The Sound of Whales by Kerr Thomson

tonight.’
    â€˜Just as well for you. Our American visitors are eating here tonight.’ Jessie Dunbar ignored Fraser’s sigh and her voice softened. ‘Have you met Hayley yet?’
    â€˜Aye.’
    â€˜She’s a very pretty girl, don’t you think?’
    â€˜I hadn’t noticed.’
    â€˜Well, take it from me she is. Now go and wash your hands, they’ll be here soon.’
    Fraser hesitated. He had to get back to the cave. He had promised. ‘I’m not that hungry. I’ll skip dinner.’
    â€˜You’ll do nothing of the kind.’ His mother pointed a finger encased in yellow rubber. ‘Go.’
    Fraser slunk from the hall and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. From the window he could see the Moby Dick sitting in the harbour but there was no sign of Ben. He tried to work out a plan that would get him back to the caves that night but nothing cunning or foolproof came to him. After a while he heard the doorbell and voices in the hall, and then his mother called to come and eat.
    In the small dining room his family were squashed around the table along with Hayley Risso and her mother. The table groaned under the weight of food. His mother had left him a seat beside the American girl. Subtle , he thought. She was certainly pretty but in that don’t-I-know-it kind of way.
    The main course was salmon, as Fraser knew it would be. His dad was production manager of the island’s large fish farm, Nin’s only industry apart from tourism. Fraser and Hayley said nothing to each other throughout the meal except for some polite passing of the plates. Dunny could offer no conversation, so it was the parents who did the talking. Small talk mostly, about the food and the weather and the scenery and life in Texas and life in Skulavaig. Talk also about how life on Nin was hard for young people, how most had to leave to find work if they didn’t want a job on a ferry or a fish farm. Fraser chewed his food and thought only of the man in the cave who had nothing to eat. After a dessert of apple pie and ice cream the never-ending meal came to an end.
    â€˜I’ll clear the plates,’ said Fraser, seeing the surprised look on his mother’s face. He never volunteered for chores.
    â€˜Put the kettle on,’ Jessie said as she ushered their guests into the living room.
    Fraser carried the plates through to the kitchen and scraped the leftovers from the serving dishes into a plastic tub. He then put the remains of the apple pie into another tub. The man would have pudding.
    He took orders for tea and coffee, to the admiration of his mother, then sneaked upstairs and stuffed the two plastic tubs into the bottom of his backpack, empty now of school books. He quickly searched and found two baggy sweatshirts, an old cagoule and a couple of pairs of thick socks. These went into the backpack. Finally he added a tatty blanket that had rested on top of his wardrobe for as long as he could remember.
    He ran back down and made two cups of tea and one coffee. When he took them through to the living room Dunny and Hayley were standing with their jackets on. The girl made a poor attempt at concealing a frown.
    â€˜There you are,’ said his mum. ‘Take Hayley and your brother and stretch your legs for twenty minutes.’
    â€˜My legs are stretched,’ Fraser said.
    â€˜Don’t be cheeky and do as your mother asks,’ said his father.
    â€˜But I can’t.’
    â€˜Why not?’
    Fraser could think of no convincing reason. ‘I’ve still to fill the dishwasher.’ It was not a convincing reason.
    His father made a slight scoffing sound, his mother said, ‘The dishes can wait.’
    There was nothing for it, so Fraser moped from the room followed by his brother and the girl. He would have to think on the move. He ran upstairs to fetch a jacket, grabbing his backpack at the same time. As he pushed Hayley and Dunny through the back