Spearo by Mary-anne Scott

Author:Mary-anne Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: OneTree House Publishers
Published: 2020-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was seven o’clock, the sun was low, glittering and still warm, but there was more than a hint of evening in the shadows as Spear-time coasted back to the harbour. Mum walked towards them, holding Tilly’s hand and calling out as soon as the boat was in the shallows. ‘You okay, Daryl?’

‘Only just,’ he told her.

‘Did you not have your sea legs on?’ Ritchie asked and everyone laughed when Daryl gave a sheepish snort.

‘I’m not sure I own any.’

Ritchie pointed up to the car park and said to Mason, ‘Get the tractor, son, and we need a chat before everyone disperses.’

They gathered around the boat when it was back on the trailer and Ritchie sat on the wheel guard as he spoke. He wore a worn hat that said Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way, which he pushed back to scratch above his ear. ‘Here’s the plan. Tournament day is Saturday so we’ve only got tomorrow to prepare. I’ll take Nicole, Mason and Sean as my competition crew, but only Nicole and Mason will dive.’ He looked at Sean. ‘It’s teams of two, so you stay on the boat as my spotter.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Sean said.

‘Maybe next time, huh?’ Ritchie said. ‘The tournament’s a bit of fun but Mason and Nicole take it very seriously, don’t you?’

‘It’s the best thing about summer,’ Mason laughed. ‘Last year we couldn’t get a kingfish but this year we will.’

Ritchie looked doubtful. ‘Well, we’ll see. There’s a westerly blowing up tomorrow afternoon so let’s dive early tomorrow morning but relax in the afternoon. Registration’s at six.’

Daryl spoke up, his accent sounding stilted after Ritchie’s casual chat. ‘Some people might like to assist me when I launch the kontiki tomorrow afternoon?’

Sean wondered why the hell he didn’t shut up about his stupid kontiki but Mason said, ‘Yeah! I’ll help.’

Daryl’s face became all glasses and beard as he scrunched into a smile. ‘I’d be delighted. It’s old but efficient.’

‘Bit like me,’ Ritchie said. He settled his hat in place. ‘Everyone happy? Sean, if you want to dive and Anita agrees, then be here at seven tomorrow morning, sunscreened, with food, water and a hat.’

There was no long discussion. Mum just said, ‘That’s fine. Thank you.’

Mason and Sean slapped palms. ‘Tomorrow will be awesome, it’s our reconnaissance day.’ Mason laughed in the chilled-out way that made him so popular at school. ‘We always have our best fun when it doesn’t count, don’t we Dad?’

Reconnaissance day had surprises Sean couldn’t have imagined. He was at the boat harbour well before seven, shivering while he waited on a washed-up tree, teeming with sand hoppers that swarmed over his bare toes. He corralled them with driftwood but they escaped any fence he built by leaping the walls or burrowing under them.

The Leadbetters arrived and repeated the routine of switching the boat from the truck, to the tractor, to the sea. Nicole had earbuds in under her beanie. She didn’t acknowledge Sean, but sat with her camera gear in her lap, as the boat slid into the water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.