CHAPTER
3
Ripples
“Marty
what on earth are yer doing?” called a strong Scottish accent.
Marty glanced over his shoulder,
which broke the spell.
Danny, Marty’s seventeen-year-old
housemate, waved.
Urgently Marty turned back but
the girl was gone. A ripple remained on the surface with a circle of fading blue
light. Shit!
With
a flurry of sun-streaked, strawberry-blonde hair and a smattering of freckles
underlining his pale, grey eyes, Danny strapped his surfboard leash to his leg.
He glanced at Marty and frowned. “What yer doing swimming in yer clothes?”
Danny,
at the grand height of five foot six, was smaller than your average
seventeen-year-old but made up for it in character. He was born and bred in
Banff; he was shy until you knew him well but then he was the cheekiest blighter
around. His random thoughts were famed, “if yer did ney chew spaghetti then how
would it come out the other end?” Was one unfortunate comment that would haunt
him from the age of thirteen.
“So
why yer wearing yer clothes in the ocean then?” Danny asked again.
“I
thought someone was drowning,” Marty replied, scanning the ocean.
“I
bet it was a seal,” said Danny. “It’s always a seal.”
Marty frowned, “no it wasn’t a
seal.”
“So
what was it then?”
“Don’t
worry about it,” Marty said with a shrug.
“Go
get yer wetsuit on and we can go for a surf. That’s unless yer want to surf in
yer clothes.” Danny’s particularly cheeky grin always meant trouble. Wind-up
time had most definitely arrived.
“I
reckon a wetsuit would be better.” Marty wringed his sodden clothes, “I’ll be
back in a sec,” he said, turning towards the harbour wall.
Danny watched his friend faffing
about, “what’s bothering yer Marty?”
“Nothing.”
“Is
it yer dad again? Or the over-thinking thing?”
Marty shook his head.
“Have
the nightmares calmed?”
Marty waded up the beach. “I’ll
be back in a bit...”
“You
know one day you will feel better…” Danny launched onto his board. “I’ll see
yer out there... We can continue to avoid grown-up conversation all yer like!”
Once
Marty was in his wetsuit, he launched himself onto his board and paddled out
back. He sat silently watching the waves for a while but ‘felt’ strange. “Danny…
This place… It’s got a lot of legends hasn’t it?”
“Aye,
loads.”
“Anything
about people and the sea?” he asked.
“A
few… Actually, most of them are about sea witches or women who used to swim out
to save pirates from shipwrecks. Actually… There are loads about pirates. Why?”
Danny observed his friend’s peculiar expression. “What’s going on?”
“Just
interested. We’ve only been here a few weeks and I don’t really know much about
the place. Plus, legends are interesting,” he said trailing his hand through
the water.
“Oh
there’s plenty to learn, but I thought you were supposed to be emptying your
brain - ney filling it,” said Danny.
“I
was told not to sit in front of a computer working. I am sure I can hear a few
legends. That’s hardly thinking is it?” he replied rubbing his chest.
“I
thought yer were told to try and ‘do’ nothing Marty!”
“Have
you tried doing nothing? Do you know how difficult it is?”
“Difficult
for some an’ easy for others… Well if yer insist we can go and see me gran at
some point and she will tell yer story after story,” said Danny. “Oh and she’ll
feed yer home-made shortbread too. Mmmm.”
“Shortbread…
Mmmm lush!” said Marty thoughtfully, as he traced his finger over the
connection point.
Danny watched his friend, “you
know, Marty – if I was yer doctor I would prescribe yer some fun. Yer need to
live a little and have new experiences then yer would ney spend yer time
thinking. Yer really can be quite grown up. What about just letting go?”
“Set
coming,” said Marty, nodding towards the rising walls of water.
“Always
a distraction, Marty… Now race yer,” said Danny paddling full speed.
Marty shook his head and followed
– he was such a grub!
Marty quickly caught up and once
the wave lifted, flicked himself to standing. The pair glided up and down the
wall of water, absorbed in the cool liquidity of the transparent element.
