Chain Lightning (12 page)

“Don’t you Yanks know anything?“ Clint asked in a disgusted tone of voice. “You wasted your bread. You have to come out where the fish can swim up to you.“

Dimly Mandy heard Clint’s words and knew she must respond, must somehow shake off the paralyzing grip of her fear if only for a few moments.

“My mistake,“ she said in a strained voice.

Di turned and held out a crust of bread. “Here you go,“ she said softly. “I’ll share.“

Mandy suppressed a shudder at the thought of wading out into that clean, treacherous water once more. “That’s okay, sugar. You go ahead and feed the fish. I’ll watch and see how it’s done.“

“Nothing to it,“ Clint said, grabbing his sister’s crust “You rip off a piece, hold it underwater and the fish come swarming. Even a sleepy Yank like you can do it.“

A little desperately, Mandy smiled. “I’ll take your word for it.“

From up the beach and behind Mandy, a woman’s voice called out to the children.

“Now hear this! Now hear this! All ‘roos fall in for tucker!“

Instantly Clint and Di splashed to shore, leaving a turmoil of disappointed fish behind. As Clint passed Mandy, he spotted her bare foot.

“Better get shod,“ he called over his shoulder. “Some of this coral is wicked.“

“Took the words right out of my mouth,“ Sutter said.

Mandy flinched when she heard Sutter’s voice behind her. Rather bitterly she wondered what else could go wrong that morning. Perhaps if she ignored Sutter he would go away.

“Mandy?“

And then again, maybe he wouldn’t “Mandy,“ Sutter asked calmly, “what’s your thong doing in the water instead of on your foot?“

“I – I was playing a silly game.“ She turned away from him and headed up the beach. “But I’m tired of playing it now.“

“Mandy.“

She froze.

“Don’t you know better than to walk barefoot around here?“

“Yes!“ she said savagely. “I know better!“

Before Sutter could say anything more, Mandy spun around and glared at the missing thong. It was less than five feet from shore, under no more than ten inches of water. She could either go and get the damn thing or she could spend the rest of her life hating herself for revealing to Sutter just what a blazing coward she really was – Sutter, a man who had been beaten, shot, stabbed, jailed and yet had never once flinched from doing what he believed had to be done.

In a rush Mandy took four steps into the lagoon, grabbed blindly and connected with the thong. She ripped it from the lagoon and raced back to the beach, where she stared at the dripping thong in delighted disbelief.

“I did it! Did you see that, Sutter? I waded out and picked up my sandal!“

Triumph radiated from Mandy, putting color back into her cheeks, taking fear away.

“Yes, I saw,“ he said softly.

Belatedly Mandy realized how she must have sounded to a man who had just returned from diving in the open sea. She bit her Up as she shoved her foot into the thong.

“It was just – just a silly game,“ she said.

Silently Sutter watched as Mandy ran up the beach and disappeared into the she-oaks. He didn’t know what had been going on a moment before, but he was certain of one thing.

To Mandy, it hadn’t been a silly game.

“Is that the lot?“

Mandy smiled as she glanced from Clint’s wide grin to shy little Di’s hand held out trustingly to her.

“That’s the lot,“ Mandy said, taking Di’s hand and surrendering the bread crusts to Clint’s eager grasp.

“You’re sure you don’t mind?“ Ted asked.

“Not at all. After we feed the fish, we’re going to walk around to the south end of the island and see if any turtles have come in to lay eggs.“

“And then we’re going to finish our coral castle,“ Clint added. “It’s going to be bigger than you, Pop.“

“Fair dinkum?“ Ted said, ruffling his son’s hair with a broad, blunt hand.

“Then it will be low tide and Mandy will show us how the starfish eat and what the sea squirts do and if there are any eggs floating around and…“ Di’s voice dwindled as she ran out of breath.

“Sounds like you have an exciting day planned,“ Ted said absently as he looked over his shoulder. “Gotta fly. The other blokes are waiting for me. Clint, you remember what I said about those fancy cone shells?“

“No worries. Mandy knows all about the ones that sting and the ones that don’t.“

Ted gave Mandy a quick, concerned look. “A lot of blokes are fooled or get careless. It doesn’t matter so much for an adult, but for a joey…“

“I understand,“ Mandy said. “I’ve told the children not to touch any of the textile cone shells that have washed up until I’ve handled them first. If we go reef walking out far enough that there’s a chance of seeing a live one, I know the difference between the siphon and the proboscis, and I’m well aware of the dangers of that particular mollusk’s paralytic poison.“

There was still a certain hesitation on Ted’s part. Mandy knew why; she had told the Townehome parents she would be glad to watch the children as long as it was clearly understood that she was a nonswimmer. It was difficult for Ted to understand how someone who didn’t swim at all could comprehend the ocean’s many dangers.

“I spent years in school studying the ecology of coral reefs,“ Mandy said crisply, answering the unasked question. “If you have an hour to spare, I’ll give you a list of every reef predator and whether that predator represents a danger to man, and if so, how the danger can be avoided or countered medically.“

Ted couldn’t conceal his surprise. “Coral reef ecology, eh? Then why don’t you swim?“

“I choose not to,“ Mandy said in an even voice. “If that worries you, then perhaps you would feel better sleeping beneath the she-oaks while Clint and Di build their coral castle.“

The father’s grin told Mandy where Clint had gotten his casual masculine charm.

