Deep Water

by Lu Hersey

  My headmaster made it clear that I’d have to start attending the school nearest Cararth if I don’t keep up with the work they send me. Right now, the last thing I need is to have to start at a new school on top of everything else going on.

  When I reach Cararth Strand, the tide is out and the beach is empty. Rock pools glisten in the morning light and gulls wheel overhead, busy building nests high above me on the cliff face. The tang of salt in the air brings back all the joy I felt swimming with Mamwyn underwater, and for a moment I feel the same exhilaration.

  Concentrating on my search for the sealskin brings me back to earth. I wish things had been different for Mum. From what Mamwyn’s told me, it sounds as if she found no joy in the gift at all, and I find that incredibly sad.

  Following the line of flotsam left by the tide, I kick at debris and scan the beach for any sign of the skin. I poke through a stinking mound of seaweed with a stick, disturbing hundreds of sandhoppers and tiny flies, but find nothing except lumps of driftwood, plastic bottles and discarded lighters. I reach the end of the tideline and clamber over the rocks, trying to avoid getting my trainers wet in the myriad rock pools.

  Suddenly I spot something wedged in a cleft in the rocks, and my heart leaps. Could it be? But when I get closer, I see it more clearly. It’s just a big piece of ship’s rope, frayed by the sea and stuck there. I can’t resist pulling at it, even though I know it’s not what I’m looking for. It’s cold and slimy and it smells rank. I let it go. I hope it didn’t come off a sunken ship. I think of my grandfather’s fishing boat smashed on the rocks, and shiver slightly.

  Jackson barks to get my attention and I turn round. He’s on the beach, proudly holding a massive piece of driftwood in his mouth. I climb back down onto the sand and spend a while throwing the stick for him, amazed he finds the game so endlessly entertaining. Eventually I decide I can’t put off my work any longer, and head slowly back up the winding cliff path. Jackson bounces along excitedly in front of me, still carrying his precious stick.

  I’ll have to come back and search for the skin again later. At the moment it seems like the only useful thing I can do to help Mum. Meanwhile it’s time to face up to Dad and the dreaded pile of books.

  Back at the flat, I find it impossible to concentrate on anything. After a couple of hours, I realize I haven’t taken in a single word I’ve been reading, so I give up and go down to help Dad out in the shop.

  I was right. He wants to ask questions.

  “How was it last night, Danni? Did you have a good evening?”

  “Yes, thanks. It was great spending time with Mamwyn. Really tiring though.”

  “Tiring? But she’s an old woman. Don’t tell me you went out clubbing all night or something!”

  That’s Dad’s idea of a joke.

  I sigh. “No, we went for a long swim round the bay.”

  Of course he thinks I’m not serious and he laughs.

  “Actually, Dad, getting to know people can be tiring.”

  Dad nods. “So did you find out why Mum never sees her?”

  “Yes. As it turns out, I was right about that. Mum blames her for what happened to my grandfather.”

  He shakes his head. “Strange, isn’t it? You’d think your mother would have stopped blaming her after all this time. It can’t possibly have been her fault that his boat went down.”

  Dad asks lots more questions about Mamwyn’s house and what we did all evening. It seems like it’s the first time he’s been really interested in what I’ve been up to for ages, and I can’t believe how much he keeps going back to it. He’s like a dog with a bone. I tell him as much as I can, which of course isn’t much.

  The afternoon seems to drag by. My head aches with the effort of behaving as though nothing has happened. Part of me wants to go straight back to Mamwyn’s so I can talk about it freely. I want to connect with my sealskin again, feel the sensation of gliding underwater. It’s difficult acting as though everything’s still the same.

  At three, Michelle’s mum comes and picks up both the girls. She and Dad have a brief conversation about what they’re going to do if the school drains aren’t fixed, and Michelle’s mum agrees to look after her tomorrow.

  When they’ve gone, Dad announces that he has to go into Bodmin.

  “I’ve got a new consignment of crystals just shipped over from China,” he says. “They’re waiting for collection in the courier’s depot – do you fancy coming with me, Danni?”

