The Black Pearl

by Louise Cooper

  ‘Apparently he was much better this morning, and said he lived here years ago, so they asked him if there were people who’d remember him, and he gave them some names, and one of them was Jeff Treleaven. They used to be best mates! So the hospital rang Paul’s dad, and he went in and saw the guy, and it is his old mate! What are the chances of that?’

  Mum said, ‘Pretty small, I should think,’ and Dad added, ‘What a coincidence!’

  ‘Yeah – and he got rescued by the lifeboat from his old home town,’ Rose added. ‘I mean, talk about weird?’

  Still Lizzy stared and said nothing.

  Rose had more to tell. ‘Anyway, they’re letting him out of hospital tomorrow. The police and coastguards’ll want to talk to him, but it’s just routine stuff; he hasn’t committed a crime or anything. He’s got nowhere to go so he’s going to stay at Paul’s place till he gets sorted.’

  Dad whistled. ‘Well, what an extraordinary turn-up!’ he said. ‘So, what’s this long-lost friend’s name?’

  ‘He’s called Jack,’ said Rose. ‘Jack Carrick.’

  The crash made them all jump, and they stared at the shattered plate, which lay on the floor surrounded by a starburst of soap suds.

  ‘Lizzy!’ Mum scolded.

  ‘S-sorry, Mum…’ Lizzy’s face had turned pale. ‘It just – slipped.’

  ‘Well, do try to be more careful, love. You’d better get a dry cloth and wipe the floor, while I pick up the pieces.’

  Because everyone was distracted by the accident, Lizzy managed to hide her shock from the rest of the family. In fact, though, she was shaking like a jelly. She had hardly dared believe it, but it had to be true. The shipwrecked man must be her real father – and from tomorrow he would be staying at the Treleavens’ house! She had to see him. She had to talk to him. She just had to!

  Mum was asking Rose more about Jack Carrick, but Lizzy couldn’t take in what they were saying. Her mind was spinning with thoughts, plans, ideas, hopes – somehow she finished the washing up without breaking anything else and, as soon as she could, she escaped to her room. There, she grabbed her shell and pressed it to her ear. All she could hear was the familiar, sea-like whooshing. There was no sense of Kes’s or the dolphins’ presence, and after a minute or so she gave up trying, put the shell back and went to the window, where she sat and looked out over the rooftops. The storm clouds had cleared away and the sun was shining again, but the sea still looked restless and dangerous. There were choppy white wave crests in the bay beyond the harbour; if the dolphins were there, it would be impossible to pick them out from this distance. She could go to the beach again, but what was the point? She’d spent half the day searching for Arhans, but Arhans simply wasn’t there. All she could do was try again tomorrow, and until then she would just have to be patient.

  That, though, was going to be the hardest thing in the world.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day was awful for Lizzy. Though she spent almost all of it at the beach or on the lighthouse headland, there was still no sign of the dolphins. She was desperate to get a message to Kes and Morvyr about Jack Carrick, and Arhans and the others were her only hope. Why didn’t they come? Where were they? In spite of Arhans’s warning that she should stay away from the sea, Lizzy was tempted to go and search for them. But a red flag was flying on the beach, and to her dismay the lifeguards told her that it meant ‘No Bathing’.

  ‘There’s still a big swell after the storm, and some treacherous rip currents,’ the head lifeguard said.

  ‘Rip currents?’ Lizzy echoed.

  ‘Yes. You can’t see them, but, if you get caught in one, you can be swept away in moments.’ He grinned in a friendly way. ‘So, no swimming today, OK? If you went in, we’d have to come after you and heave you out!’

  The lifeguards were patrolling the water’s edge, so there was no way she could avoid being seen if she tried to disobey the flag warning. She could go to the lighthouse, of course, then climb down the rocks of the headland and reach the sea from there. But, if she found herself caught in a rip current, was she a strong enough swimmer to get out of trouble? Though it was a bitter disappointment, she dared not take the risk.

  By evening Lizzy felt as if her insides were boiling with frustration, and Rose only made matters worse. She had been out with Paul again, and when she got home she said that Jack Carrick had arrived at the Treleavens’.

  ‘I’ll probably meet him tomorrow night,’ she added casually. ‘I’m going round to Paul’s, and I expect he’ll be there.’

