water…
One by one, Flynn
dipped his jugs in the nearest barrel, careful not to spill a single drop.
Alan Perry was
waiting for Flynn. Lying on the table was an open plastic bag with two fat,
juicy fish fillets in it. “Sit down Flynn,” his father said, then pointed at
the fish. “Where did you get these?”
“I traded for them,”
Flynn shrugged and poured himself a cup of water.
“Was it a legal
trade, then?”
“No.”
“Well…. at least
you're honest.” The harshness in Alan Perry's voice was still there, but his
eyes had taken on a gentler look as he spoke. “I'm worried, Flynn! All this
illegal stuff you keep bringing home ... all this diving, scavving…”
“C'mon, Dad! It's
not the first time I've done that!”
“I know it's not!
I pretend I don't see… I don't ask. But… every time you bring something like
this home... my heart skips a beat! My son got lucky again, is what I think!”
“You sound just
like Tony.”
“Well, he’s got
more common sense than you do! You think this is some kind of a game you’re
playing?”
“Dad! I know what
I’m doing!” Flynn cried.
“Really?”
Their eyes met and
stayed locked for a long, awkward moment. There was a lot of sadness and
reproach in Alan Perry’s eyes. Flynn knew that look very well. His father
didn’t approve of the scavenging and the kind of future Flynn had in mind for
himself. He had seen that look many times in the last year… It was the look of disappointment,
because Flynn was going against tradition. He had refused to do what was
expected of him, and what every good kid in town did when they came of age… They
chose to take on their fathers’ jobs, no matter what… and Flynn had no such
plans. He wasn’t going to be a Watchman, even though he had grown up in his
father’s Watch Tower and knew everything there was to know about the job.
Flynn’s mother had
died shortly after he was born, so with no one else to take care of the baby,
Alan Perry had strapped his infant son to his back and returned to his job …
And the little boy had loved the Watch Tower in the beginning… Perched high
above all the other buildings, Flynn felt like he was on top of the world. Back
then, it seemed like there was no job more important than that of a Watchman…
His father was his hero, always on the lookout for danger, ready to raise the
alarm and keep the Archipelago safe…
Until one day,
Flynn had spotted the Scavenger Crews and watched the divers go to work! Going
down to the ocean bed and coming back with their amazing finds… He also noticed
the respect they had among the people of the Archipelago, especially those who
held the title of Free Scavengers. The golden badges they all wore were the
mark of great success… Those badges were known as Duncan’s Gold, named after
Duncan Roth, the man who was in charge of all official scavenging operations. And
then, Flynn had learnt of the privileges that came with their job and couldn’t
believe his ears… These guys had things that the Lower Siders could only dream
of… housing on the Upper Side, good food, running water, no Wardens spying on them…
The list of perks was long.
By then, Flynn had
been old enough to figure out who the real heroes were… His visits to the Watch
Tower became less and less frequent, until he completely stopped going up
there… He had met Tony Romero hanging round the Scavenger Crews, and they had
built their first raft. They had also made a vow… They were going to become
Free Scavengers, earn their Duncan Gold, even if it killed them… And so, for
the past six years, the boys had spent their days diving and getting ready for
the Trials. They were going to win and change their lives forever. Flynn had
made up his mind about what he wanted…Even if it meant breaking his father’s
heart. Looking at Alan Perry’s sad eyes now, Flynn felt a prick of guilt… But
there was no going back, and he didn’t care what his father was going to
One by one, Flynn
dipped his jugs in the nearest barrel, careful not to spill a single drop.
Alan Perry was
waiting for Flynn. Lying on the table was an open plastic bag with two fat,
juicy fish fillets in it. “Sit down Flynn,” his father said, then pointed at
the fish. “Where did you get these?”
“I traded for them,”
Flynn shrugged and poured himself a cup of water.
“Was it a legal
trade, then?”
“No.”
“Well…. at least
you're honest.” The harshness in Alan Perry's voice was still there, but his
eyes had taken on a gentler look as he spoke. “I'm worried, Flynn! All this
illegal stuff you keep bringing home ... all this diving, scavving…”
“C'mon, Dad! It's
not the first time I've done that!”
“I know it's not!
I pretend I don't see… I don't ask. But… every time you bring something like
this home... my heart skips a beat! My son got lucky again, is what I think!”
“You sound just
like Tony.”
“Well, he’s got
more common sense than you do! You think this is some kind of a game you’re
playing?”
“Dad! I know what
I’m doing!” Flynn cried.
“Really?”
Their eyes met and
stayed locked for a long, awkward moment. There was a lot of sadness and
reproach in Alan Perry’s eyes. Flynn knew that look very well. His father
didn’t approve of the scavenging and the kind of future Flynn had in mind for
himself. He had seen that look many times in the last year… It was the look of disappointment,
because Flynn was going against tradition. He had refused to do what was
expected of him, and what every good kid in town did when they came of age… They
chose to take on their fathers’ jobs, no matter what… and Flynn had no such
plans. He wasn’t going to be a Watchman, even though he had grown up in his
father’s Watch Tower and knew everything there was to know about the job.
Flynn’s mother had
died shortly after he was born, so with no one else to take care of the baby,
Alan Perry had strapped his infant son to his back and returned to his job …
And the little boy had loved the Watch Tower in the beginning… Perched high
above all the other buildings, Flynn felt like he was on top of the world. Back
then, it seemed like there was no job more important than that of a Watchman…
His father was his hero, always on the lookout for danger, ready to raise the
alarm and keep the Archipelago safe…
Until one day,
Flynn had spotted the Scavenger Crews and watched the divers go to work! Going
down to the ocean bed and coming back with their amazing finds… He also noticed
the respect they had among the people of the Archipelago, especially those who
held the title of Free Scavengers. The golden badges they all wore were the
mark of great success… Those badges were known as Duncan’s Gold, named after
Duncan Roth, the man who was in charge of all official scavenging operations. And
then, Flynn had learnt of the privileges that came with their job and couldn’t
believe his ears… These guys had things that the Lower Siders could only dream
of… housing on the Upper Side, good food, running water, no Wardens spying on them…
The list of perks was long.
By then, Flynn had
been old enough to figure out who the real heroes were… His visits to the Watch
Tower became less and less frequent, until he completely stopped going up
there… He had met Tony Romero hanging round the Scavenger Crews, and they had
built their first raft. They had also made a vow… They were going to become
Free Scavengers, earn their Duncan Gold, even if it killed them… And so, for
the past six years, the boys had spent their days diving and getting ready for
the Trials. They were going to win and change their lives forever. Flynn had
made up his mind about what he wanted…Even if it meant breaking his father’s
heart. Looking at Alan Perry’s sad eyes now, Flynn felt a prick of guilt… But
there was no going back, and he didn’t care what his father was going to
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