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fellowshippers2004-09-10 02:45 pm
ex-salwood.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2004-09-10 02:45 pm
World Trip - Chapter 34
Title: World Trip 34/?
Author/Email: Salogel (salogel42@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Dom/Elijah
Rating: NC17
Summary: Dom and Lij visit The Great Barrier Reef.
WARNING: Some angst
Feedback: Yes please
Archive:Hobbit Haven
Disclaimer: None of this happened or will ever happen. It is all made up in my overactive mind.
Additional Notes: Any flashbacks are written as they happened, and not necessarily as a point of view.
Previous chapters can be found here.
Thank Yous to: to Jesslotr for my wonderful icon! And Ru for being a fantastic beta!
World Trip
Chapter 34 – The Great Barrier Reef
There was no electricity inside the guesthouse, knocked out momentarily by the lightning storm taking place somewhere over the ocean.
But the room was lit up, nonetheless. Flashes of light, as if produced by a photographer’s flashgun. Images caught, held for a fraction of a second before being lost again in the impenetrable darkness. Images which Dominic observed in the mirror across the room from the edge of the bed he was kneeling on.
Another flash, revealing Elijah’s mouth on him, his lips firmly attached to the solid length he held in his hand, then darkness again.
Flash… Dominic watched Elijah’s tongue sweep over and curl itself around the head of his cock, then nothing. No image to see, but everything to feel. Elijah’s tongue was hot and insistent as it tugged and lapped on him in the darkness of the room.
Flash… Dominic’s eyes remained on the mirror as he watched Elijah’s mouth take in every inch of him… seeing his flesh disappearing inside Elijah’s mouth was nothing short of erotic. Then that image was gone, too, leaving Dominic with only the sense of touch. And that was a phenomenal experience; in its own right… more than erotic. He could feel the back of Elijah’s throat pressing gently against his cock, and he could feel Elijah’s throat muscles gently rippling as they continuously worked to keep him there, deep inside his mouth.
Another flash of light, showed Elijah firmly attached to his groin, and Dominic could only sigh and shudder at the whole voyeuristic experience, as these snapshots revealed his lover swallowing him whole, and bringing him to cataclysmic orgasm.
The storm raged on outside, no rain, no thunder just sheet lightning, one of Mother Nature’s natural firework displays.
The two men, safe and secure inside their small room overlooking the sea, continued their love-making, lost in one another, almost oblivious to the dramatic events going on outside their window.
Elijah slowly stood up. He licked his lips and wiped his mouth, before pushing his hair away from his face. He looked down at Dominic as the lightning lit up the room. Dominic had flopped backwards onto the bed, his eyes closed, as his body still soared from the pleasure Elijah had just given him.
Dominic opened his eyes as he felt Elijah straddle him. At first he could see nothing, all he could feel was the heat of Elijah’s thighs pressed against each side of his body. Then the revealing flash showed Elijah kneeling high, inching his way towards him, and as they were plunged into darkness once more, Dominic felt the heat of Elijah’s cock press against his lips.
Salty, musky… Dominic slowly opened his mouth tasting Elijah, using his tongue to lick off sticky beads of precum. Elijah inched forward a little more, holding his cock in place, shuddering each time Dominic’s tongue swiped across its sensitive surface.
The lightning lit the scene, like a black and white still from a movie. Elijah looked down at Dominic, whose mouth was now filled, their eyes met, then the image was gone, but it was quickly replaced by another, and soon after another.
Dominic didn’t take his eyes off Elijah as he continued to work on him. He sucked and licked at the heavy column of flesh, drawing soft, almost silent moans from Elijah. He ran his tongue along the entire length, marvelling at how hard Elijah was - he was always so fucking hard…
And then Dominic’s mouth returned to kiss and lap at the smooth head again. He gently sucked on it, dipping his tongue into the slit, and then he sucked a little harder, letting his tongue feel its way underneath the ridge.
Dominic moved his other hand and cupped Elijah’s balls. They settled into his palm, almost fluidly, and as the room lit up Dominic could see that Elijah’s eyes were closed.
It became a photographic image burned in his memory. Elijah not moving, he was still, his mouth slightly parted, his head tilted to one side losing himself in the pleasure that Dominic was giving him.
Dominic watched that face as he continued to suck and kiss Elijah’s cock, every flash of lightning just made the sight of him seem more beautiful than ever. Despite the golden glow that Elijah’s skin had developed, when the lightning lit his body it looked white, almost porcelain, and his hair, now long and wavy, looked jet black as it curled on his shoulder.
Dominic couldn’t take his eyes off Elijah. He wanted to preserve this moment forever. He didn’t think he had ever seen Elijah look more beautiful. And I’m causing it…he suddenly thought. Elijah looks like that because of me. This sudden realisation brought tears to Dominic’s eyes as he continued to watch the glimpses of sheer perfection and beauty being lit sporadically above him.
“Oh…Dom…” Elijah’s voice broke the silence in the room. He looked down at Dominic and saw him when the lightning flashed; his cock was glistening wet as Dominic’s mouth worked on him, up and down, increasing in pace and pressure.
Elijah was near to orgasm. Dominic could feel it by the way Elijah’s cock hardened a little more pressing down on his tongue. He took hold of the length in one hand, preparing for Elijah’s thrusts when he came.
“God… Dom…” Elijah felt the spiralling wave as he climaxed into Dominic’s mouth. The lightning flashed repeatedly, as Dominic sucked on him, hard, drawing out all the fluid, helping Elijah along with his hand, long firm strokes, controlling his thrusts, sucking and swallowing until finally he felt Elijah’s thigh muscles relax and unclench against the side of him.
More flashes, the storm was getting closer… Elijah looked down at Dominic and pulled his cock free of Dominic’s mouth. Dominic quickly took hold of it one last time, and kissed it before letting it go. Elijah smiled, and Dominic smiled back at him. Then Elijah lowered his head to kiss Dominic, who proceeded to take Elijah into his arms. Their kiss was long and passionate, and Dominic had to sweep Elijah’s hair aside before cupping his chin and kissing him again.
Elijah snuggled against Dominic’s warm body as Dominic draped a single cotton sheet over their naked bodies. Then they lay in each other’s arms watching the light show outside the window, until they finally fell asleep.
***
Sunlight streamed in through the bedroom window. Elijah blinked, his eyes felt scratchy and sore, and he cursed himself for not removing his lenses before falling asleep. He looked at Dominic still sleeping beside him, barely covered by the sheet which had almost slipped off them during the night.
With a big of wriggling, Elijah managed to extricate himself from Dominic’s limbs, and he walked over to the window and looked out at the magnificent view. The ocean looked an incredible turquoise blue, a completely different sort of blue than that they had observed during their earlier travels along the Sunshine Coast. Out there lay the beginnings of the Great Barrier Reef, a whole underwater world waiting to be explored.
And in a couple of day’s times they would be out there, seeing it for themselves, but first they had to go to ‘school’.
*
Dominic had been eager to reach this part of their journey. Scuba diving… there was no better way to see the marine life in these waters, he had said. So they had made quick stops on their way to Arlie Beach, taking in some of the attractions en-route, staying overnight in motor home parks… before eventually reaching this place - their penultimate destination before exploring The Great Barrier Reef in all its glory, further up the coast.
Dominic had studied the diving courses that were available, and finally settled on one, which would take five days to complete. Two days of theory and pool training, before embarking on a three-day boat trip, which included training dives, but ultimately ending with free dives on the last day. At the end of the course, they would be qualified, and able to dive anywhere (in theory) along the Great Barrier Reef.
As the summer season was still a few weeks away, Dominic managed to book them onto the diving course without any problem, and they decided to abandon their motor home for the duration of the course and stay in a guesthouse.
It wasn’t a big guesthouse, but it was near to where they were training, and it had laundry facilities, which they were only too eager to take advantage of. Christ only knows what the staff were going to think when they found all their motor home bedding included in their laundry pile.
“Lijah?”
Elijah looked from the window to Dominic who has just woken up.
“Hi.”
“Is the power back on?” Dominic sat up and rubbed his chin, he really could do with a shower - it had been a warm sticky night.
“I don’t know.” Elijah strode over to the light switch and flicked it on. “I guess so.”
“Great!” Dominic swung his legs out of the bed. “Going to join me?” He held out his hand to Elijah.
Elijah nodded and they made their way to the small bathroom.
*
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, did you all enjoy the electrical storm last night?”
Elijah and Dominic glanced at each other trying not to grin, before joining in with the other trainees in saying their good mornings to the instructor standing in front of them.
“My name is Simon, and over there is Julia.” The instructor indicated to the woman standing quietly at the side of the room. “We’ll be taking you through your training over the next five days. We don’t bite, so at any time, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.”
The group went silent.
Simon smiled at them; they all had a look of apprehension on their faces. “You’ve enrolled yourselves on one of the best courses that there is, and believe me I’ve been on them all. Can I ask, is there anyone here who has dived before?”
No one raised their hands.
“Anyone snorkelled?”
A murmur and few hands were raised half-heartedly.
“Good…” he looked over the small group of men and women which numbered no more than ten. “Our day will start with a talk on safety and marine life, and then this afternoon we will go into the pool. Tomorrow we will expand on today’s lessons including how to check and look after your equipment, and then we will all board the Sea Mermaid in the evening.” He looked at all the faces again. “Is there anyone here who has never sailed before?”
Two hands went up, and Simon nodded. “Very well, I will now hand you over to Julia, and I’ll see you all later in the pool.”
“Hi guys!” Julia beamed at her new pupils. “Follow me.”
