Ben Archer

by Rae Knightly

  The Captain frowned as he lifted his hat to scratch his forehead. He sighed. “Listen, son, talk openly to that inspector. Explain things to him. I’m sure he will be reasonable.”

  Ben sank his head into his hands, mumbling, “I don’t think so.”

  When he didn’t elaborate, the Captain said, “Egor, take him down to my quarters.” He turned to Ben again. “Go on, son, and don’t try anything funny. I want to bring everyone back safe and sound. All fifty-four of us. Is that clear?”

  Ben nodded, resigned. He followed Egor who had opened another door that led to stairs to the lower deck.

  ***

  “What happened?” the man asked with a deep voice, as he drummed his fingers on the long, polished table, his thick golden ring shining. He stared out the window at the Toronto skyline without really seeing it.

  Another man’s voice answered over the phone. “It’s just like we thought: it was his heart. The CT scan machine proved too much for him. We almost lost him.”

  The man adjusted his black-rimmed glasses while he sat in the elegant meeting room in a high-backed chair. His thick black and grey brows pulled together in a frown. “Is he awake yet?”

  The voice at the other end said, “Not yet. Might be a while.”

  “I don’t have a while!” the gold-ringed man said impatiently. “I need answers! And I need them soon!”

  The other man said calmly, “If we keep on pushing, you may never get any answers at all.”

  The man in the meeting room drummed his fingers even harder, mulling things through.

  His contact continued, “We have an idea as to why we ‘lose’ him so often. We think he uses a mechanism that puts him in survival mode, like bears when they go into hibernation. He’s capable of shutting down organs. He crawls into a shell to save energy. What happened in the CT scan, however, was different. He went into shock this time. He must not have been expecting it. He panicked and didn’t have time to go into that hibernating state.”

  The man in the meeting room stood up and walked over to the window. In an agitated voice, he exclaimed, “I don’t care what shell he crawls into. You find a way to prod that alien out! I was supposed to have results. Now everything is delayed!” He paced before the window, staring down twenty-four floors to the street below. “My flight leaves tomorrow. I’ll be gone for three months to oversee the site. Let’s hope our business partners don’t lose patience. Our Martian fellow had better be ready to talk by the time I get back.”

  The man at the other end of the line said, “I’ll make sure that he is.”

  ***

  Ben tried the doorknob several times, though he already knew it was locked. He turned to scan the Captain’s quarters. On the left was a closet, and near the windows was a small sofa attached to the wall. On the right, he noticed a desk with a neat pile of documents, a sextant, and a picture of the Captain with his arm around a smiling woman and two children: a boy about Ben’s age, and a smaller girl. Ben stared at the picture for a while.

  They seem so happy.

  On his way to look out the window, Ben struggled to move. The waders and jacket were cumbersome in this cramped room, so he removed his life jacket and both orange attires, then left them on the floor. He kneeled on the sofa, pulled the one side of the window that could slide open, and stuck out his head. A cold wind and ocean spray hit his face, making him squint. His hair blew in all directions.

  He could make out the entrance of the sea arm that led to Granville Island in the distance, yet, what caught his attention, was that they were travelling past the red and white lighthouse where, some nights back, Laura and he had seen Mesmo disappear before their eyes.

  Ben automatically reached for his watch. He rubbed it, wondering if Mesmo might come, but nothing happened. Ben glanced out the window again.

  Should I jump?

  The boat was moving fast, the waves lapping at the sides, while the lighthouse was quite a distance away. Even with a life jacket on, he wasn’t sure he could make it. The Captain’s words rang in his mind, “If you were to slip and fall into the water, no one would know to look for you.”

  Ben pulled back, closed the window, and gazed around helplessly.

  ***

  Inspector James Hao was joined by Agent Theodore Connelly and a police officer on the pier where the Haida Gwaii II had docked moments ago. The tourists were asked to descend one at a time. They threw curious glances at the officers as they headed back to the tourist stand of the company that had sent them on the whale watching trip.

  Captain Oliver Andrew stood by, thanking the passengers as they left, while Mrs. Stenner approached him to say goodbye. “A memorable trip, as usual, Captain!” she gushed. “Though for the life of me, I could not find that boy again. He seems to have vanished into thin air!”

  The Captain smiled gently. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Stenner, we found him. He’s in good hands.”

  “Oh, well then, I’m sure he is!” the old woman replied. “Don’t be too hard on him, poor lad. Why, at his age, I would be skipping school to go swimming at the lake all day! Those are the memories that last. This boy is no different. He needs adventure and freedom. Don’t squash that spirit in him!”

  The Captain took her hands in both of his. “You are a wise woman, Mrs. Stenner. And you are right, as always.” He winked at her.

  “Goodbye, then, see you next year!” she smiled, waving at him.

  She was one of the last passengers to disembark. She cast a vexed expression as Hao and Connelly pushed by without waiting for her to step onto the pier.

  Hao presented himself and Connelly to the Captain, as they shook hands. The Captain invited them to follow him to the lower deck. On their heels was another police officer and Egor, the young sailor. When they stood before the Captain’s quarters, Egor took out a key, turned it in the lock, and pushed the door.

