She of the Sea

19 of 53 - A Mysterious Call

On the boat, Mick and Corky went quiet. The only sounds Cassie heard were the growl of the boat motor and a flock of gulls screeching overhead. She turned her face into the sea breeze and breathed in the salt air.

What secret were they keeping from her about her predecessor? "You can't just leave me hanging. What terrible thing happened to Scotty?"

Corky turned to Mick. "Should we tell her?"

Mick just shrugged.

"He suffered a fate worse than death," Corky said straight-faced. "He up and married my sister."

Both men burst out laughing.

Cassie groaned. "You're right, Ofelia, they are obnoxious."

"The two of them moved to Miami," Corky said.

"The east coast of Florida, ugh," Mick said. "That is indeed a fate worse than death."

Cassie saw a distant land mass off to port. "Is that Anclote Key?"

"Yes," Ofelia said.

Cassie watched as they passed by the three-mile long, pencil thin island. It looked overgrown and wild. A forlorn lighthouse stuck up near its southern tip. It didn't look like much. Why had her momma attached such a significance to the place?

They chatted about a half-hour longer until Ofelia interrupted them. "We're over the reef." She cut the engine.

Cassie faced forward and saw another boat like theirs about a hundred yards to port. Four men waved. Ofelia, Corky, and Mick waved back so Cassie joined in. "Who are they, competitors?"

"It's our sister vessel, another team of sponge divers. We work in pairs but try to stay out of each other's way. Another safety measure in case one of us develops engine trouble or encounters some other emergency."

"Safety in numbers," Cassie muttered. "I like it."

"My son is the boss of that crew," Ofelia added.

Cassie shielded her eyes from the sun reflecting off the water, but she couldn't make out the faces of the men on the other boat.

Mick who had been looking through the skopos said, "I see sponges but they're pretty sparse. Ofelia, you may want to drift a bit to starboard.

Cassie joined the two men as they peered through the glass-bottomed bucket while Ofelia made minor course adjustments.

"Here we go!" Mick yelled. "Hippospongia mostly grade B with some mature grade A mixed in. Stop the boat and drop anchor."

Ofelia powered off the engine.

The fleshy, tan sponges growing on the reef weren't very colorful, but she recognized them as the kind most sought after in the tourist shops. "What makes them so special?"

"Their softness and porosity," Corky explained. "Many sponges are stiff and brittle, but not this particular variety. You'll feel the differences once you get down there and gain a little experience."

Now that they were at full stop, the boat began to rock with the swell of the waves. Cassie grasped the gunwale to steady herself. "I don't get sick, but it'll take me a few minutes to get my sea legs. I'm more comfortable in the water than on it."

Ofelia rubbed a spec from the front of her dive mask. "I want you to dive fourth. You can watch and see what we do. Please remember when you harvest the sponges to use your machairi to cut an inch or two above the base where it attaches to the sea floor. That ensures it will continue to live. Sponges are a crop just like any other. If you leave the stem behind, it'll grow back within three to five years."