“Deal,” Cody said and put out his hand. “Your secret is safe with me. I swear by the moon and stars and all the creatures on land and sea.” They shook hands solemnly. After a few moments of silence, they clambered out of the boat and dripped along the wharf to their respective homes. Kira threw her clothes into the dryer, which was normally only used in the winter months. She couldn’t show up at the hall in a different outfit or her mother would notice and start asking questions. She also had to dry her long, curly hair.
When she saw Cody again inside the hall, the ceilidh was in full swing. Her parents were dancing a Scottish reel, their cheeks glowing pink with exertion, laughter in their eyes. Kira smiled, feeling happier and more at ease than she had all summer. Finally, she had someone she could confide in; she had a friend.
Chapter Nine—
Captain Doyle’s Logbook
School started the following week, along with the angst Kira experienced every new school session. The girls she knew best belonged to the swimming club, and they all assumed she would be joining again. But Kira no longer had any desire to swim in the pool. She still loved to swim but the tepid, chlorinated water had no appeal for her. The girls were disappointed when she said she wouldn’t be trying out for the swim team, and promptly turned their backs on her. Kira was hurt but not surprised.
Her mother’s reaction at hearing the news was one of concern. “But, Kira,” she said, “you’ve always loved to swim. And it’s such great exercise. What made you change your mind?”
Kira was prepared to defend her decision, though she didn’t completely understand her new feelings. “I read that chlorine is bad for your lungs and your skin. And it wrecks swimsuits. Look at how many I go through, and they’re so expensive.”
“Oh, honey, don’t worry about the suits, we can manage that.”
“Well, it’s just not healthy. My eyes sting, and my skin itches. And, anyway, I’m not that competitive. I just like to swim, not to race. Maybe I’ll join the track and field club, do some long distance running. That’s good exercise, too. I don’t have to compete if I don’t want to.”
“No, Kira,” her mother agreed, “you don’t have to compete. But we’d like you to stay active. You’re such a bookworm.” Her mother patted her on the head and returned to chopping vegetables for supper.
Kira smiled behind her back. She was getting plenty of exercise that her mother didn’t know about.
That Sunday she and Cody hoped to take a short field trip if the weather was fine. He had his watercraft license and they would take his father’s motorboat out of the village harbour, around the rocky southern spit, and into the next cove. When they had asked Babbling Bill, he’d told them that was the best local spot to find seals. The two of them wondered if that was where Bill had seen the selkies many years before. Their objective for the weekend was to locate seals and learn if they could communicate with them. At least that was Kira’s role in the plan, once she was underwater.
Kira’s parents were glad to see their daughter had a friend to spend the day with. They were off to a nearby town to visit old friends, so they would not be around to see Kira boarding a boat. That was also part of the plan.
Babbling Bill was happily playing his fiddle, surrounded by a small audience on the wharf as Cody and Kira pushed off into the harbour. The day was warm and bright, barely a breeze over the calm water as they rounded the spit. Once on the other side, the waves were stronger, rocking the boat as they chugged farther from shore. Kira scanned the surface with her spyglass, looking for any signs of activity on the surface.
“There!” she pointed toward the far south shore of the cove, where rocky outcrops shattered incoming waves into sheets of spray. “Seagulls flying low. And I think, maybe, I saw a seal.”
“I don’t want to get too close to the rocks,” Cody said. “One hard wave and we’re splinters.”
“Yeah, I know. How about anchoring out a bit farther, clear of the rocks?”
“Aye, aye, captain Kira!” Cody saluted her and pulled out the throttle. When they reached the spot, Kira set down the glass, pulled off her jacket and glasses, and stood up. She was already barefoot and ready to jump in.
“Hey, don’t rock the boat with a fancy dive,” Cody warned her as he grabbed the gunwales to steady himself.
