Swimming With Sharks

by Melissa Cristina Márquez

  “Thank you for coming,” my dad said. “We know it must not be easy to be here, maybe even scary.”

  Mr. Manil translated, and the man nodded again, then looked straight at me. He said something to Mr. Manil while continuing to look at me, and when he stopped, we all looked to Mr. Manil.

  “He wants to know if you’re the young girl bitten by the crocodile,” Mr. Manil said.

  I looked at the brother and nodded, extending my leg so he could see my purplish scars. He released Mr. and Mrs. Gamage to bend down and look closer, and then he extended out his leg next to mine.

  As the brother spoke, Mr. Manil translated. “He says he wants to thank you for having the courage to speak out for animals that do not have a voice. That although he is still scared of what happened, he is inspired by your bravery and is even thinking of going close to the water today.”

  “It’s the first time he’s said that.” Mr. Gamage said, looking surprised.

  “That’s really cool.” Feye beamed.

  Smiling, I held out my hand to Mr. Gamage’s brother, who hesitatingly took it.

  “We’ll face this fear together,” I said. We all turned toward the calm blue water. Already there were large groups in the water, swimming past the coral heads that Feye, Dilip, and I had visited on the day I rescued the turtle.

  At the water’s edge, Zev, Dilip, and Manisha all huddled around Punya. She eased into the water until she was about waist deep. I saw Zev mimicking swimming motions for Punya to practice.

  Before long, Mr. Gamage’s brother and I were at the water’s edge. I heard Mr. Savage wave one of the camera operators our way. “What a great moment! Two survivors taking a dip to brave our ocean’s fiercest predators!”

  I just tuned him out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Alice’s camera focus in on us as we got our feet wet. Mr. Gamage’s brother started laughing and splashed his feet a little.

  “Thank you,” Mr. Gamage said through Mr. Manil as they joined us. Mr. Gamage grabbed his brother’s hand. “I’ve got him. Go ahead out to play with your friends.”

  I smiled and waved, then plunged into the water. Feye had gone into the water ahead of me, away from the shark net, and I swam to meet him.

  “There’s a lot to see today!” Feye called out, before ducking his head back underneath the water.

  I put my head underwater and was delighted to see so much life beneath us. Fish of many colors surrounded us, just like they had in the waters of Pigeon Island National Park. A sea turtle swam by lazily and nestled itself in between some patches of coral to rest.

  “Incoming!” Feye said. One … two … three sharks came from our left and dove sharply into the brightly colored coral looking for food.

  With most of the fish scattering into areas too hard to reach for the blacktip reef sharks, the predators had slowed down to a slow cruising speed. The sunlight glinted off them, and patterns from the sun danced on the sharks’ cream-colored skin. They looked peaceful now, flying effortlessly through the water.

  I came up to the surface and swam back to the shore. The Gamage brothers still stood at the shoreline, their feet in the ocean.

  I waved again, but I saw looks of concern flash across their faces. Then a scream cut through the air. All around me, people were quickly swimming back to the sand and getting out of the water.

  “What are they yelling, Mr. Manil?” I asked, climbing out of the water myself.

  “ ‘Monster. Huge man-eating monster coming’ is what I just heard someone say,” Mr. Manil answered.

  “Monster?” I asked. My parents and Feye were still in the water and didn’t look concerned. I trusted their take on the situation, so I waded back in and swam out to meet them. I ducked my head underwater to see if I could see what had startled everyone back to shore.

  Something was definitely coming our way … something BIG.

  The water, now murky from the number of people who had frantically swum closer to shore, made it hard to see exactly what was coming our way. But whatever it was, it was huge! A monster, though? I wasn’t so sure.

  “Can you see anything?” Feye called out.

  “¡Hijos! ¡Con cuidado! Be careful!” Dad said, trying to keep his head above the waves while he treaded water.