“Told me what’s what, didn’t she?“ Ted said to his son.

“She’s a mean ‘un,“ Clint agreed, grinning.

When Ted turned back to Mandy, he was still smiling. “I’m not worried. A Sheila who can keep this lot under control can take care of the odd stonefish or poisonous snail.“

Ted trotted off toward the other divers. Even from the corner of her eye, Mandy could see that Sutter had joined the adults – six days on the island had given his hair a pale, metallic sheen that was unmistakable, as was his rangy, well-muscled body. To her surprise, she had managed an unbroken exchange of civilities with him since she had made a fool of herself crowing over her sandal. She had expected Sutter to be caustic on the subject, but he had said nothing to her about it, then or later. He had simply appeared at dinner with a full plate in his hand and had sat down beside her.

Once Mandy had gotten accustomed to the frissons that chased through her every time Sutter was close, the two of them had passed an amicable half hour topping each other’s Anthea stories. Sutter had offered to buy Mandy a beer after dinner. She had started to say how much she hated beer but hadn’t wanted to end the unexpected truce. She had been shocked and delighted to discover that Australian beer was far superior to its American counterpart. In fact, she had a hard time believing that the two liquids shared anything in common but alcohol and a generic name.

“Your bloke’s waving at you,“ Clint said.

Mandy didn’t bother telling Clint again that Sutter wasn’t her bloke and she wasn’t his Sheila. She simply waved back at Sutter, then watched with unexpected yearning as the divers turned away and vanished into the she-oaks. The group was going to the opposite side of the tiny island, where the dive boat awaited them. It was a superb day for diving. The sea was calm, the air hot, the sun a burning brilliance overhead; and beneath the surface of the water it would be cool, silky, swirling with graceful fish and living corals sweeping up from the floor of the sea.

Suddenly Mandy wished she could see it all for herself, could feel the sea surrounding her, caressing her, freeing her from gravity until she came as close to unfettered flight as a human being could.

/
can do it. I know I can. All I have to do is want it more than I fear it.

There was no answer for that bittersweet truth, not even in the deepest reaches of Mandy’s silence. Quietly she followed the children to the Fish Pond, wading in as they did, feeling triumph as the water climbed above her ankles, her calves, her knees, partway up her thighs, then a few more inches, just a few more. She stopped when the water lapped at midthigh and forced herself to stand and endure the knowledge that she was partially within the sea’s grasp once more.

The lagoon was warm, transparent and tasted far more salty on her fingertips than the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The air and water were so warm, so motionless, that when she closed her eyes, it was difficult to believe she was in the sea at all.

Fish swarmed just beneath the surface of the lagoon, bumping against Mandy’s legs in their rush to get close to the crumbs, tasting her skin with tiny tickling touches. She broke off bits of bread crust, gingerly immersed her hand in the water and watched as the racing, flashing scraps of life vacuumed up every offering. Firmly she ignored her accelerated heartbeat and breathing, hoping that fear would pass as soon as her mind accepted that her body wasn’t in danger. Finally, common sense won out over brutal memories. Her heartbeat slowly returned to normal and her hands became steady once more. Only then did she allow herself to retreat just a bit closer to shore, and then only for a few moments.

Meanwhile, Clint, who had wheedled a mask and snorkel from Ray, was lying facedown in the water with his feet pointing toward the outer reef. Sculling idly with his hands, he watched the fish dart about. He became so absorbed in watching that he drifted farther and farther out into the lagoon. Because the tide was partially up, the Fish Pond wasn’t completely bounded by coral formations. He could float right out over the wall of coral and into the rest of the shallow lagoon, where coral formations grew in an uninterrupted carpet and the water at that moment was very shallow.

Mandy glanced up from the greedy fish nibbling on her fingers and realized that Clint had drifted too far away. He was already out of the pond, floating in water that was barely eighteen inches deep. If he tried to kick his legs to propel himself back into deeper water, he would flail against coral rather than water.

“Stay here, Di,“ Mandy said.

Gingerly, ignoring the sudden race of her heart, Mandy waded deeper into the Fish Pond. From experience gained in the past few days, she knew where the most shallow parts were and where the bottom dipped down without warning. She made use of every high spot and skirted the low ones. It was barely twenty feet to the other side of the pond, but she felt as though it were miles. When she looked up she saw that Clint had discovered his difficulty. He was trying to scull forward with his hands but was succeeding only in pushing himself farther out over the corals lining the shallow lagoon.

“Just float,“ Mandy called. “I’ll pull you in.“

Clint’s hands stopped churning. Mandy looked at the six feet of water separating her from the coral wall that marked the outer limit of the Fish Pond. She feared the water was at least waist-deep, perhaps more. On the other hand, Clint wasn’t really in danger of more than a skinned knee if he kept his head and didn’t thrash around too much.