  It wouldn’t budge.

  Hao and Connelly exchanged a quick look before pushing Egor aside. They tried to shove open the door, only managing to do so with some effort. The Captain’s desk blocked the way. They had to work to push it aside to gain access. As soon as Hao and Connelly were inside, they noticed the open window.

  Connelly inspected the marina, with its many small boats and sail ships. “There!” he exclaimed. Hao followed his index finger as he pointed out to sea.

  In the distance, they could make out a spot of orange from Ben’s waders and life jacket drifting on the water, close to a pier on the opposite side of the small harbor.

  Hao turned to face the Captain angrily. “I told you to keep an eye on him at all times! Weren’t you listening when I told you he escaped once already?”

  Captain Andrew looked embarrassed as he stuttered, “I…er…I didn’t expect…”

  Hao ignored him, turning to Connelly instead. “Let’s go! Hurry, before the kid reaches the other side!”

  Hao shoved past Captain Andrew and Egor, though not before saying menacingly, “This won’t go without consequences, Captain!”

  Captain Andrew shrugged helplessly, then watched as the inspector, the agent and the police officer rushed away.

  ***

  All kinds of small sea vessels dotted the piers of Granville Island, some old and rusted, others gleaming and slick. It was a maze of pleasure boats. Hao and Connelly had a hard time finding their way to the correct pier from which they could fish Ben out of the water.

  After a couple of wrong turns, they made it to the end of a pier from which they spotted the orange waterproof jacket floating on the lapping waves.

  The police officer who was accompanying them clambered down a short ladder to the water level. He reached out to catch Ben as he drifted past, but all he found was an empty, rolled up jacket which bulged with a pocket of air.

  The three men glanced in surprise at the piece of clothing. They searched all around for the missing boy who was supposed to be wearing it. He was nowhere to be found.

  Connelly swore. “He tricked us!”


  Hao exclaimed, “The ship! He never left the ship!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Paddleboard

  Laura sat carefully on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling a few inches above the wooden floor, as she drank a creamy soup that Susan had served her. The hot liquid that slid down her throat felt terrific. For the first time in many days, her strength was returning.

  She patted Tike on the head, praising him. “Good dog!”

  Tike’s tongue lolled happily.

  “Where’s Ben, Tike?” she asked softly. The Terrier jumped off the bed, then rushed out into the kitchen with his tail wagging.

  Laura tried to get to her feet to follow him when Susan entered. “Whoa, girl! Back into bed with you. This is no time to go for a jog.”

  She ushered Ben’s mother back under the bedsheets. Laura opened her mouth to object, but her face had already drained of energy. Although she was no longer hungry, she accepted some toast with cream cheese and forced herself to continue eating, determined to get well as soon as possible.

  Tike peeked back into the room to check whether Laura was following him. When he saw that she had gone back to bed, he trotted out of the house, over the grass, then down to the short pier. Once he had reached the end of it, he sat down, staring out over the water, waiting for his master to return.

  ***

  In the Captain’s quarters in the hull of the Haida Gwaii II, a soft breeze entered through the open window. Below it, a couple of seals rolled playfully in the water. A door squeaked open, and Ben stepped out of the Captain’s closet. He had to push the desk, as it was blocking his way. Soon he stood in the middle of the room, listening for sounds.

  When satisfied he was alone, he carefully stepped into the corridor, up the stairs and into the cockpit. Since there was no one there, he gathered courage, opened the door leading out, and hurried down the exterior stairs, at the end of which he could see the ramp connecting the ship to shore.

  As Ben hopped down the last step, Captain Andrew appeared from the back of the ship, which had been out of Ben’s range of vision.

  The boy froze. He watched the Australian, who only had to take one large stride to block Ben’s access off the ship.

  “Smart bloke, aren’t you?” the Captain said, observing him with his arms crossed. “That’s what I’d figured.”

  Ben found his voice. “What are you going to do?”

  Captain Andrew sighed, “I don’t know. I guess that depends on you.”

  Ben swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”

  Egor came running up behind the Captain. He spotted Ben and wanted to grab him. The Captain held up his arm, indicating he should stand back. Egor stared at his boss in surprise.

  “I have a son, you see,” the Captain said, concentrating on Ben. “He’s about your age. And if he were in trouble, I’d want to be sure he came to his mother or me for help.”

  “I told you,” Ben said desperately. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to reach my mother!”

  Egor turned away from them, then said hurriedly, “Captain, those policemen are heading this way again.”

  Ben was stricken as he stared at the Captain.

  Slowly, the Captain stepped back. With a movement of his head, he said, “Go on then. I choose to believe you. Go help your mom.”

  Ben rushed forward, but the Captain stopped him again. “Wait,” he said, as he handed him a life jacket. “Take this and wear it. I don’t want to be fishing you from the bottom of the harbour.”

  Ben took it. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. The Captain got out of the way so that Ben could escape down the ramp.

  “Don’t make me regret this!” was the last thing he heard the Captain shout behind him.

  ***

  Tike sat at the end of the pier, observing the inlet and the mountains. Suddenly he stood, his body weight rolled forward, his tail lifted and his ears pricked. He remained like that, listening attentively. On the surface, the lapping waves and a soft breeze blowing through the fir trees could be heard.

