Resonating Souls (Bermuda Nights #1)(12)

He raised a hand in the air. It held a baggie full of little pieces of brown. “Care to find some fish?”

I creased my brow in confusion, but I nodded, stepping forward with him into the water. The ocean was cool but pleasant in the warm sun. Once I was in to my waist I lowered my mask into the water, then spit into it, swirling it around to distribute it. I shook it out, then tilted my head back to dip my head into the water up to the hairline. With it neatly smoothed on my head, I then put on the mask, settling the snorkel into place.

I turned to Evan in curiosity. I spoke through the plastic, careful to enunciate clearly. “You don’t have gear?”

He shook his head, his eyes twinkling. “I can hold my breath a long time.”

I looked over his physique and held in a moan. I bet he could do pretty much anything he set his mind to.

He pointed to the water. “Down you go. Keep your eyes toward the ocean.”

I nodded obediently, pushing off, floating face-down in the water. The sand was beautiful – clean, sparkling, with the occasional hole leading to a mysterious ocean-dwelling creature within.

His closed hand came into my view, the fingers clenched as if holding something. He paused … waited … and then opened his hand.

A cloud of small, brown items, almost like chocolate jimmies on ice cream but larger, floated from his fingers.

WHOOSH.

A swarm of large, silver fish, each about the size of an oval dinner plate, with black spots on their tails, appeared completely out of nowhere. They raced around me, eagerly snapping up the items in a wild frenzy.

I shrieked in delight and surprise and worry, flailing with my feet, leaping up out of the water. “Good God Almighty!”

Evan was laughing, his eyes bright, and I pulled the tube from my mouth. “What in God’s name was that?”

He held up the bag. “Fish food. It’s made for oriental water gardens, for feeding to koi and such. But the local fish here seem to adore it.”

I looked down at the flock of eager creatures which now swirled around our legs. “What are they?”

“Silver porgies,” he explained. “Perfectly harmless. Just look at those big eyes. How can you not love them?”

They did look awfully cute, like a family of aquatic playful puppies looking for some treats.

I put the snorkel back into my mouth and carefully lowered myself back into the water, not wanting to hit one by accident. I spoke into the tube. “Do it again!”

The hand came before my mask again, the fingers rippling, and then they were open. Again the fish came in, eager, alive with desire, and I laughed in delight as they darted here and there, grabbing at the food. I reached out my hand. The fish didn’t mind at all, just swirled around me.


Evan’s hand slid through the water, leaving a trail of food behind it, and the fish followed as if he were the Pied Piper of Bermuda playing a music only they could hear.

He made a spiral shape and they darted high and low, snatching the small items with careful precision.

I drew up to my feet again. “Can I try?”

He held the bag open to me, and I took a small handful. I tucked back into the water and cautiously opened my fingers.

The silver flashed, the big eyes gazed at me in appreciation, and tiny mouths carefully plucked the food from the water before me, only inches from my face.

I was in heaven.

“Get them to eat from your hand,” I called out through my tube.

I imagine it came out something like “Murfphl bwwem EAT flaghum turrrr HAN.”

His closed hand came down into the water again, and this time the fingers only opened slightly, making a cage out of his fingers. The fish clustered around him, poking their little mouths against him, and suddenly he flexed his fingers, pulling his hand sharply up.

I got to my feet, pulling my tube from my mouth. “Are you ok?”

He grinned, looking down at his finger. “Just a little nibble, like a parakeet’s bite. Didn’t even leave a mark. I imagine he was just trying to get in at the food.”

He held up the empty baggy. “We’re done for the day, though.”

My face fell, and he smiled. “I do have more back in my room. If you’re free tomorrow –”

I nodded my head eagerly. “Yes! Absolutely!”

He paused, looking at me, his eyes seeming to become lost in mine. Then he gave himself a shake and tucked the baggie in at his waist. He waved a hand over toward the rock wall. “Shall we?”

We dove into the water, swimming toward the reef, and a trail of hopeful porgies came along behind us, perhaps thinking that we were holding out on them. They stayed in among us, silvery guardian angels, as we descended into the tumbled rocks.

Evan pointed down and ahead, and I smiled. It was a gorgeous, turquoise-lavender parrot fish, the length of my forearm, placidly cracking away at a hunk of coral. I could hear the crick crick of his beak. We swam closer, and he didn’t mind a bit. We were in his world now, and he was content to let us watch.

A flurry of bright motion, and a tiny sergeant-major swam in front of my face-mask, as if it was a window and my eyes were a strange new sight. His body was perhaps the size of an Oreo cookie, but shimmery white, with golden yellow highlights and dark black stripes.

Evan went up for a breath of air, and when he came back down again there were three more parrot fish joining the first, all serenely nibbling away at the coral.