Dominic and Elijah sat at the back of the class, and for the next hour and a half they watched a slide show on what they would expect to see when diving along The Great Barrier Reef. There were a mind-boggling array of fish, and corals, far too many to recall. In fact by the end of the session all Elijah could remember was that there were an awful lot of sharks swimming around out there.
Lunch was served in a pleasant restaurant, and Elijah had his journal open in front of him, while Dominic went for food. He desperately tried to remember and write down some of the facts that he had learnt so far.
**
6 September 2005
We started our diving course this morning, I guess I could leave this entry until this evening but there is so much to remember, that I need to make some notes right now.
Dom is very keen on this diving experience, much more than me. I could take it or leave it. I would be quite happy with a mask and snorkel paddling on the surface of the water. I can’t say that I am incredibly keen to dive, but then again this is a once in a lifetime experience, so I had better make the most of it. It’s not been often that Dominic has really wanted to do something.
I just hope they have a mask that I can wear.
Right…. Now let me think, facts and details…
Julia said that The Great Barrier Reef has been described as the ‘rainforest of the deep’ because of the incredible variety of life that it supports. Amazingly, it is made up of 400 species of coral, (I think that’s what she said), and over 2,000 species of fish. From the tiniest of creatures to several species of shark.
Of course everyone went cold at the mention of sharks, but according to Julia none of them are a threat to man, but still… a shark is a shark, and if I see one, I’ll be out of the water!
But I have to say, that out of all the creatures that we saw this morning, the one I would most like to see is the sea turtle, now that would be worth all the discomfort of kitting out in diving gear.
Ok, time to eat…
**
Dominic placed a plate full of food in front of Elijah.
“What is it?” Elijah screwed up his face in disgust.
“Umm… a seafood salad, or something.” Dominic sat down opposite Elijah and began to tuck in.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Dominic stopped, his fork half way to his mouth.
“We’re eating the animals that we’re training to see?”
Dominic blanched and dropped his fork to his plate. “Christ, you’re fucking right, Lij.” He looked over at the food counter. “Fancy a chicken sandwich?”
***
God, this weird… Elijah took his first breath underwater, and it sounded incredibly loud in his ears. Hearing himself breathe was a fucking freaky experience. He looked over at Dominic who raised his thumbs to Elijah as they both sat down on the bottom of the pool with all the other trainees.
All eyes were on Simon, and before long they were instructed to re-surface. Their equipment which felt so heavy and uncomfortable outside the pool weighed just about nothing once they were in the water, which was a great relief to Elijah. He didn’t want to admit to anyone that he shoulders began to ache within minutes of strapping the tank to his body.
Next they all swam to the deep end of the pool in order to practise a very important technique which if not mastered meant that you could hang up your diving gear and forget the rest of the course. It was called equalising, or popping your ears. Failure to be able to do so would lead to great pain and abandonment of any dive over 2 meters deep. Everyone managed the procedure.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and before they knew it, Dominic and Elijah were back at their hotel, exhausted, but looking forward to the next day. Which had surprised Elijah.
Sitting on their balcony looking over the dark vista before them, Elijah looked up at Dominic who was sitting behind him gently massaging his aching shoulders.
“You know, I didn’t think I would like it… but it was cool.”
“Not like what, Lij?” Dominic placed a kiss on top of Elijah’s head.
“Diving.”
“Are you serious?” Dominic frowned as he twisted Elijah around to face him.
Elijah nodded.
“I thought you loved swimming?”
“Swimming is not diving, Dom.”
“But didn’t you do it when you filmed Flipper?”
“No… no I didn’t… I just held my breath a lot. Breathing under water is just plain weird! I can hold my breath for a very long time, and what was it that Julia said was the number one rule when scuba diving? Never hold your breath. It’s just weird... fucking unnatural…”
“So do you want to continue? I wish you’d said something before, Lij.”
“Continue?” Elijah could see the crestfallen look on Dominic’s face. “Of course I want to continue. Like I said, it was cool… real cool… but fucking weird.”
Dominic stared at Elijah not sure whether or not to smile.
“Don’t look so fucking serious, Dom.”
“I’m sorry… I’m not sure how this stands, Elijah. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do just for me.”
“Jesus, Dom… it’s fine… really… … … REALLY!” Elijah over emphasised the word. “Just weird… that’s all.”
This time Dominic did smile. “Well you do look good in a wetsuit, but even better out of one. Come here…” He pulled Elijah to him, and began unbuttoning his shirt.
***
The Sea Mermaid was a luxury live-aboard catamaran, capable of holding thirty guests and eight crewmembers. It would have been a little crowded if it had been high season, but as it was, with only ten trainee divers, the boat seemed incredibly spacious.
Dominic and Elijah stood back when the cabins were allocated, not wanting to jump in first and grab a double, although they were positive that no one would even bat an eye lid if they did. But it turned out that there was one spare and they graciously took it when it was offered to them.
The sun had sunk below the horizon as the Sea Mermaid left the harbour, and Simon was gathering everyone in the galley for dinner and introductions to the rest of the crew.
Once the meal was over the trainees had time to themselves, and most retired to the bar. Dominic bought two drinks and then went on deck with Elijah. They sat down on one of the benches and look out over the dark ocean. Far in the distance, many miles away they could see sheet lightning lighting up the sky.
“Wonder if it’ll come our way?” Elijah mused as he sipped his drink. “It’s kinda unusual isn’t it, for this time of year?” he asked Dominic.
“Lij?”
“These storms… I thought they only happened during the summer months.”
“Do they? Don’t ask me, you’re the mine of useful information, Lij. I know fuck all.”
“Yes… it is unseasonable…”
Dominic and Elijah looked over their shoulders to see Simon leaning against the safety rail.
“We’ve had the odd electrical storm in the winter before,” he said. But not this many. In fact, the past few weeks have felt like summer…very warm, very humid… you chose the right time to visit. Summer weather without the crowds.”
Dominic nodded… “So how hot does it get here?” He asked.
“In the summer it can reach as high as thirty two degrees, not as hot as central Australia, but with the humidity, it can get pretty uncomfortable.”
No wanting to appear rude, Elijah turned round to face Simon.
“So, what brings you both to this part of Australia?” Simon knew exactly who they were but didn’t want to make a fuss.
“We’re touring,” Elijah said. “We’ve travelled up from Sydney.”
“Cool.” Simon nodded. “I’m from Sydney. Beautiful city.”
“It is…” Elijah agreed. “But we didn’t spend much time there. Maybe we’ll go back one day.”
“So…” Simon had the feeling that he had intruded on their quiet time for long enough. “You’re going to continue up the coast?”
“To Cairns, yes.” Elijah nodded.
“Well, let me help you. Before we dock let me give you a list of the best diving sites, and companies to go with. There are a lot of cowboys out there.”
“Great… thank you.” Dominic piped in. “That’ll be really cool.”
Simon nodded. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen.” Then he turned and left them alone.
“He knows who we are…” Dominic looked at Elijah.
“I think you’re right.” Elijah looked out at the distant storm again. “That looks magnificent… so much energy.”
Dominic grinned as he slipped his arm around Elijah’s shoulders. “Yeah… it reminds me of you.”
Elijah couldn’t help but giggle.
“Magnificent and full of energy!”
“Fuck off, Dom.” Elijah laughed.
Dominic put on a hurt look, and then Elijah suddenly put his hand behind Dominic’s head and pulled him into a long deep kiss. When they separated Dominic smiled at Elijah. He could see the lightning reflected in his glasses. He looked at Elijah’s mouth and ran his fingers over those just kissed lips. Then he took Elijah’s hand and placed it over his groin, and as they kissed again, Elijah kneaded him to full hardness.
Other trainees suddenly began to appear on deck, intending to watch the far off storm, so Dominic stood up and took Elijah by the hand, and without a backward glance he led him below deck to their cabin.
***
They were awoken bright and early. The day was already warm when Dominic and Elijah congregated on deck with the instructors and other trainees. They had two training dives to get through that day, followed by two more the following day and a night dive, then if they passed the tests, they would be free to dive unsupervised on the last day. It all seemed very daunting to Elijah… it was a big ocean… with lots of ‘things’ in it. Things that could eat you, kill you, sting you, take big fucking chunks out of you…
“Lij…?”
“Hmmm…” Elijah looked at Dominic. “Buddy practise… are you listening?”
“Yeah… sorry…” Elijah picked up his facemask and respirator and then the next hour was spent practising over and over again how to share one oxygen tank if things went wrong.
After lunch all the trainees gathered on deck again, and Simon and Julia were there to answer any questions before they took their first dive into the sea. They knew what the questions would be, they were always the same. And it was always the same question asked first.
“Will we see any sharks?”
Julia smiled reassuringly at the nervous trainee. “Remember your first lesson? The reef sharks are not dangerous; in fact if you do get to see one, consider yourself very lucky! Most sharks found on the reef are fish eaters and therefore pose no threat to visitors.”
“Most?” Elijah whispered to Dominic. “Does that mean that there could be some dangerous ones?”
Dominic shrugged.
“Jeez…” Elijah suddenly felt very apprehensive about getting into the water.
“Believe me,” Julia continued. “The coral is more of a danger to you than any of the reef sharks. Please be careful, a lot of the coral is razor sharp, and cuts and grazes can be very nasty, and can get infected.”
“What about stingers?” Another trainee asked. “Aren’t they deadly?”
“Deadly, yes.” Simon answered. “But we’re not in stinger season yet.” “And in any case, the box jellyfish do not frequent the Reef; you have no worries there.”
“Aren’t they the “four minutes and you’re dead” jellyfish?” A nervous voice asked?
