New Homeport Island (23 page)

scrubbed her feet as she laid back and fondled her breasts. I
 thought ‘well this is new’ as long as the smell was gone and I
 got to watch her play with her breasts everything was just
 awesome after all, things are looking  up.  
I grabbed the short section of rope I had made from
 fibers palm tree bark material and said, “We probably should
 have used this for a net, so let’s reinforced the net with these
 bark fibers.” Jennifer blurted out, “More work…no food, more
 work for the same results.” I replied, “I’ll take a spear and size
 up what we’re looking at out there and maybe I can get one or
 two with just the spear.” Jennifer responded, “Whatever.” Mike
 said, “Ya, you go superman.”
They were irritated and hungry the water purification
 was going well and it would be time to deliver more to the
 landing soon. So I looked for a stick suitable for a spear and
 figured I could keep a fish on the spear or once it was killed but
 it in my shirt as I swam back; I could only hope there won’t be a
 rip tide, we had seen any evidence of one but I had my
 experiences on the beaches of southern California in my
 childhood.  Mitch brought me one of the deep cups full of water
 and I drank some then passed it to Michelle. I found a stick and
 tried to break it into a jagged pointed edge, after that a struck it
 with a jagged stone. I could see the tip itself would break off
 easily hopefully it would pierce the fish before it broke off. I
 realized I didn’t have a belt for my coveralls so placing the fish
 in my coveralls even under my tee-shirt wouldn’t work so I took
 my tee-shirt off and tied the sleeves into a knot the neck opening
I wasn’t sure about so I left it open, odds are I would only be
 surveying the nearby waters to figure out how far we’d have to
 take our pontoon boat out to successfully fish, and I headed to
 the water.

Tommi yelled, “Aren’t you going to use the boat?” I
 replied, “I’m just seeing if there are any fish out there at all, but
 we will definitely need the net with the boat.” The water was
 relatively clear and shadows in the water would have concerned
 us only if it were large enough to be a shark and we hadn’t seen
 anything that large. Mitch asked Tommi, “You going with
 him?” she replied, “Well, help me get the logs out” and they
 headed over to the area of the beach near the rocks that divide
 the shore front . I walked pushing my way through the surf it
 pounded my chest and the sand gave way to slippery rocks I
 used my spear like a rhino horn or a sword fish nose and swam
 without the use of my arms moving my body in a wave, it would
 have been nice to have some flippers. I got out pasted the surf
 and tried to stay stationary to make sure there were no currents I
 would be fighting, but we hadn’t been tracking the tides.  
I managed to not drift too much so I began short dives;
I would float just low enough that I could feel the pressure on
 my ears, spread eagle as though I were dead. I griped the spear
 with one hand and could feel the cool water flow around my
 hand. I let myself slowly rise and watched for any fish. The
 water was very clear and I just had to risk hours of swimming to
 get back; I was still no further out than I had been in Pismo
 beach in California in my childhood so far out when I looked to
 the beach and I became nervous, but the pier wasn’t too far
 away. Now there was no pier and no help if I were in distress .
Tommi and Mitch were launching our log square we
 were calling a boat. Mitch yelled, “This is crazy.” Tommi yelled
 back, “This is the fun part! Having your ass in Lyon’s face is the
 scary part!” Mitch laughed. The lashings held a second time and
 the logs held their form, it was at least becoming a boat. Mitch
 and Tommi both sat on the larger log on opposite ends as they

searched the surface for me. Tommi’s thighs in wet dungarees
 gripped the log firmly and her soft hands rested flat palmed on
 the log stabilizing herself in a forward lean causeing her round
 full buttocks to prominently present atop that log as though she
 were a work of art on a pedestal. Mitch’s dark skin beaded with
 sea water and glistening from the early afternoon sun shaded his
 well-defined muscles as he supported himself with his rugged
 hands upon the log and rested his hips at the end of the log
 leaving his legs in the water to kick. Michelle stood on the beach
 shading her eyes with her hand looking as though she were
 saluting and pointed in my direction. Mitch waved to her
 showing he had seen me, she waved back and unbuttoned her
 shirt and fanned her chest by billowing the cotton fiber of her
 tee-shirt just before she turned back and went to work on the net
 with Michael and Jennifer. Mike sat at the boilers as he replaced
 wood in one of the fireboxes and I floated with an occasional
 kick still looking for any fish with the spear protruding up in the
 water.
Mitch called out to me, “Hey, bro…over here!” I
 swam over to them and asked, “She any fish?” Tommi replied,
“Just you.” Tommi glanced around and then froze perfectly still
 and started whispering, “Over there…over there…” I looked
 over and saw something swimming around a silver and blue
 silhouette, so I slowly submerged. I allowed myself and the
 spear to slide under the water and tilted bring my legs up behind
 me the fish didn’t respond. They were about a foot long and
 silver with green and blue fins. I laid there horizontal in the
 water.  Tommi whispered to Mitch, “The only reason I’m not
 freaked out is because he sunk so slowly, because he absolutely
 looks dead.” I struck at the fish with my spear and it swam down
 lower, but it swam sideways I did hit it, but only wounded it. It

