by Matt Musson
I just kept walking.
*************
Grandpa Gus always says: There's no such thing as a free lunch. He is referring to back when old time saloons advertised a free lunch buffet for their customers. But, the lunch was not really free. The saloons just charged more for the drinks.
Today, the MacDonald's people give away a million dollars in their monopoly game. But, that money has to come from somewhere. They just end up charging a little extra for every big Mac or Quarter Pounder they sell.
So, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
There are a lot of lost things out there. Some things are scary and even painful to find. Some things may be better off staying lost forever.
And, so I walked the beach alone.
I walked along the pristine island and watched the shorebirds play in the small foaming waves that slid up and fell back, leaving scraps of food for hungry little darters.
I walked and watched a slanted line of brown pelicans gliding down the island. With wings spread wide, they fixed their heads forward holding a position like latter day pterodactyls. They flew without effort. No flapping, just riding the wind.
I walked some more.
I listened to the ocean talk. The warm wind whistled through my ears. And, the sun beat down on a hot and humid Summer afternoon.
And, I shivered.
*************
Chapter 18 - Cape Lookout – Zero Hour
We had a quiet dinner that evening. The food was as good as ever, but no one had much of an appetite. Of course we went out of our way to mention we were going on a big night time fishing trip to cap off our week at the beach.
“What kind of fish can you catch at night that you can't catch during the day?” asked Pam.
“There are several nocturnal species in the area,” Bogdon answered. “Flounder, speckled trout and drum often go through powerful late night feeding cycles.”
“And Sharks,” Shad added. “Sharks eat at night.”
“Don't tell me you boys are going shark fishing?” said Ms. Mynah, worry sneaking into her voice.
“No, Ma'am,” Freddie answered. “We will definitely be doing our best to avoid the sharks!”
“What about you, Jeep?” Pam inquired. “What are you hoping to catch on this big night time safari?”
“Uh… I don't know,” I replied. But, after considering for a moment, I gave her an answer.
“When Grandpa Gus goes fishing he always says he's after ‘the Big Fish from the Bible'. I guess tonight, I am hoping to find the same thing.”
Pam smiled at my answer.
“Well Jeep, I hope you find your big fish. And, I hope you fellas stay away from those sharks!”
*************
Great Uncle Hank once said, “If you want to find a needle in a haystack, you have to be scientific about it. Otherwise, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” (And, Uncle Hank ought to know. He’s was a flight director for the Space Shuttle program.)
So, right after dinner, the Rangers began the scientific process to pinpoint our whale.
Just before the sun went down, Freddie and Shad called On*Star for one last update on the whale's position. While the trouble twins were cell phoning, Bogdon and Toby unpacked the club's radio direction finder and a simple compass.
The radio direction finder is actually a pretty simple instrument. You point it in the general direction of the broadcasting beacon – in our case the one in the missile attached to Levi's netting. And, the hand held unit receives the signal and emits a continuous series of beeps. If you move the receiver back and forth pointing in that general direction, (called ‘Sweeping the Arc') the beep is loudest when it's pointed exactly at the transmitter. Then you use the compass to determine the precise direction the receiver is pointing, and you have what is known as the bearing.
Bogdon and Toby biked two miles up the Island and took a reading on the beach in front of the Light House. Then, they biked back and took a reading on the beach just even with the Center. Finally, they biked two miles down the island and took a final reading right above the Cape.
Returning to the base, they sat down with a map and marked down the three points they biked to. From each mark, they drew a line out into the ocean that matched the three bearings. The lines intersected six miles down Shackleford and two miles out to sea. With a flourish, Bogdon used a magic marker and drew a big red circle around the spot. In case there was any question he labeled the circle LEVI.
Freddie and Shad placed their On*Star map beside the one made using the direction finder. It was easy to see that the plots overlapped and both groups agreed.
Levi was here.
At least, he would be here in about two more hours.
*************
We immediately started hauling equipment down to the pier. It was still early, but we were anxious to get the show on the road.
We carried the air cannon and the net cutting missiles carefully packed in one of our olive drab footlockers. In another box we carried food, water, a first aid kit, and the disassembled whaling spear – just in case. Finally, in a third footlocker was seven sets of 4th Generation night vision goggles. They were the best that money could buy and Charlie already sprayed them down with WD40 to increase their limited water proofing.
The last thing we had to do was return to the center and get into our wet suits and personal flotation vests.
Wetsuits are designed to let small amounts of water flow through holes in the rubberized material called neoprene. The liquid is trapped next to the skin and natural body heat warms it up. It's like wearing a giant form fitting hot water bottle. The circle of warmth helps a swimmer endure extended periods immersed in cold ocean waters that would otherwise lead to hypothermia.
We were donning our wetsuits tonight in case Levi decided we should go for another swim.
Getting into a wetsuit is an adventure all by itself. Almost everyone has a special trick to help slide inside into the tight fitting rubber. But, all the tricks pretty much boil down to either grease or powder.
