Chapter 71
Tiny island
Riley woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed, but with a paw over her face.
"Bear!" she giggled, trying to push the gangly limb off her. Instead, Bear stretched all four legs out, pushing her right off the sleeping pad.
"Seriously, dog, you need to learn to share!" Bear lazily lifted his head and blinked at her, his lip curled under his canine giving him a comical look. She smiled, grateful that he loved to sleep in as much as she did.
"Come on, let's eat and go find some eagle rays." Today was going to be great. One thing she loved most about living on the island was that adventure was always just around the corner. When she had first moved here, a dive instructor had spotted her lingering around the harbour.
"Whatcha doing there, Riley?" Malcolm asked as he packed his snorkel, mask, and camera gear onto his boat. She didn't know him well, but she knew he was a local.
"Not sure," she replied, hopping off the harbour wall and walking over to him. "I was thinking about what to do today, so I came down to the docks to see what was going on. Where are you headed?"
"Well, I'm going to the most magical place on the island. Ever been out west?" he asked, a gleam in his eye.
"I haven't! No car yet, and without wheels, it's tough to get around outside of our little bubble here." She gestured to the harbour and surrounding town.
"Let's fix that today then. You got any snorkel gear?" Malcolm continued packing his bags onto the boat.
"I do!" she said, practically bouncing with excitement.
She had wanted to explore the west end but didn't know anyone well enough yet who had a vehicle or boat.
The stories she'd heard about the marine life out there were incredible.
Few tourists made it that far, and even the locals didn't go out west often.
"Great! Grab your gear and a wetsuit; it's chilly today," Malcolm said, grinning.
Riley laughed. Islanders had a different definition of cold. Even so, she'd take his advice.
"Give me a minute. My gear is over at staff housing; I'll be back in a flash!"
"No rush, we've got all day!" Malcolm leaned against a dock pole in no hurry.
She gathered her snorkel gear, wetsuit, water, and plenty of snacks. She was always ravenous after a swim. When she returned to the harbour, Malcolm chuckled as he saw her haul of goodies.
"Are those snacks?" he asked with amusement.
She blushed. "You can never have too many! And I'm happy to share. Thanks for letting me tag along."
"I'm happy with the company! Now, have you swum with eagle rays yet?" His grin turned mischievous.
"Are you serious?" Riley shrieked, giddy with excitement. She had heard stories about the eagle rays out west, but the idea of seeing them herself? It was too good to be true.
Malcolm laughed. "Oh, this is going to be great!" He started the boat, and they were off.
Riley smiled at the memory. That day, they had found the eagle rays, just as he'd promised, and it had been magical.
Eagle rays were one of her favourite ocean creatures.
Their faces were oddly human, with a snout that they used to dig for all the delicious shellfish they loved to dine on.
Like many ocean dwellers, they used counter-shading as camouflage, dark on the top and light on the belly just like the dolphins.
And spots that almost seemed to glow covered their backs.
Plus, they loved to leap out of the water.
There was nothing quite like speeding across the ocean and suddenly seeing dozens of eagle rays bursting out of the surrounding waves. Pure magic.
Bear had seen them once before and whined the whole time.
To him, they must have looked like terrifying, winged creatures emerging from the depths.
But to Riley, they were otherworldly. Her favourite thing to do was glide along in the water with them while dragging the boat with Bear securely inside.
Eagle rays were beautiful, and along with that beauty came six venomous spines, which they used for defence.
She left Bear where he was safe because a dog flailing around could be perceived as a threat.
"Are you done with breakfast yet?" she asked, watching Bear lick his bowl as if something more might magically appear.
She grabbed the PB&J sandwich she had packed for herself and finished gathering their gear into the boat.
She always over-packed, but her philosophy was simple: if there was room, why not bring extra?
After securing the last of their things, she untied the boat, pressing down the bow so Bear could jump in before she pushed them out into the water. A quick glance around to make sure she had forgotten nothing, and then they were off, heading toward the old Grand Waterway.
Her original plan had been to explore the west end, but a few locals had mentioned spotting eagle rays in the waterway recently.
She figured it would be fun to start with the canal and then work her way west. It had been a while since she'd travelled the full length of the waterway, though she'd recently visited the canal's edge with Gray.
Whoops. She hadn't thought about him since yesterday, but now he was in her head again.
She hoped he was okay. And what was that colleague of his talking about, saying the funding committee wasn't happy with Gray?
She knew for a fact that they were ahead of schedule.
Best to put it out of her mind for now so she could enjoy her day.
Besides, if she found some eagle rays in the canal today, it would be another adventure for her, Gray, and Bear to share.
"Let's go, my furry friend! We've got some adventuring to do!" Riley grinned at Bear, who flashed her his goofy smile, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Life was good. She didn't want to dwell on work, but she couldn't help but worry when she thought about Gray.