“Yes, that is correct.” Julia was used to answering this particular question. Trainees always showed more apprehension and fear when preparing to make their first sea dive. The swimming pool was a very safe environment; of course fears would surface now.
“The wetsuits you are wearing will protect you from any stings, that may occur. But as Simon has said, The Barrier Reef is free of these creatures, they will not be a problem at all.”
“Will we see any whales?”
“Now, there is a possibility of seeing whales.” Simon smiled. “And especially dolphins, who can be very inquisitive, those of you with underwater cameras may get some excellent shots when you free dive on the your last day.”
“Dolphins, Lij.” Dominic nudged Elijah. “You’re going to feel right at home.”
“Very funny.” Elijah raised his hand to ask a question.
“Yes, Elijah?” Simon looked at Elijah.
“How far will we be able to see?” I want to be able to see sharks before they see me!
“That’s a good question, Elijah. The clarity of water on the reef is determined by a combination of the amount of sediment and the amount of phytoplankton in the water. As we have not experienced any high winds of late, clarity should be good today, at least 30 meters.
Elijah nodded and then asked another question. “So how far away from the boat will we be going? And how deep?”
Dominic could hear the nervousness in Elijah’s voice and gently took hold of his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Our dives today will be near the boat, tomorrow we will undertake deeper dives, and you will be taken along a small section of the Reef.”
Elijah nodded and then glanced at Dominic.
“Ok, are there any other questions?” Simon looked at all his pupils. “No? Ok then, let’s dive.”
**
9 September 2005
I have seen so much over these past few days, and learnt so much. It’s something which I never expected to do. And now I am a qualified diver! How fucking cool is that?
But it’s not easy, there is so much to remember, and so many safety checks to do before and after each dive. I mean it’s an alien environment; there is no way you can slip into that water without taking all the precautions beforehand.
Dom is ecstatic! He is in the galley now with some of the others looking at maps of the Reef. He is my diving buddy, so I’ll just follow him tomorrow when we set off on our own.
We haven’t seen any sharks yet, and I don’t know whether or not to be disappointed or relieved, but the different species of fish that we have seen is so overwhelming. I have never seen so many colours before, even colours that to me have no name. It’s incredible… a fucking awesome experience, and I am so glad that I did it.
I don’t think I will ever be one hundred percent at ease under the water, but this is something I will never forget, and according to Julia, the further north we go the more diverse the marine life is, as if we haven’t seen enough already.
So tomorrow we free dive, and then return to shore. I’m not sure if we are going to buy diving equipment before we leave, or just hire it as and when we need it, but I want to buy my mask - it’s been perfect, the prescription is almost spot on, and I don’t know if I will be able to pick up another one.
Right, there is a party tonight to celebrate everyone getting their certificates… I’ll write more after our dives tomorrow.
**
Flying… that’s what it felt like… weightless and flying. Dominic and Elijah glided over the corals, mesmerised by the sheer beauty and colours before them and below them. Thousands and thousands of fish swam above them, clouds of colour, suddenly changing direction, going this way and that, as if the shoals as a whole had one collective mind.
Sea clams, some over six foot wide, star fish, snails the size of your fist, eels, crabs, rays…fish and even more fish… everything… it was a marine wonderland, another world, and above them lay metres and metres of water.
In the distance they could make out dark objects swimming, and to Elijah’s sheer joy he realised that they were dolphins. They swam a little way towards them, there were six in total, two were calves, and they were jumping out of the water, playing, and living life to the full.
Elijah felt Dominic tug his arm and he turned from the dolphins and looked into Dominic’s facemask. Dominic pointed downwards, and there below them was a solitary sea turtle, lazily swimming towards them.
Elijah’s eyes were wide and Dominic nodded to him, and then took Elijah’s hand and they slowly approached the turtle. It wasn’t in the least bit bothered by their appearance, and for some distance they followed it, marvelling at its long slow strokes, and its almost nonchalant attitude to everything around it.
Then suddenly they lost the turtle. Well, not lost it, just were unable to see it, as a shoal of the brightest colour fish burst on them like living confetti.
Elijah laughed out loud inside his mask. He turned round looking at the fish as they swam by, there must have been hundreds if not thousands of them just skimming past his body… he lost Dominic for a while, only knowing he was there by the touch of his hand on his. Then the fish were gone, leaving them hanging in the water, dazed by what had just taken place.
It was like living in a dream… a dream full of colour and wonder… and Elijah knew that he wanted more… he would be happy to dive again and again, to see this… to witness this underwater spectacle. He was glad he had done this, grateful to Dominic for egging him along. He wouldn’t have missed this for anything. He was never going to forget this…
The Great Barrier Reef would remain in his memory forever.
***
Townsville. Dominic looked at the list that Simon had given them the evening before.
“Ring this number.” He had told them as he handed them the piece of paper. “A very good friend of mine lives there, he’ll take you to the best places to dive. Away from all the tourists and cowboys. Ring him… you’ll experience the best diving ever.”
Elijah wondered how anything could be any better than what they had already experienced that day, but he thanked Simon nonetheless, and then couldn’t help but grin broadly when Simon suddenly turned bright red and asked him for an autograph and a photo.
Both Dominic and Elijah were only too willing to oblige. They’d had a fantastic time, and were only now realising that they had been purposely left alone, because after their photograph with Simon, the rest of trainees asked for autographs and photos too.
“They were a great bunch…” Dominic stated as he folded the list away and looked yet again at the back of his camera at the group photo taken before they all disembarked and went their separate ways. “Pity we didn’t get to know them a bit better.”
Elijah raised his eyebrows; his eyes left the road in front of him for a second as he glanced at Dominic. Now that was something he had not expected to hear from Dominic… a wish to get to know other people. Apart from when they were thrown together with Mal and all the others on the coach in South Africa, Dominic always seemed to want to steer clear of getting to know other people.
“We weren’t with them for long enough, and spent most of the time in the water… but yeah, I know what you mean.” Elijah concentrated on the road.
“And it didn’t seem right… “ Dominic placed the camera in his lap as he looked out at the passing landscape. “Being on a boat without Danae. At times I kept on expecting to see her, you know… coming on deck with fresh coffee for us… always smiling… always having time to talk.”
Elijah nodded. “I miss her too, Dom.”
*
Townsville was the second largest city in Queensland, and would be their home for the next week before they began travelling up the coast towards Cairns.
A week in Cairns then we fly to New Zealand… Elijah smiled to himself as he navigated the motor home through the busy streets of this bustling city.
They had decided to book into a hotel. The luxury of someone else preparing your meals, doing the laundry, making the beds, cleaning the room was just too good an opportunity to pass over. The motor home was great… very intimate… but ultimately very cramped, and hot! And the further north they were travelling the hotter it was getting. And at the end of the day, why have cotton when you could have silk?
It was mid afternoon, humid, and hot and both Dominic and Elijah were hungry and thirsty. Elijah spied a McDonalds and pulled into the car park. Once inside they ordered large everything and tucked in. Dominic picked up a ‘what’s on and where to go brochure’ and began flicking through it looking for hotel accommodation. He found one that they both liked the look of and rang them on his mobile.
“Great, sorted…” he slipped his mobile into his back pocket. “Room won’t be ready for another couple of hours, though.” He looked at his watch. “What do you want to do?”
Elijah finished drinking his coffee, and gathered all the empty cartons on the tray before standing up. He looked for the trash receptacle. “Let’s check out the beach,” he said as he wrestled with the refuse flap, before finally dumping the remains of their meal.
“Sounds good to me… it’ll kill a couple of hours… and I could do with a dip.” Dominic spoke as they left the air-conditioned restaurant and the hot air hit them.
Dominic parked the motor home in a car park over looking the long beach. The sea was as flat as glass, barely a ripple. The Great Barrier Reef itself acted as a natural barrier keeping back the surf… this coastline was absolutely no good if you liked surfing.
“That is stunning…” Dominic looked out the window. “Wonder how far you have to wade before it gets really deep?”
Elijah murmured a reply but was concentrating on something else.
“What are you doing, Lij?” Dominic could see Elijah sitting down at the table hunched over something.
Elijah looked up at Dominic… then held up his hand.
“Lij?” Dominic sat down opposite him.
“It’s my bracelet, Dom. It’s breaking.”
“Breaking?” Dominic took Elijah’s hand and studied the bracelet he had given him for his birthday at the beginning of their holiday.
“It’s unravelling… the threads are coming away.” Elijah’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t want it to break. You gave it to me…”
Dominic looked at Elijah’s worried face and then back at the bracelet again. “You know, this was made in the Arctic, Lij. It wasn’t made to be worn in the sea. The salt water has begun destroying it, eating away at the delicate threads. You’re going to have to take it off.”
Elijah didn’t like that idea. Dominic had tied this bracelet on his wrist in the Hay Hotel in Bavaria over 7 months ago, and he had not taken it off since… not once.
“It’s the only way baby…” Dominic tried to reassure Elijah. “Perhaps we can find someone to repair it when we return home…”
Elijah nodded weakly as he watched Dominic’s deft fingers begin to untie the leather knot. The pewter strands had lost their shine long ago and were beginning to fray badly… Dominic seriously doubted the bracelet could be saved.
“There…” he placed it on the small table between them, and then kissed Elijah’s hand. “We’ll get it fixed.”
Elijah rubbed his bare skin, it felt weird not having the bracelet on anymore, but Dominic was right… the last thing he wanted was for it to disintegrate beyond all hope. Hope…. it was the bracelet of Hope.
“Come on…” Dominic stood up. “Let’s go swimming.”
Elijah remained where he was for a moment before getting to his feet. He took Dominic’s hands and pulled him towards him. “I’ve got a better idea… let’s stay here and fuck.”
