‘Your mom’s a smart woman.’
‘I think you’re smart.’
‘I’m probably not as smart as you think,’ said James.
Darting past his feet, a brightly coloured fish caught the big man’s attention.
‘How’d you like everybody else?’ James asked casually.
‘I want to be a racing driver,’ said Eric randomly. ‘I was reading a magazine on the plane about cars. Did you know that some cars are more expensive than houses?’
‘No kidding.’
‘It’s my favourite magazine…’ Eric assured him.
Another fish.
‘Eric?’ James said hesitantly. ‘Do you like the other people here?’
Smile fading, the big man faltered. He didn’t like that question, nor did he reply.
‘Eric,’ James persisted. ‘Did you hear me?’
‘I like it here, it’s always sunny.’
James bit his lip. ‘Why won’t you answer my question, Eric? Do you not like the others?’
‘I like Abbey.’
‘Me too,’ he agreed nonchalantly. ‘What about Anthony, you like him?’
‘The man with the scar on his face?’
‘The birthmark, yes.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Eric said dubiously. ‘My mum told me to stay away from him.’
Understandable.
‘My favourite is Sebastian,’ James revealed. ‘I like him a lot.’
Eyes to the water, the fish.
‘Eric?’ he urged. ‘You like Sebastian?’
‘I don’t know him.’
‘I thought you did,’ he said casually. ‘I saw you looking at him earlier so I just figured you were friends.’
‘I like the sun…’
‘Why were you staring at him?’
‘It’s always sunny…’
‘Eric…I’m asking you a question.’
‘I think I’m going to go back to sand now,’ he said, unable to meet James’s eyes.
Frustrated, James backed off and watched the big man turn and flee.
Meeting him at the shoreline, Elaine welcomed her son. Despite the distance, James couldn’t make out what she was saying, her voice muffled by the gently tumbling waves.
Sebastian hadn’t moved from the tree line, James’s eyes settling on him from afar. He was no longer looking at the girl. Meeting James’s gaze, the South African was staring stonily back. Like he knew they’d been talking about him.
37
Like a procession, they marched into the jungle following the narrow estuary flowing from somewhere within. Sticking close to his mother Eric took second place, then James and Oli, and bringing up the rear was Abbey, shadowed by the girl.
As tired as the rest, Abbey gulped in deep breaths of the stifling air and began to grow light-headed. ‘How much further, Elaine?’ she called from the rear.
‘Not much, dear.’
‘You said that about a hundred miles ago,’ she gasped. ‘Since then I’ve had at least two strokes.’
Blowing out a breath of frustration, James intervened. ‘We should probably stop for a minute, Elaine, catch our breath.’
Chuckling, Elaine said, ‘Are you saying you’ve all been outdone by a sixty-seven year old with a dodgy hip?’
‘I didn’t say anything,’ Oli protested. ‘I think we should soldier on!’
‘You would say that, you pansy,’ said James. ‘You wanted to stop every five minutes when we climbed to the plateau.’
‘Every six as I recall,’ Oli corrected.
‘It's irrelevant anyway,’ Elaine interrupted. ‘We’re here.’
Familiar with the surroundings, Eric pushed through some thick undergrowth and disappeared.
‘Anybody else hear that?’ Abbey asked.
Elaine smiled as the group fell silent, the faint gushing sound riding the air around them.
‘I hear it,’ Oli confirmed. ‘What is that?’
‘Euphoria,’ grinned Elaine.
‘Euphoria?’ Oli quizzed. ‘What does that mean?’
‘This way.’
Taking the same route as Eric, it soon became apparent what was creating the sound. ‘Elaine, is this what I think it is?’
‘What do you think it is?’
‘If no one’s around to hear it...’
Elaine pushed aside some heavy branches. ‘Now’s not the time to get philosophical, darl. It’s merely a time to marvel at one of God’s better designs and have some fun.’
They pushed through some dense vegetation, and finally there is was: Elaine's utopia. Almost thirty feet high, a shelf of rock towered above the crystal-blue lagoon, the perfect white spray of three small waterfalls tumbling delicately onto the surface of the water. More boulders bordered the lagoon’s edge in a gentle rise to the stone shelf. They hung there like a wonderfully crafted natural ladder, spanning out into the water and forming small stepping-stone islands. To the left, a sheer rock face rose out of the ground dappled with greenery, extending across the topmost shelf of rock and flowing down the opposite side where a small cave was hollowed out of the rock.
‘Watch your step,’ Abbey admonished as they joined her at the water’s edge.
Already in the water was Eric, clothes peppered on the nearest rock.
‘Whoa.’ Oli.
‘Oh my god.’ James.
‘Told you,’ said Elaine.
‘People...’ James tugged the damp shirt from his back. ‘We are officially in paradise.’
He ran and plunged headfirst into the lagoon, surfacing seconds later, sandy hair slick to his scalp. ‘Holy shit, it’s freezing!’
‘Freshwater, darl!’ Elaine revealed. ‘We left the salty stuff at the beach.’
‘Freshwater? Does that mean…’
‘There’s a small rivulet running parallel to the waterfall. Anyone carrying bottles, feel free to fill them.’
Stripping down to her white bikini, Abbey toed the lagoon. ‘You mentioned water in your prayer last night, Elaine.’
‘Had to thank the Big Man for it,’ she acknowledged rolling up the legs of her pants.
Standing on one of the boulders, Oli looked hesitant. ‘Just how cold is it in there, man? My body’s sensitive to extreme climate change.’
‘Just get your pale ass in the water!’
Like a kitten with cotton wool paws, Abbey crept up on Oli with predatory silence, flashing a “shush” to anyone who clocked her. Still reluctant, the student was shoved unceremoniously from his rock. ‘You biiiiitch!’ he screamed, wind-milling, grabbing at insubstantial air, and crashing into the water headfirst.
Coming back up for air, he gasped breathlessly.
‘Stop your whining, you big fairy,’ she giggled and jumped
