Moonfin (12 page)

“No way, I'd hate to be in one of those when a hungry whale came around,” said Jeff.

“I'd hate to be the whale,” Lizzy balked. “Imagine chomping down on what you thought was a juicy fish only to break a tooth on a bolt or something—”

“OOOWWWW!”

A wall of water had risen up and splashed over the transom of the boat, smattering them all with an array of icy droplets. It felt like a hundred little blow darts had hit their skin all at once.

“
What the—
!” Jeff spluttered
.

“That actually hurt!” said Kai.

A faint giggle floated above the black water.

“Do you hear that?”

“Yeah, maybe some kids from the beach are playing a trick,” said Jeff. “It's probably that ditsy Krista.”

“Let's hope not! I wouldn't want her to hear what we were just talking about, mechanical fish and all.”

Lizzy scuttled over to the deck rail where the source of the splash came from. Water puddled and beaded on top of the waxy floor boards, and she noticed something shimmering along the edge—silvery-green and red colors glinting in the lamplight.

“Take a look at this,” she said, stooping down. Jeff and Kai followed after her, finding what looked like a small pile of glistening scales lying at their feet.

“They're like pieces of metal or something,” said Jeff, intrigued.

Lizzy picked one up and dangled it over the strip lights that ran along the deck.

“More like bone material, or
exoskeleton
, like Mrs. Gates taught us in science. It acts as protective armor for some animals. Look, they fit together like puzzle pieces.” She snapped a few together, making a pattern.

“But how …?” Kai leaned over the edge of the rail and thoroughly searched the dark ripples dancing toward the hull.

“Jeff and I were playing checkers on that very spot a few minutes ago. I think we would've noticed them before.”

Lizzy stepped carefully around the yacht, checking for people and lights on the boats tied up along the docks. The water smelled of seaweed and engine petrol—normal tang found in the harbor. The air was quiet. It seemed like someone or something put those bone pieces there on purpose, just for them to find.

She rounded back to Jeff and Kai with an idea and scooped the glittering scales into the palm of her hand. “I think we should take them to the lab where my mom works. She's seen about everything that's come out of this ocean in the last twenty years and could probably tell us what they are,” Lizzy said, reaching for her jeans' pocket.

Kai liked how they looked and had a different idea.

“Oh, but wait! These would make great necklaces. Let me see if I can drill a hole in them and put a leather cord through.”

Jeff smirked. “Leave it to a girl to accessorize almost anything.”

She ignored him. “Look, if I take three, there's still plenty left to show your mom.”

“I guess, they don't look dangerous or anything.”

Kai grabbed some out of Lizzy's hand and threw them in her knapsack. Lizzy pocketed the rest of the shiny pieces then watched as several bonfires flared up along the beach in the distance. She couldn't shake the feeling she was forgetting something … or somewhere, she was supposed to be at that moment. The big luminous moon peeked above the expanse and she suddenly realized what it was.

Turning toward Jeff and Kai, she gushed, “It's time for the gimpits to run!”

Kai blinked. Jeff gawked. Both were speechless.

The gimpits were part of local lore that no right-minded person from outside Blowing Prawn believed. Might as well say the hobgoblins were coming.

“Er—I gotta go and trim my iguana's toenails,” said Jeff quickly.

“Yeah,” said Kai, “I need to … um … wash my surfboard and
stuff
.” She had already finished washing and waxing it down that morning.

“C'mon,” Lizzy whined. “I told Sugar we'd meet her at the beach and try to catch enough for her famous soup. Don't make me go alone.”

“Wow.
Yum
,” said Kai sarcastically.

“It has something to do with her girlhood memories on the bayou,” Lizzy said, trying to sound convincing. “She wants us each to fill a whole bucket—
pleeeeease
,” she begged. “I can't do it all by myself.”

“That could take all night,” Jeff complained. “I wouldn't mind eating them, I just don't want to wait that long to catch and cook them—if they're even for
real
.”

They hopped off the side of the boat and onto the smooth, weathered pier, leaving the yacht jouncing behind them. The aged wood was cool and pressed lines into their bare feet as they climbed the ramp up to the wharf, arguing the whole way about whether or not gimpits truly existed.

Kai tried to think of a way to get out of it.

“You know it's all a myth, don't you?”

“She says it isn't. Besides, I promised her we'd help. Jade and Lee are supposed to meet us there.”

Jeff's expression changed.

“Jade … with Lee, the intern from the lab?” he asked, trying to act nonchalant.

“Yep. A friend of my dear sister's. Why, Jeff, I do believe you might be jealous.”

“No!” he spouted, face reddening.

“Ah-kaaaay,” Kai groaned irritably, “but only for Sugar would I go fantasy gimpit hunting—because she bakes us cookies and other yummy things—and I won't disappoint her. Anyone else I would call crazy to their face.”

“Yeah, and if they're for real, think of all the tasty things Sugar could make for us,” said Jeff, rubbing his tummy.

Kai looked at him doubtfully.

“Don't get your hopes up, oh Stomach-of-Steel.”

Chapter 10
THE WATERPEOPLE

I
t was close to nine o'clock when Lizzy, Jeff, and Kai arrived grudgingly at Blowing Prawn Beach, buckets in hand, ready to join in on the hunt. The moon was full. People were all aflutter. And by the time they showed up, the old timers were well into their storytelling …

“It happened once after the Charleston Earthquake of 1886,” wheezed Mr. Greer, owner of the unfortunate boat the seals had sunk many years prior (they capsized several more boats, but his was their favorite one to tip over in the harbor). Mr. Munt added his story to the trickle around the campfires with, “One bit my toe in '39 on the shores of Kamogawa when I was a boy….” Mrs. Bickle passed around a recipe book she'd written on the subject, swearing up and down that gimpits were the remedy for gout and stuttering.

