by Sue Perkins
Today they made no attempt to go to the island, enjoying the gusts of wind which swirled the boards as they went further out. When they were a fair distance away from the cliffs, Fury stopped and sat on the board.
“Something up?” Eion also sat down on his board.
“I worked something out last night.” Fury waved at the cliffs in the distance. “The sun must have shone through a gem or some sort of glass to make the rays we saw. This would mean we should be able to find the spot up there.”
“We could try, but it would be easy to miss.” Eion looked doubtful as he stared at the cliffs.
“I’ve drawn a sketch of the tunnels and compared it to a map of the area so we should have a rough idea where to search. The glass should be along from the bush which hides the other opening. It has to be on the same cliff face so the light can come through.”
Eoin nodded. “I forgot to tell you, I looked at the map for the cliff entrance and found the bush. My dad had some old photos of the area and they showed a close-up of the bush hiding the entrance set back, with the island in the foreground. It will give us an idea of where the tunnels go.” Eion looked pleased with himself and Fury grinned.
“We both did good didn’t we?”
They didn’t hurry with their boarding, and on the way back they stopped to look up at the cliff.
“I think it would have been a difficult climb for the pirates if they’d had their plunder on their backs.” Fury frowned.
“Maybe they used a hoist at the entrance behind the bush. A boat down below at high tide would mean they could pull up the treasure and swing it into the tunnel. The men would have come in via the path up to the eyes and collected the treasure, then taken it to the cave with the light.” Eion’s face lit up with excitement as he got further and further into his explanation.
They looked at the bush growing half way down the cliffs, then searched to the right where they thought the glass opening should be.
“See anything?” Fury continued staring at the cliff, but when she turned to Eion she saw he had a small pair of binoculars in front of his eyes.
“Not sure. There’s a fairly flat place about three or four metres to the right of the bush. It could be the glass, but if it is, it’s pretty dirty. The only thing to make it stand out is the evenness of the surface.”
“I think it’s a good thing it doesn’t stand out. Other people would have investigated it before us if it reflected light like a glass window.” Fury squinted against the bright sunlight but smiled her thanks when Eion passed her the binoculars. She lifted them to her eyes and focused on the spot Eion had mentioned.
“Got it. I think you’re right. It doesn’t appear to be anything but rock, unless you’re like us and are actually looking for something. Do you think it looks wider than the light we saw inside the cave?”
“Yes. We’ll have to have a closer look at it next time.”
As they paddled toward the shore, Fury wondered what their next move would be.
“I don’t think we should take the kayaks out tomorrow.” Eion looked at her and Fury knew he waited for her reaction to his words. “We need to do another day of boarding so we don’t arouse any suspicion.”
Fury nodded. Desperate to search the area under the trapdoor, she knew Eion spoke sense. If they kept going out in the kayaks, her mother would start asking questions.
*****
A few days paddle boarding seemed boring after the excitement of the last few days. However, their patience was rewarded when a small pod of orcas swam past them. Fury could feel the scream rising in her chest as the mighty beasts passed by, but Eion placed a hand on her arm and shook his head.
“They won’t hurt you,” he assured her.
She watched fascinated as the black and white bodies slid past and headed further out to sea. After a life of living inland she’d never been this close to orcas or any large sea creature.
“I’ll have to tell my parents about this. Nothing so exciting has ever happened to me.” Fury’s voice came out breathlessly.
“Are you sure you want to tell your mother? I don’t mean to sound rude, but she’s a little overprotective. She’d probably forbid you to come out on the water again.”
Fury thought about Eion’s words. Her mother would almost certainly have a panic attack about killer whales swimming near her daughter and order her to stay away from the water.
“Maybe I’ll tell Dad,” she said with a laugh.
Fury returned home in the afternoon to find her mother had left a note to say she’d gone shopping. Her father sat outside on the deck, supposedly reading a book, but his eyes were shut and the book had dropped to his chest.
“You awake, Dad?” Fury said softly and her father lifted his hand to tilt his hat back.
“Only resting my eyes, sweetheart. Did you have a good day?”
“Great. We saw a pod of orcas. They passed by really close to us.”
“How wonderful.” Her father looked slightly nonplussed. “A word of warning, Fury. Don’t tell your mother. She’d get upset.”
Fury nodded.
“Dad, why is Mum so protective? She never used to be like this and I don’t remember her ever watching over Jonah in the same way.”
“You’re growing up, sweetheart.” Her father grinned. “She trusts you but not any member of the male fraternity. You’re at the age to start dating and she doesn’t want to lose her baby girl, or have some hulking great boy taking advantage of you.”
“That’s so silly. As if I’d let any boy take advantage of me.” Fury had a good idea what her father meant by the word ‘advantage’, but it would be too embarrassing to admit to the knowledge.
Chapter Eleven
The next two days passed without any bother. Her mother had mentioned the orcas in passing, but Fury had merely replied “Really?” and her mother had taken this to mean Fury hadn’t seen them.
