by David Wood
The old man didn’t reply, but held up the medallion and waggled his eyebrows. The message was clear. If you want information, buy something.
“We’ll take two of the dolphins,” Maddock said. “And both of the Luscas.” He gave one of the dolphins to Bones to give to Angel, and gave the other to Rae. She smiled and thanked him with a peck on the cheek. The spot where her lips touched him seemed to burn, and he suddenly felt like a nervous schoolboy.
Get a grip, Maddock. You’re a grown man.
“Your ears are burning again,” Willis said.
“So, tell us about Boiling Hole and the monster,” Maddock said loudly.
Now that the transaction was complete, the old man, whose name was Cyrus, became much more talkative. Boiling Hole, he explained, got its name from the fact that its surface sometimes roiled as if it were boiling. This was most likely due to the fact that it was connected to the sea by a number of underwater channels. It was theorized that the tides caused the phenomenon. However, superstitious natives tended to blame it on the monster.
“They say the water always boils before the Lusca attacks,” Cyrus said. “And so, when the water begins to boil, what is the first thing they think of?”
“Have there been any reports of monster attacks here?” Bones asked.
“Oh, yes. For as long as people have lived on Cat Island, there have been reports of attacks in Boiling Hole.”
“Any of them reliable?” Maddock asked.
The man made a face, wagged his head from side to side. “People have disappeared. Many people. But is that the monster or is it the result of diving in dangerous underwater caves? Also, baby sharks, rays, and octopus make their way here from the sea. Some of those might be responsible for at least a few of the reports. ”
This wasn’t sounding promising. “Are there any other places on the island associated with monsters?” Maddock asked.
“There is Big Blue Hole. It is a lake near Orange Creek. As the legend goes, there is a monster there that eats horses and perhaps people. The caverns that connect it to the sea are deadly, the currents powerful. Many of the animals and people that find their way into Big Blue Hole end up being carried out to sea. Or, the monster eats them. Most believe it is merely a legend created to warn people from straying into such a dangerous lake, but who is to say?”
“What about other legends?” Bones asked.
“We have many legends. Many stories. After all, Cat Island is the home of obeah.” He said the words in a low tone.
“What is that?”
Willis and Rae exchanged a knowing glance. “Voodoo,” they said on top of one another.
“That’s right.” Cyrus nodded. “So you can imagine the depth and variety of our folk tales. Monsters, witches, magic.”
Bones appeared to hesitate. “Are there any stories about immortality?”
Cyrus cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. On Andros we heard a story of a woman who comes back every ten years or so. She doesn’t appear to age.”
The man shook his head. “Those stories have not been shared with me. You will have to go to Mermaid Hole for that.”
Bones smirked. “I didn’t know mermaids had...”
“Please don’t, Bones,” Maddock said. “Every once in a while you can let one of them pass.”
“That’s just not my style, Maddock. You know that.”
Maddock heaved a sigh and Rae rolled her eyes.
“So, what is Mermaid Hole?” Willis asked.
“It is a lake near Bain town. The lake itself is quite small but there are four deep holes in the bedrock which, it is rumored, lead to the home of a mermaid.”
“Is she supposed to be immortal?” Bones asked, perking up.
“There is a storyteller who lives there, Mama Wata. That is who you will have to speak to.” Cyrus’ demeanor had changed entirely. His replies were sharp, his big smile now only a memory.
“Back to the Lusca,” Maddock said, returning to the reason for their visit to Boiling Hole. “What is your opinion? Do you think there’s any truth to it?”
“I don’t think it’s impossible,” Cyrus said carefully.
“Suppose it’s not only possible, but factual,” Bones said. “Any theories you can offer? I love a good monster story.”
“All right.” Cyrus, looked up at the circle of blue sky visible above the dense jungle that hemmed them in on all sides. He scratched his chin. “I believe that the creature might have once roamed the seas but made its home here. Here among the islands, that is. Eventually, something happened, an earthquake perhaps. And it was trapped inside the caverns beneath Andros, which is why nearly all the most reliable reports originate there.”
