrove sharks.’

  Now Joe didn’t know whether to look up or down; he was sure he would miss something whichever direction he chose. Rey cut the engine on the banca and allowed it to drift right up close so that they could see the dense mangrove roots, some of them surrounded by thick brown mud.

  ‘It’s like a dirty smelly swamp in places,’ said Aesha, wrinkling her nose.

  ‘You’d be surprised how many creatures are living in those dirty smelly swamps.’ Angela laughed. ‘And you’d be surprised how many products, like medicines and alcohol, have some sort of origin in mangroves. Not to mention the mangroves’ importance in preventing soil erosion and protecting the shoreline.’

  Joe peered through the water, desperate to see a turtle or a shark, even though Angela had said it was extremely unlikely, then looked back up at the treetops. Peter had loaded his camera and was beginning to take one shot after another.

  ‘What are you photographing, Dad?’ Joe asked, fumbling with his own camera case.

  ‘Birdlife,’ Peter responded. ‘There are so many different species up there.’

  ‘Ah, now if you were to see a Philippine cockatoo that would be a coup,’ said Angela. ‘They’re critically endangered.’

  Joe hurried to focus his camera on the trees and wished he had a zoom lens as powerful as his father’s.

  ‘How do you keep still when the boat’s wobbling?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s all about using your stomach muscles to help you balance,’ replied Peter.

  ‘Joe hasn’t got any stomach muscles,’ said Aesha.

  ‘I do!’ Joe protested.

  He lowered his camera and scowled at his sister. As he did, he spotted something silvery leave the waves a short distance behind her, sail in an arc through the air and dive back into the water. He gasped when two similar shapes followed the first.

  ‘Flying fish! I saw flying fish!’ he cried excitedly. He raised his camera, focused it and pressed the shutter button just as one of the fish leapt again.

  ‘Where?’ Aesha demanded, turning round quickly.

  ‘There were three of them,’ Joe insisted. ‘Over there. I got a photo – look.’

  ‘Ah.’ Angela scrutinized the camera screen. ‘Those are sailfish. Look at the long, pointed spears on their heads.’

  ‘Well done, Joe,’ said Peter. ‘That’s what happens when you’re prepared.’

  They all gazed long and hard in the direction Joe had been facing when he took his photograph. Joe willed the sailfis
h to show themselves again, but to no avail.

  ‘Never mind.’ Angela smiled. ‘Hopefully we’ll see some more during your stay.’

  Chapter 9

  There was a large group of children kicking a ball around on the beach when the family returned to Handumon.

  ‘Aren’t they lucky to be able to play out here when school’s finished?’ commented Binti.

  ‘Why aren’t they on holiday like us?’ asked Joe.

  ‘School terms are different in different parts of the world,’ Angela explained. ‘Children don’t go to school here in midsummer – around April and May – when it’s too hot.’

  ‘It’s too hot now!’ exclaimed Aesha. ‘I’m going for a swim to cool down.’

  Joe was just thinking about doing the same thing when he spotted Dario heading towards them, the ball under his arm.

  ‘Hello, Ma’am,’ he said to Angela, beaming. ‘You have good day?’

  ‘We’ve had a great day, thank you, Dario,’ she replied. She turned to Joe and his family. ‘Dario is one of my best helpers, and I can rely on him to promote our work, especially among the youngsters.’

  ‘Too much fishing, we go hungry,’ he said. ‘We play basketball now. You play too, Joe?’

  Some of the other children came over and searched Joe’s face eagerly.

  ‘Go on, Joe. They’re dying for you to join them,’ said Peter.

  ‘You’ll be quite safe,’ Angela encouraged him. ‘Dario will look after you well.’

  Reluctantly, Joe nodded his head and was quickly surrounded by the other children, who jostled with each other to be by his side.

  I just hope they don’t expect me to be any good! he thought to himself as they set off along a winding track away from the village.

  As soon as they had left the last of the houses behind, they came to a clearing where a large area of concrete had been laid. It was marked out with lines that had mostly worn away, and at each end stood a rickety-looking wooden post topped with a rusty ring and splintered backboard.

  Dario divided the children into teams, picking Joe to be with him and indicating that he should take the jump ball. A taller boy from the other team faced off against Joe in the centre circle. Dario threw the ball in the air, Joe tried to tap it but missed, and the other boy passed it on. For a while Joe was all fingers and thumbs and two left feet, but with Dario’s encouragement he began to enjoy himself. He wasn’t as good as the other boys, who played with great skill and who knew each other so well that they could anticipate each other’s moves, but they went out of their way to involve him. They even helped him score a goal, by allowing him a free run and making no attempt to block him before he reached the basket. He took a shot and was amazed when it found its way through the hoop.

  Joe was sorry when a heavy rain shower sent them all scuttling for shelter under the nearby palm trees, but he was tired and hungry too. The other boys stood there chatting, mostly in Cebuano, and it made him feel like an outsider again, even though Dario tried to interpret. Joe was just about to say that he should be going back to the staff house when two men appeared and walked straight across the basketball court. They were both carrying backpacks and talking animatedly. They didn’t notice the boys at first, but when they heard one of them laugh they stopped and looked round. Joe thought they seemed annoyed, but then they waved briefly and hurried on their way.

  ‘Do you know them?’ he asked Dario.

  Dario shook his head. ‘I never see them before.’

  The other boys agreed that they were strangers. Joe was surprised that they weren’t suspicious of the men, but they paid them no more attention as they gave up on the game of basketball and set off home.

  ‘You play next time?’ Dario asked when they reached the staff house.

