The Boy and the Battleship

by Christopher Cummings

  It was a cool night but by the time he arrived at the Esplanade he was a lather of sweat. His first problem was what to do with his bike so it wouldn’t be stolen by the undesirables who lurked along the Esplanade at night. He solved this by wheeling it into the ornamental garden and hiding it in a garden bed. That done he walked quickly across to the road leading to the marina.

  Another obstacle reared up. A civilian security man stopped him at the entrance. “Where do you think you are going kid?”

  “Fishing,” Graham replied.

  “Oh yeah! What with? Clear off!”

  Graham retreated to the car park and considered his next move. For a few minutes he stood in the shadows of a garden bed and noted that the security guard was patrolling, not stationary. As soon as the guard was out of sight Graham walked forward and out onto the walkway along the edge of the water. He sought out the rubbish bin he had dumped his fishing gear into and retrieved it, then moved along towards the Yacht Club into a patch of shadows. From there he could watch the entrance road and the pier leading out to the pontoons.

  Settling himself as though fishing, he began careful observation of the area. The place was reasonably well lit but virtually deserted. In 10 minutes the only people he saw were a man and a woman who sauntered past arm in arm, stopping to kiss every 20 metres or so.

  Lucky bugger! Graham thought morosely.

  A man walked through the pool of light under the streetlight at the end of the pier and walked out towards the moored yachts. Graham strained his eyes. He did not recognize the man, who did not go anywhere near the Frolicker. More time passed. A cold wind blew down the Inlet and began to chill Graham. It was enough to make his eyes water and he regretted not wearing a pullover.

  Another man appeared on the walkway. Yes! It was the chubby tourist. He spoke briefly to the security guard who directed him on. Graham’s eyes followed Chubby as he made his way out along the pier and down along one of the floating mooring pontoons. Yes! He was going to Metcalf’s yacht.

  Soon after that Brad appeared. He strode straight out to the yacht which showed that he had been there before. Graham’s excitement mounted. The meeting was going to take place! A noise behind him made him glance back. Two people were strolling along the walkway from the Yacht Club, a man and a woman. At first he thought it was the same couple as before but then he espied them in passionate embrace in a patch of shadow. With a shock Graham realized the two newcomers were Sean O’Malley and his girlfriend Paula.

  Fearful they would recognize him Graham looked away, bending over to look down at the dark water gurgling just below his feet. As the couple drew closer Graham’s heart began to hammer anxiously. They strolled past close behind him and he heard Sean say, “I will be as quick as I can. Sorry you can’t come but the boss doesn’t want too many people there.”

  Graham could not hear what else was said but Sean took Paula along to the steps leading up to the bar. The pair vanished up them and a minute later Sean returned alone, striding fast. He also made his way out to Metcalf’s yacht.

  “Time I moved,” Graham muttered. He looked carefully around for the security guard but could not see him. Nothing for it but to walk quickly along, hoping it is dark enough to give me some cover, he thought. He strode to the start of the pier and out along it. Now his heart really began to hammer, sensing that he would get a very unpleasant reception if he was caught eavesdropping.

  The security guard! The man was at the far end of the pontoon shining a torch over a yacht moored there. What to do? Where to hide? Beside Graham was another yacht which was in darkness. In an instant he had stepped over its rail and lay flat behind its deckhouse. Now he was afraid and he lay there ready to run as the security guard walked slowly back. The beam of the torch passed over the cockpit of the yacht and then on.

  As the security guard strolled back to the pier Graham released his breath with a slow gasp. Picking his moment he stood and scuttled back onto the pontoon and continued on along it. Now his attention was concentrated on the Frolicker which was the second last yacht in the line. Lights shone out of the cabin door and the portholes but no-one was visible on deck.