The third day they went out in the kayaks but the cloudy weather meant they had no chance of seeing the light shine from the glass in the cliff face. Eion had found a crowbar and a large lamp at home and he’d placed these in the kayak.
“I’ve got a picnic lunch for us too. Why are you laughing Fury?”
“I brought lunch as well. We’ll be stuffed if we eat everything.”
They left the beach but this time they went straight to the island, stowed the kayaks and went through the cave system with no stops until they reached the cave with the trapdoor.
They set to work on the trapdoor, hoping to get it open in case the clouds cleared and the sun shone on the glass. Once the sand had been removed, it showed the outline of a door with the ring set into one side. Eion tried to pull the door up, but it refused to budge. He dragged the crowbar from his backpack and placed the end at the crack which indicated the outline. After standing on it to make it open, he pulled back on the long arm and forced it to the ground. The trapdoor lifted with a creak, and flakes of rust fell into the gap.
“Wow, what do you think is down there?” Fury leaned over and stuck her head down the dark hole. “Don’t think the headlamps are going to be much use. They’ll only light up a small space.”
“Move over.” Eion gave her a nudge and Fury moved out of the way. “There’s a ladder here, we’d better check if it’s safe before we use it.”
Although Fury could see the sense in Eion’s words, she couldn’t wait and she pushed past him and swung herself onto the ladder, then climbed down into the darkness.
“Fury.” Eion sounded annoyed. “Are you okay?”
“Yep. The floor is sandy but I can’t see much. Hand down the lamp.”
Eion leaned in and lowered the lamp, then climbed down the rungs to join her. The stronger light showed a hard packed earth floor but no hidden treasure. Fiury glanced around hoping there were other openings, but rocky walls and the floor were all that she could see.
“I guess that’s it then.” Eion sounded as disappointed as Fury felt. “There are no other tunnels or c
aves to search.”
“We’d best get back to the kayaks.” Fury could hear the disappointment in her voice and Eion looked equally dejected.
She led the way back up the ladder and, despite the fact they hadn’t found anything, they carefully covered up all traces of the trapdoor, before making their way through the tunnels, past the eyes and down to where the kayaks were tied up.
They paddled back to the beach where Fury helped Eion put the kayaks on the car.
“Let’s go sit on the beach and eat our lunch.” He suggested.
No words were spoken as they sat side by side and ate their food, Fury wondered what would happen now. Their days had been taken up with looking for the treasure. Now they’d realised there wasn’t anything to find, would Eion decide he no longer wanted to go paddle boarding or kayaking with her?
“I think we’ve done quite well really.” Eion gazed out to sea. “We’ve found the tunnels and caves and I don’t think anyone else has discovered them. Shame there wasn’t any treasure but it was a long shot given the time since the pirates were here. It will make a change to be out in the sunshine instead of in musty old tunnels.”
He took a drink of water then turned to Fury.
“Do you fancy something different tomorrow? A bike ride with a picnic? We could go down the Great Taste Trail to Mapua, have lunch, then come back in the afternoon.”
“Sounds great,” Fury’s mood lifted. He did still want to hang out with her. “Some bikes came with the house, so I’ll get Dad to check one over for me.”
In the early afternoon they went their separate ways and Fury wondered if, after the excitement of the search for treasure, the rest of the holidays would be as much fun.
*****
Fury’s father hauled a bike out from the shed. “Will this one do?”
She looked at the faded blue bike. It had a step through frame and straight handlebars with gears near the brake handles.
“This one will be fine, Dad. It only needs the saddle adjusting and tyres pumped up. Then a final check over by you to make sure all is safe and usable.”
Her father set to work and a few hours later the bike didn’t look quite so shabby.
“Here we are. All ready to go for a cycle ride. Remember, though, it’s not a BMX like the one you have at home, so no riding in the hills on it.” He looked sternly at her and Fury nodded.
Fury went for a short ride up and down the road to familiarise herself with the bike and when she came back she pronounced it satisfactory.
Not as nice as my bike at home, but it will do.
Next morning Eion stood waiting for her at the beginning of the bike trail.
“We have to start off on the road, past the airport and along by the sea. We turn right near Richmond, and keeping the sea beside us, and head for Rabbit Island, using the routes over stop banks, a causeway and a bridge.”
“I thought you said we were going to Mapua?”
“This is the interesting bit. We go across Rabbit Island and catch the ferry across to Mapua. We’ll have lunch there, then a quick ride around and catch the ferry back.”
They set off in the sunshine side by side and soon reached the bike trail by the sea. Fury dropped back whenever other riders wanted to pass. The water glinted turquoise blue on their right, while an edge of grass separated them from the main road on their left. They reached Richmond and turned right and followed the trail beside the sea until they reached the place where it joined the road again. Going across various stop banks led them to a bridge, which Eion told her had been specially built for the Great Taste Trail. After crossing this bridge they carried on until they reached the sea again and rode across to Rabbit Island where the trail led them to a beach.
“We do have a choice which route to take, but I think this time we’ll go on the track at the edge of the island. It will lead us to the ferry.”
