He shook his head. “Not just tigers. My grampa and those before him knew of the sharks that came from across the sea, who came back year after year. They knew of the great whites.”
“So theniuhiis a tiger shark or a white shark?” she asked, fascinated at this glimpse into the history here, of which she could tell they were just dusting the surface.
“Both. Any shark longer than twelve or so feet.”
She nodded toward his ankle. “Is that what your tattoo is? Shark teeth?”
He held up his smooth, almost hairless leg. “Yup.”
Someone like Woody would surely have his own opinions aboutwhat was going on under the surface, but so far he hadn’t offered much. Sharks were in his blood, as they were hers. She could feel it in the spaces between his words and see it on the lines in his face.
“What doyouthink is happening?” she asked.
“She’s been here before, this one. Couple times, but only passing through. I’m curious what got the swimmer, because if that was a white shark, then we’re treading in new waters. But myna‘autells me there’s something going on to knock things out of balance,” he said, resting his hand on his lower stomach.
Having him here gave her a new measure of hope.
Journal Entry
From the journal of Minnow Gray
Farallon Islands, October 17, 1996
The team here has created a surprisingly popular Adopt-A-Great White Shark program to raise money to help fund their research. Max said at first people laughed at them, but they stuck with it and soon developed a passionate following. In exchange for a hefty donation, people get a photo card with the shark they want to adopt, a personalized certificate, a key chain and a stuffed white shark. My favorite part of the whole thing is reading the letters from these people who are obsessed with these animals. Little girls! Grandmas! Businessmen! One girl in particular is in love with Everest (named for the size of his fin) and she writes to him once a month without fail. I love her spunk. All those exclamation points! Really, Samantha is a girl after my own heart.
Dear Everest,
How is winter going over there? I hope you are not freezing to death! You are my favorite shark in the whole world! People tease me and tell me I can’t love a shark, but I do. I love you! I hope I get to meet you one day. That would be fun!
Forever yours,
Samantha
Chapter 12
The Cave
Ilio holo i ka uaua: seal; literally, “dog that runs in rough water”
When Minnow woke in the morning, Woody was no longer on his cot. She found him on the far side of the fishpond, cleaning out long leaves from a dense pandanus tree hanging above. It was only six fifteen and semi-dark. When he saw her he waved but kept working. Minnow went in and started up the hot water and he loped in ten minutes later.
“Girl, you had me worried last night. Thought there was a catfight or something spooky going down,” he said.
The dream surfaced then. In it her foot had come off and she and Woody and her father were swimming around searching for it—looking in holes, under towering blue coral heads, and in the sand. At the entrance to a giant cave, Minnow was about to swim in, but Woody grabbed her arm and made the universal shark sign, holding up his hand and moving it like a shark fin. She pulled free and swam in anyway, her father by her side. A moment later, a dense black shadow slammed into him and the water turned red all around them.
“I’m prone to nightmares,” she said. “Sorry if I woke you up.”
“Small kine haunting. But no worries, I was already awake waiting for the earthquake. To me it’s proof that even though we’ve devolved, our animal instincts are still in us. I wake up every single time, a little before they hit. Did you feel it?”
That’s right, there had been a quake too, a low drumbeat coming from deep in the earth. At the edge of the ocean, Woody had mumbled something that started with anO, then sighed and soon began to snore.
“I did. I was already awake too, and I heard you say something,” she said.
“Ola‘i. Hawaiian for ‘earthquake.’”
“Do you get them down here often?”
“Get ’um all ovah the island, plenty. Pele, she keeps us on our toes.”