Most of the guys chose the greasy method. Charlie, Thor and Bogdon were slathering down with Cocoa butter. Shad, who claimed he once used Crisco, was squirting on baby oil. Like greased pigs, they could slip and slide into the tight fitting rubber suits.
Meanwhile, Freddie and Toby where shaking themselves down liberally with baby powder. The powder provided a dryer way to reduce friction between the skin and the neoprene.
I am something of a purist. I prefer to go natural: without grease or powder. That means that I struggle and stretch and fight the neoprene until I work up a sweat. Then the sweat provides enough lubrication for me to squeeze inside.
The good news is that tonight it was pretty humid and wet suits are awfully hot. In no time I was sweating like a stuck pig and the suit slid right on. The top part of the suit was comparable to a rubberized long sleeve shirt. The bottom part was like a pair of biking shorts that went all the way down to your knees.
When Toby zipped up the zipper on the back of my suit, I felt like five pounds in a three pound sack. But, we were finally ready. And, it was finally time to go.
Unfortunately, someone needed to make a pit stop.
“Hey guys? How do you pee in a wetsuit?” Freddie asked the group.
“Well, it’s real simple,” answered Charlie. “You pee in the wetsuit.”
“In the suit?” choked Freddie.
“Why do you think they call it a ‘wet suit’?” asked Charlie.
“Is that for real?” Freddie asked skeptically. “If Shad told me that I’d know he was lying.”
Charlie laughed.
“I’m not lying to you. There is no zipper down the front. You just pee in the suit. But, you are supposed to be in the water first. If you have to go right now, I suggest you pull it down and hit the john or you will end up leaking onto the floor.”
A relieve
d Freddie Dunkleberger stepped into the bathroom.
“In the future, go before you get into the suit,” Charlie yelled after him.
“And, don’t leave baby powder on the toilet seat!” Shad added.
Of course it's not easy to get out of a wetsuit, do you business and get back in. And, Freddie took his own sweet time and we were just about out of patience. We wanted to get out on the water and save ourselves a whale!
After what seemed like forever, and several threats by the entire team, Freddie finally finished, and we were ready to go.
“Is there anything else that anyone needs to do before we leave?” ask an exasperated Charlie Sinclair.
I raised my hand.
“Jeep! Have you forgotten something, too?”
“We have all forgotten something,” I replied sheepishly. “We forgot to pray.”
That stifled the groans, because we realized we needed all the help we could get.
So, we gathered in a circle, held hands and bowed our heads.
“Whose Father?” asked Charlie.
“Our Father,” we answered, “who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name…”
Together we finished the Lord’s Prayer with ‘Amen'. And, we were finally ready to go. Everything was done. And, it was time to for our adventure to begin.
As a group, we turned and began walking out the front door. And, just as we hit the bottom step we heard someone yelling around the back of the center.
They were calling for Help!
*************
We dropped everything and ran around the Center toward the pleading voice. Stumbling a little in the dark, we got to the rear of the main building just in time to see Donnie jogging out of the darkness. As he emerged into the weak light of the single back porch bulb, we could see he was carrying someone piggyback style. Running to meet him, we got close enough to see it was Pam, and she was crying out in pain.
We assisted Donnie and Pam for the last thirty yards of their half mile jog from the ocean.
When we reached the back steps, several Rangers carefully lifted Pam off of Donnie's back. She sobbed continually as we moved her. We still did not know what was causing her agony. But, under the dim light from a nearby bulb, I could see she was bleeding badly for her right heel.
“Let's get her inside,” Donnie gasped.
Bogdon opened the door and we lifted her across the threshold, each of us attempting to carry some weight while trying to respect her modesty.
“Freddie, run grab some towels out of the bathroom,” Charlie ordered. Meanwhile we maneuvered Pam down on a sand colored upholstered couch.
“Ow! Ow! It hurts! It burns!” Pam moaned over and over, grabbing her leg.
She rocked back and forth as if the motion could provide some relief from her torture.
“What happened?” asked Charlie. “Was it a shark bite?”
“That’s what I thought at first,” Donnie replied. “We were wading through the surf and watching the moon come up. Suddenly, she screamed and grabbed her foot. I thought maybe she’d been bit by a shark or stepped on broken glass. But, when I helped her to the sand, I pulled a spine out of her heel. It was from a stingray. And, it must have been a big one.”
Freddie came running back into the room with towels that Donnie and Charlie spread under Pam's punctured foot. When they wiped away the blood, I could see she had a hole on her heel about the diameter of a number two pencil and blood was pouring out like water dribbling from a faucet. The pain hit Pam in waves while a deep crimson patch soaked into the couch material.
Donnie took the smallest towel and tried to apply pressure to the wound. Soon blood soaked through the terry cloth. But, after a minute it appeared to be clotting.
However, the pain was relentless. It was shocking to witness. I had never seen an adult in such bad shape. It was frightening to watch as Pam pleaded through her tears.
“It burns! Someone do something! Make it stop! Make it stop!”
I don't know if Donnie or Charlie had any ideas about how to treat a stingray attack. However, no suggestions were forth coming. Finally, someone else had to step up to the plate.
