Patterns of Change by Eckart Schumann

Author:Eckart Schumann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publish on Demand Global LLC

Chapter 13

Asha looked around at the cave. The flat area around the base of the cliff reached its widest extent at the farthest point in, where it was about two yards wide; here Paul had dumped their rucksacks. From the way it had been flattened Asha guessed that was where Paul had slept before.

She looked up at the ceiling of the cave: it sloped quickly upwards and would only give protection from rain if there was no onshore wind blowing.

“Well, how do you like it?” Paul was standing on the small rocks of the sloping section and watching as she looked around.

“I see there's no running water, toilet or separate apartments.”

“Plenty of running water in the sea, waterborne toilet around the corner, toilet paper by request. I'm not sure if there is another cave nearby.”

She smiled at him, and sat down at the edge of the flat section, next to her rucksack. They were completely in the shade now, but just off to the left Cathedral Rock towered into the sunlight. It dominated the scene, with the large arch extending from the main stack out to sea: from her position Asha looked right through the arch, and it appeared as though there was a smaller arch further around. The waves seemed to come from all directions in their relentless assault on the base of the structure, and also continued around to assail the cliff face into which their shallow cave had been eroded.

The light breeze served to cool down the sultry atmosphere. There were several smaller stacks protruding black and jagged farther out to sea, and beyond that the ocean formed a distinct horizon with the lighter blue of the sky. Some distance offshore she could see a white ship plying its way northwards, but as far as their little part of the universe was concerned, it may as well have been on Mars.

“Oh, Paul,” she said, “this is really magnificent. I think I can understand why you come here.’

He smiled back, since he hadn't been quite sure whether she was joking with her previous remark. “Are you OK after your swim?”

“Just a bit of adrenalin,” she replied. “I'm fine.”

Paul came up to the flat section: “I suggest we don't unpack our stuff now, and that we climb Cathedral Rock before lunch. It's easier to swim than to go back along the wave-cut platform: there's a gully which leads farther around from the point where we came down from the top. Later on at high tide it gets a bit scary with big waves.”

He suddenly realized that he didn't know how well she could swim, and asked quickly: “Are you OK swimming? I saw you brought flippers and goggles …..”

“I think so - I used to swim and surf on the beaches at Tongaat.”

“Great.” She seemed to do everything. “Let me have a look at your flippers and goggles.”

She opened her rucksack and showed him. “The salesman at the sports-shop told me to get these.”

He inspected them. “Good,” he said, satisfied.

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