Kira grinned at him, then slipped overboard with barely a ripple on the surface. She shivered at the thrill of once again gliding through the green water and hearing the booms of crashing waves on shore. Below her the dark fronds of seaweed swung back and forth with the current as if greeting her. Looking up she saw the dark arrow-shaped boat above her, and the bright blue sky beyond. Now this was swimming, she thought, kicking her tail and moving toward the breakers.
The booms grew more thunderous as she approached the shoreline. But in spite of all the noise, she could make out squeaks and barks, very like the sounds of seals on land. Then she saw their dark shapes zipping up and down, three, four, five of them, as if they were chasing one another. She swam closer then slowed and sank to the bottom so she would not disturb their play.
And it did appear to be play. The seals were performing a version of keep-away, with one grasping a large oblong object between his teeth, zigzagging through rocks, trying to stay in front of the others. At one point he seemed to drop the object, which glittered as it fell through the water. Another seal snatched it up before it landed, and he was off with the others in pursuit.
Kira was entranced. They reminded her of a litter of pups she had seen that spring. But the puppies’ coveted object had been a yellow tennis ball. Suddenly the seals were directly above her. The leader dove straight down away from the others and within seconds he stopped in front of Kira, still and upright as a marble column. She also froze, not sure what he would do. The seal stared straight into her eyes, then dropped the object and barked, wagging his head. He shot straight back up to join his companions, and together they disappeared before Kira could react.
“I just wanted to say hello,” she said aloud, realizing this was the first time she had ever spoken underwater. Her voice sounded clear to her own ears, and she wondered if any other living creature nearby could hear her also. “So close,” she muttered.
Resting on the bottom next to her tail fin, the dropped object did not look as large as she thought it was from a distance. She stooped down to observe it more closely. A glass bottle, with a cork at the neck, and dark coloured material inside. Probably sand, she thought. But who would put sand in a glass bottle then cork it? She reached out gingerly and picked it up. There were no markings on the outside of the rectangular bottle, except for a few bumps on one side.
Kira pushed off from the bottom and swam back to the boat. She doubted she’d see that particular group of seals again, given how quickly they swam off. At least she had found something that was interesting—a seal toy.
Back in the boat, she handed the bottle to Cody and described what she had seen.
“Hmm, do you think they were afraid of you?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but it sure felt like it. His bark was like a warning to the others. Or maybe it was for me. And the look in his eyes was kind of wild. There were more of them than me so they shouldn’t have been scared.”
“Well, maybe they were worried there were more merrows nearby. Maybe seals and merrows aren’t the best of friends.” Cody was tilting the bottle back and forth.
“Kira, this isn’t sand. It’s heavy and it’s rattling. Should we try to open it?” Cody’s eyes danced with excitement.
“Sure, why not? Unless you think it might be dangerous. Like maybe something rotten or poisonous inside.”
Cody had already taken out his pocketknife and was cutting through a waxy material covering the cork. “I’ll point it away from us, just in case it’s disgusting.” When the cork was pried out Cody held the bottle at arm’s length for half a minute before peering inside.
“You know what it looks like?” he asked. “A bottle of mouthwash. Dad has a bunch of old bottles like this in a display case in his waiting room. But I don’t think this is antique.” He tried to reach into the mouth of the bottle, and managed to hook his finger onto the dark brown material. With twisting and tugging and a lot of grunting, he began to pull out a cloth.
“Oh look!” Kira said, pointing, “All the stuff falling out. Is that a pen? Two pens. A knife? And paper, it’s paper!”
“Yeah, a message in a bottle. Probably some kid up the north shore, I bet. I heard that a bunch of grade fours did that for a project a couple of years ago,” Cody said, shaking out several items from the bottle into the bottom of the boat. “Some of their bottles went on quite the trip. One ended up in Boston.”
Kira nodded her head. “I remember that. Have you got the paper out yet? Look, this is a fancy letter opener, not a knife. Why would they put that in the bottle? There’s no envelope to open.”
