Chapter Four #2
“Nothing,” he murmured, but his gaze had a dreamy quality I couldn’t quite place. I put the expression up to the happiness of seeing his old friends again.
“Come, we’re about to sit down for a meal,” Francis said. “Jimena and the children have walked from the village and are hungry from their journey.”
“Of course, of course,” Dinesh replied. “I’m so sorry we held you up.”
“The jungle noises kept us awake most of the night,” I explained. “We only just woke.”
“Oh yes, I forget how loud this place can be to newcomers,” Francis said, gesturing to his ears and then waving his hands about at the air and looking to Jimena, who nodded and covered her ears, making a sad face.
I nodded and smiled. She smiled back.
There was something about her, and I could see why Francis had been enamoured.
Her eyes sparkled with good humour, and her brown skin glowed with health and vitality.
Neither of the boys were as dark as she, but I didn’t know if that was due to their age or to the difference between their parents.
They resembled Francis in the face, but the older child had glossy, shoulder length hair, which favoured Jimena.
The men from the village placed wooden platters of fish and fruit and grilled flatbread on a low wood table that had been put on the sand in front of the circle of huts.
If we’d been in England or even on Jamaica, the lone woman would have been expected to serve the meal to the men, but Jimena was content to take the baby from Francis and sit on a rock to nurse him, scooping one breast out and speaking to Alejandro, who knelt in the sand at her feet and chattered back to her in Spanish.
By the time we had gathered around the table to eat, she’d tucked herself back up and was given pride of place at the head of the table.
Before taking her seat, Jimena put her hand over her heart and gazed around at us with a smile, then spread her arms to indicate the food. “Por favor, coma.”
The entire landed crew of the Arrow couldn’t find spots at the table, so they sat nearby on reed mats and were served bowls of stew and given bread.
As I partook of the feast before me, savouring the freshness of the fish, the ripeness of the fruit, and the crisp edges of the grilled bread, I began to truly feel at home.
The beach and surrounding jungle looked friendlier and less strange in the mid-day light, and the friendliness of the people who had welcomed us was a truly amazing gift.
I listened in on Dinesh’s conversation with Francis.
“I’m planning to send half the men back to the Arrow on the morrow after they’ve had a chance to relax and enjoy the beach.
I imagine most wouldn’t say no to having the privacy of the ship without Hillier or me there, and we do need men to protect her.
I can’t rest easy for long with nobody aboard when she’s anchored away from me. ”
“Mmm. Quite sensible, but you will be relieved to know there isn’t much ship traffic near us. Other countries know the Spanish have the mainland and so they stay away. We do very well for ourselves and are left alone. We have riches that the Spaniards don’t appreciate, thank God.”
“Yes, you are very lucky, Francis. You’ve made quite the comfortable life here.” Dinesh smiled. “Any regrets?”
Francis laughed. “Not a one. Well, perhaps not being able to see you more regularly. But I’m delighted you came for a visit and are faring well.” He glanced my way and gestured to the men on the beach. “They’re as loyal and good-spirited as ever. And you’ve got some new additions.”
Captain Martin nodded, chewing on a tear of bread. “A contented crew is worth more than gold, I’d say, but we get our share of that as well. And we haven’t lost many men or had to resort to barbaric tactics to gain supplies lately either. The less bloodshed the better, in my opinion.”
I certainly agreed with him on that matter.
I wondered if Dinesh would tell Francis of my strange powers. I hoped he didn’t, as they hadn’t made a reappearance in a length of time, and I was happy to forget about them. I didn’t want Francis and Jimena to be wary of me.
After I’d had enough to eat, I excused myself and left Dinesh and Francis to their conversation.
A group of the men had finished their meal and rolled up their trousers.
They cavorted in the shallow water at a distance from the group still seated at the table.
Shouts and cries and laughter came from them but they avoided going any deeper than their calves, splashing and cooling off without risking a dunk.
Domingo had been sitting with Squid and two other fellows to eat, and I went over to them.
“I fancy a swim myself,” I said, folding my arms over my chest and staring at the naked men running and shouting in the surf.
“All right, but not near that lot. Too rowdy for my liking,” Domingo muttered.
I had a suspicion that Domingo wasn’t comfortable being naked in a group that large, likely a holdover from his previous profession. I was happy to oblige.
“Obviously. Those lot are pigs. They’d probably tease us and push us under, or some such nonsense. Can you swim?”
“I can.” Domingo shot me a grin, and we took off down the beach, wading at the edge of the surf to stay cool. After a few moments we heard a cry from behind us.
“Oye!”
We turned to see Squid making his way towards us. His straight black hair was loose and flying around his tattooed face, as he tried to keep the fluttering strands out of his eyes.
“You coming for a bathe?” Domingo asked, turning around to walk backward and waggling his eyebrows at Squid.
“Aye, if you’ll have me,” he said. “I didn’t fancy joining the others either.”
“There are a group of rocks ahead where we can put our clothes. We can go in there,” I said, pointing. “Domingo and I want to go in fairly deep and have a swim. Would you like to join us?”
“I suppose.”
“Can you swim? With a name like Squid, I’d expect it,” Domingo chuckled.
“Yes, I swim well. Although it’s been a while.”
When we got to the rocks, Domingo and I stripped immediately. I didn’t care about either Domingo or Squid seeing me in a state of nature, and my clothes were only making me uncomfortable in the humid heat.
“Winner gets the prize!” I yelled, racing to the surf as Domingo followed at my heels.
“What’s the bloody prize?” Squid yelled, his hands on the hem of his tunic as we left him.
“Respect!” I yelled back as Domingo shrieked with laughter.
Domingo and I were so focused on each other and enjoying the refreshing water, that we didn’t notice Squid sitting on the rocks, still dressed, with his knees pulled up to his chin and a vexed look on his face.