  Joe nodded. He was soaked through and rivulets of water ran from his hair down his face, but he was pleased to be asked to play again. ‘It was fun – thank you,’ he said.

  He watched as his new friends splashed their way through the puddles to their own homes before making his way inside. Everyone was gathered in the dining area.

  ‘Now that’s what I call a drowned rat!’ his father said when he saw him.

  ‘Poor Joe,’ said Binti. ‘You’re soaking wet.’

  Joe shrugged. ‘I don’t mind! I scored a goal and they want me to play with them again.’

  ‘That’s great, Joe,’ said Angela. ‘I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.’

  Joe saw that fish and rice were on the menu. He stuck to his resolve to eat every last piece of fish flesh that was put on his plate. It wasn’t difficult. That evening, he was so hungry after the day’s exertions that it wouldn’t have surprised him if he had eaten the skin and bones as well.

  Later, as they were preparing for bed, Joe remembered the two men.

  What were they doing? he wondered. Why did they look annoyed when they saw us?

  ‘Two strange men came by when we were at the basketball court,’ he found himself blurting out to his parents.

  ‘Strange in what way?’ asked Binti.

  ‘You’re not assuming they’re smugglers by any chance?’ Peter looked at him quizzically.

  ‘None of Dario’s friends had ever seen them before and they were in a bit of a hurry to get away from us,’ Joe explained.

  ‘I can understand that.’ Peter grinned.

  ‘They’ll be visitors to the island, like us,’ said Binti. ‘This is such a small place, I expect we’ll all bump into them before we leave.’

  Joe hoped not. Whatever his parents said, he was sure the men were up to no good.

  Chapter 10

  The Brook family spent the next day lounging on the beach, resting ahead of their night-time sortie. Joe helped his father build an exotic sandcastle decorated with seaweed and shells, while Binti read and Aesha swam. Just before lunch, Rey appeared and took them for a practice snorkelling session around a rocky area at one end of the shoreline. Joe didn’t find it easy, but was delighted by the brightly coloured fish he saw every time he put his face in the water.

  ‘This is nothing,’ Rey told him. ‘You wait till we look in the big sea.’

  In the afternoon, it was so hot that they sought shade under a clump of trees and dozed fitfully, before returning to the staff house for dinner and then relaxing in their rooms.

  They set out for the snorkelling trip at ten o’clock that evening. Much to Aesha’s relief, the air was cooler as they meandered down the road towards the beach. This was the adventure Joe had been so looking forward to. There was something otherworldly about going out after dark in a country where all the sounds and sights and smells were so different from back home. Along the way, they passed houses lit by gas lamps and lanterns that cast eerie shadows across their path. Joe could hear laughter coming from them, and some of the islanders were sitting outside, chatting quietly, playing cards or simply meditating. The occasional grunt from a pig made him giggle, and the odd random scuffling in the undergrowth made him wish he had X-ray eyes so that he could see what was there.

  As they walked on to the beach, Joe noticed a light glowing a few metres away.

  ‘Rey’s looking forward to showing you his world.’ Angela chuckled. ‘He’s like a child anxious for you to love his favourite toy.’

  ‘We can’t wait to see his world,’ said Binti. ‘We’re very privileged.’

  They reached the banca, which now had a gas lamp attached to the front of it. Rey greeted them with big smiles and handed each of them a head torch.

  ‘I show you the most beautiful place you ever go to,’ he said.

  They helped push the boat down to the sea and climbed in, Joe sitting as close to the gas lamp as he could, his flippers and snorkel across his lap, his head torch in place and his camera on the bench beside him. He began to get a little anxious as well as excited. What if I get lost or can’t snorkel well enough? He didn’t like the fact that with flippers on he couldn’t put his feet down. It made him feel slightly panicky, especi
ally when water got into his snorkel and all he wanted to do was stand up, pull off his mask and breathe in some air.

  ‘Whatever you do, don’t take off your flippers!’ Angela had told them. ‘If you tread on a sea urchin it’s extremely painful.’

  Joe focused his gaze on where the light from the gas lamp fell on the water. As the banca moved slowly away from the shore he could already see numerous shoals of small fish below the surface. He took his camera from its case and began to take photographs, the flash leaping into action with each shot.

  ‘If any of your photos are good enough I’ll use them in my article,’ Peter promised.

  Joe hoped they might be as he snapped a shoal of bright-eyed, silvery-mauve fish streaming alongside them. He looked back at the photograph on his screen and decided to call it ‘Shadows under the Sea’.

  They soon arrived at the marker buoys at the edge of the Marine Protected Area. Rey cut the banca’s engine and allowed the boat to drift while they put on their equipment and got ready to lower themselves into the water.

  ‘Are you all right, Joe?’ Binti asked him, slight concern in her voice.

  Joe nodded. Excitement had quashed any fears he might have had and he could feel the adrenalin pumping through him now. The sea was incredibly calm, the sky cloudless and the moon nearly full. Fish were teeming close to the surface under the light from the gas lamp. Joe waited for his father and Aesha to dive in first, then sat with his legs over the side of the boat, his mask over his forehead, his head torch switched on, before slipping carefully into the water and turning on to his back. His flippered feet rose up in front of him, so that he wound up in a sitting position, where he had to paddle his arms furiously in order not to tip backwards.

  ‘Stay close to Rey,’ Angela called as she slipped into the water with Binti. ‘He’ll make sure you’re safe and will show you where the seahorses are most commonly found.’

  Rey dropped into the water last. To Joe’s surprise, he wasn’t wearing a snorkel, just a small pair of goggles carved out of wood, and he only had a home-made flipper on one foot.