“Look…
Shana and Johnny are on their way out,” said Marty riding off the back of the
wave.
“Marty!”
Shana called eagerly, with her excitable Irish accent.
Shana was tomboyish, athletic and
full of spirit. She wore her raven hair high and tied back. Her sharp, blue
eyes showed a distinctly astute demeanour. Her eagle-like observation
scrutinised people’s behaviour. She never missed a thing or commenting on it.
Marty liked her brutal honesty. He always knew where he stood with her – even
if it wasn’t favourable. He had never had that with any other girls, especially
ones who were just eighteen.
“Marty,
you were out early this morning,” she said, being drowned out by a wave.
“Just
after some quiet time,” he replied.
“Well,
now yer got the whole gang. It will hardly be quiet now will it Marty? Shame
about that, eh?” she said, flicking some water in his direction.
Johnny
Boy, at twenty-three, was the oldest of the group. A Celtic tattoo scribed over
the right side of his face drew attention away from his freckles, or maybe even
joined them. He was solid, brash and for his own entertainment wore red
lifeguarding trunks with long socks. No one else ever got it but that was
Johnny all over. He was his own person in his self-amused world.
“Shana
get your arse on a wave!” he said. “That’s unless you’re going to flounder
about like a wee girl.”
“Ach
shut it Johnny! I AM a girl,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Come
on Shana, you know it’s about physique. I’m a hunter and you’re a gatherer,” he
said flexing his biceps.
Shana shook her head. “Ah? Gatherer
eh? I t’ink youse should be careful what yer say, kilt boy!”
“Hardy,
Ha, Haaa!” he laughed flatly.
With a glance at the horizon, Shana
noted the next set was on its way. Johnny seized Shana’s board.
“Johnny!”
He held her there whilst grinning
mischievously.
“Will
you let me go? Next ones mine. Ladies first and all that!” she said, prizing
herself from Johnny’s grip. As she paddled, she glanced over her shoulder and
gave Johnny a filthy look. Johnny trailed behind like a pet dog.
“He
so fancies her,” said Marty, with a raised eyebrow.
Danny was quiet as he watched her
catch the wave.
With a swift paddle Johnny Boy bounced
his overly bulky body onto his board and raced along the next wave pulling as
many manoeuvres as he could.
With
an elegant dive Shana finished her ride and was in the midst of paddling back
when Johnny pulled a floater, landed it and ended his ride with a showy,
backward splash.
“He’s
such a tart!” said Danny shaking his head. “Shana can do so much better than
him!”
The pair slowly rotated their
boards; a fresh set of perfectly formed waves were approaching.
“Erm…
Danny, I had bit of a strange thing happen this morning,” said Marty sucking
his lip through his teeth.
“Aye…
And?”
“Look,
I thought I saw a girl drown today. She was under for ages... Then after about
ten minutes she just turned up... It was so weird. And you know what? I think
she was naked... What do you think?”
“Naked?
She must have been cold,” he said, glancing at the horizon with a twinkle in
his eye.
“Danny,
before the word naked there were a number of other sentences. Could you tell me
what you reckon to those as well?”
“A
naked women under the water for ten minutes? That’s ney possible- is it?” said
Danny stroking his chin.
“That’s
what I thought,” said Marty.
“They
normally wear something,” said Danny, turning to paddle with a smirk.
Marty’s eyes narrowed; his friend
continued to grin as he cut into the wave.
After
Marty finished his next ride, he returned out back to find Danny facing the
horizon.
“Joking
aside Marty. Did yer really think she was drowning?”
“Yeh.
She was under for ages. It doesn’t make sense and there was this weird… Sound,”
he said quietly.
Danny shifted on his board and
studied his friend thoughtfully.
“Did
she fart?”
“No!”
With a pause, Marty smirked back,
“For God-sake Danny! This is serious!”
“Okay!
Well then, she probably had a diving canister and that made the noise. Marty
there is always an explanation. Don’t start getting involved in the legends…
The legends around here will drive yer mad!” he said honestly.
