The Light of the Blue Pearl by K.C. HAWKE Page A

picked it up and held
it tightly in her hand and turned to make her way back to where
Peter was.
    When she turned around she couldn’t see
Peter and started to feel a rising panic. She kicked herself for
being so stupid and straying from his side.
    Something brushed across her leg and she
jumped out of fear. She had felt fairly comfortable with Peter
close by, but now that she was alone she no longer felt that sense
of calm.
    She was starting to have trouble breathing
and decided to ditch the snorkel. Frankly, even if it had just been
a fish touching her leg she didn’t really want to know either way
and had no intention of looking beneath the surface.
    Just then something grabbed her arm. She
turned quickly to see Peter swimming there next to her.
    “You know you really shouldn’t go off on
your own yet,” he said, winking and smiling at her.
    “I’m sorry,” she said, breathing heavily,
starting to feel the calm settle back in. “I saw something down
there and went to see what it was.”
    “Well no harm done, let’s get back,” he
said, this time having her swim ahead of him.
    Lily helped her back onto the boat and
immediately asked her how it was.
    “It was beautiful,” Ethne replied. “This
whole place is beautiful.”
    “See I told you it was worth it,” she said,
grinning at her and handing her a towel.
    Ethne still had the pearl tightly gripped in
her hand, being very mindful not to drop it.
    “I have some food for you if you’re hungry,”
Lily said.
    Ethne was beyond starving, and gladly
accepted the offer. Peter did as well and sat down next to her.
    “So did you like it?” he asked.
    “Yes I did, that was amazing. I never knew
this place existed. I never knew a place like this could exist,”
she replied.
    “You should see what it looks like farther
down; it is beyond amazing,” he said. “I could try to describe it,
but I wouldn’t do it justice; it’s unreal.”
    “Oh, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do
that,” she said, looking away out at the place she had just
been.
    “Well you would need some dive experience,
but it is well worth it, believe me,” Peter said.
    She just nodded in agreement and ate another
piece of pineapple, not wanting to reveal that it wasn’t fear that
kept her from doing such a thing.
    “So what was it you went back for?” he
asked.
    Ethne thought for a second and then opened
her hand revealing the pearl, partially wanting for some reason to
keep her find to herself.
    “Oh wow, that’s quite a find. I’ve never
found anything like that before and I’ve been here a million
times,” he said, almost sounding a bit jealous.
    After they had finished their snack, Peter
said it was time to be getting to the next spot.
    “Next spot?” Ethne asked. “You mean there’s
more?”
    “Yep, we have a couple more places to visit
before we take you back,” he said, giving her yet another wink.
    While she had enjoyed herself, she wasn’t
sure she was up for more. She was still really tired from her
traveling and hadn’t slept all that well. And now with the pearl in
her hand it felt like she had what she had come for. But she
supposed that it wasn’t really up for discussion, so she just sat
quietly as the boat made its way to the next spot, staring down at
the beautiful blue pearl in her hand.
    The water had been calm so the trip wasn’t
an unpleasant one, and pretty soon they were coming to a stop.
    “Where are we now?” she asked.
    “This is Half Moon Caye,” Peter replied.
    Having now gone on one snorkeling trip Ethne
thought she was better prepared for what was to come. She got
herself ready and found herself confidently getting into the water
after Peter.
    When he gave her the signal she put her head
below the surface and was shocked by what she saw.
    She felt like she had just entered a fantasy
world of colors. While the Blue Hole itself was a magnificent hue,
the colors that were contained in this water were
indescribable.
    Colors from fish