I was following the route on Google Maps and could see my blue dot getting closer to Firefly Forest as a shriek sounded throughout the boat, and everyone stood up to see what was happening.
‘Whale!’ a little boy shouted, pointing out to sea. ‘Over there!’
There was an excited scupper and shouts of ‘where?’ and ‘I can’t see!’ as the boy pointed emphatically.
The Tannoy clicked back on. ‘Hello, everyone. We heard a call of whale and are looking to see if one of our animal friends is close by. We are using sonar radar, as well as our professional spotting telescope, which has a large, objective lens.’
The photographers were already clicking away, hoping to land that one shot that would make them a fortune should Moby Dick decide to leap out of the water.
‘We now have confirmation of the animal,’ she said, continuing the slow reveal. ‘And if you look to the left, by the pink buoy, you will see some disturbance in the water.’ The binoculars went up as everyone tried to see. ‘Around ten o’clock from the buoy. If you lookveryclosely you can see a w… walrus.’ There was a collective groan. ‘A fantastic example of a beautiful creature, I’m sure you’ll all agree.’
It wasn’t even a full walrus. It was a break in the surface where we had to imagine a walrus was chilling underwater. The photographers might have bagged themselves a photo of his nose and whiskers if they were lucky. There were lots of disgruntled mutterings and one of the team was handing out sick bags. The further we went, the bouncier the ride, and the roiling lurch of the boat was playing havoc with my stomach.
Lars appeared out of nowhere and flashed me a silver smile. ‘Your stop is next.’
I followed him down to the lower deck, out into the bitter cold, relieved to be on the move. The wind rattled through the tarpaulin, ruffling up the blow-dry I’d managed to fit in before I left. I could just about see as I shuffled forward, using Lars as a human shield. Emma Stone couldn’t possibly have suffered all this.
‘Firefly ahoy!’ the girl shouted, getting her rope ready. The boat edged towards a wooden jetty surrounded by conifer trees, and the soft scent of pine reminded me of Christmas. A man stood waiting by the steps, bundled up in a fur hat and ski jacket, with his hands in his back pockets. He watched as the rope unfurled in the air, then stepped forward to catch it.
