Six Fantasy Stories Volume Two by Robert Jeschonek

Author:Robert Jeschonek [Jeschonek, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781465969910
Publisher: Pie Press

At a cue from the guide, everyone crowded to one side of the boat. Less than a hundred yards away, the glossy dark back of a whale rose from the waves.

Suddenly, a plume of spray geysered up from the creature's blowhole, shooting into the bright blue sky with an explosive whoosh. Everyone at the boat's railing cried out with delight, pointed fingers, snapped camera shutters.

Virgil couldn't wipe the smile off his face, but not so much because of the sight of the great beast sending up a fountain of spume. His enjoyment came mostly from the woman at his side, and the fact that she continued to surprise him. Him, the mind reader who was never surprised.

When she'd offered to go bird watching with him, she'd meant whale watching. Sort of.

"Oh, look at that!" she said, pointing into the air. "What a beautiful gull!"

Virgil laughed. "Oh, yeah," he said, leaning against her arm. "Look at the coloration on its wings."

Several people followed their gaze, shading eyes against the bright sunlight...then uniformly frowned, shook their heads, and looked back down at the whale.

Bridget raised her binoculars to her eyes and trained them on the distant, gliding bird. "Spectacular," she said. "I just hope these dumb whales don't knock it out of the air with their sprays."

"Some mammals can be so inconsiderate," said Virgil, watching her. As she dropped the binoculars and looked back at him, he was struck by the brightness of her eyes, the flush of color in her wind-blown cheeks. Her hair was back in pigtails, and she wore a red ball cap that looked incredibly cute on her.

"If we get close enough to those rocks over there," she said, pointing to a cluster of outcroppings a half mile or so distant, "maybe a puffin will see us. I love puffins."

"I've never seen one up close," said Virgil.

With a serious look on her face, Bridget jabbed a finger at his chest. "Just remember," she said. "We're not here to watch the birds."

"We're here for them to watch us," said Virgil, nodding. "Got it."

Bridget raised the binoculars again and moved them back and forth, scanning the sky. When the nearby whale rolled back under the surface of the water and flipped its tail in the air, evoking cheers from the crowd, she didn't even look at it.

Virgil got the biggest kick out of her.

"Look!" she said, and he turned toward the patch of sky she was observing. "A pelican!"

Several people looked up at the same time, then quickly looked away. Virgil was amused, as he brushed over their minds, to feel their disinterest and annoyance. They thought she was nuts, and some of them wished she would get away from them.

Not Virgil. He wanted her as close to him as possible. To be perfectly honest, he had never in his life felt such a strong attraction to somebody; his mind reading had always gotten in the way.

This time was different. He could not get enough of being around her.

"It's a

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