  Lizzy’s heart started to thump. ‘Can I come with you?’ she asked hopefully.

  ‘No, you can’t. Don’t be so silly! Why on earth would he want you tagging along to gawp at him? You’re a complete stranger.’

  The words a complete stranger really stung Lizzy. But of course Rose didn’t know the real story, and Lizzy couldn’t tell her.

  Tomorrow, she told herself, she would find Arhans, and even the lifeguards wouldn’t stop her. But in the morning Mum said that she was taking both the girls to Truro to get uniforms for their new school.

  Rose groaned, and Lizzy’s face fell. ‘Oh, Mum! School doesn’t start for another month – I can’t think about it now! I wanted to go to the beach.’

  ‘You’ve spent just about all your time at the beach since we moved in,’ Mum said firmly. ‘One day away from it won’t hurt. We’re going, and that’s that.’

  ‘Cheer up,’ said Rose, seeing Lizzy’s expression. ‘At least if we get this over and done with now, we can forget about school again till September.’

  Lizzy didn’t answer. They drove to Truro, and somehow she got through the dreary business of trying on blazers and skirts and sports kit. Even a delicious and expensive lunch didn’t help. And by the time they got home, after crawling through heavy traffic, the day was almost over and she couldn’t find an excuse to get away and look for the dolphins.

  Rose went out in the evening, and didn’t come in until after Lizzy had gone to bed. Next morning, though, she had news.

  ‘I met Mr Carrick,’ she told the family over breakfast. ‘He’s really nice – you’d like him, Dad – he’s got a ghastly sense of humour just like yours.’

  ‘Cheek!’ said Dad, grinning.

  ‘Has he settled in all right?’ Mum asked.

  ‘Oh, yes. I mean, the police have talked to him, of course, and Social Services have been round, and the local press are trying to get hold of him and all that, but he’s cool about it.’ Rose helped herself to cereal. ‘Know what he told Paul? He just wants to get out on his own in a boat, and have a bit of peace and quiet.’

  ‘Oh, he’s a sailing man, is he?’ Dad looked interested; learning to sail was one of the things he planned to do.

  ‘Mmm,’ Rose said with her mouth full, then swallowed. ‘Paul’s dad’s got a boat – a small one, I mean, as well as his trawler.’ She laughed. ‘He reckons there’ll be hordes of reporters calling round today; he’s lending Mr Carrick the boat so he can get away before they turn up!’

  Mum smiled. ‘Good for him! I should think a grilling from the press is the last thing he wants.’

  ‘I wouldn’t hide from them,’ said Rose. ‘I’d make out it was a really massive drama, sell the story to the Sunday papers and make loads of money. Brilliant! Wouldn’t you, Lizzy?’ She waited. ‘Lizzy?’

  ‘What? Oh – sorry, I was miles away.’

  ‘I said, wouldn’t you want to talk to the press if you were Jack Carrick?’

  ‘Er… I don’t know. Maybe.’ Lizzy hesitated, then, hoping she sounded casual, asked, ‘Where does Paul’s dad keep his boat?’

  ‘Somewhere in that marina on the other side of the harbour, I think.’

  ‘Oh, right. What’s it called?’

  ‘You mean, what’s she called,’ Rose corrected. ‘You always say she when you talk about boats.’

  ‘Well, she, then.’

  ‘Dunno. Silver something; can’t remember. Why?’

  �
�I… just wondered.’

  Rose gave her a strange look, but let it drop. Lizzy, though, was churning with inner excitement. If she could get to the marina before Jack Carrick left…

  ‘I don’t want any more to eat, Mum,’ she said. ‘Is it OK if I go out?’

  Mum blinked, surprised by the sudden change of subject. ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ she said. ‘Once you’ve helped clear away and tidied your room. Whose turn is it to wash up?’

  ‘Mine.’ Rose pulled a face. ‘And you and Dad have had eggs. I hate washing egg things. Why can’t we get a dishwasher?’

  ‘Because the kitchen’s too small for one,’ Dad told her. ‘Anyway, you keep telling us you’re so eco-friendly. What’s eco-friendly about dishwashers?’

  ‘Plenty,’ said Rose, ‘when I’ve got to wash egg things!’