kept trying to swim sideways so I had to chase it, I tried to swim
 past it to scoop it up but its pattern of movement was
 unpredictable, I snatched at it and missed as though a created a
 current pushing it away and again I tried to scoop it up as I
 swam past it. The pressure on my ears was very painful and I
 was running out of breath so I expelled some of the air I was
 holding. I was at the point of no return, give up for air or risk my
 life and possibly miss, the pressure was too much and I knew if I
 went down to far I black out or get the bends so I turned upward
 for the surface looking back at the fish, but it was swimming
 upward as well, so I rested and as the fish swam past me I
 scooped it into my coveralls and swam up cradling our dinner.
Once I reached the surface, Tommi saw the look on
 my face and said, “It was just a first try we’ll get one next time.”
I replied, “We did get one but this method isn’t good, I nearly
 drown.” Mitch asked, “Where is it Rob?” I said, “I put it in my
 coveralls, you got a rope, string or bag?” Mitch replied, “No
 dude.” I said, “We’re all going to have to carry spears for this,
 we totally got lucky, let’s take this one in and head back out
 again.” Mitch said, “Give me the spear and you swim that one
 back in and I’ll get some more.” I handed Mitch the spear and he
 rolled of the log into the water and that shifted the balance of the
 log and Tommi fell in. Tommi popped up and said, “Damn it.” I
 replied, “Grab the logs Tommi; I’m still holding this fish in my
 coveralls” Tommi grabbed the logs and climbed back up as I
 swam back.  
I swam in on my back through the waves and
 anxiously scooted up the sand on my back, Mike ran over and
 looked at me dismayed, he asked, “You alright dude?” I said, “I
 think so, if this really is a fish in my coveralls I’m gonna faint
 though.” Mike said, “Well check.” and I said, “I need to be

further up the beach.” Mike responded, “You really do have a
 fish don’t you.” I coughed and said, “Either that or I gutted
 myself and have been hallucinating.”  
Once I was well up the beach I opened the zipper on
 my coveralls and there it was. Mike said, “That’s a small fished
 dude” Jennifer, Michelle, and Michael ran over, Michael saw it
 and turned as he cried out, “shit!” Jennifer looked over at
Michael and then to mike and said, “That’s a good foot long.”
Michael said in a hush, “Ya, that’s what we’re thinking…it’s a
 descent fish and that’s got to feed us all.” Jennifer said, “I’m
 sure he’s going to share” and Michelle said, “Your god damn
 right he’s going to share.” and I interjected, “of course we’re
 splitting it, Mitch is still out there I have to head back out and
 you guys have to finish the net. But this could be all we get
 today.” I handed the fish to Jennifer and Michelle said, “Now
 get the hell back out there.” I said, “I’m going…I’m going but
 we need more spears.” Michelle ran over to where she had been
 sitting and then ran back with a good long spear and said, “Take
 mine but I want it back” I laughed and said, “Okay” she said,
“I’m not kidding and get more damn fish.” I stood up and
 looked out at the water with her spear in hand and saw Tommi
 on our boat, so I swam back out to her.  
Once I swam back to the boat carrying Michelle’s
 spear I held onto the log and Tommi blurted out, “Don’t just
 jump off Hackel and don’t just jump on Lyon” I started to say
“Okay” but Mitch spoke over me in a depressed monotone
 manner and asked, “Where’s the net dude?” I replied, “Their
 still working on it” We heard whistling sounds above us like in
 coming mortars, or so we imagined, and then we were pelted by
 fish. One hit Tommi right in the face, on hit Mitch in the back, I
 said, “Their flying fish, catch them!” Tommi’s shirt was open

