Lancelot's Lady (58 page)

I squealed with delight and pointed to a floating raft anchored maybe fifteen yards out into the water.
"
Is that ours?
"

My father
'
s eyes turned serious and dark.
"
This is all part of our property. It
'
s safe to swim out to the raft, just don
'
t go any farther.
"

I looked out over the water and noticed an island not too far away. My father stared at it too and I wondered what he was thinking. It wasn
'
t until after supper that I found out.

That was when he told me the story of Fallen Island.

"
Last year, the son of one of our neighbors tried to swim out to Fallen Island,
"
he began.
"
The story I heard was that the boy challenged his younger sister to swim from the raft to the island. When she refused, he went anyway. They say he made it most of the way across.
"
He paused and I clung to my chair, waiting.

"
No one knows if he got caught in an old fishing net or if he just got too tired,
"
he continued.
"
His sister tried swimming out to him, but I guess she panicked and went back to the raft. Her parents found her an hour later, sitting on it, staring at the island.
"

"
Did they find the boy?
"
I asked.

My father shook his head.
"
Search teams dragged the bay, but they never found his body. I heard that his sister went to the beach every day for months, hoping to catch sight of her brother. She believed he was still alive. He was only fourteen.
"

"
That
'
s an awful story,
"
my mother moaned. She turned and patted my back.
"
Your dad never should have told you.
"

"
There
'
s a reason I did,
"
my father argued, looking at me.
"
I want you to promise, Sarah, that you
'
ll never swim farther than that raft.
"

There were times when he scared me. And that was one of those times. The intensity of his words combined with his piercing blue eyes made me swallow hard.

"
Promise me,
"
he repeated firmly.

As I made that solemn vow, I reminded myself that promises were sacred, not to be broken. I knew that he loved me and that he was only protecting me—or trying to.

My father would always be my protector.

The first week went by swiftly. Our days were spent exploring the beach. My mother was happy because my father didn
'
t have to go to work for two weeks. I watched them take off their shoes and run along the water
'
s edge, laughing like children and holding hands. If Amber-Lynn had been there, I would have felt mortified by my parents
'
display. Since I was the only witness, I just smiled and watched.

During the second week, my father often went into town to get supplies. I
'
m sure he just wanted to escape all the cleaning my mother had planned. While he was gone, I helped her clean her new studio. We emptied one side of it and made room for her painting supplies. I dusted the numerous books while she washed the floor and stored the owners
'
boxes in the basement.

By mid-afternoon, the room sparkled and a faint lemony fragrance lingered in the air. As a finishing touch, we placed some candles and an oil lamp on the round table beside the rocking chair.

"
There,
"
I said, setting a blank canvas on the easel.
"
Now you
'
re ready to paint.
"

My mother shook her head.
"
Not quite. At least, not that kind of painting.
"

To my dismay, she pulled out two cans and two large paint rollers. It appeared that the walls were going to get a new coat. Resigned to my fate, I grabbed a roller and started painting. She started on one side and I started on the other—until we met in the middle. By the time we were finished, we were covered in paint and giggling like children.

It
'
s one of my most favorite memories.

"
Good job,
"
my mother said, shaking my hand as we admired the finished result. She leaned against the hallway wall.
"
I
'
m exhausted.
And
thirsty. How about some ice tea?
"

I laughed and raced down the stairs ahead of her.

By the time she reached the deck, I had already set two tall glasses, complete with lemon slices, and a pitcher of ice tea on the picnic table.

I crossed my fingers behind my back.
"
Can I go swimming?
"

My mother stared out at the bay.
"
I
'
m really tired, Sarah. I need to lie down for a bit.
"

"
You don
'
t have to come with me,
"
I assured her.
"
I promise I
'
ll only swim out to the raft. You know I
'
m a good swimmer.
"

I knew she was thinking of all the swimming lessons I
'
d taken at the Buffalo Recreation Center. I was an advanced swimmer, ahead of most kids my age. Not many eleven-year-olds could swim as fast
or
as far as I could. In fact, the last class I
'
d taken before we moved was with kids two years older than me. I
'
d even earned a badge for Intermediate Lifesaving.

"
Just for two hours,
"
she said with a sigh.
"
Don
'
t be gone longer than that.
"

I gulped down my ice tea and checked my watch.
Darn!
It was already two o
'
clock.