  Only the most trained ear or high-end underwater hydrophones would have been able to capture the sound that was travelling deep below the surface of the inlet. The ethereal vocalizations of the humpback whale went from low to high-pitched clicks, echoing far and wide until they reached Tike’s ears.

  The dog froze, fully alert, one paw lifted from the ground, until he could take it no longer. He darted up and down the pier in excitement.

  Realizing there was nothing he could do to respond, Tike sprinted back to the cottage like a bouncing ball.

  ***

  Ben ran away from the Haida Gwaii II. The only way off the pier was blocked by the approaching police officers. He had no choice but to find another way to escape.

  He bent over, hiding between two ships, when a movement in the water caught his eye. He glanced down, noticing another, lower pier, almost at water level. Beside it, two seals swam playfully. But it wasn’t the seals that had caught his attention. Instead, on the edge of this pier, lay a lime green paddleboard and black paddle, ready for use.

  Ben looked around, wondering who it might belong to. There was no one else in sight. He bit his lip, trying to decide what to do, as he did not like the idea of stealing. What convinced him, however, was the image of the lighthouse he had seen from the Haida Gwaii II when they first motored into the Burrard Inlet. The idea of boarding to a safe place won out over his fears. Relieved at having some sort of plan to distance himself from the searching men, Ben hurriedly put on the life jacket, placed the paddleboard in the water, and began paddling between the boats until he was close to the harbour exit. Full of determination, he left the harbour, Granville Island, the Inspector, and Bordock behind.

  ***

  Tike scurried into Laura’s bedroom excitedly.

  She sat in a chair by the window, looking out to the bay and biting her fingernail. “What is it, Tike?” she asked.

  The terrier sprinted to the door, running back-and-forth to catch her attention.

  Laura did not doubt the dog’s intelligence. She found her slacks, shirt, and sweater, and followed Tike out of the house. She was halfway one word across the lawn when Susan called out, “Laura! What are you doing? You’re in no shape to be wandering around like that!”

  Laura said with full determination, “Ben needs me. I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to find my son and I won’t let you stop me!”

  There were dark patches under her eyes, and she swayed slightly. Susan held on to her arm.

  “All right!” the woman answered reluctantly. “All right! We’ll both go. But we have to be smart.” She frowned, thinking hard. “You go on to the boat,” she decided. “I’ll get jackets, your inhaler, the car keys, and some other things. Do you think you can make it?”

  Laura nodded, though she seemed terribly frail.

  The two women split ways. Laura cautiously made her way to Susan’s second motorboat, following Tike, who was already waiting for her at the pier.

  Before long, both women and the dog were speeding across the inlet towards Deep Cove.

  ***

  Sailboats dotted the bay, their owners enjoying what was probably going to be one of the last mild days before the coming winter. Further out, huge container ships were anchored, waiting for their turn to unload their cargo at the Vancouver Harbour. Behind them were the shores of North Vancouver bordered by the North Shore Mountains. Following this coastline westward with his eyes, Ben spotted the lighthouse he was heading for.

  Jeepers! It’s miles away!

  Somehow, looking out from the hull of the Haida Gwaii II a couple of hours ago, the distance from the lighthouse to Granville Island had seemed very short. Of course, he had been on a sturdy, fast-moving boat. Now, he was a tiny speck on the bay with the City of Vancouver and Stanley Park slowly moving away from him as he paddled furiously.

  He had been so eager to get away from Granville Island! He wasn’t ready to admit yet that trying t
o reach the lighthouse was a big mistake.

  I won’t make it…

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The Breach

  Once they had docked the motorboat and recovered Susan’s car from the shed, both women and Tike drove off towards Deep Cove. Laura assumed Ben would have headed to their apartment. She clung to the faint hope that he might still be there. She wouldn’t hear of Susan contradicting her, even though she knew it was a dangerous decision to go there.

  Susan headed to the bridge that would take them into Burnaby, driving well over the speed limit. Suddenly, Tike went crazy in the back seat. He jumped frantically onto Laura’s lap, almost causing Susan to crash.

  Susan yelled in surprise. “What’s wrong with that dog? Make him stop!”

  Laura replied quickly, “No! We should pay attention to him. I think he knows where Ben is. He’ll take us to him.” She held the terrier gently, urging him, “Go on, Tike, find Ben. Find him!”

  Tike pricked his ears. He gazed determinedly out the window to Laura’s right.

  “Turn back! We need to head further west,” she ordered Susan.

  “But…” Susan began.

  “Susan! Please!” Laura begged.

  Susan stared at Laura and shook her head in disapproval but did as she was told.

  ***

  Ben was only halfway across the bay by the time the sun had descended on the horizon. When he realized he was almost at a standstill, he sat on the board, his head dropping, his legs dangling in the cold water. His arms were numb with the effort of constant paddling. He shut his eyes tight, shivering under the weight of the infinite firmament above and the cold water below. A small plane flew overhead. Ben forced himself to wave at it-even though he knew it was futile; there was no way they would notice him from up there.