  Graham stopped on the pontoon beside the yacht and bent down to peer in the portholes. His mouth was now dry and his heart hammered rapidly. Yes! He could see Metcalf, Chubby and Sean. Brad was not visible but must have been in there because people kept turning their heads to look at someone Graham couldn’t see. To Graham’s annoyance he was unable to hear anything. The sound of voices could just be made out but was lost on the background sounds of rigging slatting in the breeze, the tide gurgling around hulls and moorings and distant music from a nightclub.

  How on earth can I get to overhear them? he wondered. For a moment he contemplated creeping onto the deck of the yacht so as to listen at the companionway but he hesitated. He knew from experience how easily movement could be felt in a small vessel. Besides, it would be a serious risk. What possible excuse could he give for being there if caught?

  At that moment voices attracted his attention back to the shore end of the pontoon. Under the lamp there stood the security guard and he was talking to a man in a white shirt: Rico! Graham did an instant appraisal of his position. I have to hide, and quickly! he thought. Glancing around for a hiding place he considered moving to the far end of the pontoon but instantly rejected it. There was a lamp there too and he would be silhouetted by it if he tried. It would also betray him if he tried to cross the pontoon to the yacht opposite. That was ruled out anyway as there were lights on in the cabin.

  Here they come! he thought in alarm as he saw Rico and the security guard start walking along the pontoon. There was only one place to go and Graham took it before he had time to think too much about it—over the side into the water. Grasping the mooring rope at a bollard Graham lowered himself into the water near the stern of the yacht. The water was cold and made him gasp with shock. But it was fear that really chilled him; fear of the sharks and crocodiles as much as of the men.

  There was a concrete piling at that point and he slid close to it. Careful testing showed it to be relatively free of barnacles. He presumed that was because the pontoons slid up and down the pilings with the rise and fall of the tide.

  It is some sort of protection, he told himself.

  Moving his grip so that his hand was hidden close to the piling, he hung up to his waist in the water. The tug of the current was an unpleasant surprise but he clung on.

  Rico walked to the yacht and jumped aboard. Graham heard him being greeted. The security guard stopped just nearby and shone his torch around. Graham held his breath and prepared to slip under if spotted. A large fish went plop, attracting the man’s torch, and making Graham’s blood run cold with fear.

  Big fish jump to escape even bigger fish, he thought.

  Then another sound came to Graham; the splutter of an outboard. Into view around the last yacht came the black shape of a dinghy with a man in it, silhouetted against the lights of the hotel. For a moment Graham thought it was just some yachtsman or fisherman; then realization struck hard. It was the middle-aged man in the blue singlet and shorts; and he was heading straight for where Graham was hiding!

  There was only one thing to do. Graham let go. He slid soundlessly under into total blackness. Panic stirred but he managed to keep control. As he rose to the surface he drifted on the current. The next yacht was only 3 metres away and he was carried into the gap between the pontoon and its stern. His arm went up and gripped the low rail before he was wedged in against the fenders.

  By the time Graham had himself under control the dinghy had reached the piling he had just left. Graham saw the security guard take to painter thrown to him and make it fast. The middle-aged man climbed up onto the pontoon and spoke briefly to the guard who nodded. They obviously knew each other. The middle-aged man went down into the cabin of the yacht. To Graham’s consternation and annoyance the security guard took up post on the pontoon facing towards the shore.


  He looks like he is on guard. Is he part of the organization too? Graham wondered.

  It looked as though his plan had failed completely. He gave up hope of getting to overhear anything and started planning how to get out of his predicament. The simplest thing was to climb onto another boat and to wait. So he waited till the security guard was definitely looking the other way, then he tried to haul himself out of the water onto the deck of the yacht he was clinging to. It was a hard lift but fear lent him strength. Even so he stopped half way because of the noise he was making.

  This won’t do. That bloke will hear me, Graham told himself. Carefully he lowered himself back into the water and thought again. I will wait till he moves away.

  Having decided that, Graham hauled his legs up beside the pontoon and tried not to dangle down as a tempting morsel for every passing predator. It took a real effort to push the fear down to manageable levels. So as not to attract attention from denizens of the deep he stayed as still as possible.