  “I could look after the shop for you instead, if you like,” I suggest, secretly hoping Elliot might call in on his way home from school.

  “No, you may as well come with me. I’ll shut the shop early – it’s so quiet in here today. We can go to the big supermarket on the way back.”

  I can’t think of any excuse not to go with him, and anyway, after yesterday I doubt Elliot will show up. Plus anything has to be better than sitting here, thinking too much about the changing and how I can help Mamwyn find Mum’s sealskin.

  Dad is studying the supermarket bill.

  “It’s much cheaper than shopping in Cararth – we should come here more often!” He looks really happy.

  “Great,” I say, not really understanding how anyone can get that excited about shopping in a supermarket.

  “Tell you what, love – I’ll put this lot in the car and you go and order us both a cup of tea in the cafe.” He gives me some money and trundles off with the trolley.

  The supermarket cafe is crowded. It seems a lot of people shop at this time. I pick up a tray and join a long queue. While I’m waiting, I look round to see if there are any tables free.

  Suddenly I freeze. Elliot’s Aunty Bea is sitting at a table by the window, deep in conversation with someone. When he turns slightly, I recognize him. It’s the minister I saw on the beach in Porthenys that day. The one with the horrible dog.

  They haven’t seen me yet but they’re bound to spot me in a minute. I have to get out. At the same time I can’t stop staring at them, hypnotized by the air of intensity surrounding them. Whatever they’re talking about is completely engaging their attention. I edge carefully out of the queue, keeping my head down in case they look up – but they’re far too involved in their conversation to notice me. Heads bent close together, the minister gesticulates wildly as he talks.

  Above the hubbub I only hear the odd phrase.

  “Completely sealed…darkness…how long?” I think that’s what he said.

  “Burning…consecrated ground…spring tide.” That’s Aunty Bea. They’re making my skin crawl. I get the strangest feeling they’re talking about something to do with me, which is crazy. They can’t be. I’m getting paranoid. Even so, I edge carefully towards the exit and put my tray back on the rack. I keep my face turned away from them and leave the cafe as fast as I can. I hope they didn’t see me. My heart’s thumping.

  I catch Dad just as he’s taking his empty trolley back. I hope I don’t look too flustered.

  “It’s really full in there, Dad. We’d have to wait ages. I’ll make us a cup of tea when we get home, okay?”

  One of the brilliant things about Dad is he doesn’t notice much.

  “Okay,” he says. “We can have fun unpacking the crystals too.”

  Sometimes Dad’s idea of fun and mine simply don’t coincide at all.

  chapter 22

  I can’t stop thinking about the encounter on the drive home. I think back to the time Levi and I first saw the minister that day on the beach. There was something so creepy and horrible about him. Even Jackson didn’t like him. And now it turns out he knows Aunty Bea. The way they were hunched together makes me shudder.

  I need to find out more about that man. I bet he’s the minister at whatever church Aunty Bea goes to. I’d like to ask Elliot about it, if he’s still speaking to me. Thinking about Elliot makes me feel anxious about yesterday again. I’m desperate to see him so I can try to explain why I rushed off like that.

  By the time we get back to th
e shop, I’ve tied myself in knots worrying about the minister. Deep down I know I should really talk to Mamwyn about all this, but I want to see Elliot so much. Can I get close to anyone now I know what it really means to be one of the sea people? I certainly hope so. The last thing I want is to end up like Mum, finding the gift is more of a curse.

  Dad carries the box of crystals into the shop and I bring in some of the shopping.

  “Dad, my head’s aching a bit. Can I take Jackson for a walk round the block when we’ve got all the stuff in from the car?”

  “Okay – but I thought you were making a cup of tea?”

  He looks so hopeful that I feel obliged to put the kettle on while I unpack the shopping. I make us both a cup, and take them downstairs. I spend the next half-hour admiring the crystals as Dad pulls them out of the box and trying not to get too impatient. When I’ve agreed with him for the thousandth time that the crystals are excellent quality and how amazing it is that they’ve arrived in one piece all the way from China, I finally find an opportunity to escape without drawing too much attention to myself.

