The Reef (42 page)

Even viewing the footage, Jennifer lost her sense of vertical and horizontal. There was no
horizon, just the rainbow sea all around. It was crystal bright and brilliant, the visibility strikingly clear. Occasionally the camera zoomed in on the brightly coloured soft corals, like incandescent organs, pulsing and throbbing in their quest for food particles. In the cockpit, Isobel and Gideon spoke quietly, respectfully, making notes, recording data, watching instruments and the small screens below the wraparound, clear nose cone. They hovered over a shelf of dead coral where a few remaining spiky crown of thorns starfish clung, sucking the last of the living polyps. While these periodic infestations of the predatory creature were blamed for destroying the Great Barrier Reef, Mac and other scientists believed that the blame really belonged to humans on the mainland. Jennifer felt and heard Mac's intake of breath as he watched.

The sunlight began to fade as the submersible descended and the water became inky. It looked cold. From the video, and she imagined it would be the same if she were in the submersible, Jennifer had no sense of speed, of motion in a particular direction. The shadowy shape of the reef slope rippled in the distance and disappeared in nothingness. Jennifer found she was holding her breath, expectant. But nothing happened. The screen became darker than dark. And then pinpoints of light. Flashing, luminous colours that spun and darted. Signals?

Gideon switched on the searchlight and for a moment nothing could be seen. Then the ugliest fish imaginable cruised into the beam of light. A
giant head, enormous turned-down mouth slackly open with jagged teeth, sharp sticks and hooks, like fishing rods, sticking out from its head. A spiny, knobbly body. It looked prehistoric, evil.

It was the first of an extraordinary parade. Creatures so beautiful, from a purple bat-winged flying trapeze artist, a fat fish of glowing red with sparkling lights along its side like a party boat, to a slithering silver serpent with deadly jaws and mean, pewter eyes. And, slowly watchful, lazily cruising, a huge shark the only thing that looked familiar. Jennifer recalled one of Mac's graduate ichthyologists describing how sharks have changed little over their four-hundred-million-year evolution. And that, in addition to taste, touch, hearing, smell and good eyesight, sharks have a sixth sense, the ability to sense minute electrical fields that are generated by all living organisms.

Gideon turned off the light and even though the shark mobile was moving and the hum of the thrusters was steady, the darkness, even on the TV screen, appeared liquid. When Gideon turned the light back on, a school of fish, thousands of oddshaped striped ones, moved in a frenzied cloud that rippled in electric pulsing colours radiating fear. Isobel spoke to Gideon and the craft rose above the endless stream of running fish.

And then Jennifer saw the tip of the first long waving tendril, probing. Involuntarily she reached out, grasping Mac's arm. More pale fleshy but bigger streamers followed and as the camera shot up through the startled fish, it caught in its viewfinder
a blank, bulbous eye, the size of a football, the gaping cavern at the tip of a giant squid so massive the shark mobile could be vacuumed into its jellylike, transparent body.

The camera charted the little craft's ascent, and by the time the first of the reef plateaus came into view the foundations of the ancient crater looked familiar even to Jennifer. The return to the surface, to sunshine, to friends, to a known world, was an odd transition. The lights went on and there was a scattering of applause.

Mac nudged her, ‘So, what do you think?'

‘It's like a dream, a movie! Just incredible.'

‘They went to six hundred metres. I love the camera that's mounted inside the dome above the nose cone. Like they did for those dolphin movies.'

‘I can't believe Isobel has been scuba diving so deep down. She's fearless,' said Jennifer.

‘She's determined, for sure,' agreed Mac. ‘I suspect Isobel has always got what she wants from life.'

‘I doubt we're supposed to get everything we want in life. She tells me to opt for the best compromise in difficult situations,' said Jennifer, thinking of Blair.

‘And Gideon tells us to reach for the stars,' added Mac.

‘And Gideon thinks the stars are at the bottom of the sea,' Jennifer said, laughing.

It was hot in the middle of the day and the sandy paths were blindingly white. Mac and Sandy and Mick, the coral researchers, were intently studying two of the tanks outside the lab.

‘Hi Jennifer, got a minute? Come and look,' called Mac.

‘I'm stretching my legs, been sitting at the laptop too long. What's happening?' She couldn't see anything special in the tanks.

‘The corals have been busy making sex cells, so they're going to spawn soon. It's an amazing phenomenon you and Tony mustn't miss.'

‘Their one night of the year right on cue, eh? What exactly triggers the polyps?' asked Jennifer.

‘It's triggered when the correct conditions of darkness, water temperature, moon and tide come together after the full moon. I reckon we're two nights away.'

Even though the coral spawning was a major event for the coral researchers, everyone at the station was anxious to see how big the mass spawning would be. They gathered after dinner to watch the tanks outside, while Sandy and Mick were monitoring the reef flats covered by the full tide. Mac handed around torches covered in red cellophane so as not to disturb the corals with bright light. Tony had his camera ready and several people were videotaping the scene as people hung over the tanks shining their torches into the water. Isobel and Gideon had a film crew in the
shark mobile filming the spawning at its source on the outer reef.

It wasn't until eleven p.m. that Mac gave a signal. ‘Look, this one is going.'

Everyone crowded around and at first Jennifer couldn't see anything.

‘Here, look through the camera, where Mac's shining the light,' said Tony, taking his eye away from the viewfinder.

From one of the living coral polyps she saw a tiny pink bundle of eggs and sperm released. It was swiftly followed by others, which became a stream floating towards the surface.

‘It's like pink caviar,' she exclaimed as she handed Tony his camera.

‘Over here, look at this one,' called Kirsty. A pink snowstorm was erupting in the large tank.