Dominic smiled gently at Elijah, he could see how upset Elijah was. He kissed him on the mouth and felt an urgency in Elijah’s response. Then a loud hooting noise from outside stopped them as they saw an open topped jeep pull up beside their motor home. It was laden with people shouting at one another.
Dominic took Elijah’s face in his hands, brushed back the tangle of hair from his forehead, and kissed him gently once more.
“I love you Elijah… “ Dominic glanced out the window as another jeep pulled up on the other side of them. “I love you, and I want to make love to you. But not here…” He shook his head. “Definitely not here. But later… ok baby? Later… I’ll kiss you. And I’ll kiss you all over… … I’ll kiss you everywhere…”
Elijah closed his eyes as Dominic kissed him again. Then they pulled apart when they felt a thud rock the motor home.
Dominic sighed as he let Elijah go. “Come on… let’s find a quiet spot on the beach.”
*
The Strand… a beach nearly two miles long. Dominic and Elijah walked bare footed along the hot sand. There were families on the beach, obviously enjoying the unseasonably hot winter sunshine. If this was winter, how hot did it get in the summer?
Dominic led Elijah down to the surf, if you could call it that, where the water cooled their hot feet. They walked a fair distance wanting to get away from the more crowded area, and then threw down their towels and bags on the sand.
Elijah looked at the sea in front of them, it was a silent sea, no sound of waves breaking on rocks, or crashing on the beach. Plenty sounds, though, of boats in the distance and children squealing as they played in the water further up the beach. But generally it was quiet, and peaceful, and very relaxing.
“Ok, Lij?” Dominic asked as he rummaged in his bag. He pulled out his swimming shorts, sun oil and camera.
“Shit!”
“Dom?”
“Fuck! I’ve left the camera in the motor home.” Dominic looked up the beach in the direction they had come. He debated whether or not to go back for it.
“We’ll be here tomorrow.” Elijah spoke as he wriggled out of his jeans behind a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Yeah, I know…. but…” Dominic chewed his bottom lip and scratched his head. “Look, I’m going to go and get it.”
“Ok…” Elijah pulled on his swimming shorts. “Bring some water back with you, Dom. It’s fucking warm here.”
Dominic nodded. “Right, I’ll probably be about twenty minutes.”
“Cool…” Elijah sat himself down on the towel.
“Won’t be long…” Dominic set off for the motor home.
The sun was hot… Elijah rubbed on some oil to stop his skin burning, sweat trickled down his forehead and the nape of his neck. He flopped down on his back, and then a couple of minutes later, he rolled onto his stomach, then he sat up again. He looked along the beach to see if Dominic was coming back, and then he looked at his watch. He’d only been gone five minutes.
He decided to paddle. It would help cool him down. And the water felt marvellous, not cold, not warm, just right. Elijah waded out a little further placing his hands in the water as he did so. The sand felt soft under his feet, squidging between his toes with every step he took. He wished he had a mask and snorkel because he could see flashes of colour beneath the water, small fish darting here and there.
He moved out a little further really enjoying the way the sea was cooling his body, he looked for Dominic again but there was still no sign. When the sea became waist deep he began to swim, just gentle strokes, trying not to get water on his glasses, which he now cursed for not removing before wading out into the sea. But they were soon covered with droplets and he had difficulty seeing anything through them, so he took them off and placed them in his shorts pocket, then he ducked under the water and swam among the fish.
The jeep people had gone, and a relative quiet had returned to the car park. Dominic unlocked the door of the motor home and went inside. It felt like an oven, and he was immediately glad that they had booked a hotel and would not be living in this thing any more.
He went to the front of the vehicle and retrieved his camera from the glove compartment. He checked to see how much memory was left on the card, and decided to take another one with him. He slipped it into his jeans pocked and then he set off back across the car park, only to stop and return to the motor home when he realised he had forgotten the bottled water that Elijah had asked for.
As Dominic hurried down the ramp to the beach he could hear a child screaming and people running everywhere. He slowed his walk as he looked to see what was happening. A lifeguard was carrying a small boy, whose loud screams chilled him to the bone. The child’s parents were crying and going frantic around him. Dominic wondered if the boy had half drowned and was rescued, although the blood curdling screams that he could hear from the boy didn’t seem to fit in with that theory.
Then Dominic looked away from the scene as he heard whistles being blown. He could see other lifeguards along the beach, ushering people quickly out of the water. His first thought was sharks!
Fucking sharks!
He strained to look along the beach to where he had left Elijah, but there were too many people running about and blocking his view. He saw red flags being hoisted… danger?
Fucking danger? He ran over to a lifeguard who was blowing a whistle and waving his arms frantically to those in the water who had still not heard him.
“What is it?” Dominic asked, he could hear fear in his voice.
“Stay out of the water, sir.” The lifeguard replied, and then he blew his whistle again before continuing. “We’ve had a stinger attack.”
“Stinger…?” Dominic frowned trying to recall the talk on marine life.
“You mean the jellyfish?”
The lifeguard nodded. “Nets are due to go up in two weeks, but this unseasonable weather has bought them south early.” The lifeguard returned his attention to the few stragglers still in the water.
“Get out of the water!” he shouted at them. “Now!”
Dominic felt an over whelming sense of panic. He looked along the beach again, squinting against the glare of the sun… he still couldn’t see clearly, there were too many people about.
“Christ!!! Don’t you be in the fucking water, Lijah!” Dominic spoke out loud as he began to hurry along the beach, straining to see, praying that he would find Elijah sunbathing, and blissfully unaware of all the commotion.
God… “Lijah!” Dominic couldn’t help shouting although he was so far away. “Lijah…!” He dropped the bottles of water and broke into a run.
Blurry fish, but so colourful. Elijah kept on dipping under the surface of the water, reaching his hand out to see if he could catch one, which of course he knew he never would, but it was fun trying.
When he came up for air, and wiped his hair out of his eyes, he thought he could hear whistles blowing further up the beach, and he wondered what sort of beach game was going on. He found he had swam out a little too far and couldn’t touch the bottom anymore so he paddled his way slowly towards the shore, placing a foot down every now and then to see if he could touch the bottom.
Dominic could see him. He’s in the fucking sea… he’s in the fucking sea!
“LIJAH, GET OUT!!!!”
Dominic had never run so fast in all his life. “GET OUT… GET OUT!!”
Elijah floated on his back looking up at the clear blue sky. He closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of the sun on his face, then as he brought his legs down again he felt something brush against him, and the sudden pain he felt was unbearable.
Fire… daggers of fire, piercing his skin, red-hot knives slicing into him, an unimaginable pain that intensified by the second.
Elijah went under the water as he grabbed at his leg, the pain was horrific, he felt something soft attached to his leg, and tried to pull it off, but the stinger’s tentacles wrapped themselves around his arm as well, and the pain that shot through him was excruciating. And as Elijah opened his mouth to scream underwater, the sea filled his lungs.
“Lij..!” Dominic came to juddering halt; his heart was racing, beating like a hammer in his chest. He had been watching Elijah swimming on his back, and now he was gone. Nowhere to be seen.
“ELIJAH!!!….”
“NOOOOOO!!!” Dominic raced towards the water where he had last seen him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the same lifeguard who had been blowing the whistle earlier hurtle past him.
The lifeguard ran into the water and dived beneath the surface, Dominic was close behind him. Then he just stood there looking around wildly, the water lapping gently around his thighs. There was nothing to see. Nothing… no lifeguard, no Elijah.
Where were they? Where was Lijah… Where are you baby… where are you?
Then the lifeguard emerged, one hand underneath Elijah’s limp body. He blew into his whistle, three loud sharp bursts, and then proceeded to drag Elijah’s body onto the shore.
“Nooo…..!” Dominic heard himself cry. “No… no… no…” He followed the lifeguard and then fell on his knees beside Elijah’s unconscious body.
“Stay back sir, stay back… don’t touch it…”
“Get it off him…!” Dominic cried as he looked at the box jellyfish, its metre long tentacles wrapped around Elijah’s leg and arm. “Get it the fuck off him!! My God… Lijah!!! Lijah…!”
“Stay clear, sir!” The lifeguard pushed Dominic away as he listened for breathing, and when he heard nothing he began to breathe for Elijah, steering well clear of the stinger’s tentacles.
“Lijah… wake up…” Dominic took hold of Elijah’s undamaged hand, which felt cold and clammy… “Lijah… baby… wake up… don’t leave me… don’t leave me…” Dominic could feel tears streaming down his face… Please… don’t leave me…
Elijah suddenly choked as he came round and vomited up sea water… then he began to scream and the screams were harrowing… unearthly… A sound Dominic had never heard before, nor would ever want to hear again. He sat back in the sand, in shock, not knowing what to do. He needed to let Elijah know that he was here, but Elijah couldn’t see him… he was lost in the pain, his body writhing, trying to get away from it - but the lifeguard was holding him down in order to prevent further contact with the deadly tentacles.
A beach buggy roared up beside them, and out jumped two more lifeguards… within seconds they were pouring liquid over the stinger, which neutralised the sting in an instant. But Elijah did not stop screaming; over and over again… a sound, which Dominic knew, would haunt him forever. All he wanted to do was hold Elijah, take him in his arms, comfort him, and let him know that it was all going to be all right, that he was here, and the pain would go.
But Dominic sat back looking on helplessly, wanting to cover his ears to block out the noise of Elijah’s screams, wanting to cover his eyes so he couldn’t see the look on Elijah’s face, as it creased in sheer agony, as his body jerked and convulsed when wave after wave of pain rippled through him.