  “Think I’ll pop out now, Dad. I was thinking of calling by Elliot’s place for a bit. I won’t be late.”

  I can feel myself blushing while I’m telling him, and try to work out why I feel so awkward. Probably because it’s the first time I’ve felt like this about anyone, and he happens to work in Dad’s shop.

  “Really? That’s nice. It’s great that you’ve found a friend round here.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. Dad’s back to his usual oblivious self.

  I dawdle on the street outside Elliot’s house, wondering whether to go up and ring the bell. While I’m trying to build up the courage, the door opens and light floods out from the hall. It’s darker out here than I thought. I hold my breath in case it’s Elliot and he’s seen me. But it isn’t.

  A woman steps out onto the street, still talking to someone behind her in the hall. I catch a few words of what she’s saying.

  “Nothing but trouble…stay away.”

  Aunty Bea again. I can’t believe my bad luck.

  I panic and duck quickly out of sight behind a car. I watch Aunty Bea stride off towards Cararth car park. I keep absolutely still. The last thing I want today is another encounter with that awful woman.

  As soon as the coast is clear, I walk off quickly in the opposite direction, heading up the hill towards Cararth Castle. I can’t stick around. I’m too worried Aunty Bea might turn back to Elliot’s. I hear footsteps behind me and start to panic. It’s her, I’m certain. My heart’s thumping. I try to speed up, but I hear someone cough right behind me.

  “It’s only me, girl, don’t youse worry.”

  Robert. I recognize his voice and hesitate. As I turn round, I catch a faint waft of sherry in the air.

  “You frightened me!” I’m annoyed with myself for being scared, but he shouldn’t have followed me like that.

  “I’m sorry, girl. Didn’t mean to make you jump.” He scratches his head distractedly. “Jus’ wondered howse your mother’s getting on? She was in a sorry state when I went to see her.”

  “You visited the hospital?” I can hardly hide my amazement. In fact I’m surprised they even let him in. He must have cleaned himself up a bit first, or somehow managed to avoid any hospital staff seeing him.

  “After I saw youse in the graveyard.” He smiles shyly. “I knows Mary from way back, see.”

  “Yes, I heard.” I soften a little. I find it hard to believe Mum ever went out with him though. I guess he looked different back then.

  “Now listen to me a minute, girl. You needs to take proper care.”

  I stare at him. “What do you mean?”

  “You was right to hide from that Beryl jus’ now.”

  I’m speechless. Is everyone round here keeping tabs on me or something? He leans closer and whispers conspiratorially.

  “She’s bad news. Her family’s all bad news. Always have been. She knows too much about the old ways, girl. Makes her dangerous. You need to keep away from them for your own good.”

  I know he’s right about Aunty Bea, but I’m getting the distinct impression that both he and Mamwyn are warning me off Elliot too. I feel angry.

  “Thanks for the advice, but I can look after myself,” I say defiantly.

  “Tha’s good then. Was only sayin’. I’d best be off now, girl. I hears the bus coming.”

  I hear the rumble of the bus engine too. It’s so quiet round here. I remember what Mamwyn told me about Robert going mad with grief, and I feel mean. I guess he was trying to be nice.

  “Don’t worry about me,” I say. “I’ll keep out of her way. I know you’re right about her anyway. She’s horrible.”

  He smiles at me and I see the gaps in his teeth.

  “Tha’s good, girl. Just make sure she never gets any of your hair. They use your hairs or nails to do their craft, see. You take care, now.” He turns and lumbers off towards the bus stop.

  I watch him vanish into the darkness, then take a deep breath and walk back down to the village.

  chapter 23

  Back outside Elliot’s, I still can’t decide whether or not to ring the bell. I stare up at the old, three-storey terrace from the other side of the road while I think about it. The lights are on in the upper two floors, and I see a shadow pass the window on the top floor. Suddenly Elliot’s face appears. He sees me and waves. I raise my hand to wave back, embarrassed that he caught me gazing up at his window. He disappears from view. He must be coming down to open the door, so I cross over quickly. As I do so, I’m sure I see someone duck into a doorway a few doors down.