“Get me some real hot water! Quick!” Shad ordered. ”Hot water will deactivate the toxin. We need to soak her foot in it for at least an hour.”
I jumped to follow Shad's orders. After all, he usually knew what he was talking about. And, I decided it was better to get hot water than to sit there and panic!
I hurried into the kitchen and turned on the faucet in the oversized metal sink. I let the water warm up while I grabbed the large metal stock pot that Ms. Mynah used to make soup. I placed it inside the sink beneath the running water.
Thor followed me into the kitchen and was standing behind me when I tested the temperature of the water with my hand.
“Is it hot enough?” he asked.
“I think so,” I replied. “It’s coming out steaming.”
“Do you think we should boil it on the stove?” Thor suggested.
“That would make it too hot,” I replied. “We want to cook the poison – but not the foot.”
While we were busy filling the pot, Freddie came running in looking for meat tenderizer. Shad said that since the poison is a protein, a meat tenderizer paste would break it down like a tough steak.
When the pot was half full, Thor took the handle on one side, and I grabbed onto the other. We carried it into the living room and left Freddie frantically ripping through the spice rack.
Pam was writhing even worse when we returned.
We sat the pot down in front of the couch. Then Charlie steadied Pam while Donnie angled her foot into the water. She cried out when he immersed it into the searing liquid, but it seemed to give her almost immediate relief.
“Oh, My Lord, that is the worst pain I have ever felt,” Pam cried. “But, that water really helps! At least now I can think again. Before I put my foot in the bucket, the pain was so bad I was ready to hack off my foot with a butter knife!”
Freddie came scurrying in with a blue topped plastic container.
“I found it. Here’s the meat tenderizer.”
“Pry off the lid and dump half into the water,” Shad ordered.
Freddie did as he was told and the orange colored powder dissolved in the blood tinged water to make a muddy brown mess.
Shad took the shaker from Freddie. He got Donnie to lift the foot out of the water and heavily powdered the wound.
But, removing the foot from the heat bath caused the pain to return with a vengeance. Donnie was forced to put the foot back in. So, Shad finally just dumped the rest of the meat tenderizer in on top of it.
Out of habit, he made a comment about cooking ‘Pam Foot Soup'. But, even he didn't laugh at the joke.
“Where did you learn how to treat Stingray attacks?” Donnie asked Shad as he tested the water with his finger.
“The Discovery Channel,” Shad explained. “After the Crocodile Hunter got stung, they had all kinds of doctors and health officials telling what to do if you got zapped.”
“What else should we be doing, Dr. Shad?” Donnie asked.
“There's not much more we can do. Keep adding hot water when this stuff starts to cool off. Give Pam some aspirin or ibuprofen. And, make her as comfortable as possible. The stings are extremely painful. However, they are rarely life threatening. Most people are up and around the next day.”
“You'll be okay, Pam,” Shad added confidently as he patted her on the arm. “Just relax. You should start feeling better soon.”
Pam smiled through the pain. I believe she started to say something. But she suddenly began to shake. Her eyes rolled up in her head. And, she fell backwards onto the couch.
“Oh Crap!” said Shad.
“What happening?” demanded Charlie. “What do we do now?”
Shad replied speaking rapidly with a hint of desperation in his voice. ”She’s losing conscious
ness and her muscles are twitching.”
He put his hand on her face. “She’s also starting to sweat. That means the venom is being absorbed into the body and she’s reacting to it.”
Shad looked back at Charlie. “The poison is setting off a chain reaction of symptoms. Loss of consciousness, followed by rapid irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure and seizures.”
“What do we do?” Freddie cried. ”What does that mean?”
“It means that is Pam doesn’t get medical attention immediately,” Shad replied, “she may die.”
**************
Hearing that Pam could die, President Charlie Sinclair took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the situation. Charlie is methodical and knows how to cut right to the chase. And, he can be calm under pressure, even when others are caving in.
Charlie's voice was firm and direct as he ran down our options.
“We have got to do something and we have to do it now. We've either got to get Pam to the hospital or get Emergency services to come to us. Those are our only two choices.”
Charlie’s calm voice helped to assure the rest of us that things were going to be okay. He continued.
“We could carry her to the boat. And, sail her across to Harkers Island so we can drive from there. Or, we could just run the boat flat out into Beaufort. Either way, it's a going to be at least an hour into town. Then it's another half hour to the Carteret County Hospital on the far side of Morehead City.”
“I’m not sure she’s up for that kind of ride,” said Shad. “The exertion of the trip could stress her heart even more. It may be smarter to keep her here.”
“Carteret County Hospital could order a damn helicopter.” Toby added in frustration. ”If we could just get their attention, it could be here in minutes.”
“Freddie,” Charlie ordered, “Take your cell phone up on the third floor landing and see if by some miracle, you can get a signal. And, while you are up there, make a quick scan of the ocean. If there's a big Yacht or ship close by, we might be able to get their attention and borrow a radio.”
Freddie took off upstairs, while Thor and I went back to the kitchen for more hot water. We got a large handled soup pan and filled it from the faucet.