Thirteen Pearls by Melaina Faranda Page A

them warmer and they can hold their breath for longer. But it’s a dying art now, especially since pollution causes red algae tides that wipe out the seaweed beds.’
    â€˜Yeah, you said it,’ Leon agreed. ‘Everything good – humans stuff it up. It’s the same with the oysters here. It’s why we have to clean them all the time and check if they’re diseased. They’re like canaries in a mine. Any kind of crap goes in the water and they cark it. Kaito reckons that there was a big oil spill forty years back that wiped out the Queensland pearl industry.’
    â€˜That’s why my father has pearling stations all over northern Australia,’ Kaito agreed. ‘To spread his risks. We still wild-harvest too, but it’s a much harder job finding them.’
    â€˜You know what?’ Leon said. ‘I’m sick of talking about stupid oysters. I want to learn something new. Change of subject. Edie, you want to teach us some new tricks about navigating by the stars?’
    The citronella candle emitted a lemony stink and sputtered whenever moths flew into it, while I told Leon how to calculate the stars relative fixed position. Kaito chipped in with Japanese words for some of the terms, explaining how the translations changed the meaning slightly, but that the principle was the same. I slapped a mosquito off my leg. Balmy air lifted strands of sweaty hair from the back of my neck. It wasn’t exactly a cool breeze, but it was the least claustrophobically hot I’d felt since arriving.
    â€˜Well, what I can tell you about the stars up there,’ Leon said, ‘is that the islanders reckon there’s a massive constellation with this super warrior Tagai and his crew in an outrigger canoe. You want to hear the story?’
    I murmured agreement.
    â€˜The story goes that Tagai and his crew were fishing and Tagai went out onto the reef to find more fish. He was gone for ages, and even though the crew were hot they didn’t dare drink the water in the coconut shells hanging off the canoe because it belonged to Tagai. But eventually they were so parched they couldn’t wait any longer, so they drank. When Tagai returned he lost it, and killed twelve of his crew. Then he chucked them back up into the sky and now they’re the Pleiades. They were meant to stay in the northern sky only they keep coming back. When they appear in the eastern sky, there ’s usually thunder and lightning so Tagai slips below the western horizon. And that’s how the islanders know when the rains are coming.’
    â€˜That’s cool,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we learned everything from stories? It would be so much more interesting and easier to remember. Dad had to drill me on navigation because it was so dry.’
    We lapsed back into silence until Leon said, ‘Okay, now that Edie ’s here, let’s do our top ten deserted islands.’
    Kaito groaned, but Leon persisted. ‘You’re stuck on an island, Edie, and you’re only allowed to bring ten things. What are they?’
    â€˜Okay then. Hmmm . . . A fishing line, my iPod, a telescope, a hairbrush, sarong, snorkel set, machete, bucket, a length of rope and, um, maybe a never-ending tin of organic cocoa. What about yours?’
    â€˜Just one item,’ Leon said. ‘Return ticket with Barrier Reef cruises.’
    â€˜That’s not fair. You never said anything about being allowed to bring a boat. Or that the island was on the reef.’
    Leon smiled. ‘Life isn’t fair. Besides, we ’ve suffered from being here for much longer than you. It sinks your standards.’
    â€˜So why are you here then?’ I demanded.
    â€˜Experience,’ Kaito said. ‘Getting up close and personal with molluscs. And to learn more about other pearl farming techniques.’
    Leon snorted. ‘More like you’re teaching Red than the other way round.’ He