And so, under the glowering moon, neighbors and shopkeepers, young and old, threw out their beach chairs ready to hold vigil into the midnight hours. Many wore funny hats with fish tails sticking out the back. And while they huddled under piles of blankets around the fire pits to stay warm, the children began to sing their songs of wooing:

 

 

 

 

At the end of the song, everyone danced around like sweaty ogres, skipping and splashing in the water with hopes of enchanting the little sardines (which explains why they've never seen one).

Sugar was all set with her white buckets and nets in tow, cotton candy hair tied up neatly in a bandana, polyester slacks rolled above her knees.

“Are y'all ready? I can feel it in my bones! It's gonna happen tonight and we are making fish stew!”

Jade showed up to lend a helping hand, looking gorgeous for all to see—especially for Lee, who hadn't arrived yet. Kai and Jeff rolled their eyes at the whole spectacle and plopped down in the sand next to the fire to make s'mores.

“Might as well stuff our faces with chocolate and marshmallows if we're going to be stuck here all night,” said Kai, looking on the bright side.

The shoreline sparkled, and harmonicas lifted on the breeze. Occasionally someone would shout, “I see one!” then, “false alarm!” It was only a piece of driftwood or someone's lost shoe.

Lizzy wrapped herself snugly in Sugar's quilt, which she always did when feeling a bit sad, and stared silently into the dancing flames.
Brandon used to love these shenanigans,
she thought to herself
.
She never let herself believe he was gone forever. But today—right at this moment—she felt herself giving in. A small tear trickled down her cheek.

Her heart sank into her stomach, and the merriment around her soon became too much to bear (because when you're glum, the last thing you want to do is sing songs about gimpits). She dropped the quilt and, grabbing a piece of driftwood to use as a walking stick, headed toward the coves to be alone and clear her mind for a bit. She could join in on the fun later.

Climbing over some rocks, she tumbled into a small inlet covered with broken shells and found a flat stone near the lapping sea to sit down on. There she let the memories of all the happy times from her past flood her heart and the anguish of loss pour out through her tear ducts. A long and heavy-hearted time ensued as she wept into the salty night air. Until …

The water made a rippling sound at her feet, and a gentle murmur rose up from somewhere—

“There, there, young one. Let it
allllll
out,” she heard clear as a bell.

“Wh-who is there?” she stammered into the thick darkness. It sounded deep and raspy—a man's voice—and startled Lizzy from her glum mood.

“You have been through so much, you deserve a good cry,” he said soothingly.

Scared, Lizzy looked madly around the cove but couldn't see a single soul.

“H-how do you know what I've been through?” She wiped at her stinging eyes.

“You have a right to be angry,” he cooed. “Aren't you tired of being a
perfect
and doing the right thing
all
the time?” A strange, hypnotic buzzing began to course through her mind.

“Where are you?” she called out, looking hard in the direction of the sound, which seemed to come right out of the black water.

“You hurt so much inside you think you might explode. Wouldn't you like
someone
to pay? I know exactly how you feel, my dear …”

“No, I would never….”

It was hard to block out what he was saying. The words seemed to be piercing and poking her brain in a steady beat and bringing all the feelings it suggested along with it. The rage bubbled up like a fountain within her, drowning her thoughts.

His voice grew stronger and he clanged and hissed.

“It isn't fair. Some girls get it all—the new toys, beauty, popularity, happiness—but you! Tsk, tsk! I don't want to say it, but life has not been kind to you.”

Lizzy jumped to her feet, digging pointed fingers into her forehead, but dizziness forced her back down to the rock. Something was squeezing her brain! If self-pity were a living fireworm, it was burrowing into her skull at that moment.

“You should come to me, and we should talk some more. Trust me, it will
sooooothe
you.”

“Um—okay,” Lizzy said blankly, unable to resist, “Where are you?”

“Right here—come a little closer to me….”

She felt a sudden longing to walk right into the water—she was sure it would calm her anger. Of course! It all made sense to her that the place she loved the most, the ocean, was going to wash all her pain away. She rose from the rock and slipped her toes into the billowing tide.

“Yeeeeesss, just a little more …
that's right
. I will make it all better—”

Then, in a moment and a flash, yellow eyes rose up out of the water, and something like a thick, black, slimy vine wrapped around her leg. The vine turned and plunged down into the sea, taking her trapped with it, slithering and zipping, dragging her body along like a limp rag doll to the ocean depths. Lizzy, still in a stupor, tried to make it out.

Was it an eel? How could that be, it's so big!

They traveled into the dark recesses, her lungs burning. She began to suffocate. As if by instinct, she reached out and grabbed a conch shell from the sandy floor as they flew by. She put it up to her mouth and took deep gulps of air.

Aaaahhh,
she breathed.
Good thing Xili taught me about this.

The eel was surprised to see her breathe from the conch. He hadn't counted on that. She had learned quickly!

He sent a jolt of electricity through his tail and zapped Lizzy, causing her to drop the conch. Her body went limp. A steady stream of current and confusing thoughts pulsated through her mind. Paralyzed, eyes rolling back into her head, she began to lose consciousness …