And that sound… that sound of terror that ripped from Elijah’s throat seemingly without end… somewhere in that sound Dominic could hear his name… Elijah was calling for him… and there was nothing he could do.
tbc
Author/Email: Salogel (salogel42@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Dom/Elijah
Rating: NC17
Summary: Dom and Lij visit The Great Barrier Reef.
WARNING: Some angst
Feedback: Yes please
Archive:Hobbit Haven
Disclaimer: None of this happened or will ever happen. It is all made up in my overactive mind.
Additional Notes: Any flashbacks are written as they happened, and not necessarily as a point of view.
Previous chapters can be found here.
Thank Yous to: to Jesslotr for my wonderful icon! And Ru for being a fantastic beta!
World Trip
Chapter 34 – The Great Barrier Reef
There was no electricity inside the guesthouse, knocked out momentarily by the lightning storm taking place somewhere over the ocean.
But the room was lit up, nonetheless. Flashes of light, as if produced by a photographer’s flashgun. Images caught, held for a fraction of a second before being lost again in the impenetrable darkness. Images which Dominic observed in the mirror across the room from the edge of the bed he was kneeling on.
Another flash, revealing Elijah’s mouth on him, his lips firmly attached to the solid length he held in his hand, then darkness again.
Flash… Dominic watched Elijah’s tongue sweep over and curl itself around the head of his cock, then nothing. No image to see, but everything to feel. Elijah’s tongue was hot and insistent as it tugged and lapped on him in the darkness of the room.
Flash… Dominic’s eyes remained on the mirror as he watched Elijah’s mouth take in every inch of him… seeing his flesh disappearing inside Elijah’s mouth was nothing short of erotic. Then that image was gone, too, leaving Dominic with only the sense of touch. And that was a phenomenal experience; in its own right… more than erotic. He could feel the back of Elijah’s throat pressing gently against his cock, and he could feel Elijah’s throat muscles gently rippling as they continuously worked to keep him there, deep inside his mouth.
Another flash of light, showed Elijah firmly attached to his groin, and Dominic could only sigh and shudder at the whole voyeuristic experience, as these snapshots revealed his lover swallowing him whole, and bringing him to cataclysmic orgasm.
The storm raged on outside, no rain, no thunder just sheet lightning, one of Mother Nature’s natural firework displays.
The two men, safe and secure inside their small room overlooking the sea, continued their love-making, lost in one another, almost oblivious to the dramatic events going on outside their window.
Elijah slowly stood up. He licked his lips and wiped his mouth, before pushing his hair away from his face. He looked down at Dominic as the lightning lit up the room. Dominic had flopped backwards onto the bed, his eyes closed, as his body still soared from the pleasure Elijah had just given him.
Dominic opened his eyes as he felt Elijah straddle him. At first he could see nothing, all he could feel was the heat of Elijah’s thighs pressed against each side of his body. Then the revealing flash showed Elijah kneeling high, inching his way towards him, and as they were plunged into darkness once more, Dominic felt the heat of Elijah’s cock press against his lips.
Salty, musky… Dominic slowly opened his mouth tasting Elijah, using his tongue to lick off sticky beads of precum. Elijah inched forward a little more, holding his cock in place, shuddering each time Dominic’s tongue swiped across its sensitive surface.
The lightning lit the scene, like a black and white still from a movie. Elijah looked down at Dominic, whose mouth was now filled, their eyes met, then the image was gone, but it was quickly replaced by another, and soon after another.
Dominic didn’t take his eyes off Elijah as he continued to work on him. He sucked and licked at the heavy column of flesh, drawing soft, almost silent moans from Elijah. He ran his tongue along the entire length, marvelling at how hard Elijah was - he was always so fucking hard…
And then Dominic’s mouth returned to kiss and lap at the smooth head again. He gently sucked on it, dipping his tongue into the slit, and then he sucked a little harder, letting his tongue feel its way underneath the ridge.
Dominic moved his other hand and cupped Elijah’s balls. They settled into his palm, almost fluidly, and as the room lit up Dominic could see that Elijah’s eyes were closed.
It became a photographic image burned in his memory. Elijah not moving, he was still, his mouth slightly parted, his head tilted to one side losing himself in the pleasure that Dominic was giving him.
Dominic watched that face as he continued to suck and kiss Elijah’s cock, every flash of lightning just made the sight of him seem more beautiful than ever. Despite the golden glow that Elijah’s skin had developed, when the lightning lit his body it looked white, almost porcelain, and his hair, now long and wavy, looked jet black as it curled on his shoulder.
Dominic couldn’t take his eyes off Elijah. He wanted to preserve this moment forever. He didn’t think he had ever seen Elijah look more beautiful. And I’m causing it…he suddenly thought. Elijah looks like that because of me. This sudden realisation brought tears to Dominic’s eyes as he continued to watch the glimpses of sheer perfection and beauty being lit sporadically above him.
“Oh…Dom…” Elijah’s voice broke the silence in the room. He looked down at Dominic and saw him when the lightning flashed; his cock was glistening wet as Dominic’s mouth worked on him, up and down, increasing in pace and pressure.
Elijah was near to orgasm. Dominic could feel it by the way Elijah’s cock hardened a little more pressing down on his tongue. He took hold of the length in one hand, preparing for Elijah’s thrusts when he came.
“God… Dom…” Elijah felt the spiralling wave as he climaxed into Dominic’s mouth. The lightning flashed repeatedly, as Dominic sucked on him, hard, drawing out all the fluid, helping Elijah along with his hand, long firm strokes, controlling his thrusts, sucking and swallowing until finally he felt Elijah’s thigh muscles relax and unclench against the side of him.
More flashes, the storm was getting closer… Elijah looked down at Dominic and pulled his cock free of Dominic’s mouth. Dominic quickly took hold of it one last time, and kissed it before letting it go. Elijah smiled, and Dominic smiled back at him. Then Elijah lowered his head to kiss Dominic, who proceeded to take Elijah into his arms. Their kiss was long and passionate, and Dominic had to sweep Elijah’s hair aside before cupping his chin and kissing him again.
Elijah snuggled against Dominic’s warm body as Dominic draped a single cotton sheet over their naked bodies. Then they lay in each other’s arms watching the light show outside the window, until they finally fell asleep.
***
Sunlight streamed in through the bedroom window. Elijah blinked, his eyes felt scratchy and sore, and he cursed himself for not removing his lenses before falling asleep. He looked at Dominic still sleeping beside him, barely covered by the sheet which had almost slipped off them during the night.
With a big of wriggling, Elijah managed to extricate himself from Dominic’s limbs, and he walked over to the window and looked out at the magnificent view. The ocean looked an incredible turquoise blue, a completely different sort of blue than that they had observed during their earlier travels along the Sunshine Coast. Out there lay the beginnings of the Great Barrier Reef, a whole underwater world waiting to be explored.
And in a couple of day’s times they would be out there, seeing it for themselves, but first they had to go to ‘school’.
*
Dominic had been eager to reach this part of their journey. Scuba diving… there was no better way to see the marine life in these waters, he had said. So they had made quick stops on their way to Arlie Beach, taking in some of the attractions en-route, staying overnight in motor home parks… before eventually reaching this place - their penultimate destination before exploring The Great Barrier Reef in all its glory, further up the coast.
Dominic had studied the diving courses that were available, and finally settled on one, which would take five days to complete. Two days of theory and pool training, before embarking on a three-day boat trip, which included training dives, but ultimately ending with free dives on the last day. At the end of the course, they would be qualified, and able to dive anywhere (in theory) along the Great Barrier Reef.
As the summer season was still a few weeks away, Dominic managed to book them onto the diving course without any problem, and they decided to abandon their motor home for the duration of the course and stay in a guesthouse.
It wasn’t a big guesthouse, but it was near to where they were training, and it had laundry facilities, which they were only too eager to take advantage of. Christ only knows what the staff were going to think when they found all their motor home bedding included in their laundry pile.
“Lijah?”
Elijah looked from the window to Dominic who has just woken up.
“Hi.”
“Is the power back on?” Dominic sat up and rubbed his chin, he really could do with a shower - it had been a warm sticky night.
“I don’t know.” Elijah strode over to the light switch and flicked it on. “I guess so.”
“Great!” Dominic swung his legs out of the bed. “Going to join me?” He held out his hand to Elijah.
Elijah nodded and they made their way to the small bathroom.
*
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, did you all enjoy the electrical storm last night?”
Elijah and Dominic glanced at each other trying not to grin, before joining in with the other trainees in saying their good mornings to the instructor standing in front of them.
“My name is Simon, and over there is Julia.” The instructor indicated to the woman standing quietly at the side of the room. “We’ll be taking you through your training over the next five days. We don’t bite, so at any time, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.”
The group went silent.
Simon smiled at them; they all had a look of apprehension on their faces. “You’ve enrolled yourselves on one of the best courses that there is, and believe me I’ve been on them all. Can I ask, is there anyone here who has dived before?”
No one raised their hands.
“Anyone snorkelled?”
A murmur and few hands were raised half-heartedly.
“Good…” he looked over the small group of men and women which numbered no more than ten. “Our day will start with a talk on safety and marine life, and then this afternoon we will go into the pool. Tomorrow we will expand on today’s lessons including how to check and look after your equipment, and then we will all board the Sea Mermaid in the evening.” He looked at all the faces again. “Is there anyone here who has never sailed before?”
Two hands went up, and Simon nodded. “Very well, I will now hand you over to Julia, and I’ll see you all later in the pool.”
“Hi guys!” Julia beamed at her new pupils. “Follow me.”
Dominic and Elijah sat at the back of the class, and for the next hour and a half they watched a slide show on what they would expect to see when diving along The Great Barrier Reef. There were a mind-boggling array of fish, and corals, far too many to recall. In fact by the end of the session all Elijah could remember was that there were an awful lot of sharks swimming around out there.
