over there.” She pointed south.
“The navy? You lost to the navy?”
She shook her head. “Look a little beyond that.”
“There’s just the oil refinery.”
“Right.”
“You lost to the oil refinery?”
“Not exactly. Have you got a pair of binoculars in your submarine by any chance?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Can we have a look? Would you mind?”
“Not at all. Just a second.” I opened the hatch, climbed in with Hollie, and put him down. He went straight to his water dish, I climbed back out with the binoculars. “Here they are,” I said, and passed them to her.
She raised them and looked. “Yeah. There it is. The Indigo . Have a look.” She handed the binoculars back.
“What is it?”
“A tanker.”
“Oh.” I took a look. “I see her.”
“Yeah, why do you sailors always call a ship a her ? What’s that about?”
“I don’t know; it’s a tradition.”
“That’s a steel machine weighing who knows how many thousands of tons, and its belly is filling up with stinky black oil, and you call it a ‘her’ as if she’s a little girl or something.”
I stared at Jewels. I wondered what she wanted. I could tell she wanted something.
“Tell me, Alfred. Can you make tea on your submarine?”
“Yes, I can. Would you like some?”
“I would wrestle a croc for a cup of tea.”
“Come in.”
So she followed me in. She came down the ladder slowly, and found a spot on the floor beside the observation window in the bow, next to Hollie’s blanket. It was the only comfortable spot I had for a guest. I brought her a pillow to sit on, then put a pot of water on for tea. Jewels looked around curiously, but wasn’t as interested in the sub as people usually were. I didn’t think she was much impressed by machines.
“So, where are you from, Alfred? And what brings you to Australia?” I passed her a cup of tea, and she raised the cup to her lips, took a sip carefully, and stared at me. She was studying me. I felt as though I was on the witness stand.
“I’m from Newfoundland, Canada, and I’ve been sailing around the world for almost a year now, but I’ve been at sea on and off for two and a half years. I came here because I want to become an active environmentalist, if it’s not too late, and I heard that Australia is the best place to learn about it.”
She smiled with genuine enthusiasm. “This is synchronistic, Alfred.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that we were meant to meet, because I’m keen to save the environment, too. But tell me, why did you say, ‘if it’s not too late?’ What’s that about?”
“Well, I met somebody at sea who told me that it’s definitely too late. And that speaker at the protest said it is. And scientists on the radio say it is. Do you think it isn’t ?”
“Are you alive?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s not too late.” Jewels took another sip of tea, and stared over the cup at me. She was thinking of something else for sure. I wondered when she’d come out with it. “You’re from Canada, you’re a sailor, and you want to become an environmentalist, so…you must know about the Sea Shepherd Society, right?”
“I think I’ve heard of them, but I don’t know who they are.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“And Captain Paul Watson? You know who he is, right? He’s a Canadian hero.”
“No.”
She laughed. “You’re a wannabe environmentalist from Canada and you’ve never heard of one of the most important environmentalists in the world, who’s from your own country?”
“No. Who is he?”
“He’s the patron saint of whales. He created the Sea Shepherd Society to stop the slaughter of whales, dolphins, and other creatures in the sea. But he’s not your typical environmentalist. He’s more like a vigilante. He’s a whaler’s worst nightmare. He flies the Jolly Roger.”
“The skull and crossbones? Is he a pirate?”
“He is if you’re killing whales. Otherwise, he’s a pretty nice guy. Right now,
“The navy? You lost to the navy?”
She shook her head. “Look a little beyond that.”
“There’s just the oil refinery.”
“Right.”
“You lost to the oil refinery?”
“Not exactly. Have you got a pair of binoculars in your submarine by any chance?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Can we have a look? Would you mind?”
“Not at all. Just a second.” I opened the hatch, climbed in with Hollie, and put him down. He went straight to his water dish, I climbed back out with the binoculars. “Here they are,” I said, and passed them to her.
She raised them and looked. “Yeah. There it is. The Indigo . Have a look.” She handed the binoculars back.
“What is it?”
“A tanker.”
“Oh.” I took a look. “I see her.”
“Yeah, why do you sailors always call a ship a her ? What’s that about?”
“I don’t know; it’s a tradition.”
“That’s a steel machine weighing who knows how many thousands of tons, and its belly is filling up with stinky black oil, and you call it a ‘her’ as if she’s a little girl or something.”
I stared at Jewels. I wondered what she wanted. I could tell she wanted something.
“Tell me, Alfred. Can you make tea on your submarine?”
“Yes, I can. Would you like some?”
“I would wrestle a croc for a cup of tea.”
“Come in.”
So she followed me in. She came down the ladder slowly, and found a spot on the floor beside the observation window in the bow, next to Hollie’s blanket. It was the only comfortable spot I had for a guest. I brought her a pillow to sit on, then put a pot of water on for tea. Jewels looked around curiously, but wasn’t as interested in the sub as people usually were. I didn’t think she was much impressed by machines.
“So, where are you from, Alfred? And what brings you to Australia?” I passed her a cup of tea, and she raised the cup to her lips, took a sip carefully, and stared at me. She was studying me. I felt as though I was on the witness stand.
“I’m from Newfoundland, Canada, and I’ve been sailing around the world for almost a year now, but I’ve been at sea on and off for two and a half years. I came here because I want to become an active environmentalist, if it’s not too late, and I heard that Australia is the best place to learn about it.”
She smiled with genuine enthusiasm. “This is synchronistic, Alfred.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that we were meant to meet, because I’m keen to save the environment, too. But tell me, why did you say, ‘if it’s not too late?’ What’s that about?”
“Well, I met somebody at sea who told me that it’s definitely too late. And that speaker at the protest said it is. And scientists on the radio say it is. Do you think it isn’t ?”
“Are you alive?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s not too late.” Jewels took another sip of tea, and stared over the cup at me. She was thinking of something else for sure. I wondered when she’d come out with it. “You’re from Canada, you’re a sailor, and you want to become an environmentalist, so…you must know about the Sea Shepherd Society, right?”
“I think I’ve heard of them, but I don’t know who they are.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“And Captain Paul Watson? You know who he is, right? He’s a Canadian hero.”
“No.”
She laughed. “You’re a wannabe environmentalist from Canada and you’ve never heard of one of the most important environmentalists in the world, who’s from your own country?”
“No. Who is he?”
“He’s the patron saint of whales. He created the Sea Shepherd Society to stop the slaughter of whales, dolphins, and other creatures in the sea. But he’s not your typical environmentalist. He’s more like a vigilante. He’s a whaler’s worst nightmare. He flies the Jolly Roger.”
“The skull and crossbones? Is he a pirate?”
“He is if you’re killing whales. Otherwise, he’s a pretty nice guy. Right now,
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