Watch the Water

Part 1

"Hey, babe, look! A whale watching tour!" Tim exclaimed.  Claire looked at the sign to the right of the  road.  Faded paint on cracked wood declared:

Whale Watching Tours, 5 km

"Do you want to go?" he asked.  His eyes shone with excitement.

"Okay, let's check it out," she replied.  From the driver's seat, she glanced at Tim and could see his smile.  That's the smile she fell in love with.  Their road trip to the East Coast was turning out to be fantastic.  It was a great escape from their usual busy lives in the city.  Claire had not spent this much time with Tim since their honeymoon just over a year ago.

They arrived at the pier and parked the car.  The late afternoon sky was cloudy and grey.  Claire surveyed the area and spotted a fishing boat tethered to the dock.  It was old and paint peeled off its sides.  It was definitely not glamourous like the boats you'd find docked in the city pier.  However, this was a small fishing town and flashy speed boats probably weren't high on the population's list of priorities.

"That must be the tour boat," she pointed it out to Tim.  "I hope we haven't missed the last tour of the day."

"I'll go see," he said and headed toward the ticket booth adjacent to the pier.

Claire made her way onto the dock.  The temperature seemed to have dropped significantly since she exited the car.  She held her windbreaker tighter around her.  The wood of the pier creaked beneath her feet as she approached the fishing boat.  The air was still and smelled of salt and seaweed.  The only sound to be heard was the water gently lapping against the hull of the boat.

Up close the boat was just as old and worn as it had seemed from a far.  There was an eerie sort of beauty to it, like a once majestic queen humbled by years and wisdom.  Nearly completely faded were the words Maighdean Mhara painted in gold on its hull.  The remains of a fish tail framed the text.

"Claire!" Tim trotted up to her, "We've just caught the last tour of the day!"

An old man hobbled down from the ticket booth after Tim.  "That's the captain," Tim whispered.  The man's skin was dark from the sun and deep lines were evident on his face.   Like the vessel, years of hard work had aged him.

"Hello there!" The captain approached the couple. "I am Captain Mercer, let me just wake up Robert and we'll bring you on board."  The Captain shook their hands and smiled showing crooked teeth.  Though the gesture was meant to be good natured, it made Claire nervous.  Maybe taking the boat tour wasn't such a good idea.

Robert must have been sleeping in the cabin because the Captain boarded the boat and started rapping on the walls.  Claire whispered to Tim, "Are you sure you want to do this?  Maybe we should get to our hotel first.  We can find a tour company closer to our accommodations."

"It'll be fine, Claire," Tim replied.  " I've already paid anyway.  He said it will only be a couple of hours."

"Do you really trust this boat though?" Claire surveyed the boat again, as the Captain started its engine, it no longer looked beautiful, it just looked run down and ominous.

"It does look a bit worse for wear, but that will add to the authentic experience.  This company has their license and everything.  I saw it back at the booth," Tim declared and wrapped his arm around Claire's shoulders.

"All aboard!" called the Captain.  Tim nudged Claire toward the boat and Robert, a limber yet disheveled man, took her hand and guided her on to the deck.  Tim followed behind her.

"We're not waiting for anyone else?" Claire asked Robert nervously.

"Nah," he replied quietly and gazed distractedly out at the sea.  "Looks like you two get a private tour this evening."

"Will the whales be out?" Tim asked.

"Aye," said Robert, "and much else.  She's a wild thing, the sea is, and she houses creatures even wilder."  He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.  Claire shivered and moved closer to Tim.

"Is it dangerous?" Claire breathed.

Robert turned from the couple.  As if reciting from a hymn book he answered, "Respect her strength and she will preserve in us that which we provide for her."

Robert released the boat from its moorings and the Captain guided the boat away from the pier. As Claire watched the land retreat, she tried to suppress her growing unease.