  After a time boredom, cold and cramp began to replace fear as his main concerns. It seemed as though he would have to cling there all night. His teeth began to chatter and his fingers started to cramp so he alternately flexed them. To Graham’s annoyance the guard stayed in position.

  After what seemed like hours men appeared on the deck of the yacht. Graham saw them briefly in the cabin light, then dimly as they stepped across onto the pontoon. The meeting was over and he had not heard anything! He swore under his breath. Then he lowered himself as far as he could while still holding onto a fender as the middle-aged man and Rico appeared on the pontoon above the dinghy.

  The two men stopped only a few metres from Graham. He saw Rico look around to check they were alone. Rico then said, “So, is Steinwehr going ahead with his mad plan?”

  “The Stonefish? Yes he is,” the middle-aged man replied.

  “Then you make sure I get off that wharf Mellish. I want to be well out of the country before he uses that,” Rico replied.

  “Don’t worry Rico. We will really screw the coppers up. O’Malley has another group who are going to crash the fence down. They will all be in skeleton costumes and will saturate the place in coloured smoke. It is going to cause pandemonium. Those suckers of demonstrators are going to get a real surprise.” Mellish replied.

  Rico laughed and said, “Now I must be sure. At the signal from O’Malley I start all my people sliding down ropes onto the wharf, but I then run back and slip down the other side at the south end to where your costume party is covering me?”

  “That’s right. By then there will be a couple of hundred people inside the yard and the cops will be too busy to notice one person. There will be a car waiting near the Criterion Hotel. It will take you directly to the airport.”

  “Good. That is what I want. OK I had better get back to work. See you on Monday,” Rico replied.

  “Not me. I’ll watch it on TV,” Mellish laughed. “I’ll leave the protesting to the suckers. Besides I will have the Stonefish on board by then.”

  “When do you collect it?” Rico asked.

  “Tomorrow morning,” Mellish replied.

  “Steinwehr must be insane,” Rico said.

  “He certainly has a grudge against the US Navy, but then so do I,” Mellish replied.

  Rico laughed. “It will certainly put the cork in the bottle. I wish I could be here to see it.”

  “It will teach the bastards a lesson,” Mellish said savagely.

  At that he stepped down into his dinghy. The motor spluttered into life and Rico cast off the painter. Graham ducked down so that only a hand was out of the water. He heard the motor surge and that told him that the dinghy had reversed out. The sound died, then changed and from underwater Graham was able to clearly follow the sound as the dinghy headed off out of the marina. When he could hold his breath no longer he slowly surfaced and breathed out in a long, slow breath, as quietly as he possibly could.

  After blinking water out of his eyes he scanned the yacht. There was no sign of anyone. Time to get out of here, he told himself.

  But that was easier said than done. First he had to locate the security guard and the other men. Only when he saw a man walk under a lamp near the shore did he make a move. With an effort he hauled himself dripping onto the deck of the yacht he had been clinging to. Then he lay in cover till he was sure the pontoon and pier were clear.

  With a rapidly beating heart and mouth dry with fear Graham stepped onto the pontoon and walked as quickly as he could, very conscious he was leaving a trail of drips and wet footprints. He almost ran to the shore and off along the walkway to the Yacht Club. He was chilled through but exultant. He had heard the demonstrator’s plans: and better than he had hoped.

  They are obviously not telling everyone in their groups the whole plan, he mused. Now, what do I do?

  Chapter 36

  YOU KEEP OUT OF THINGS!

  When Graham arrived home his clothes were still damp. Worse it was nearly 10pm and he was met by a very worried and angry mother. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you! I was just about to ring the police to start a search.”

  Graham bit his lip and met her eye. “Maybe you’d better phone the police anyway. I have overheard more of what these demonstrators are planning,” he said.

  “Where have you been? What have you been doing?” his mother exploded. “Why are you all wet?”

  “I’ve been down the wharf; and I hid to listen to some of those men. I know what they are going to do. I will have to tell the police.”