  The door opens and Elliot comes straight out onto the doorstep to give me a hug. I’m so nervous I can hardly breathe. At least he doesn’t seem upset about the last time I saw him, or if he is, he’s hiding it well.

  “Great to see you, Danni. Wasn’t the bell working?”

  “No – I mean yes, probably it is – I was just checking I’d got the right house.” Even as I’m saying it, it sounds like the feeblest excuse in the world. I feel my cheeks colour.

  Elliot looks serious. “You were worried Aunty Bea was here, weren’t you?”

  I nod. “Actually, I did just see someone duck into a doorway down the road – I wondered if it was her.”

  Elliot’s expression darkens. “Right, we’re going to check. I’m not having this.” He puts the door on the latch and pulls me out into the street. “Which doorway was it?”

  “Think it was the pasty shop.”

  He puts his arm round me and we walk past a few houses to the pasty shop.

  “Nobody here. Maybe you imagined it?”

  But someone has been here recently. I detect a scent of leaf mould, and a faint hint of sherry.

  “Probably. Sorry about that.” I don’t want to admit that I know who it was. I just wonder how long he’s going to keep watching me. He obviously didn’t catch that bus after all.

  We go back to Elliot’s house and he shows me up to his room. It’s a large attic room on the top floor.

  He smiles at me. “Grab a seat, and I’ll get us a couple of Cokes from the fridge.”

  “Thanks.” I smile back. I’m beginning to like drinking Coke when I’m with him. I sit on the chair by his desk and look round the room while he’s gone.

  It’s a nice room, big enough to have a couple of chairs as well as a bed, a desk, and other bedroom furniture. It smells cedary, like Elliot. The walls are covered in peeling wallpaper with a repeated pattern of racing cars. Elliot’s tried to cover up as much of the wallpaper as he can, mostly with posters of bands and football teams. On one wall is a massive map of the world.

  I hear Elliot coming back up the stairs. He appears round the door and smiles as he hands me a can.

  “I’m so glad you’ve come over tonight, Danni. We need to talk about what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Something’s wrong. Aunty Bea is worse than I’
ve ever known her. And she’s obsessed with keeping us apart.” He looks at me with a worried expression. “Of course I’m ignoring her completely, but it’s getting out of hand. That’s why I had to check the doorway just now. I honestly wouldn’t put it past her to be watching to try to stop me seeing you.”

  I take a deep breath. “Actually it wasn’t her. I know who it was. It was Robert.”

  “Robert? The homeless guy?”

  I nod.

  “Are you sure? How do you know?”

  “I could smell sherry. And he was out here earlier when I went past. I know it sounds mad, but I think he’s sort of looking out for me.”

  Elliot doesn’t look as surprised as I expected.

  “He’s probably worried about you because of Aunty Bea. Robert used to live in Ancrows, too, you know. Our family had a bad reputation back then. Mum told me.”

  He looks sad when he mentions his mother. I reach out and squeeze his arm.

  “What did your mum say, exactly? I don’t like to ask, but it could be important. Both Robert and my grandmother have warned me to keep away.” I pull a face. “Probably too late though. Your Aunty Bea cursed me already.”

  Elliot looks horrified. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “I haven’t had a chance. It was in Ancrows when I went to visit my grandmother. I nearly ran into her on Michelle’s bike. She cursed me and spat at me and told me to keep away from you.”

  Elliot groans. “I’m so sorry, Danni. That’s awful.” He hesitates a moment.

  “What is it?”

  “Look, you don’t need to worry, okay? A binding curse involves more than just shouting and spitting.”

  Elliot obviously knows a lot more about cursing than I thought. For some reason this makes me uneasy.

  “So can you tell me what your mum said about it?” My voice is practically a whisper. It’s just occurred to me that Elliot looks more like his Aunty Bea than his father. The resemblance is very slight, but he has her colouring.

  He looks down at the floor. “I’ve never talked about this to anyone before. It’s too horrible.”