  I squinted, trying to see if I could make out the outline of the huge animal. Sure enough, it looked like a big fish with two huge side fins. I only knew of one fish that could be this big. I swam closer toward the animal, which I noticed was also very close to the surface. It gave me an idea.

  That must mean a dorsal fin should be sticking out of the water!

  “I think I know what it is!” I said as my head popped out of the water. My family, who were still with their faces underwater, joined me at the surface.

  “There’s no mistaking that fin!” I exclaimed, pointing out the blue fin that was covered in what looked like constellations.

  “Mr. Manil! Tell them it isn’t a dangerous shark!” I yelled back to shore. “It’s just a whale shark! They’re harmless!”

  I could see that Mr. Manil and Dr. Chandrika were trying to explain that the whale shark was harmless, but people seemed to be drifting away from the beach entirely. This couldn’t be how the festival ended! There had to be something we could do.

  I locked eyes with Dr. Chandrika, who took off her outfit to reveal a swimsuit underneath. She dove dramatically and swam out into the water to demonstrate it was safe to stay.

  “It’s okay, everyone! It’s a whale shark!” Dr. Chandrika announced to everyone on the shore. “Whale sharks are filter feeders and mostly eat tiny plankton!”

  Mr. Manil translated for us as Dr. Chandrika continued to tell everyone that whale sharks were harmless and that this was an exciting opportunity to see an incredible creature—some might even consider it good luck!

  Some people on the beach laughed. Realizing there really was no danger, they relaxed and made their way back into the warm water. The whale shark, unaware it had caused such a commotion, continued to flick its enormous tail back and forth as it swam away from us. At first it was just our small group with the whale shark, but after a few minutes it felt like everybody who had attended the festival was out in the water wanting to get a glimpse of this gentle giant. Many yelped as they took in its huge size but were soon mesmerized by the way it glided through the water.

  “Say cheese!” Feye said, holding up the “Villalobos Vision” camera to take a selfie of us and the disappearing whale shark behind us. I noticed two things in that moment. First, the fear on everyone’s faces around us had been replaced by awe. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing we had helped change at least a few minds about this particular shark species. I would have normally been over the moon about that, except the second thing I noticed put a pit in my stomach.

  There, on the beach, stood a familiar blonde woman and man with a black hat. “It’s the poachers,” I whispered, not realizing I had said it out loud. Who else would be in an all-black ensemble on the beach? It was them; I just knew it. There was no denying it. Had they heard a rumor that we might be releasing the Pondicherry shark back into the wild? I had to go check on that shark!

  Quickly I waded out of the water and over to the Gamages and Mr. Manil. “Mr. Manil,” I said. “Will you ask the Gamages if their store is open? I, uh, have to use the bathroom. And I don’t want to use one of the portable toilets.” It was a lame excuse, but it would have to do.

  “Sure, no problem,” he said through Mr. Manil. “The side door is unlocked.”

  As I threw on my clothes and started down the beach, my mother called to ask where I was going.

  “Oh, Adrianna is just going to use the bathroom at Mr. Gamage’s restaurant,” Feye said. I hadn’t realized he’d been close enough to hear my exchange. He looked straight at me as he said it, and I wondered if he knew I was lying. I mouthed “thank you” at him and then threw clothes over my wet swimsuit.

  You need proof it is the poachers, Adrianna.

 
; Right … proof … proof … my camera! I grabbed the backpack my parents had packed for us filled with sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, snacks, and more. I had left my phone at the hotel but had tucked my camera in with my stuff to take pictures of the festival. I’d been having so much fun, I’d completely forgotten about it until now. I looped it around my neck and started to jog to the restaurant. My soggy shirt and pants felt funny, but I tried to pick up my pace.

  Faster, Adrianna! Faster!

  My legs, tired from swimming and running, gave in for a second. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, my knees and palms skinned from the rough dirt and gravel below. “Dang it …” I muttered, biting back tears that threatened to spill over my hot face.

