Dolphin Magic

Chapter 5

Sea Turtle

He sat inside the boat, opened his laptop to check emails. There it was, the message he had been eagerly awaiting.

Dear Sir,

I have located an address. Local sources pinpoint his location here, saying he recently moved in within the past year.

25 Ocean Lane, Islamorada

I hope this address proves successful. We appreciate your business. Please let us know if you need further assistance.

- Mountain View Investigations, LLC

He leafed through the nautical charts he had stacked by his computer and the map of the Keys tacked to the wall. He traced a line with his finger from his current position to Islamorada, measured the mileage and calculated the time it would take his boat to travel the distance. He looked at the clock. He would not have enough time to make the trip today, and actually do the legwork required. And if it was successful? Then what? He had imagined the scenario in his mind so many times over the years, even more so over the last 8 days. So many possibilities. So many outcomes, like a Choose Your Own Adventure story. But he knew that no matter how many endings he had pictured, it would be the one he couldn't imagine that would happen.

He typed a reply:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for the information. I have transferred payment to your PayPal as requested. I will contact you if I require further assistance.

He clicked "send" and closed the laptop.

It was too late to travel the distance today, but it was not too late to prepare for the journey. He charted his path, double and triple checked the weather. Checked his fuel tank, emergency kit, batteries, engine oil. He looked at the dot he marked on the map, 25 Ocean Lane, Islamorada. He smiled. For the first time in ages he smiled. It felt foreign on his face, a muscle memory faded long ago, faded when he had been forced to say goodbye. Goodbye to his mother and to everything he had known. But he smiled now. Smiled at the possibility, smiled with hope at what could be the end of his journey – or just the beginning.

***

He awoke long before the sun and checked the weather one last time. There was nothing in the forecast to concern him, nothing on the horizon. He made himself a cup of instant coffee with milk, a disgusting practice his father said he learned from his grandmother.

He took his coffee to the dock and put his bike back on board. He untied the boat and looked over at the mysterious cottage. With no light on, it again appeared abandoned. But he knew life dwelt within its walls, youthful life, evolving life. He wheeled the bicycle on deck and chained it to the side out of the way. Turning the ignition key, the boat came to life and his journey continued.

The sea was a different beast in the dark, the black waves carrying secrets from the depths, depositing them on the shore. The cold he felt was not simply lack of sun, but a fear from prehistoric days deep inside his genes where his primitive instincts told him to stay away from the dark. But the warm gilded globe exposed the top of its bald head, and with it came a glint of gold on the sparkling waters ahead.

Against the horizon, he spotted the unmistakable dorsal fin of a lone dolphin, its black silhouette dancing against the blue sky. A deep chill scattered goosebumps up his back and down his arms, but there was no sudden breeze. It came from within, a hidden memory packed away, covered in dust and cobwebs. He removed the dusty lid and sifted through the stored memories like a faded photo album. It was just a spark at first, then a shadow, then a blurry outline that became clearer the harder he thought.