  Lizzy left them cheerfully arguing. She rushed through her chores as fast as she could, then shoved her wetsuit into her bag and set off for the harbour. A boat called Silver something… it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. She just hoped she wouldn’t get there too late.

  About thirty small boats were tied up in the marina, some with their owners on board preparing for a day’s sailing now that the sea was calmer. Lizzy walked along the floating wooden pontoons, trying to get used to their slight swaying as she looked at each boat in turn. She saw White Gull, Red Witch and Sungold, but none of them had a name with Silver in it. Thinking that perhaps she had missed it, she was about to start on a second circuit when someone called out to her and she saw Paul approaching.

  ‘Hi, Lizzy.’ Paul had a coil of heavy rope slung over his shoulder. ‘What are you doing down here?’

  ‘I… er…’ Then Lizzy thought, Rose isn’t here, and Paul won’t ask awkward questions… ‘I was going to have a look at your dad’s sailing boat,’ she said.

  ‘What, Silvie, you mean? She’s not here this morning. Our new guest’s taken her out.’

  So she was too late. ‘Oh,’ Lizzy said, crestfallen. ‘Rose said something about that.’

  ‘Go on, own up!’ Paul laughed, but it was a kind laugh. ‘It was him you wanted to look at, wasn’t it? Rose told me you were interested.’

  She felt her face turning red. ‘Well…’

  ‘You and half the town! Don’t worry about it – I expect he’d like to meet you too. You’ll have to come round and say hello sometime. Not today, though.’ He looked out to sea, then pointed. ‘There he is, see? The boat with the dark-red sail, heading down the coast. He wanted to go out on his own, to have a look at some of his old haunts. He and Dad used to go to the caves along there years ago, to watch the seals.’

  ‘Oh. Right.’ Lizzy tried to make herself stop shaking. Jack Carrick would be passing the cave where she had first met her real mother. Was it special to him? she wondered. Was he going to search for Morvyr?

  Paul’s voice brought her back to earth. ‘I’d better go – promised I’d help Dad do some work on the trawler. Tell Rose I’ll see her later, OK?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Lizzy. ‘Sure.’

  ‘Bye, then.’ Paul hoisted the coil of rope again and walked away. Lizzy stood watching as Silvie moved slowly across the bright sea, past the headland and out of sight. Her heart was hammering under her ribs, and she was overwhelmed by a desperate yearning to follow him. But could she do it? Did she have the courage?

  She knew the answer. Daunting or not, for her there was no other choice.

  Chapter Eight

  It only took Lizzy a minute to put on her wetsuit, then she left her bag by the lifeboat station and returned to the pontoons. No one noticed her as she slipped into the sea and dived beneath the surface with hardly a splash. As always, she held her breath for the first few moments underwater, still hardly able to believe in what she could do. Then confidence came back and she opened her mouth, seeing the familiar stream of silver bubbles rush past her face.

  When she swam out of the harbour and into the bay, the strength of the current surprised her. It took much more effort than usual to make headway against it. No wonder the lifeguards on the beach were being so careful. The storm tides had churned up the seabed too, and her surroundings were murky. But she could see well enough – just – and she forged towards the headland and the deeper water beyond.

  The tide was going out, and once she was clear of the headland swimming became easier. Now the current was working with her rather than against her, and she was able to relax a little. But the undersea world looked very eerie. Even out in the bay the water wasn’t its usual clear blue-green. Instead it was full of swirling sand particles, like a weird shifting fog. Mysterious shapes loomed strangely, and tricky shadows lurked in the gloom. Once, Lizzy recoiled in fright when she thought she saw a giant eel writhing towards her, but it was only a long strand of oar-weed drifting in the current.

  She surfaced after a while to get her bearings. She had already come quite a long way. St Michael’s Mount looked smaller than before, and beyond it she could see the golden crescent of the beach that curved along the bay’s edge. Treading water, she turned and looked out to sea. Several small boats were out there, but they all had white sails. Where was Silvie? She had disappeared! Anxiously Lizzy turned further, until she could see the high cliffs stretching away down the coast to the south-west. They were dark and forbidding even in the sunlight, and darker still were the caves, gaping like ragged black mouths. Which was the cave where she had met Morvyr? Lizzy couldn’t even begin to guess.

  Suddenly she felt frightened. She was alone in the sea, without Kes or the dolphins to guide her, searching for a boat that she might or might not find. It was a crazy, hopeless thing to do. She should turn back, go home and find another safer way to make contact with Jack Carrick.