  I took a deep breath and dusted myself off. As I looked up, the pain in my hands was replaced by a pang in my stomach. The door to the Gamages’ restaurant was standing open. A brick had been left in the doorframe. That didn’t seem right. Slowly, I walked close enough to the restaurant to peek inside.

  There, I saw the blonde woman standing on top of a chair, bent over the tank, her arms in the water. The man with the black hat stood next to her. At his feet, a tank filled with water rested on a metal cart. They presumably planned to transport the shark in there until they got … well, wherever they were going with it.

  Think fast, Adrianna! I looked down at my camera and decided to take a picture of them in the act of stealing the shark. Surely with me being able to describe them and this photo, they would get caught before they got too far.

  Quietly, I slipped through the restaurant’s door. I bent down to wedge myself under a table. As I got into a good position, I took a deep breath and turned the camera on. Focusing, I made sure to get both of them in the frame before my finger put pressure on the button.

  Click!

  Flash!

  Oh no! I really needed to learn how to turn the flash off!

  The woman, who had managed to capture the Pondicherry shark in her hands, quickly dropped it back into its original tank with a splash, and spun around to see me. “It’s that girl!” she said, pointing at me with a dripping finger. The man placed the tank he was holding down on a nearby table as he lunged toward me, missing my ankle by just a few inches as I tried to scramble out from underneath the table.

  The camera! I can’t let them get the camera! I looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide it. Think, A! Think!

  I quickly took the camera’s neck strap off and threw the piece of technology across the floor, away from all of us. I hoped it wouldn’t slam against the concrete wall. Otherwise, it would surely shatter into a million pieces. Bye-bye to my grandmother’s gift—and my evidence! Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that because it slowed to a stop before it hit the wall.

  Before I knew it, each poacher had one of my arms in their hands and the man let out a curse word I know would end up with a bit of money in the curse word jar back at home.

  “Let go of me!” I said, anger bubbling from deep within me and tingeing my vision with red. I struggled and knocked the man’s sunglasses off his face.

  “You! You have been a thorn in our side for these last two jobs we’ve had,” the man said in his thick Irish accent. A scowl darkened his face, and I scowled right back, wondering where this bravery was coming from.

  “Adrianna!” I heard my name being called from outside. From inside the restaurant we could all see Feye making his way toward us.

  The two poachers exchanged a look and dropped my arms. “This isn’t over!” the man spat at me. They turned and ran for the back of the restaurant.

  “Adrianna?” Feye said again from the door. He poked his head in.

  “What is going on?” he asked. “Did you really just need to use the bathroom?”

  “Feye!” I yelled, running toward him. I gave him a big hug. The tears I had bottled up while facing the poachers suddenly burst through the dam, pouring down my cheeks.

  “What happened?!” he asked, his voice full of concern.

  I pointed to the camera, my other arm still wrapped around my brother. “Get that and I’ll explain everything.”

  Feye let me go and retrieved my camera. I quickly took it and looked it over to see if it was damaged from my throw. Thankfully, it seemed okay.

  I turned the camera on and started flipping through the photo gallery. But when I got to the last photo, I didn’t see a shark theft in progress; all I saw was a black rectangle. Oh no.

  “What?” I whispered, staring at the blank photo in disbelief. And then I turned the camera around to see that the lens cap was still firmly in place.

  You didn’t take it off before taking the photo. Again.

  I smacked my head with my free hand.

  “A? Tell me what’s going on! I’m getting worried here,” Feye said.

  “How long have I been gone?” I asked, looking up at my brother.

  “Like ten minutes?” Feye shrugged. “I could tell you lied to Mom about why you wanted to come to the restaurant, so I wanted to see what the real reason was. Plus, I had some good news.”

  “What’s the good news?” I asked.

  “First tell me what’s going on.” He motioned to the extra tank left behind by the poachers. His eyes narrowed. “Were you trying to steal the shark?”

  “What? Feye, no!” I said. I was no thief!