her bra was showing and the cold of the water had her nipples
 erect as I gazed at her chest I watched two fish fly right in to her
 shirt and she scooped them in. I laughed and said, “Your good
 for all kinds of things Tommi.” She frantically kept repeating,
“Get me back to shore, get me back to shore” Mitch groaned and
 rolled off the log but Tommi lunged forward yelling at him,
“I’m gonna lose these damn fish, if you don’t stop fucking
 around!” Mitch yelled, “What fish is she talking about Rob!!?” I
 replied, “The two that just flew into her shirt” We started
 swimming the boat back to shore as Mitch said, “Those actually
 were fish…” Tommi responded, “Yes, Mitch”
I had Tommi float on her back holding the fish against
 her as hard as she could as I pulled her through the surf. Jennifer
 rushed up and asked, “What happened to her.” Tommi
 ecstatically replied, “I caught two!” She started to open her shirt
 and I said, “Wait, need to be higher up the beach, those damn
 things will flop their way back into the water.” Mitch finished
 pulling the boat up the beach, grabbed my spear and ran back
 into the water. I handed Michelle her spear back and she
 carefully inspected it for any damage. Michael started cleaning
 the fish and Michelle asked, “How are we going to cook those?”
Mike said, “Ah-haha, with the fire.” Michelle retorted, “Don’t
 burn them…went fishing with my father as a kid and he burnt
 the fish and we couldn’t eat them at all, so next time we tied
 them way above the fire in a smoke teepee”
Michael looked over at Tommi and said, “I know what she
 is talking about, do you want us to cook them?” Tommi looked
 around and realized they were in fact talking to her and replied,
“Sure” with a shrug.  
I lay resting on the beach realizing we had been out
 there for hours. Tonight we would need a shelter; I sat up and

looked at the green reed patch down the beach. From around the
 corner some were visible from where we were. I got up still
 dizzy from the ocean so I drank some more water and headed
 down to the reed patch, I noticed every time someone Drank any
 water Mike Elper seemed to react like his trophy was being used
 to scratch someone’s back but I didn’t really concern myself, it
 did seem to keep us ‘water conservation’ aware.
  The reeds where tall and straight, they looked like
 bamboo but some of the dead pieces and wetter pieces broke as
 easily as celery. The reeds had a lot of flex to them and some of
 the dried out reeds were fairly sturdy. I began to gather pieces
 that were suitable and looked for strong and flexible reeds still
 growing, I placed them in piles sorted by length, flexibility and
 width. I knew it was a hut not a lean-to I would be going for so I
 called it a cabana. I figured  six columns and a roof and maybe
 the soft plant material we were taking from the palm leaves
 could be made into some sort of bug netting like a curtain. As I
 hauled the reeds over to our camp I passed some thick bushes
 and Athena popped out and asked, “Hey, What happened, I saw
 you go out on the water.” I replied, “We got some fish.” Athena
 responded happily, “Thank god, I’m starving…What are those
 for?” and she pointed at the reeds. I answered, “Building a
 shelter.”  Athena said, “Okay.” and went over and grabbed
 another pile and we walked together back to  the camp carrying
 the reeds over. Athena and Jennifer watched as I wrapped the
 reeds around each other and they handed me some line that
Athena had been making using more of the palm bark and I tied
 bundles together being as sparing as possible with the line. Once
I made some thin poles I twisted them around each other and
 tied them together then I dug out a small hole about a foot and a
 half deep and set the column I had formed into it. I told them,

“We’ll need six of these and have to weave a roof out of these
 reeds.” Jennifer had been helping with the fish but she sat down
 with Athena and started working on another column. Mike Elper
 saw what they were working on and said, “I’ll get some more of
 that bark.” and he headed off to the palm trees. Seeing how
 quickly they were able to form a column together I started
 making a woven reed mat that we would use as a roof.  
“How many of these thin poles Rob?” asked Athena. I said,
“Just use three” Mitch walked up the beach with three more fish
 stuck to his spear. Michelle jumped up and said,
“Awesome…so, that one works too.” Mitch said, “Ya. Whats
 with the fake trees?” Jennifer laughed and said, “Building a
 shelter, dinner will be ready soon sweet heart” Athena glanced
 around to see what guys were looking at her in the face of that
 inspiration; she noticed I was looking at her, Tommi was
 looking at me, Michelle was looking at Michael, Michael was
 looking at Jennifer, Mike was looking at Jennifer and Mitch was
 looking at Michael. Athena got dizzy thinking ‘who’s looking at
 who better not mean something’ everybody went back to what
 they were doing as Mitch asked Michael, “How much longer
 cooking the ones you started.” Michael responded, “Probably
 less than ten minutes” Athena leaned over and whispered to
Jennifer, “Jenn, I think you’re getting gang banged tonight”
Jennifer slowly looked up at her with a huge growing grin and
 saw the shocked look on Athena’s face then Athena started to
 nod and pointed at the guys looking at her, Jennifer Cringed and
 scratched behind her ear then shook her head to get that visual
 image out of her mind and replied to Athena, “So who’s banging
 you?” Athena said, “It was just Rob looking at me, but I think
Tommi wants him…so maybe he’s getting gang banged too.”
Mike came back with handfuls of dark brown dry palm bark