“You think there’s only one creature?” Maddock asked. “Not a breeding population?”
“I don’t see how there could be. If they were many of those things roaming the oceans, I think someone would know.”
“So it’s a supernatural creature?” Bones asked.
“Supernatural or very long-lived. If it existed.”
“We’ve learned very little about the Lusca. All the stories are essentially the same,” Maddock said. He gave the man a quick summary of what they had been told. “Might you be able to give us some information beyond that? Legends, details, anything that is not common knowledge.”
Cyrus scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Some say the Lusca is a thing of the ancient world. When man first began to record history, Lusca was already a legend. How it came to be here, no one knows. It is also said that the Lusca serves no master except for the one who holds the keys.”
“What are the keys?”
Cyrus spread his hands, palms up. “I do not know. The knowledge, if it ever existed, was forgotten long ago.”
“These keys, do you need both or is it either-or?”
“Again, I cannot say. You now know as much as I do.”
“Is there any connection between the Lusca and the Fountain of Youth?” Bones asked. “Or are there any Fountain of Youth legends associated with Cat Island? Or any of the local islands for that matter?”
Cyrus’s smile collapsed into a tight-lipped frown.
“The Fountain of Youth is colonizer nonsense.”
“Hey, no offense intended, dude,” Bones said, hands raised in a placating gesture. “Just curious.”
“You should not ask about the Water of Life. It is not a story for outsiders.”
“We could send the light-skinned brother away,” Willis said, eying Maddock. “And Bones, too, if he’s the wrong kind of brown.”
Cyrus forced a smile. “I must go. I think you will be my only customers here today.”
Maddock thanked Cyrus for his time. He regretted that they’d upset the man, but more than that, he hated the feeling that Cyrus had more to tell.
“Before you go, could you point us to the spot where you found the Lusca carving.”
Cyrus hesitated, his eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry. It was so long ago.” With that, he wished them a good day and hurried off.
“That was weird,” Willis said. “I mean, I understand not trusting outsiders, but it’s not like you were asking for his bank account number. The Fountain of Youth is just as far-fetched a legend as the Lusca, don’t y’all think?” He looked from Maddock to Bones.
“Of course it is,” Maddock said. “But perhaps they aren’t just legends to him.”
“Or maybe we’re onto something,” Bones said.
“Meaning what?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying, maybe him getting all offended was just a cover for whatever he’s really afraid of.”
Maddock shrugged. “I suppose anything is possible. Anyway, I’m ready to do some swimming, maybe try to find that cavern he told us about. You guys ready to get wet?”
27
The four of them quickly stripped down to their swimsuits donned masks, snorkels, tanks, and flippers, and jumped in.
As soon
as Maddock hit the water, he felt a sudden shock. His first instinct was to attribute it to the low temperature, but it really wasn’t that cold. It certainly didn’t compare to Florida’s spring-fed limestone pool. And then he realized he had felt another of the strange vibrations. He swam back to the surface and looked around for the others. One by one, their heads popped up.
“Did you all feel it?” Willis asked.
“Seismic activity,” Rae said. “There must be a lot of it going on. It seems like there’s a new tremor every day.”
“When did these tremors begin?” Maddock asked. A creeping suspicion rose up inside of him.
Rae shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything in the news. I felt one for the first time when we were trying to escape from Echard’s hired thugs. And then one at Blue Descent, and again just now.”
“And we’re not on Andros anymore,” Bones said. “I guess whatever tectonic plates are shifting must be impacting a wide area.”
“Lucky there ain’t been a tsunami,” Willis said.
Maddock considered the point. When it came down to it, these tremors didn’t feel... normal, for lack of a better term. And he found it weird that the tremors seemed to occur whenever Rae entered the water. She still wore the amulet around her neck. He could see it glinting just beneath the surface of the crystalline waters. Could there be a connection? How could there be?