Lunch was served in a pleasant restaurant, and Elijah had his journal open in front of him, while Dominic went for food. He desperately tried to remember and write down some of the facts that he had learnt so far.
**
6 September 2005
We started our diving course this morning, I guess I could leave this entry until this evening but there is so much to remember, that I need to make some notes right now.
Dom is very keen on this diving experience, much more than me. I could take it or leave it. I would be quite happy with a mask and snorkel paddling on the surface of the water. I can’t say that I am incredibly keen to dive, but then again this is a once in a lifetime experience, so I had better make the most of it. It’s not been often that Dominic has really wanted to do something.
I just hope they have a mask that I can wear.
Right…. Now let me think, facts and details…
Julia said that The Great Barrier Reef has been described as the ‘rainforest of the deep’ because of the incredible variety of life that it supports. Amazingly, it is made up of 400 species of coral, (I think that’s what she said), and over 2,000 species of fish. From the tiniest of creatures to several species of shark.
Of course everyone went cold at the mention of sharks, but according to Julia none of them are a threat to man, but still… a shark is a shark, and if I see one, I’ll be out of the water!
But I have to say, that out of all the creatures that we saw this morning, the one I would most like to see is the sea turtle, now that would be worth all the discomfort of kitting out in diving gear.
Ok, time to eat…
**
Dominic placed a plate full of food in front of Elijah.
“What is it?” Elijah screwed up his face in disgust.
“Umm… a seafood salad, or something.” Dominic sat down opposite Elijah and began to tuck in.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Dominic stopped, his fork half way to his mouth.
“We’re eating the animals that we’re training to see?”
Dominic blanched and dropped his fork to his plate. “Christ, you’re fucking right, Lij.” He looked over at the food counter. “Fancy a chicken sandwich?”
***
God, this weird… Elijah took his first breath underwater, and it sounded incredibly loud in his ears. Hearing himself breathe was a fucking freaky experience. He looked over at Dominic who raised his thumbs to Elijah as they both sat down on the bottom of the pool with all the other trainees.
All eyes were on Simon, and before long they were instructed to re-surface. Their equipment which felt so heavy and uncomfortable outside the pool weighed just about nothing once they were in the water, which was a great relief to Elijah. He didn’t want to admit to anyone that he shoulders began to ache within minutes of strapping the tank to his body.
Next they all swam to the deep end of the pool in order to practise a very important technique which if not mastered meant that you could hang up your diving gear and forget the rest of the course. It was called equalising, or popping your ears. Failure to be able to do so would lead to great pain and abandonment of any dive over 2 meters deep. Everyone managed the procedure.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and before they knew it, Dominic and Elijah were back at their hotel, exhausted, but looking forward to the next day. Which had surprised Elijah.
Sitting on their balcony looking over the dark vista before them, Elijah looked up at Dominic who was sitting behind him gently massaging his aching shoulders.
“You know, I didn’t think I would like it… but it was cool.”
“Not like what, Lij?” Dominic placed a kiss on top of Elijah’s head.
“Diving.”
“Are you serious?” Dominic frowned as he twisted Elijah around to face him.
Elijah nodded.
“I thought you loved swimming?”
“Swimming is not diving, Dom.”
“But didn’t you do it when you filmed Flipper?”
“No… no I didn’t… I just held my breath a lot. Breathing under water is just plain weird! I can hold my breath for a very long time, and what was it that Julia said was the number one rule when scuba diving? Never hold your breath. It’s just weird... fucking unnatural…”
“So do you want to continue? I wish you’d said something before, Lij.”
“Continue?” Elijah could see the crestfallen look on Dominic’s face. “Of course I want to continue. Like I said, it was cool… real cool… but fucking weird.”
Dominic stared at Elijah not sure whether or not to smile.
“Don’t look so fucking serious, Dom.”
“I’m sorry… I’m not sure how this stands, Elijah. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do just for me.”
“Jesus, Dom… it’s fine… really… … … REALLY!” Elijah over emphasised the word. “Just weird… that’s all.”
This time Dominic did smile. “Well you do look good in a wetsuit, but even better out of one. Come here…” He pulled Elijah to him, and began unbuttoning his shirt.
***
The Sea Mermaid was a luxury live-aboard catamaran, capable of holding thirty guests and eight crewmembers. It would have been a little crowded if it had been high season, but as it was, with only ten trainee divers, the boat seemed incredibly spacious.
Dominic and Elijah stood back when the cabins were allocated, not wanting to jump in first and grab a double, although they were positive that no one would even bat an eye lid if they did. But it turned out that there was one spare and they graciously took it when it was offered to them.
The sun had sunk below the horizon as the Sea Mermaid left the harbour, and Simon was gathering everyone in the galley for dinner and introductions to the rest of the crew.
Once the meal was over the trainees had time to themselves, and most retired to the bar. Dominic bought two drinks and then went on deck with Elijah. They sat down on one of the benches and look out over the dark ocean. Far in the distance, many miles away they could see sheet lightning lighting up the sky.
“Wonder if it’ll come our way?” Elijah mused as he sipped his drink. “It’s kinda unusual isn’t it, for this time of year?” he asked Dominic.
“Lij?”
“These storms… I thought they only happened during the summer months.”
“Do they? Don’t ask me, you’re the mine of useful information, Lij. I know fuck all.”
“Yes… it is unseasonable…”
Dominic and Elijah looked over their shoulders to see Simon leaning against the safety rail.
“We’ve had the odd electrical storm in the winter before,” he said. But not this many. In fact, the past few weeks have felt like summer…very warm, very humid… you chose the right time to visit. Summer weather without the crowds.”
Dominic nodded… “So how hot does it get here?” He asked.
“In the summer it can reach as high as thirty two degrees, not as hot as central Australia, but with the humidity, it can get pretty uncomfortable.”
No wanting to appear rude, Elijah turned round to face Simon.
“So, what brings you both to this part of Australia?” Simon knew exactly who they were but didn’t want to make a fuss.
“We’re touring,” Elijah said. “We’ve travelled up from Sydney.”
“Cool.” Simon nodded. “I’m from Sydney. Beautiful city.”
“It is…” Elijah agreed. “But we didn’t spend much time there. Maybe we’ll go back one day.”
“So…” Simon had the feeling that he had intruded on their quiet time for long enough. “You’re going to continue up the coast?”
“To Cairns, yes.” Elijah nodded.
“Well, let me help you. Before we dock let me give you a list of the best diving sites, and companies to go with. There are a lot of cowboys out there.”
“Great… thank you.” Dominic piped in. “That’ll be really cool.”
Simon nodded. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen.” Then he turned and left them alone.
“He knows who we are…” Dominic looked at Elijah.
“I think you’re right.” Elijah looked out at the distant storm again. “That looks magnificent… so much energy.”
Dominic grinned as he slipped his arm around Elijah’s shoulders. “Yeah… it reminds me of you.”
Elijah couldn’t help but giggle.
“Magnificent and full of energy!”
“Fuck off, Dom.” Elijah laughed.
Dominic put on a hurt look, and then Elijah suddenly put his hand behind Dominic’s head and pulled him into a long deep kiss. When they separated Dominic smiled at Elijah. He could see the lightning reflected in his glasses. He looked at Elijah’s mouth and ran his fingers over those just kissed lips. Then he took Elijah’s hand and placed it over his groin, and as they kissed again, Elijah kneaded him to full hardness.
Other trainees suddenly began to appear on deck, intending to watch the far off storm, so Dominic stood up and took Elijah by the hand, and without a backward glance he led him below deck to their cabin.
***
They were awoken bright and early. The day was already warm when Dominic and Elijah congregated on deck with the instructors and other trainees. They had two training dives to get through that day, followed by two more the following day and a night dive, then if they passed the tests, they would be free to dive unsupervised on the last day. It all seemed very daunting to Elijah… it was a big ocean… with lots of ‘things’ in it. Things that could eat you, kill you, sting you, take big fucking chunks out of you…
“Lij…?”
“Hmmm…” Elijah looked at Dominic. “Buddy practise… are you listening?”
“Yeah… sorry…” Elijah picked up his facemask and respirator and then the next hour was spent practising over and over again how to share one oxygen tank if things went wrong.
After lunch all the trainees gathered on deck again, and Simon and Julia were there to answer any questions before they took their first dive into the sea. They knew what the questions would be, they were always the same. And it was always the same question asked first.
“Will we see any sharks?”
Julia smiled reassuringly at the nervous trainee. “Remember your first lesson? The reef sharks are not dangerous; in fact if you do get to see one, consider yourself very lucky! Most sharks found on the reef are fish eaters and therefore pose no threat to visitors.”
“Most?” Elijah whispered to Dominic. “Does that mean that there could be some dangerous ones?”
Dominic shrugged.
“Jeez…” Elijah suddenly felt very apprehensive about getting into the water.
“Believe me,” Julia continued. “The coral is more of a danger to you than any of the reef sharks. Please be careful, a lot of the coral is razor sharp, and cuts and grazes can be very nasty, and can get infected.”
“What about stingers?” Another trainee asked. “Aren’t they deadly?”
“Deadly, yes.” Simon answered. “But we’re not in stinger season yet.” “And in any case, the box jellyfish do not frequent the Reef; you have no worries there.”
“Aren’t they the “four minutes and you’re dead” jellyfish?” A nervous voice asked?
“Yes, that is correct.” Julia was used to answering this particular question. Trainees always showed more apprehension and fear when preparing to make their first sea dive. The swimming pool was a very safe environment; of course fears would surface now.