By then Cody had extracted a rolled-up piece of paper. It was lined paper, like the type in their school scribblers, but with no punched holes, and all the edges smooth. Inside the lined paper, were two smaller cream-coloured pages of writing that had obviously been torn from a notebook. He began to read the notes.
“April 16, 1997 – CHD
0600, 7 degrees C, SW wind at 5 knots. Clear skies, not a cloud in sight. Plan to drop nets east of Kelly Sound. Heard reports that halibut had been moving through the area last two days.
0835, 10 degrees C, SSW wind at 8 knots. Dropped nets. Seas calm.
0940, sudden fog bank, did not see it appear, seemed to drop down on us. Boat swung due west, nets caught on something, then pulled up. Nets gone! Cut or chewed through, rough edges. Anchor also gone.
Boat rocking, tried to engage engines, but no response, we cannot change course. No radio, lost all power.”
Cody stopped and looked up at Kira. “This is no kid writing, this looks like the real thing, notes from a logbook.”
“Don’t stop now! Keep reading,” she urged him.
“1605. Have never seen the like. Squid, giant squid, trying to take the boat. Been fighting for our lives, the four of us. Ron is injured, we think he’ll be okay, but need to get him to a hospital. Squid have stopped trying to come aboard, have a couple of their tentacles, nasty teeth on them, razor sharp, remember Bill’s story. Where do they come from? What do they want with us? Are being towed, can’t tell where to without instruments, still no power. Have seen fins surrounding boat after squid dropped off. Like no shark fins we’ve ever seen, all sorts of colours, green, grey, brown, black, mottled with white or blue, and a sharp spike in front of the fin. What in heaven’s name is going on?”
Cody looked up at Kira again. “Whoa. Creepy. Do you think someone made this up for a joke? It’s like a horror movie.”
Kira shook her head. “A month ago neither of us believed in mermaids. Anything is possible. What about that other sheet of paper, the white one? What does it say?”
Cody compared the two types of paper. “Same handwriting.” He continued to read.
“My dearest Yvette, all this time I thought you just wanted to believe in those fanciful stories you would read or make up. I thought old Bill was a bit soft in the head, the crazy stories he told. Perhaps I should have listened more carefully to both of you.
I pray this bottle will make it to shore, so you will know that we are not drowned in a storm. If the paper does not last, these few tokens will let you know it was I who set the bottle adrift. Where we are being taken, I know not, but if it is to that mist-shrouded place you spoke of aloud in your worst dreams, heaven help us.
Your loving husband,
Harvey Doyle”
Kira had put her hand to her mouth. Together they both whispered, “Mrs. Doyle’s husband.”
“Their boat was lost over ten years ago,” Kira said. “We have to give this to her.” She paused. “No, you have to give this to her, Cody. My parents can’t know I was near the water. In fact, don’t give it to Mrs. Doyle until Monday, and you can say you found it washed up on the beach during one of your hikes.”
Cody nodded, mute. He started up the engine to head back to their safe home harbour. The two of them gazed down at the water as the boat skimmed over the surface, the sea now a more sinister place than they had ever dreamed.
Chapter Ten—
Mrs. Doyle
“Kira!” The snap of a ruler on a desk made Kira jump. Her classmates snickered when the teacher asked her to solve the math problem on the board. Kira didn’t have a clue. She had barely heard a word all morning. Fortunately, her teacher only rolled her eyes and moved on to the next student.
Kira found it impossible to concentrate at school that Monday. She could not stop thinking about Captain Doyle and his crew, and what had become of them. Then there was Mrs. Doyle and her nightmares about the sea. Did she believe in seafolk lore, in mermaids and mystical islands? How would she react when she saw the contents of the bottle? Kira was anxious to talk to Cody after school, but that day it felt like her classes would never end.
When the last bell rang, Kira shot out of her seat and down the hall to the study room. Cody was waiting for her, just as they had arranged. He sat at a corner table, far from anyone else who might come in. For now they were alone.
“So?” Kira asked, breathless. “What happened?”