‘Amazing. Imagine that multiplied a million times or more in the reef out there. It'd be fantastic to see it from inside the submersible,' said Tony.

‘Even more amazing to scuba dive in it,' said Mac. ‘Let's hope the larvae develop. We'll know later tomorrow morning how it's going.'

Tony and Jennifer walked down to the sea but even in the bright moonlight they couldn't make out much until they shone their torches into rock pools and saw the pink foam bundles on the surface. Further out, Sandy and Mick's dim red lights bobbed in the rubber duckie.

‘I bet you never thought you'd be doing this,' said Tony.

‘Never. I just find this whole reef experience fascinating,' agreed Jennifer.

In the morning Tony tapped on her door. ‘Hey, come for a walk and look at the sea. I'm taking some photos.'

They walked around the beach and waded through the shallows for a closer look at the dusty pink slick spread like a cloud across the ocean.

‘Synchronised sex in a soup,' said Tony. ‘Let's hope all those baby coral larvae start building a new reef. The fish must be pigging out. Do they just settle on top of each other on another bit of reef?'

‘It's the coral skeletons and cementing algae – the reef mortar – that Mac says is the key to holding all the limestone structures together,' said Jennifer.

‘Apparently you can see the Great Barrier Reef from space,' said Tony. ‘And all because of tiny coral polyps only a few millimetres long.'

‘I'd like to come back and see this again next year,' Jennifer said.

‘Maybe we could do a night dive with them.'

‘Maybe,' said Jennifer. She was doubtful she'd ever do that, but she liked Tony suggesting the idea.

Most of the students had left. Rudi had flown to Canberra at the invitation of the Department of Defence. Isobel was packed up and Jennifer had taken over Tony's downstairs apartment with the
bigger kitchen and closer access to the bathroom. She kept her upstairs space as a work area, but she was finding running up and down the stairs a chore now. She was feeling heavy and cumbersome, being over six months pregnant. As she packed a small bag for her visit to Headland to see her mother and the doctor, Isobel called in.

‘Can I have a coffee, my darling? I want to explain something to you.' She sat at the small table as Jennifer poured the milky coffee. ‘Now, this is how you must handle the matter of your future and your baby. I don't mean how you and Blair arrange visiting and such. I'm talking about practical things, Jenny. Money. You must do this now and finish it quickly.'

‘Oh Isobel, it'll be all right. Blair will sort things out and look after us.'

‘Do it now, darling. I have seen people draw these things out and then you get nothing. Or little. Say what you want and stick to it. Now – while he's feeling guilty.' She smiled.

‘Isobel, I'm shocked. I can't be like that.'

‘Be like it. Be fair but be firm. Ask him, “Now, what are you going to do, financially, for me and our baby?” And when he says he hasn't thought about it yet, then you say, “I have.” And give it to him in writing. You see a solicitor this trip.'

‘I hate that sort of stuff.'

‘Shall I do it with you? I spend two days in Headland before I go to Brisbane and fly out.'

‘Would you? I mean, really? I don't know that my mother would be very good at that kind of thing.'

‘Then I shall be your watchdog. It's done. It is good to have things tidy and then you can enjoy the baby with no worries.'

‘My mother says she doesn't believe in taking money from men. Though she did want Blair to put his house in both our names. I'm sure she'll be happy to know I'll be looked after. It's just till I get on my feet. Though it seems a long way off.' Jennifer sighed, thinking of the pile of work she had to read and analyse for Mac.

‘You will get there. Things will happen that will surprise you,' said Isobel confidently. ‘I am off to say goodbye to Rosie. I am flying on the chopper to the mainland. I'll call you from my hotel when you are at your mother's.'

They hugged, and Jennifer tried to thank her, but Isobel put a finger on her lips. ‘I should be thanking
you.
You make me proud and happy.'

Saying goodbye to Mac as he headed home was difficult. ‘You've changed my life, Mac,' said Jennifer tearfully.

‘No,
you've
changed your life. And for the better. It'll be hard for a bit, but worth it in the end. I know you can do this.'

‘Thank you, Mac. I'll try my best.'

‘I know you will. You're stronger than you think, Jenny. Call me any time, email me as often as you like.'

‘You have so many students, your family, the problems at uni, and here. I'll try not to take up your time unless I really need to,' she said.

‘Don't be lonely. See Gideon. I know Rosie
will keep tabs on you. But use this time for yourself.'

‘Thanks, Mac. Blair will be around, Rosie and I will see each other every day or so, I'm sure. I'm rather looking forward to the space to do my work and write.'

‘Keep in touch with Tony. The work you do together on the island book will help the words flow for your honours writing. Good luck.'

She watched him cram a hat on, his pony tail tied back, a sleeveless vest over his plaid shirt tucked into his khaki shorts. He was wearing hiking boots and she laughed to herself thinking he looked like a naturalist about to strike out into unknown territory. And perhaps he was – a visit to Sydney and Canberra was on his agenda, places where he was not at home. Back home in the lush hinterland of Queensland he had a family who at times took second place to the sea, the island and the reef.

There was a small group waiting at the wharf in Headland Bay, tourists waiting to board the cat for its return trip to the island resort. Jennifer saw her mother waiting and Tony carried Jennifer's bag as she introduced them.

‘Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for helping Jennifer,' said Christina formally. ‘My goodness, you have blown up, Jennifer,' she added.

‘That's what happens when you're pregnant,
Mum.' She laughed. ‘Now wait here while I get the car; Vera let me leave it here.'

Tony held the door open for Christina and smiled warmly towards Jennifer. ‘I'll be in touch. Good luck, with everything.' He closed the door, giving her a wink.

‘Who is that man?' commented Christina as they drove off. ‘What does he mean he'll keep in touch? Is he a friend of Blair's?'