I’m a great one to talk about someone keeping his head. I expect a child to do something I can’t do myself!

Mandy bit her lip. Hard. Then she waded forward, welcoming the pain in her Up because it distracted her from the fear racing through her body, shortening her breath, making her body feel too brittle to move.

The warm water slid higher up Mandy’s legs and then higher still, despite the fact that she had resorted to balancing precariously on knobs of coral thrusting up from the bottom of the pond. Midthigh, then an inch more, then another inch. If she lost her balance and fell now, there would be no way to prevent her face from going under the surface, and she was trembling so much that a fall seemed inevitable.

Finally Mandy was able to reach out and grasp one of Clint’s hands. Slowly, carefully, she towed him beyond the shallow area and into the deeper pool. With a cheerful wave of thanks he jackknifed his body and dove to the bottom for a closer inspection of the resident wildlife. Mandy just barely managed to stifle a scream as warm, very salty water splashed over her, compliments of Clint’s windmilling feet. After that, it was several minutes before she could control her trembling enough so that she was able to retreat to the beach end of the pond.

It was with a great sense of relief that Mandy watched the final bread crusts shredded by busy little fingers and fed to even busier little fish. For her, the ordeal of the Fish Pond was over until lunch, after which more bread crusts would appear in the bowl outside the cafeteria. For now, however, Mandy was free to lure the Townehome kids up onto dry land.

“Candy bar for whoever spots the first turtle,“ Mandy called.

Instantly Clint’s head popped out of the water. He and Di hit the beach running.

“Well, come on, don’t be such a slow lot,“ Mandy teased as the children stormed past her.

Shouting and laughing, the Townehomes raced along the beach until they were even with the office. Then they slowed to a walk and lowered their voices to a whisper. Ever since Mandy had explained to them how important it was not to disturb the nesting terns, the children had all but tiptoed past the segment of beach that touched the birds’ breeding colonies. Even so, sooty terns screamed and wheeled overhead constantly, not so much disturbed as simply being their normal, noisy, agitated selves. A few huge black frigate birds took flight, looking like shadows from a prehistoric time when birds were reptiles wearing more scales than feathers.

Farther up the beach, small gulls unique to the Great Barrier Reef perched in gray-and-white profusion on the wreckage of a ship whose captain had misjudged the depth of water over Lady Elliot’s barrier reef. The shipwreck had occurred many years before. Now little more than the hull remained – curving timbers bleached by salt and sun and washed clean by sheets of tropical rain. Beyond the wreckage the lagoon ended. No coral formations rose to the surface of the sea, which meant that the island itself took the brunt of the ocean’s ceaseless, sweeping waves. The beach became more narrow, steeper and of a white so pure it was almost blinding.

Clint and Di zigzagged through the coarse sand, picking up chunks of coral that had been ripped free by storm and wave and finally washed onto shore. A few of the pieces retained their original colors, rich scarlet or deep chestnut or, rarely, jet black. With time they faded to pale pink or antique gold or slate gray. In the end, all debris would be bleached to a dazzling absence of color, ground smaller by the waves and finally reduced to shimmering white sand.

Mandy walked slowly behind the children, forcing herself to look out over the restless, gleaming surface of the sea. The water looked less intensely blue than it had earlier and there were many subtle variations on the color gray. The change in color reflected the change in the sky itself. A sheer veil of clouds had covered the sun. The humidity, always high, had soared. If a wind didn’t come up, the atmosphere would become oppressive. Clouds were piling up over the mainland in immense billows that even now were reaching toward the island. Tonight, chain lightning would coruscate through the vast, creamy towers in dazzling display.

A disappointed call from Di returned Mandy’s attention to the beach. There were no odd, broad marks in the sand, as though a single caterpillar tread had gone from the sea to the warm sand above high tide line. The track of a green turtle was unmistakable – and unmistakably absent. None of the ancient reptiles had appeared mysteriously from the vast sea in order to haul themselves up the beach and lay their eggs in the warm sand. Nor could Clint or Di spot one of the big animals swimming through the sparkling clarity of the water. No dark bodies appeared against the flashing white of breaking waves. In the end even Clint gave up and joined Mandy and Di in building the coral castle to new heights.

As they worked, Mandy answered the children’s endless questions about the creatures that had once inhabited the intricate coral skeletons and about the creatures that had no true skeleton at all. She described the difference between sponges and sea hares, snails and corals, fish and man, and she explained how the reef had been built of the same kinds of coral that they were using to build their own castle. With time, the reef corals became compressed by the weight of all the coral that had been built on above. As the reef bottom was slowly squeezed, it reacted with dissolved chemicals in the sea, transforming the millions upon millions of skeletons into a rock known as limestone. It was that fossilized reef structure that made up Lady Elliot Island.

“You mean like that shelf of rock on the other end of the island?“ Clint asked.

“That’s right. Limestone is all around us. If you dig down in the sand here you’ll hit limestone very quickly.“

“You mean that rock was once like this?“ he persisted, holding up a handful of staghorn coral. “With patterns where the animals once were and tiny little holes and pretty branches and everything?“