Eion set off left along the track, with Fury following him. To her surprise her legs weren’t hurting, probably due to the strength gained on the paddle board, but her rear end objected to the uncomfortable saddle on the bike.
Despite the discomfort she found it wonderful riding beside the sea with the wind blowing at her auburn hair where it stuck out from the bottom of her bike helmet. They reached the beach where the ferry came across from Mapua, but at the present time it sat at the jetty on the other side.
“Won’t be long,” Eion assured her. “It’s a quick crossing.”
They leaned the bikes against the trees and lay back on the sand, enjoying the sunlight filtering through the branches.
“Fury, do you have a boyfriend?”
Eion’s question took her by surprise. Why did he want to know?
“No, haven’t seen anyone I like until now.”
Idiot, you make it sound like you were waiting for him to ask.
“What about you, do you have someone special?”
“No. I didn’t want to get involved before I went away to university. It didn’t seem fair on me or any girl I wanted to connect with.”
Fury hid her puzzlement. If he didn’t have a girlfriend, who was the girl who looked at him so adoringly? Did she fancy Eion and he didn’t know about it? Fury resisted the temptation to ask and the noise of the ferry arriving ended their conversation.
Chapter Twelve
Several more cyclists had joined them by the time the ferry arrived at the beach. They waited until the cyclists on board had landed, then wheeled their bikes onto the flat bottom boat.
Fury enjoyed the trip across to Mapua. It didn’t take long but the voyage was unique due to the only passengers being cyclists.
There were several small restaurants on the Mapua wharves but Fury and Eion had brought food with them and went to sit on the huge stone steps beside the wharf. Fury noticed the poetry engraved into the uprights of the steps and thought how appropriate the verse was to the location. They decided this was a wonderful place to eat lunch. She had brought a small cheese and onion quiche and salad, while Eion had a sausage roll and salad. After they finished eating they went to one of the cafes overlooking the water and shared a piece of carrot cake for desert. Leaving their bikes chained up in the bike rack they walked up to Mapua Village.
“Sorry,” Eion apologised. “This is further than I thought. I’ve only ridden up from the wharf to the village before.”
“Don’t worry. It’s straightening out all the kinks from the bike ride.”
After wandering around the few shops, they returned to the wharf and collected their bikes. The ferry took them back to Rabbit Island and they retraced their route back to Tahunanui. They reached the beach in late afternoon and decided to get a cold drink from the cafe before they parted ways. Drinks purchased, they sat at the wooden tables and benches dotted around the grassy area.
“Eion, why did you ask me if I had a boyfriend?” Fury had considered asking him while they rode back, but until this moment hadn’t made up her mind whether she really wanted to know.
“I like you, Fury. As I’m going to be going to university near to you, I thought we could meet up sometime. Get to know each other a bit more.” He looked hopefully at her. “I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toe’s if you already have a boyfriend.”
“You mean, you want to see me after the holidays?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure you don’t have a girlfriend?”
“Of course I’m sure. I’d know if I had someone special to me.”
Fury felt tempted to ask about the girl she’d seen, but decided it would be a bit off-putting after he’d asked her to see him when she moved back home. Time enough to ask at the end of the holidays which were still a few weeks away.
“Have you had any more thoughts on the pirate caves?” She changed the subject as the topic made her feel uncomfortable. As soon as she spoke about the pirates she felt more at ease.
“I have a feeling we missed something. Why don’t we go back – with the crowbar – and be in the cave when the s
un hits the glass; the clouds stopped us doing it before.” Eion looked questioningly at her.
“Good idea. Shall we leave it until next week? I think my mother’s feeling a bit left out, as she thought we were going to do lots together these holidays. I’m not interested in the things she is, but I have to make the effort.”
“Fine with me. I still have a lot to get ready for uni, plus we have a family event coming up. Let’s meet again on Monday and take the kayaks out.”
Fury agreed and they went their separate ways.
Later, Fury wondered if the mystery girl had anything to do with Eion agreeing to leave their next trip until Monday. He’d never mentioned her and he’d said he didn’t have a girlfriend, but both times she’d appeared he’d smiled at her in a special way. A twinge of jealousy went through her, but then common sense prevailed. Despite the fact Eion would be in Christchurch when he went to uni, it was still a fair distance from her home, and once he’d settled in it was possible he wouldn’t want to carry on their friendship.
*****
Fury’s mother beamed with delight when her daughter suggested spending time with her, and she planned trips to Golden Bay and various other entertainments.
“Pity it’s not skiing weather or we could have gone to the ski fields.”
“Mum, neither of us can ski. What would we do there?”
“We could learn.” Her mother sounded defensive, then she laughed. “No you’re right. I have no interest in learning to ski. What about you?”
“Maybe later in life, but at the moment when would I find the time to keep it up?”
They both laughed and carried on with their plans. Her mother tried to involve her husband, but he refused.
“It will do you both good to have a few ‘girls’ days. I have several conference calls coming up so I wouldn’t be able to come anyway. Go. Enjoy yourselves.”