  His mother went pale. Alex, Kylie and Margaret craned forward to listen. Graham could never remember a time when his mother had been so angry. “You’ve been listening to those men! And you’ve been swimming in the harbour! In the dark! Are you crazy! You are lucky you didn’t get caught. Or eaten by something! You stupid boy!”

  Graham recoiled from his mother’s anger but stood his ground. When she paused he said, “It is important mum. I did hear them; and this time they didn’t know I was there, so they are the real plans.”

  His mother shook her head in dismay and sat down. Graham sat as well. He shivered and Margaret came to stand beside him.

  “You are all cold,” she said. “Would you like a hot drink?”

  “Yes please. Milo,” Graham replied.

  At that his mother calmed down. “Go and have a hot shower and change, then tell me the story.”

  Graham did this. A warm shower and dry pyjamas restored his physical well-being. He sat at the kitchen table and sipped the warm Milo. Margaret sat beside him and looked at him with sympathetic and loving eyes. Alex and Kylie sat at the end of the table, agog at the fuss.

  When they were all settled Mrs Kirk said, “All right, tell us the whole story, from start to finish.”

  Graham did so. It took him over half an hour. The others kept breaking in with questions as they did not know all the background but Mrs Kirk silenced them. As Graham described how he had slid into the sea to hide from the security guard her face paled and her dismay was clear to see. She shook her head in disbelief as he recounted the conversation between Mellish and Rico.

  “I think they are going to do something really serious and dramatic mum, this stonefish thing they have talked about a couple of times. We have to tell someone. I don’t think they are just ordinary demonstrators. I think they are going to really cause trouble.”

  “Yes, I think you are right,” his mother agreed. “But the demonstration isn’t till Monday so you can go to bed now and sleep on it. We can decide in the morning what to do.”

  “Yes mum,” Graham replied, both glad and sad for that. He did not relish being questioned by Mr Cartwright at this time of night. In fact he felt quite wrung out. Without protest he took himself off to bed. As he slid into his sheets Margaret came out to stand beside his bed. She was also in her pyjamas. She stood there uncertainly and the thought crossed his mind that she possibly wanted a goodnight kiss. She probably wants to be reassured,
he thought. On an impulse he reached out and took her hand. Margaret let out a little sob and moved to sit on his bed.

  “Poor kid,” Graham murmured. Then he put his arms around her and gently pulled her down. She came willingly and they kissed. Graham could feel her heart beating and suddenly felt very comforted. She kissed him again and half lay on him. It felt very nice—just right. But there were tears too.

  After a few minutes Graham gently wiped her cheek and said, “You had better go to bed.”

  “I want to be with you,” she whispered, choked with emotion.

  “You can’t sleep with me,” he said, both shocked and pleased at the idea.

  “Why not? We don’t have to do… to do anything naughty,” she said.

  Graham nodded but then shook his head. “It wouldn’t be right. People wouldn’t understand. Besides, I’m not sure if I could control myself.”

  At that she hugged him tightly and put her head beside his. “That would be all right. I won’t mind.”

  “Margaret! You are too young,” Graham cried, half shocked at this confirmation of what he had suspected. “Besides, I like you too much to hurt you,” he added.

  “You can, anytime you like,” she said matter-of-factly as she sat up.

  “When we are older,” Graham replied. At that moment he did not feel like any more harrowing struggles with his conscience. “Anyway, mum won’t allow it.”

  “I know, but it is nice to think about,” she said, standing up after kissing his forehead.

  “Go to bed!” he said, but kindly.

  “Good night Graham. I think you were very brave,” Margaret said. She hesitated, then at last turned and went back to Kylie’s room. Graham lay back to think over all he had heard; and was asleep in minutes.

  ***

  He slept soundly the whole night and was only roused for breakfast at 8am. First he made his way to the bathroom and changed, not wishing to appear in front of Kylie and Margaret in his pyjamas.