“Let’s get started,” he said to the others. “If there’s more seismic activity, we don’t want to be down in those caverns should something collapse.”
“That’s Maddock for you,” Willis quipped. “Always a ray of sunshine.”
They paired off, Maddock with Bones, and Willis with Rae.
“Remember,” he reminded them, “cave diving is dangerous.”
“He says to a pair of Navy SEALs and an island girl,” Bones mumbled.
“What exactly are you thinking we’re going to find here, Maddock?” Willis asked.
“Probably nothing,” Maddock admitted. “But I’d like to find the carving Cyrus told us about.”
“You think it’s real?” Bones asked.
“He must have seen an image of the real amulet somewhere, or else his version wouldn’t look so much like it. And given the legends surrounding this place, it seems likely there’s a connection. And maybe,” he paused, not quite believing what he was about to say, “there’s a connection to whatever chased the boat.”
“So were looking for evidence of a big scary sea monster. Got it,” Willis said.
They made a circuit of Boiling Hole, gradually working their way deeper. As they descended they, marked the size and locations of the various passageways. No sign of the Lusca carving, but Maddock theorized it would be in one of the larger passages. The bottom of the sinkhole was filled with detritus and offered nothing of interest to them, unless they planned on recycling old cans and bottles. After giving it a brief scan, Maddock guided them to what he had identified as the most likely target. It was a passageway just large enough for someone to swim into, but partially hidden from view by roots and debris.
As they swam closer, he shone his light into the crevice. There it was! A perfect rendering of the amulet Rae now wore around her neck. She held it up for comparison and Maddock gave the thumbs-up. How and why this carving had come to be down here was a mystery. Perhaps it was a mystery they could solve.
It was a tight fit, and as they swam deeper, the walls seem to close in around them. Maddock knew that this was dangerous. It would be easy to get lost, or worse, stuck. But he was with three experienced divers and they would look out for one another. And as intrigued as he was, he wasn’t about to let anyone get killed over his own flights of fancy. If the way grew much tighter, they would be forced to turn back before they were in so deep that they couldn’t turn around.
No sooner had the thought entered his mind than something up ahead caught his eye. He directed his light toward it and felt the thrill of shock as the beam landed on a grinning skull. They swam closer. He could tell nothing about it, there was no context to guess its age or origin. He had to wonder how a human skull had gotten here without the rest of its body in tow. Could this skull have belonged to the person who made the Lusca carving? That was a stretch. There was no evidence for that. Still, it was unsettling.
They moved deeper and suddenly the narrow passageway opened up into a wide underwater chamber. Here seemed to be a dumping ground, the place where refuse collected on its way out to the sea. He saw chunks of wood, bits of plastic, and bones. Lots of bones. Mostly cow, a few he thought might be goat, and many that were human. Someone less experienced might have overlooked them, but they stood out to his trained eye. Bones and Willis both pointed to indicate that they had seen them too.
Maddock wondered how those bodies had come to be there. Possibly swimmers who had drowned, their bodies never recovered. Maybe scuba divers who had gotten into trouble, but if so, where was their gear? Maybe buried amongst the refuse down below. He imagined the bodies being tugged along by the strong current, battering the walls of the cavern, dragged inexorably toward the sea, only to come to a halt in this macabre ossuary.
He held up his hand. The current didn’t feel that strong. And then a disturbing thought came to him. Perhaps the strong currents came and went, like a riptide. An unexpected powerful surge that caught a diver unaware. If the flow of the water were strong and sudden enough, a diver could be dragged into a narrow spot and become stuck, or slammed into a wall and suffer a serious injury. For the first time he appreciated just how reckless it had been to go into this without conducting some advance research. He had no idea what he was leading the group into. Then again, what were the odds anyone alive was even aware of this place?