“The wetsuits you are wearing will protect you from any stings, that may occur. But as Simon has said, The Barrier Reef is free of these creatures, they will not be a problem at all.”
“Will we see any whales?”
“Now, there is a possibility of seeing whales.” Simon smiled. “And especially dolphins, who can be very inquisitive, those of you with underwater cameras may get some excellent shots when you free dive on the your last day.”
“Dolphins, Lij.” Dominic nudged Elijah. “You’re going to feel right at home.”
“Very funny.” Elijah raised his hand to ask a question.
“Yes, Elijah?” Simon looked at Elijah.
“How far will we be able to see?” I want to be able to see sharks before they see me!
“That’s a good question, Elijah. The clarity of water on the reef is determined by a combination of the amount of sediment and the amount of phytoplankton in the water. As we have not experienced any high winds of late, clarity should be good today, at least 30 meters.
Elijah nodded and then asked another question. “So how far away from the boat will we be going? And how deep?”
Dominic could hear the nervousness in Elijah’s voice and gently took hold of his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Our dives today will be near the boat, tomorrow we will undertake deeper dives, and you will be taken along a small section of the Reef.”
Elijah nodded and then glanced at Dominic.
“Ok, are there any other questions?” Simon looked at all his pupils. “No? Ok then, let’s dive.”
**
9 September 2005
I have seen so much over these past few days, and learnt so much. It’s something which I never expected to do. And now I am a qualified diver! How fucking cool is that?
But it’s not easy, there is so much to remember, and so many safety checks to do before and after each dive. I mean it’s an alien environment; there is no way you can slip into that water without taking all the precautions beforehand.
Dom is ecstatic! He is in the galley now with some of the others looking at maps of the Reef. He is my diving buddy, so I’ll just follow him tomorrow when we set off on our own.
We haven’t seen any sharks yet, and I don’t know whether or not to be disappointed or relieved, but the different species of fish that we have seen is so overwhelming. I have never seen so many colours before, even colours that to me have no name. It’s incredible… a fucking awesome experience, and I am so glad that I did it.
I don’t think I will ever be one hundred percent at ease under the water, but this is something I will never forget, and according to Julia, the further north we go the more diverse the marine life is, as if we haven’t seen enough already.
So tomorrow we free dive, and then return to shore. I’m not sure if we are going to buy diving equipment before we leave, or just hire it as and when we need it, but I want to buy my mask - it’s been perfect, the prescription is almost spot on, and I don’t know if I will be able to pick up another one.
Right, there is a party tonight to celebrate everyone getting their certificates… I’ll write more after our dives tomorrow.
**
Flying… that’s what it felt like… weightless and flying. Dominic and Elijah glided over the corals, mesmerised by the sheer beauty and colours before them and below them. Thousands and thousands of fish swam above them, clouds of colour, suddenly changing direction, going this way and that, as if the shoals as a whole had one collective mind.
Sea clams, some over six foot wide, star fish, snails the size of your fist, eels, crabs, rays…fish and even more fish… everything… it was a marine wonderland, another world, and above them lay metres and metres of water.
In the distance they could make out dark objects swimming, and to Elijah’s sheer joy he realised that they were dolphins. They swam a little way towards them, there were six in total, two were calves, and they were jumping out of the water, playing, and living life to the full.
Elijah felt Dominic tug his arm and he turned from the dolphins and looked into Dominic’s facemask. Dominic pointed downwards, and there below them was a solitary sea turtle, lazily swimming towards them.
Elijah’s eyes were wide and Dominic nodded to him, and then took Elijah’s hand and they slowly approached the turtle. It wasn’t in the least bit bothered by their appearance, and for some distance they followed it, marvelling at its long slow strokes, and its almost nonchalant attitude to everything around it.
Then suddenly they lost the turtle. Well, not lost it, just were unable to see it, as a shoal of the brightest colour fish burst on them like living confetti.
Elijah laughed out loud inside his mask. He turned round looking at the fish as they swam by, there must have been hundreds if not thousands of them just skimming past his body… he lost Dominic for a while, only knowing he was there by the touch of his hand on his. Then the fish were gone, leaving them hanging in the water, dazed by what had just taken place.
It was like living in a dream… a dream full of colour and wonder… and Elijah knew that he wanted more… he would be happy to dive again and again, to see this… to witness this underwater spectacle. He was glad he had done this, grateful to Dominic for egging him along. He wouldn’t have missed this for anything. He was never going to forget this…
The Great Barrier Reef would remain in his memory forever.
***
Townsville. Dominic looked at the list that Simon had given them the evening before.
“Ring this number.” He had told them as he handed them the piece of paper. “A very good friend of mine lives there, he’ll take you to the best places to dive. Away from all the tourists and cowboys. Ring him… you’ll experience the best diving ever.”
Elijah wondered how anything could be any better than what they had already experienced that day, but he thanked Simon nonetheless, and then couldn’t help but grin broadly when Simon suddenly turned bright red and asked him for an autograph and a photo.
Both Dominic and Elijah were only too willing to oblige. They’d had a fantastic time, and were only now realising that they had been purposely left alone, because after their photograph with Simon, the rest of trainees asked for autographs and photos too.
“They were a great bunch…” Dominic stated as he folded the list away and looked yet again at the back of his camera at the group photo taken before they all disembarked and went their separate ways. “Pity we didn’t get to know them a bit better.”
Elijah raised his eyebrows; his eyes left the road in front of him for a second as he glanced at Dominic. Now that was something he had not expected to hear from Dominic… a wish to get to know other people. Apart from when they were thrown together with Mal and all the others on the coach in South Africa, Dominic always seemed to want to steer clear of getting to know other people.
“We weren’t with them for long enough, and spent most of the time in the water… but yeah, I know what you mean.” Elijah concentrated on the road.
“And it didn’t seem right… “ Dominic placed the camera in his lap as he looked out at the passing landscape. “Being on a boat without Danae. At times I kept on expecting to see her, you know… coming on deck with fresh coffee for us… always smiling… always having time to talk.”
Elijah nodded. “I miss her too, Dom.”
*
Townsville was the second largest city in Queensland, and would be their home for the next week before they began travelling up the coast towards Cairns.
A week in Cairns then we fly to New Zealand… Elijah smiled to himself as he navigated the motor home through the busy streets of this bustling city.
They had decided to book into a hotel. The luxury of someone else preparing your meals, doing the laundry, making the beds, cleaning the room was just too good an opportunity to pass over. The motor home was great… very intimate… but ultimately very cramped, and hot! And the further north they were travelling the hotter it was getting. And at the end of the day, why have cotton when you could have silk?
It was mid afternoon, humid, and hot and both Dominic and Elijah were hungry and thirsty. Elijah spied a McDonalds and pulled into the car park. Once inside they ordered large everything and tucked in. Dominic picked up a ‘what’s on and where to go brochure’ and began flicking through it looking for hotel accommodation. He found one that they both liked the look of and rang them on his mobile.
“Great, sorted…” he slipped his mobile into his back pocket. “Room won’t be ready for another couple of hours, though.” He looked at his watch. “What do you want to do?”
Elijah finished drinking his coffee, and gathered all the empty cartons on the tray before standing up. He looked for the trash receptacle. “Let’s check out the beach,” he said as he wrestled with the refuse flap, before finally dumping the remains of their meal.
“Sounds good to me… it’ll kill a couple of hours… and I could do with a dip.” Dominic spoke as they left the air-conditioned restaurant and the hot air hit them.
Dominic parked the motor home in a car park over looking the long beach. The sea was as flat as glass, barely a ripple. The Great Barrier Reef itself acted as a natural barrier keeping back the surf… this coastline was absolutely no good if you liked surfing.
“That is stunning…” Dominic looked out the window. “Wonder how far you have to wade before it gets really deep?”
Elijah murmured a reply but was concentrating on something else.
“What are you doing, Lij?” Dominic could see Elijah sitting down at the table hunched over something.
Elijah looked up at Dominic… then held up his hand.
“Lij?” Dominic sat down opposite him.
“It’s my bracelet, Dom. It’s breaking.”
“Breaking?” Dominic took Elijah’s hand and studied the bracelet he had given him for his birthday at the beginning of their holiday.
“It’s unravelling… the threads are coming away.” Elijah’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t want it to break. You gave it to me…”
Dominic looked at Elijah’s worried face and then back at the bracelet again. “You know, this was made in the Arctic, Lij. It wasn’t made to be worn in the sea. The salt water has begun destroying it, eating away at the delicate threads. You’re going to have to take it off.”
Elijah didn’t like that idea. Dominic had tied this bracelet on his wrist in the Hay Hotel in Bavaria over 7 months ago, and he had not taken it off since… not once.
“It’s the only way baby…” Dominic tried to reassure Elijah. “Perhaps we can find someone to repair it when we return home…”
Elijah nodded weakly as he watched Dominic’s deft fingers begin to untie the leather knot. The pewter strands had lost their shine long ago and were beginning to fray badly… Dominic seriously doubted the bracelet could be saved.
“There…” he placed it on the small table between them, and then kissed Elijah’s hand. “We’ll get it fixed.”
Elijah rubbed his bare skin, it felt weird not having the bracelet on anymore, but Dominic was right… the last thing he wanted was for it to disintegrate beyond all hope. Hope…. it was the bracelet of Hope.
“Come on…” Dominic stood up. “Let’s go swimming.”
Elijah remained where he was for a moment before getting to his feet. He took Dominic’s hands and pulled him towards him. “I’ve got a better idea… let’s stay here and fuck.”