“I
really don’t know how to say this but she… Well she was different. It wasn’t
right. Her eyelids did weird things too,” said Marty.
“Marty,
mate, listen to yerself... Anyway, girl’s eyes always do weird things when they
fancy you. They get all wiggly and twitchy! Now I think we need to catch
something an’ get back to shore. We can talk then,” said Danny, glancing at his
watch. He gestured at the next rising wave, paddled and rode it all the way in.
For
a moment, Marty dithered but labelled it ‘contemplation.’ He glanced at the
next set and paddled; a second later, it closed out on him. He ended the
pummelling by pushing from the seabed and forcing himself to the surface. For a
few seconds he grappled for air before the next wave landed on him. It was
always a struggle! Amongst the underwater turmoil, a female hand reached out
and guided him to the shallows. That same magnetic sensation pulsated through
his arm and filled his heart. That sensation liberated him!
Once Danny reached shore, he
waded up the beach to join Johnny Boy and Shana who waited impatiently. “Do yer
think he’ll ever get any good?” asked Shana.
“He’s
not bad for a newby,” replied Danny. “Aye, but he’s got to learn to stop
analysing everything and just let it happen. He thinks about everything in too
much detail.”
“We
are talking about Marty who has been banned from anything mathematical or involving
calculation for a year,” said Shana cringing as Marty received yet another
pounding.
“That
one was particularly bad,” said Danny with a pained squint.
“But
not humiliating,” said Shana. “Remember when I was washed up on the beach in
front of a group of old women sitting on a bench, wearing white hats, stuffing
ice-creams into their wrinkled, old faces. Look, it’s a girl - I told you,
Morag. They said in fits of laughter. That is humiliating!”
“We
all have those moments,” said Danny glancing at Shana in a certain way.
In the shallows, silence and
serenity expanded as Marty and the girl gazed into each other catching their
breath.
“Iris,”
she said pointing at herself.
“Marty,”
he replied patting his chest.
She held his hand tightly and
blinked. Her eyes made the same sideways motion, “tomorrow. Here.”
A resonation filled the air.
“Tomorrow?”
Iris searched the horizon; but
appeared guilty.
She blinked a couple of times. Her
eyelids followed the same sideways motion.
“Go
now,” she said reaching out to touch Marty’s hair.
A second later, she submerged.
On the beach, Johnny jiggled whilst
drumming on his board. Shana shot him a narked glance. It made him smile and
drum louder.
“JOHNNY!”
For a moment the water calmed and
the group witnessed the woman submerge.
“Is
Marty with a girl?” asked Shana curiously.
“Aye.
The little bugger!” said Danny with a jolt.
“Come
on yer rat, spill the beans,” demanded Johnny watching him for clues.
“Erm…
I do ney know exactly. Just a girl!”
“What
exactly do you mean by that then?” asked Shana curiously.
“Was
she... Naked?” asked Johnny brightly.
“Yep.
Bare as baby’s backside. She could be even barer!” said Shana.
“How
do you get barer than a backside?” wondered Danny.
No one answered.
“Let’s
go and get changed. We’ll be late for work and I canny say it was a naked lady
that made me late!” said Johnny, preparing to walk up the beach.
Marty emerged from the ocean,
picked up his board and jogged up the beach.
“Marty,
whose yer friend?” Johnny said glancing over his shoulder.
“Just
a swimmer… Now let’s get changed,” he replied walking towards the rickety old
staircase.
“Well
she’s hot!” said Johnny giving a typical ‘boys only’ nod.
“What’s
going on, Marty?” asked Shana.
The quick shrug and averted eye
glance was typical Marty!
“Let’s
get dressed. Now I canny pee in this suit any more, I’m getting cold,” said
Danny, stomping through some bladder wrack.
“Nice,
very nice, glad to know that there Danny,” said Shana with a sigh.
“We
all pee in wetsuits, Shana, even girls. They just have the added advantage of
getting both sides at once. Nothing worse than having one leg warmer than the
other- I say!”
“Ach,
Danny!” said Shana shaking her head and following him to the stairs. Why were
boys so crass?
