Grimsdon by Deborah Abela

Author:Deborah Abela
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction/General
ISBN: 9781742740829
Publisher: Random House Australia
Published: 2008-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

‘Sit, sit.’ The tassel on the old man’s hat swung around his head as he fussed with cushions and chairs.

Isabella could see he had tidied up ... or at least tried to. There was still the same amount of junk, just in neater piles. He’d even dragged a small table beside the chairs, placed a cloth over it and put a vase with a plastic rose in the centre, along with a tin of toffee-coated nuts.

‘Went exploring. Found a room I’d never seen before. Where they must have had...’ He clicked his fingers. ‘What do you call music, dancing, eating?’

‘Parties?’ Isabella suggested.

‘Yes!’ The old man laughed loudly and held out a chair for Isabella.

‘Thank you, sir,’ she said.

He blushed, reached for the tin of nuts and cut it open with a knife.

Xavier reached over and shovelled a few in his mouth before realising his mistake. His face soured and he stopped chewing. The use-by date had passed over two years ago.

‘Oh!’ The old man’s hands flung into the air. ‘Found something else!’

Xavier spat the nuts into a bit of old newspaper as the man pulled a wallet from his pocket and handed a card to Isabella. ‘Driver’s licence.’

Isabella read the card and held out her hand. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Jeremiah Pain.’

Jeremiah shook her hand and smiled. ‘I haven’t heard it said for so long. Nice it is. And there’s this!’

He took out a business card.

‘Physical Oceanographer.’ Isabella looked up. ‘What do they do?’

‘They work on tides,’ Griffin answered. ‘And study the influence of the ocean on climate.’

‘This is Griffin,’ Isabella said. ‘He’s the smart one who grows the apples.’

Griffin handed over a bagful with his good hand. ‘Nice to meet you.’

Jeremiah took a big whiff and placed the bag on the table. His eyes settled on Griffin. ‘A Griffin can see further than the rest. Half lion, half eagle. A protector: swift and dangerous.’

Xavier patted Griffin on the back. ‘I think you might have the wrong Griffin.’

He pulled away. ‘My mum liked the name.’

‘Sometimes we come late to who we really are,’ Jeremiah said. ‘I’m glad you’re back.’ His eyes tearedup. ‘I was afraid you wouldn’t. Especially after I’d almost whacked you with a fish.’

‘It’s lucky you have such bad aim.’ Isabella smiled.

‘Is this the astrolabe?’ Griffin ran his fingers over the metal-ringed object. ‘It’s beautiful.’

Jeremiah wiped his eyes with his many scarves and nodded.

‘Isabella said you used this to help predict the floods.’

‘And that the government didn’t take you seriously.’ Xavier shook his head.

‘It was perplexing,’ Jeremiah sighed.

‘Can I see The Predictions?’

Jeremiah scampered to the shelves, wheezing as he brought back the oversized book. Griffin carefully turned the pages: on the thin, fragile sheets were drawings of flying machines, alien-like spacecraft and volcanic explosions. ‘It’s better than I ever thought it could be.’

Jeremiah grew teary again before he jumped a few times, clapped his hands and scooped up the stuffed bear. ‘We thought you’d come to see the Submariner.’

‘The Submariner?’ Isabella asked.

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