Cody shook his head. “It was awful. Poor Mrs. Doyle, I felt like I’d just murdered her husband. Bearer of bad tidings and all.”
“What did she say?”
“Well, I started by telling her where I found the bottle, and that I had opened it, and thought it might be somebody’s school project, and she just nodded her head and smiled. Then I showed her the bottle, and she didn’t say anything. Then I said that I’d read the pages inside, and I wondered if she might be interested in reading them, too. But first, I showed her the other stuff, you know the pens, the letter opener, the small rock with a carving. And her eyes got really big, and she grabbed the letter opener and said, ‘Where did you get this?’ in a loud voice. And I turned around to see if anybody was listening.
“So then she got all quiet and told me to follow her into a small office behind her desk. She shut the door and looked at everything, and started to read, then got all pale and shaky. I was afraid she was going to cry, and I just wanted out of there.” Cody wiped his brow as if he’d been sweating.
“Did she? Cry?”
“I don’t know, not then. She asked me again where I found the bottle, and I told her on the beach way south, just before the spit, so at least it wasn’t that far from where we really found it.”
“Sure,” Kira agreed. “It was out there a long time, it could have landed anywhere.”
“Yeah, but then she seemed to look at me suspiciously, and wondered why the bottle hadn’t broken up, because it’s a pretty rocky beach there. And I figured maybe she thought I had set this up as a joke or something. Then I remembered the cloth it was all wrapped in and gave that to her, too. And she grabbed it and looked at it carefully, and saw that monogram in the corner. Then I figured she was going to explode, she was shaking so bad. So I said I should go, she could keep it all. And she just nodded her head, she was stunned.”
“Shock?”
“Yeah, I guess.
“That monogram, CHD, wasn’t it?” Kira mused. “HD, Harvey Doyle maybe? What would the C stand for? Another name, like Charles?”
“Or maybe Captain?” The two of them let out huge sighs, glad the goods had gone to the person they were intended for, feeling sad that the bottle and its cargo had brought such sorrow to a person they both liked so much.
When Kira arrived home from school, her father was in the kitchen stirring a pot of clam chowder. He explained that her mother would not be joining them for dinner. She was with a friend.
“Oh?” Kira said. “Is there a problem?” She suspected she knew which friend.
“Mrs. Doyle had quite a shock today. Your friend Cody found a bottle with a few things that belonged to her husband. You may remember he was lost at sea long ago.”
Kira decided she might as well tell him that she knew about the bottle and its contents, since he’d expect that Cody would have told her about his amazing find.
When her mother returned late that evening, Kira was in her room reading. She waited a few minutes to let her parents talk, then walked into the living room where they sat, long sad looks on their faces.
“Ah, hello, Kira,” her mother said. “Dad says you know about the bottle Cody found yesterday.”
“Yeah, I saw it today. How is Mrs. Doyle?” Kira sat across from them and could see the concern on both their faces, but especially on her mother’s.
“She’s very upset. She fears the worst, of course. In some ways it wasn’t much of a comfort for her to see his things.”
“But she already thought he was dead,” Kira said. “Do you think they were kidnapped? Maybe by pirates? Was there a ransom?” She saw a look of fear flicker on her mother’s face before she lowered her eyes to her hands grasped tightly in her lap.
“No, Kira, there was no ransom,” her father replied. “There was not a single word, we never heard from the lads or about them again. Until today.”
“So what do you think those things were swimming around the boat? Some kind of shark? Cody tried to look them up and there is no such shark or dolphin or anything like it anywhere.”
“Kira, as I’ve said before, the sea can be a dangerous place. We don’t know all the different creatures that inhabit the deeper parts of our oceans, and perhaps come up from time to time. Like the giant squid.”
“I know, I’ve been reading about some of them. The animals in the deepest places don’t even have eyes because no light gets down that far. We watch videos of deep-sea life in school. It’s really cool, they have these special remote-controlled submarines with cameras that are built for the high pressure under all that water.”
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