Charging upstairs, I changed into a one-piece bathing suit. When I caught my reflection in the dresser mirror, I stuck out my barely formed chest and scowled.
"
One day they
'
ll grow.
"

Pulling my thick dark hair into a quick ponytail, I secured it with an elastic band. Then I grabbed a towel and sprinted downstairs.

My mother was still outside.
"
Be back by four,
"
she warned.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard her yell after me.
"
No farther than the raft!
"

"
Mothers,
"
I muttered beneath my breath.

I made a beeline for the beach across from the raft. Flinging my towel over a log, I quickly removed my sandals and stepped into the warm water. A few pieces of seaweed and something that looked like a bloated onion swirled around my legs. Other than that, the water was clear.

I laughed and plunged in, shocked by the salty taste in my mouth. Swimming toward the raft, I glanced at the forbidden island across the bay. It didn
'
t look so far.

With the cockiness of youth, I grinned.
"
I could make that.
"

I floated on my back and stared at the clouds. After a few minutes, I decided to see if I could swim underwater, holding my breath all the way to the raft. I dove under.

When I reached the raft, I pulled myself up the metal stepladder and stretched out on my stomach, smiling. The raft sizzled under the summer sun and I lazily examined its surface. A few swear words had been scratched out with black marker, but I could still read them. I giggled.

As I shifted my gaze, my eyes were drawn to some initials that were carved into the weathered wood. I traced them with one finger.
RD+MC FOREVER!

I glanced back at the shore, wondering about the owners of the initials. Who were they and where did they live? There were no houses visible, but the beach disappeared around a tree-lined corner.

Maybe there are houses around the bend.

I glanced at my watch. I had lots of time.

Propping my chin on my hands, I admired the view. It was so peaceful—so soothing that it lulled me. I yawned loudly. Cleaning, painting the studio and swimming had made me more tired than I realized. I rested my head on my arms and dozed under the warm rays of the sun. The water lapped against the raft, like a whisper.

"
Amber-Lynn…I wish you were—
"

Something splashed nearby.

I thought that maybe I was dreaming—until I heard it again and looked up.

I blinked.

Something was sticking out of the water. Seawater sprayed and foamed off a solid black mass as it rose from the depths. Then it sank underwater, out of sight.

I was captivated by the strange spectacle and waited for it to reappear. But I didn
'
t see a thing.

I admit I was a bit nervous about going in the water.

What if it
'
s a shark?

I didn
'
t even know if there were any sharks in the bay. My father had never said anything. But I knew one thing. I couldn
'
t stay on the raft all day.

I pushed myself up on my elbows and strained my neck for a better view.

The bay seemed quiet and demure—until I sensed something moving in the water behind me.

"
That was my brother,
"
a voice said.

tthhrreeee

I whirled around and saw a girl about my age treading water near the raft. She had black hair braided into two long plaits and dark eyes that stared at me curiously.

"
What do you mean
'
your brother
'
?
"
I asked when my voice had returned from the pit of my stomach.

The girl grinned.
"
He comes back once in a while. To visit.
"

She swam toward the raft, climbed up and plopped down cross-legged in front of me.

"
I
'
m Goldie,
"
she said.
"
Goldie Dixon. What
'
s your name?
"

She was smaller than I was, and her skin was darker.

"
Sarah Richardson,
"
I replied shyly.

I glanced beyond the edge of the raft, wondering if I
'
d catch a glimpse of her brother.

"
Did you see his fluke?
"
Goldie asked, her face beaming.

Fluke? Of course…

I knew what the black thing was. It was a whale
'
s tail—its fluke. My father had shown me photos of whales from his marine biology class. Some pictures showed the whales
'
flukes or tails, some showed whales spouting water and one even caught a whale as it breached and rose almost completely out of the ocean.

"
So where
'
s your brother?
"
I asked, looking around the raft.

"
He
'
s dead.
"

My eyes widened with shock.
"
What?
"

Goldie pointed toward the island.
"
He drowned. Out there.
"

That
'
s when I recalled the tragic story my father had told me. I had almost convinced myself that he had made it up, just to scare me away from swimming out too far.

"
He died last year swimming out to Fallen Island,
"
she continued, as if I weren
'
t even there.

"
I heard,
"
I said.
"
My dad told me and my mom about it. I
'
m really sorry about your brother.
"