Bones waggled his flashlight in an impatient gesture and swam on ahead. Cursing inwardly Maddock followed along. Bones was probably convinced that they were looking at the leftovers from a sea monster’s meal.
Bones led them through a long, spiraling passageway, the only one large enough for them to swim through. It was wide and Maddock felt the strong current encouraging them along.
Something moved up ahead. Maddock saw it. It was a weird, pulsating blob, moving in a strange, alien way. Maddock saw a long, fat tentacle reach out in their direction. His hand went to his Recon knife.
Not in time!
In a flash the creature shot forward, zipping toward him like a grotesque torpedo. His eyes registered mottled skin, long tentacles. He thrust with his knife, but the thing was already past him. He whirled about, but it was gone. Behind him, Willis gave the thumbs-up.
Maddock breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a regular octopus, a very large one to be sure, but not a creature out of legend. He checked his watch. Even accounting for the current, they had plenty of air left. He gave Bones the thumbs-up and they swam deeper.
Soon they came to a place where the passageway split into two channels. The way to their right curved off in a wide-open channel. Maddock could see marks left by divers on the walls. So they were not the first to come this way. Likely, access to the sea was just up ahead. The way to the left would be a tight squeeze, barely big enough for Bones or Willis to get their shoulders through. Going that way would be a bad idea. What if they went in there and they couldn’t get back out again?
Fittingly, as soon as the thought occurred to Maddock, Bones forced his way into the narrow passageway.
A variety of curses ran through Maddock’s mind as he made a futile grab for his friend’s flipper, but Bones was too fast. Not sure what in the hell the big Cherokee was thinking, Maddock shone his light into the small opening. Relief flooded through him. The passageway was merely an entrance to a much larger chamber. He turned, gave a thumbs-up to the others, and followed Bones.
He had to admit sometimes Bones’ recklessness paid off. Like Maddock, no diver with half a brain would have given the passageway a second look. Not with another, infinitely safer channel to traverse. It was apparent that they were the first scuba dive
rs come this way.
First of all, this place was an absolute boneyard. The floor of the chamber was carpeted in human remains. There was no way a find like this could be discovered and not make world news. He wondered what in the hell had happened here. Perhaps some form of sacrifice like the Aztecs?
But that was only one reason he felt confident that this place had gone undiscovered. Because lying strewn about the cave floor were gold coins. He hastily took out his waterproof camera and recorded everything he saw. When he was finished, they began gathering the gold coins. The coins were in excellent condition and Maddock immediately recognize several of them. Given the time period, it had probably been part of a pirate’s treasure. He saw the broken remains of a small chest lying nearby. But how had it come to be here? A pirate couldn’t have swum this far, and a diver would never leave so much treasure behind.
Looking up, he found his answer. The mirrored surface of the water shimmering above said that there was a pocket of air, perhaps a cave, directly overhead. He pointed up and the others followed his eye line and nodded vigorously. Treasured secured, they swam up to see what they would find.
They were in a cave. As he shone his light around Maddock immediately understood how the treasure chest and come to be here. This place showed evidence of human habitation. He saw broken barrels, a clay jug, and an old fire pit.
“Somebody lived here,” he said.
“I think it was that dude.” Bones shone his light on what Maddock had initially thought was a pile of junk. He realized now that it was the skeletal remains of a man, wrapped in the remnants of old blankets. “I guess he dropped his treasure into the water and couldn’t get it back. That’s a bummer.”
They climbed out, took off their flippers, and moved closer to inspect the body. Tufts of hair clung to the skull in a circle. The body was wrapped in a moldering robe, and its skeletal fingers clutched a rosary.
“I think he was a monk,” Maddock said.
“So what was a monk, or whatever he was, doing down here? And why did he die here?” Bones asked.
“A cave in?” Maddock asked, glancing at a ceiling-high mound of rocks. “That pile of rubble over there could be a collapsed passageway.”