Dominic smiled gently at Elijah, he could see how upset Elijah was. He kissed him on the mouth and felt an urgency in Elijah’s response. Then a loud hooting noise from outside stopped them as they saw an open topped jeep pull up beside their motor home. It was laden with people shouting at one another.
Dominic took Elijah’s face in his hands, brushed back the tangle of hair from his forehead, and kissed him gently once more.
“I love you Elijah… “ Dominic glanced out the window as another jeep pulled up on the other side of them. “I love you, and I want to make love to you. But not here…” He shook his head. “Definitely not here. But later… ok baby? Later… I’ll kiss you. And I’ll kiss you all over… … I’ll kiss you everywhere…”
Elijah closed his eyes as Dominic kissed him again. Then they pulled apart when they felt a thud rock the motor home.
Dominic sighed as he let Elijah go. “Come on… let’s find a quiet spot on the beach.”
*
The Strand… a beach nearly two miles long. Dominic and Elijah walked bare footed along the hot sand. There were families on the beach, obviously enjoying the unseasonably hot winter sunshine. If this was winter, how hot did it get in the summer?
Dominic led Elijah down to the surf, if you could call it that, where the water cooled their hot feet. They walked a fair distance wanting to get away from the more crowded area, and then threw down their towels and bags on the sand.
Elijah looked at the sea in front of them, it was a silent sea, no sound of waves breaking on rocks, or crashing on the beach. Plenty sounds, though, of boats in the distance and children squealing as they played in the water further up the beach. But generally it was quiet, and peaceful, and very relaxing.
“Ok, Lij?” Dominic asked as he rummaged in his bag. He pulled out his swimming shorts, sun oil and camera.
“Shit!”
“Dom?”
“Fuck! I’ve left the camera in the motor home.” Dominic looked up the beach in the direction they had come. He debated whether or not to go back for it.
“We’ll be here tomorrow.” Elijah spoke as he wriggled out of his jeans behind a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Yeah, I know…. but…” Dominic chewed his bottom lip and scratched his head. “Look, I’m going to go and get it.”
“Ok…” Elijah pulled on his swimming shorts. “Bring some water back with you, Dom. It’s fucking warm here.”
Dominic nodded. “Right, I’ll probably be about twenty minutes.”
“Cool…” Elijah sat himself down on the towel.
“Won’t be long…” Dominic set off for the motor home.
The sun was hot… Elijah rubbed on some oil to stop his skin burning, sweat trickled down his forehead and the nape of his neck. He flopped down on his back, and then a couple of minutes later, he rolled onto his stomach, then he sat up again. He looked along the beach to see if Dominic was coming back, and then he looked at his watch. He’d only been gone five minutes.
He decided to paddle. It would help cool him down. And the water felt marvellous, not cold, not warm, just right. Elijah waded out a little further placing his hands in the water as he did so. The sand felt soft under his feet, squidging between his toes with every step he took. He wished he had a mask and snorkel because he could see flashes of colour beneath the water, small fish darting here and there.
He moved out a little further really enjoying the way the sea was cooling his body, he looked for Dominic again but there was still no sign. When the sea became waist deep he began to swim, just gentle strokes, trying not to get water on his glasses, which he now cursed for not removing before wading out into the sea. But they were soon covered with droplets and he had difficulty seeing anything through them, so he took them off and placed them in his shorts pocket, then he ducked under the water and swam among the fish.
The jeep people had gone, and a relative quiet had returned to the car park. Dominic unlocked the door of the motor home and went inside. It felt like an oven, and he was immediately glad that they had booked a hotel and would not be living in this thing any more.
He went to the front of the vehicle and retrieved his camera from the glove compartment. He checked to see how much memory was left on the card, and decided to take another one with him. He slipped it into his jeans pocked and then he set off back across the car park, only to stop and return to the motor home when he realised he had forgotten the bottled water that Elijah had asked for.
As Dominic hurried down the ramp to the beach he could hear a child screaming and people running everywhere. He slowed his walk as he looked to see what was happening. A lifeguard was carrying a small boy, whose loud screams chilled him to the bone. The child’s parents were crying and going frantic around him. Dominic wondered if the boy had half drowned and was rescued, although the blood curdling screams that he could hear from the boy didn’t seem to fit in with that theory.
Then Dominic looked away from the scene as he heard whistles being blown. He could see other lifeguards along the beach, ushering people quickly out of the water. His first thought was sharks!
Fucking sharks!
He strained to look along the beach to where he had left Elijah, but there were too many people running about and blocking his view. He saw red flags being hoisted… danger?
Fucking danger? He ran over to a lifeguard who was blowing a whistle and waving his arms frantically to those in the water who had still not heard him.
“What is it?” Dominic asked, he could hear fear in his voice.
“Stay out of the water, sir.” The lifeguard replied, and then he blew his whistle again before continuing. “We’ve had a stinger attack.”
“Stinger…?” Dominic frowned trying to recall the talk on marine life.
“You mean the jellyfish?”
The lifeguard nodded. “Nets are due to go up in two weeks, but this unseasonable weather has bought them south early.” The lifeguard returned his attention to the few stragglers still in the water.
“Get out of the water!” he shouted at them. “Now!”
Dominic felt an over whelming sense of panic. He looked along the beach again, squinting against the glare of the sun… he still couldn’t see clearly, there were too many people about.
“Christ!!! Don’t you be in the fucking water, Lijah!” Dominic spoke out loud as he began to hurry along the beach, straining to see, praying that he would find Elijah sunbathing, and blissfully unaware of all the commotion.
God… “Lijah!” Dominic couldn’t help shouting although he was so far away. “Lijah…!” He dropped the bottles of water and broke into a run.
Blurry fish, but so colourful. Elijah kept on dipping under the surface of the water, reaching his hand out to see if he could catch one, which of course he knew he never would, but it was fun trying.
When he came up for air, and wiped his hair out of his eyes, he thought he could hear whistles blowing further up the beach, and he wondered what sort of beach game was going on. He found he had swam out a little too far and couldn’t touch the bottom anymore so he paddled his way slowly towards the shore, placing a foot down every now and then to see if he could touch the bottom.
Dominic could see him. He’s in the fucking sea… he’s in the fucking sea!
“LIJAH, GET OUT!!!!”
Dominic had never run so fast in all his life. “GET OUT… GET OUT!!”
Elijah floated on his back looking up at the clear blue sky. He closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of the sun on his face, then as he brought his legs down again he felt something brush against him, and the sudden pain he felt was unbearable.
Fire… daggers of fire, piercing his skin, red-hot knives slicing into him, an unimaginable pain that intensified by the second.
Elijah went under the water as he grabbed at his leg, the pain was horrific, he felt something soft attached to his leg, and tried to pull it off, but the stinger’s tentacles wrapped themselves around his arm as well, and the pain that shot through him was excruciating. And as Elijah opened his mouth to scream underwater, the sea filled his lungs.
“Lij..!” Dominic came to juddering halt; his heart was racing, beating like a hammer in his chest. He had been watching Elijah swimming on his back, and now he was gone. Nowhere to be seen.
“ELIJAH!!!….”
“NOOOOOO!!!” Dominic raced towards the water where he had last seen him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the same lifeguard who had been blowing the whistle earlier hurtle past him.
The lifeguard ran into the water and dived beneath the surface, Dominic was close behind him. Then he just stood there looking around wildly, the water lapping gently around his thighs. There was nothing to see. Nothing… no lifeguard, no Elijah.
Where were they? Where was Lijah… Where are you baby… where are you?
Then the lifeguard emerged, one hand underneath Elijah’s limp body. He blew into his whistle, three loud sharp bursts, and then proceeded to drag Elijah’s body onto the shore.
“Nooo…..!” Dominic heard himself cry. “No… no… no…” He followed the lifeguard and then fell on his knees beside Elijah’s unconscious body.
“Stay back sir, stay back… don’t touch it…”
“Get it off him…!” Dominic cried as he looked at the box jellyfish, its metre long tentacles wrapped around Elijah’s leg and arm. “Get it the fuck off him!! My God… Lijah!!! Lijah…!”
“Stay clear, sir!” The lifeguard pushed Dominic away as he listened for breathing, and when he heard nothing he began to breathe for Elijah, steering well clear of the stinger’s tentacles.
“Lijah… wake up…” Dominic took hold of Elijah’s undamaged hand, which felt cold and clammy… “Lijah… baby… wake up… don’t leave me… don’t leave me…” Dominic could feel tears streaming down his face… Please… don’t leave me…
Elijah suddenly choked as he came round and vomited up sea water… then he began to scream and the screams were harrowing… unearthly… A sound Dominic had never heard before, nor would ever want to hear again. He sat back in the sand, in shock, not knowing what to do. He needed to let Elijah know that he was here, but Elijah couldn’t see him… he was lost in the pain, his body writhing, trying to get away from it - but the lifeguard was holding him down in order to prevent further contact with the deadly tentacles.
A beach buggy roared up beside them, and out jumped two more lifeguards… within seconds they were pouring liquid over the stinger, which neutralised the sting in an instant. But Elijah did not stop screaming; over and over again… a sound, which Dominic knew, would haunt him forever. All he wanted to do was hold Elijah, take him in his arms, comfort him, and let him know that it was all going to be all right, that he was here, and the pain would go.
But Dominic sat back looking on helplessly, wanting to cover his ears to block out the noise of Elijah’s screams, wanting to cover his eyes so he couldn’t see the look on Elijah’s face, as it creased in sheer agony, as his body jerked and convulsed when wave after wave of pain rippled through him.
And that sound… that sound of terror that ripped from Elijah’s throat seemingly without end… somewhere in that sound Dominic could hear his name… Elijah was calling for him… and there was nothing he could do.
tbc