“Oye, what are you waitin’ for?” I yelled. “Come on! The water’s lovely!”
“Changed my mind,” he said.
Domingo and I looked at each other, confused.
“I’ll go see what the issue is,” Domingo said, heading back out.
“All right.”
I ducked under the waves to wet my hair, which felt amazing. Then I swam around, staying within sight of the shore and careful to look out for riptides. I glanced at the rocks and saw Domingo and Squid in close discussion about something.
Squid’s reluctance was strange, but he was an unusual fellow. Perhaps his religion forbade such a thing. Who was I to judge?
By the time I looked again, the two of them were on their way to me, and I waved and shouted. “Oye! Come on!”
At that moment I noticed that Squid had a body shape and a private area that didn’t particularly look like mine.
“Holy hell,” I whispered, almost losing my buoyancy as my arms stopped moving.
Squid didn’t come as close to me as Domingo and wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes flashing between Squid and Domingo.
“You might as well tell him; he’s bound to notice,” Domingo said to Squid.
“I don’t want to make a thing of my difference. My sex doesn’t matter.”
“I know that,” Domingo said. “And Simon knows it too.”
“Oh, bloody hell. I don’t have a cock,” Squid blurted. “That don’t mean I’m not a fellow.”
I thought about it for a moment. “’Course it doesn’t.”
Squid gazed at me, chewing on his bottom lip, his forehead furrowed.
“I’m as much a man as you,” he said, nodding at Domingo. “And you,” he nodded at me.
“Clearly,” I said.
“Perhaps more of one than Simon,” Domingo said, to be amusing, but I had to agree.
I rolled my eyes and gave him the finger.
Squid laughed, however, and I was glad of it.
“And don’t tell my secret, will you?”
I shook my head.
“Neither of us will tell a soul,” Domingo assured him. “Now, can we stop jabbering about your cunt and have our swim?”
Squid rolled his eyes. “Bloody hell, Domingo.”
“Well, for once my own unusual assets aren’t the main subject of conversation. Which is difficult to get used to.”
“You mean, your questionable past? Selling yourself for profit?” I asked. He must know I wasn’t maligning him.
“Thank you for spelling it out, arsehole.”
I sent a huge splash of water into Domingo’s face and he sputtered with indignation. Then Squid splashed me, and well, the day got better.
We made our way out into the deeper water, which remained as clear and perfect as the shallows.
It was lovely to stretch out and swim with long strokes, dunk my head under and shake off the water when I surfaced.
The sun beat down and I remembered Dinesh’s references to this place as an ocean paradise. He wasn’t wrong.
Squid and Domingo had stayed a little closer to shore and were swimming and chatting whilst I floated, waving my arms out to either side and enjoying the familiar motion of the waves.
The thing about floating in the ocean, which I recalled from growing up in Jamaica, was the ease of it, and the sense of relaxation that took over after a few blissful moments.
I listened absently to the sounds of Squid and Domingo as they splashed adorably together.
They seemed to be having a lovely time and it pleased me to see them getting along so well.
They were the latest to join the Arrow’s crew so perhaps that helped.
And finding a friend in each other would cushion their adjustment to life with the rest of the crew.
I was floating there, mind drifting, completely fucking at ease for the first time in…well, a while…when an instinct made me turn and I saw a great black tentacle waving above the water beside me, just before it wrapped about my ankle and tugged me under.
It happened so fast and I tried to scream, but only got a mouthful of seawater. I struggled and kicked, fighting for my life, panicking, wondering if this was it and I was done for. A sacrifice to the mysterious depths.
I gazed beneath me and saw a cloud of black ink obscuring everything. I kicked again and felt the grip of the creature give as my wrist was grabbed by another.
Then I realized a human hand had wrapped around my arm and was pulling me up. I broke the surface, sputtered and screamed, struggling against the hold Squid had on my wrist.
“Simon! Simon, I’ve got you. We’ve got you! My God, are you all right?” Squid asked, fear in his eyes as he kicked his legs to keep us afloat. “Stop fighting me! You’ll drown us both.”
“Shh, Simon, you’re all right, you’re all right,” Domingo panted, helping Squid to hold me.
My heart was beating so rapidly and my breaths were gasps as I tried to see below me.
“The creature…the thing…it had me. It had me. It was trying to drown me.”
“What are you talking about?” Domingo asked as they pulled me toward the shore. “What creature?”
He exchanged a look with Squid.
“Didn’t you see it?” I asked. They must have seen it.
“We looked over and you weren’t there, and we figured you’d gone under. My God it was quite the fright,” Squid said. “You said you could swim!”
“I can swim,” I said, not sure whether to keep harping on about a monster they didn’t see and sound mad, or make some excuse for almost drowning. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Domingo said. “Come on. Let’s get you on solid ground.”
They helped me get to the shallow water and then onto the beach. I kept glancing back to the waves in case the monster had surfaced and was coming after me. But perhaps it hadn’t been there at all. I was seriously beginning to question my own sanity now.
So I downplayed it to my rescuers.
“I’m so sorry for scaring you.”
“Fuck, Simon, you did scare us. What would the captain have said if we’d not brought you back?” Domingo asked.
“He’d probably have had us both killed,” Squid muttered.
I wondered myself. I couldn’t see him going to that much of an extreme, but he would surely be sorry I’d drowned. So thank God I hadn’t.
But had I simply fallen asleep whilst floating on the relaxing waves and dreamed the tentacle and the inky black water that enveloped me?
That was a far more likely occurrence than a monster grabbing me with evil intent, especially since Squid and Domingo hadn’t seen anything but me struggling beneath the waves.
But the fright had been real, and my legs still trembled.
“I’m sorry. But I think I’m done swimming in the ocean today.”