  “So then what’s the story?” he asked.

  “You won’t believe me. I have no proof,” I whispered, putting the camera down with a sad thud.

  “Try me.”

  I told Feye about seeing the poachers on the beach and then how they’d confronted me after my camera flash went off.

  “We have to tell the police,” he said when I finished.

  “Tell them what? I have no proof. And Mom and Dad will be furious.”

  Feye looked thoughtful. “I guess you’re right. Even though I think we should. But they might just get really mad. We can’t have you getting kicked off the show again!”

  Suddenly, my head shot up. Maybe we did have evidence.

  I looked around and … bingo! The sunglasses I had knocked off! The poacher had never retrieved them.

  I grabbed them and held them up. “Feye, look! His sunglasses! It’s proof.”

  “Proof of what? Those could belong to anyone,” Feye answered.

  “Maybe we can give them to the police and they can swab them for DNA and find the poacher,” I offered.

  Feye shook his head. “You’ve been watching too much TV. That’s not how it works.”

  “But it’s something.” I held them up to look at them. Besides the odd logo we had seen on their clothing before, nothing else stood out about the sunglasses.

  “I guess.” Feye shrugged. “I don’t know what it’s going to prove, though.”

  We stood in silence for a second.

  “Isn’t it a weird coincidence that we just saw them in Cuba, and now they’re here?” I asked.

  Feye had no answer.

  We looked around us. “We better clean up,” I said, searching for something to sop up the spilled tank water.

  “Oh! Wait! My good news!” Feye said as he looked out the restaurant’s glass door. “We could use the tank, actually.”

  I looked at my brother in confusion. “What? Why?”

  “The Gamage family agreed to release the shark back into the wild! And put new fish in the old tank!” he said.

  “What?!” I squealed. “Really?”

  “Oh, they’re coming now. Look,” Feye said, bringing me to the door and waving at our parents, the Gamage family, and the camera crew. Mr. Savage led the way toward us.

  “Wow, what made them change their minds?” I asked Feye.

  “You did, of course. And their time at the shark festival today. They got to see some blacktip reef sharks up close after you left,” Feye said, pulling out his phone.

  He showed me a video of the water’s surface full of beautiful fins. They swam in a mesmerizing synchronized fashion. Wow. I wish
I had been there to see them in person.

  “I livestreamed it to my followers.” Feye winked as the group entered the restaurant.

  “Oh! Hello, Adrianna and Feye!” Mr. Savage said, his eyebrows sort of furrowed in surprise and confusion at seeing the two of us standing in front of the shark tank. “You got a tank out and filled it for the shark!”

  “Yeah,” Feye started. “Adrianna was just so excited to hear about the Gamages reconsidering. We found the cart out back.”

  I nodded in agreement with my brother. “Lucky find!” I couldn’t help adding. But my parents were so happy about the Gamages that they didn’t seem to register anything odd about that.

  “Oh, of course you were excited.” Mom beamed. “Our Mother of Sharks!”

  Mr. Savage clapped his hands and started belting out instructions. “Alright. Lights, camera, action! Let’s film the family getting this shark into a tank to transport it out into the wild!”

  Mr. Savage ran around the restaurant trying to get the perfect light on my mom and dad as they transferred the Pondicherry shark from one tank into another.

  I needed to free up my hands in case they needed help, but didn’t want to forget my camera or the sunglasses. “Hey, Mr. Savage, can Feye and I put some stuff in your bag?” I asked, spotting his black duffel on one of the tables.

  He nodded. “Sure, kid. There should be a dry bag in there—put your things in there and don’t get my stuff wet and dirty!” Off he went to bark more orders.

  Feye tossed me his phone to put in the bag. I unzipped it and opened up the bright yellow dry bag. We used these waterproof bags all the time for protecting stuff that couldn’t get wet, like phones or other equipment. I fished in my pocket for the poacher’s glasses. Except … wait, had I already dropped them in the bag?