Becca at Sea

Becca at Sea — page 5 — Can’t we use flashlights Becca asked Why can’t we get oysters from your beach We’ll use the flashlight later Your eyes won’t get used to the dark if we use it now And the fog gives its own light We’re going all the way to Mayfield Point because the beach out there has the best oyster beds I hope you’re feeling energetic It’s a long way What’s that smell They stopped in the road and Gran sniffed Trees blood Gran said Sap Somebody is clearing to build a cabin Trees blood Becca shivered Mist drifted among the trees Sometimes Becca could see trunks and sometimes branches She and Gran walked the trail to Mayfield Point in a glimmering haze breathing water droplets lighter than the night Do you hear that Gran stopped suddenly and pulled Becca still Becca listened hard It could have been the clouds making a tiny beside her patter on salal leaves It’s the sound of your own self Gran told her It’s the sound of your heart in your ears your blood flowing Then Becca heard it a rushing noise inside her own head as if she had a moon-snail shell to her ear and was listening to its ocean rhythms The sound of her own heart They walked on The path curved through the forest toward the sea Becca’s feet told her she was walking uphill and then that she was passing the tree with the eagles nest Are the eagles still here she asked clutching Gran’s hand Yes but their babies are teenagers now Gran said Look we’re

Becca at Sea — page 6 — coming out on the beach But there was nothing to see just fog all around Becca felt pebbles underfoot and banged her shin on driftwood She felt seaweed squish and the crunch of oysters Can’t we use the flashlight she asked In a minute Gran must see in the dark Becca thought stumbling beside her Here’s a good rock Gran said and she sat on it Yech Soaked through already Becca laughed Okay You bring me the oysters and I’ll shuck them Gran directed Where do you think they are now Becca asked On the beach No I mean Mum and Dad Becca said Maybe they didn’t go because of the fog They’re above the clouds and we’re right in them the very same clouds They’re holding hands and saying Becca’s going to have a wonderful time with her old grandma I hope they don’t get up to no good Gran paused Well they don’t really know we’re out on the beach in the middle of the night Now where are those oysters Can I use the flashlight Oh yes Now’s the time I thought you weren’t supposed to eat oysters Becca said That’s in summer said Gran In February it’s okay more than okay But we won’t take many Just enough for stew for the two of us and Frank Oyster stew Ew That as well as totally unfair Scrabble rules and

Becca at Sea — page 7 — midnight walks Becca stomped off into the mist It was so still that the sudden splash of her boots in the sea surprised her She stood in the water looking down at her boots with the flashlight and at the seaweed and snails and all the things that were so bright and clear in daylight Now they looked weird and mysterious as if they’d been caught by surprise in their secret night life Did snails sleep Did oysters sleep Did seaweed breathe out at night like trees and bushes did I need oysters Gran reminded her out of the dark Becca squelched on shining the light down Oysters lay loose on the beach The shells had crusty frills that hurt her fingers Can I do it she asked when she’d brought some oysters I’ve never done it before Why not Just be careful Gran gave Becca the oven mitts now sloppy with oyster liquor She showed her how to hold the oyster and where to pry with the knife to break its muscle She put her strong hand over Becca’s and helped her twist the shucker at all There it goes Becca felt the shell give way Your very first oyster Gran said solemnly suddenly not bossy It has a frill inside too The mantle that’s how it sifts its food Gran explained It’s soft But what are these specks Becca ran her fingers over the cold damp oyster and felt little hard bits grit or bits of shell she thought

Becca at Sea — page 8 — Wait Gran shone the light on Becca’s first oyster and then she started to laugh Pearls she cried You’ve got a pearl scads of pearls Really Becca was amazed feeling the rolling bits with her fingers There’s a whole bunch My very own pearls Careful Gran said You don’t want to lose any Here you can put them in this She emptied the matchbox she kept in her backpack and Becca put the pearls in it feeling carefully so she wouldn’t miss any You’re certainly lucky Rebecca my girl Gran said You’ve found a whole handful of pearls all in one go I can’t believe it Becca smiled and turned off the flashlight The mist gave off a light of its own and in her pocket was a matchbox of pearls Later she and Gran snuggled into Gran’s Arctic sleeping bags down on the beach and Frank curled up to sleep at her feet That was some itchy oyster Gran said in wonder Seventeen pearls said Becca for they had counted them together in the warmth of the cabin Seventeen Becca could hear Gran smiling A lopsided moon now shone through the mist so that they lay in a pearly light themselves And it’s the same moon said Becca Yes The same moon shining down on us all said Gran

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