  A wave slapped against her face and for a moment everything blurred. Lizzy blinked the water from her eyes – and as her vision cleared she saw something moving against the darkness of the cliffs. A red sail… her heart jumped and a tingle went through her from her head to her toes. Silvie – it must be! She was sailing slowly, keeping close to the coast, as though whoever was on board were looking for something.

  Lizzy’s courage came surging back. Surely she could catch up? She had to try, she just had to! Kicking out with her legs, she turned until she was directly facing the distant boat, then dived and started to swim towards it with all the energy she could muster.

  It wasn’t long before she began to tire, and she knew she couldn’t keep this pace up for much longer. At last she swam to the surface again, to check how far she had come. She hoped she might see Silvie just a short way ahead, but to her dismay she saw that, far from catching up, she was being left behind. A wind had freshened, filling the red sail, and Silvie was moving faster, drawing away from her at a speed she couldn’t hope to match.

  Gasping with exertion and nearly in tears, Lizzy dived again and forged on. If only she could swim faster! Kes could change from human to merboy – she had seen him do it, willing his legs to merge together and become a shining tail. He said that she had the power too, but she had never learned to use it, and it was locked away out of reach in the depths of her mind. Now she tried again with all her strength to unlock it, telling herself desperately that she was a mermaid, she was a mermaid. But she couldn’t turn the key. She just couldn’t make it happen!

  Then through the water she heard a strange sound; a deep, rhythmic throbbing that came from further out to sea. The current began to swirl, and in alarm Lizzy headed for the surface again. As her head emerged into the sunlight she saw the cause of the disturbance. A big boat was coming up behind her; it was the passenger ferry, setting out on its daily voyage from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly. It would not pass close enough to be a danger, but its propeller was churning the water and creating a powerful wake. The gleaming white hull towered against the sky, crowned by the orange funnel with its distinctive black-and-white flag emblem… then Lizzy noticed that the passengers on deck were pointing at something.

  Behind the s
hip and escorting it with joyful leaps were five dolphins.

  ‘Arhans!’ Lizzy screamed with excitement. She knew that the dolphins wouldn’t hear her above the noise of the boat’s powerful engines, but her despair had turned to hope.

  With renewed energy, she started to swim towards her friends. She couldn’t hope to catch up with them or the ferry, of course. But it was said that dolphins were telepathic. If it were true, then perhaps they would sense her.

  Arhans! Arhans! She concentrated fiercely on repeating the name over and over in her mind. Arbans, it’s me – it’s Lizzy! Oh, Arhans!

  Arhans appeared so suddenly out of the churning water ahead that Lizzy whirled backwards in shock. The dolphin streaked towards her, and even above the throbbing of the boat’s engines Lizzy could hear her whistling call. She reached Lizzy and swam round her in fast, tight circles, scolding with shrill cries.

  ‘I’m sorry!’ Lizzy gasped, dizzy as she tried to follow Arhans’s swirling rush. ‘I know you told me not to come to the sea, but – Ow! Arhans, that hurt!’

  The dolphin had butted her, quite hard, with her snout, and the others arrived and joined in. They all nudged and chivvied Lizzy, their whistles now turning to squeals, and Lizzy realized that they were trying to drive her back towards the shore.

  ‘Stop it, all of you!’ she shouted. ‘Listen to me, please!’ Wildly she waved towards the cliffs, though she could no longer see Silvie. ‘It’s my father – he’s out there in a boat, and I’ve got to find him!’

  Somehow she managed to make herself heard above the dolphins’ agitated rebukes, and, as they realized what she was telling them, their noise died down until at last she was able to explain.

  ‘He’s borrowed Mr Treleaven’s sailing boat, and he’s gone to look at the caves down the coast,’ she finished. ‘I think he’s looking for Morvyr. Oh, Arhans, I’ve got to see him and talk to him! Help me, please! Don’t make me go back to the shore!’

  The dolphins chittered together as if they were conferring about what they should do. Then Arhans swam in close to Lizzy, and one of the others pushed at her hands with its snout, moving them towards Arhans’s back. Lizzy understood. They were going to help her reach Jack Carrick. And the fastest way to do it was to take her to him themselves.