Chapter Twenty-Five: Part One
When Rick and Kate joined the rest of the Big End’s population for lunch in the maloca, Dom and Natalie were still unaccounted for. All of Alegria’s permanent inhabitants were at the Race today, helping with preparations for New Day and catching up with friends and family before the festivities. In the maloca, everyone was in a calm and relaxed mood except JC. He was buzzing with an air of satisfaction about him that eventually prompted Rick to ask him what he’d been up to.
‘Well, since everybody else on the bloody island seemed to be making the beast with two backs, I went spearfishing,’ he said, disappearing towards the ovens with boyish glee. Juan-Carlos came back carrying a whole roasted fish that hung nose and tail over both ends of a huge platter. He had packed a salad of wilted greens against the sides of the fish, and cries of approval met his presentation to the table. Edison noted that JC had made a perfect shot, one that would either miss completely or kill the fish instantly. It was from directly above and was the hardest shot on a free-swimming fish to make underwater. He looked at his son with an obvious question on his face.
‘Just this one and I got out quick. The bulls came in straight away.’ JC looked at the girls and said, ‘This early in autumn, the water is at its warmest, and the sharks are very active, the bigger bull sharks especially. The deep reef is too dangerous to try for more than one fish at this time of year.’
His mother looked at him, knowing that asking him to be more careful would be useless. She knew her son too well. If she expressed her concerns, he would just bring a shark back next time to prove he was okay. The worst part is, he’d actually think it’d settle my nerves about him spearfishing alone, Juanita thought, shaking her head.
Dom and Natalie walked in moments later, looking happy and relaxed. Dom commented approvingly on JC’s shot, asking about the sharks as well. When Carrie complimented JC’s cooking of the fish and the salad that rounded out the meal beautifully, his chest visibly swelled a little, to the delight of everyone there.
They all went to the Shelf after lunch, enjoying the warm waters and bright sunshine, spending the afternoon swimming, wrestling and generally playing like the big kids they became on Alegria.
A freshening breeze warned them that a change was on the way. The first glimpses of the storm’s anvil head were showing on the horizon. ‘Here it comes,’ Dom said. ‘Shall we rinse off and share a snack in the maloca?’
~~~~~
By the time the towering storm was unleashing its rage at Alegria, the maloca was zipped up tight and they were already finishing off the last of JC’s fish from their late lunch. The noise of the thunderclaps was awe inspiring as lightning repeatedly struck the granite spires that stood over the island. They watched the storm driven wind thrash the lagoon, covering it in a blanket of white-capped waves in minutes. Rick observed, ‘There’s going to be dirty water after this. That means nobody in the water at the Race for sure.’ Seeing the question on Dee’s face, he said, ‘When the water is dirty, the sharks lurk in the Race’s spill zone and are too aggressive. When the water is clear, they don’t bother; but in murky water, it’s a different story.’ To the amigas, the idea of predators around their island paradise seemed out of place, but if these men showed the creatures such respect, that was good enough for them.
The storm only lasted for twenty minutes before moving towards the west, still rumbling in the distance and glowing around its peaked edges with the last red and pink hues of sunset. Talk in the maloca turned to New Day, giving the amigas an idea of what to expect, and discussing what to wear. By unspoken but mutual agreement, everyone wanted an early night to be ready for their pre-dawn start in the morning.
~~~~~
The sky showed only the barest hint of dawn’s twilight as the barge pushed through the water towards the Race. They had left when it was still dark and everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts and staring at the bright phosphorescent sparkles of the plankton disturbed by the turbulence of their unhurried passage. With their arms around her, Kate stood between Rick and JC, feeling like the safest and most loved girl in the world.
The electric anticipation building in their bodies soon started to make itself felt as they closed in on the cove, marked by two dim red lights and only barely visible. Kate had not yet been to this side of the lagoon. Even in the low light of the approaching dawn, the nature of the vegetation and shoreline was recognisably different to the other side. This side of the lagoon was much cooler, deeper and saltier than the water on the other side of the lagoon. On the far side of the land, the swell of the ocean crashed directly against the sheer cliffs of volcanic rock. Despite the distance, the ocean waves’ resonant thump and wash sounds were impressive on the light sea breeze. The salty aroma in the air smelled fresh and added to their building sense of anticipation.
Kate had never before seen her normally self-contained friends so obviously excited. Dom was actually bouncing in place on the balls of his feet, Mason was pacing on the spot, and Madison was jittery. Only her sharper movements betrayed Nat’s anticipation, and Dee and Carrie were wide-eyed with excitement.
The ramp sung as it pushed onto the gravel of the shore. Men leapt aboard, dragging heavy ropes behind them to secure the barge to the shore. Each man double-checked the work of the other and waved to the captain. Knowing that the Race would destroy any drifting vessel caught in its violent churning waters, Emilio reversed his engine and pulled hard against the ropes to test their hold before shutting his engine down. More people came aboard to greet them, gathering the new arrivals up in their enthusiasm. Kate simply went with the small crowd as every person there hustled towards the village, chattering brightly in anticipation. The entire population of Alegria was gathered on the beach, and as the sky began to show the golden hues of the coming dawn, their rising levels of excitement became palpable. Silence fell a few minutes later when Uncle started pounding a one beat a second rhythm on a log drum. Each person moved to the water’s edge and remained quiet, facing east into the brightening sky. Just before dawn broke, Uncle stopped drumming and joined everyone on the foreshore.