My eyes were wet from the spray, but I still couldn’t tear them away. All I could do was stare and stare.
Aaron pulled me close. “Mind-blowing, isn’t it?”
“Totally,” I agreed.
The boat was now directly facing the falls and still edging closer. Ahead of us, the enormous cliffside was coated in an icing of white, frothing water that pounded ferociously over the rocks, hitting them so hard the spray rose almost as high as the cliff itself.
The base of the cliff was like a wide skirt, an arc of land that jutted out like a stage. From there, the cliff rose in jagged sections — each one set back a bit farther than the one below it, narrowing gradually the higher up it went. I couldn’t see the top of it.
The boat’s engine revved as furiously as the roar of the waterfall.
Around me, I was vaguely aware of people taking photos, calling to one another. But the voices faded more and more as we drove farther and farther into the spray, edging ever closer to the falls themselves.
I closed my eyes and felt the water on my face. Spray kissed my cheeks and fluttered on my eyelids. The screaming of the boat’s engine was swallowed up by the thunder of the falls.
I had never felt this way before. So engulfed by a place and so entranced by a beauty that I could not only see, but feel and taste and hear. Every sense was alive to the moment, and I never wanted it to end.
Unfortunately it was about to, as a voice crackled over the speaker.
“Please, could I have your attention, ladies and gentlemen? We will soon be driving as close as it is possible to get to the falls without endangering lives. As well as the turbulence from the waterfall, this part of the ocean suffers from high swells and unpredictable tides. To guarantee your safety, we are now asking that all passengers come inside the boat. I repeat, will all passengers now come inside the boat? Thank you.”
I looked around us. Almost everyone else had gone inside already. Even with the ponchos we’d been given, we were getting soaked out here. Most people didn’t need an announcement to make them go indoors.
There was only Aaron and me and a young couple at the far end of the deck. They were huddled together like us, but facing away from the island. Their arms were tightly wrapped around each other, and hoods were pulled over their heads. One of them held an arm out to take a selfie with the falls behind them.
“Hey, we should take one, too,” Aaron said.
“I don’t have my phone.”
Aaron laughed. “Me neither.” He pointed at the couple who had now finished taking their photos and were carefully starting to make their way inside. “I guess we should go in, too.”
I sighed. “I guess.”
But as we turned, I spotted something in the sea. “Aaron!” I grabbed his arm. “Look!” I pointed down at the water, but it had left and been replaced by thundering waves and froth from the falls.
“I can’t see anything,” Aaron replied. “What was it?”
“I don’t know. A big fish of some kind I think. Maybe a seal or a small shark?”
“Or just a rock,” Aaron replied.
“Yeah, probably,” I agreed. My imagination was working overtime as usual.
As we made our way toward the door, I saw it again: a shadow under the water. “Aaron!” I jabbed a finger at the water. “It’s there again! And it’s definitely moving!”
Aaron squinted at the water. “Yes, I see it!” he said. “Looks like it’s coming toward the boat.”
“Let’s check it out,” I said. We were approaching the door that led inside, but farther along the deck, a small set of steps at the back of the boat led down to a lower deck.
I glanced around. We were the only ones still out here now. “We could probably get down there without anyone knowing,” I said.
“Em, I don’t think we should. The man —”
“I know,” I said. I hesitated for a second as my deal with Shona flashed into my mind. Was this breaking it?
No. I didn’t think so. I wasn’t looking for a mystery. I just wanted to see what was in the sea beside us.
“Just a quick look,” I urged. “And then we’ll go in.”
“OK, but be careful, all right? It’s dangerous out here.”
“We’re semi-mers!” I said with a laugh. “What’s the worst thing that can happen? We’ll fall in the water. Big deal!”
Aaron half sighed, half laughed. “Oh, all right then,” he said, relenting. “I know you’ll have to do it now that the idea is in your head, and I’m not letting you go alone.”
I led the way to the top of the steps. With a quick look around to make sure no one was watching us, we climbed over the STAFF ONLY sign and, gripping the rail all the way, stepped carefully down to the lower deck.
“It’s different down here!” Aaron yelled as we clasped the railing and braced ourselves against the spray as the boat thrashed heavily from side to side. The force of the falls felt even stronger on this deck as we were so much closer to the water. It felt almost as if we were driving right into the falls. It was like being in the middle of a misty downpour.
“It’s wild, isn’t it?” I yelled back.
Aaron’s face was paler than usual. It was actually starting to look a little green. I guessed being a semi-mer wasn’t necessarily protection against the effects of being hurled around on the lower deck of a boat. Even I felt a tiny bit nauseated, and I’d lived on a boat all my life!
I looked into the water. All I could see was white froth now. No sign of the seal or shark or whatever it was.
I turned back to the waterfall as the engine screamed to hold our position.
It felt as if we were in a whole new world, driving farther and farther into the mist.
I stared hard into the frothing, white water, almost willing myself to become part of it.
As I stared, I saw something. Not in the water. Behind the falls.
Surely it couldn’t be — could it?
I wiped my eyes and pulled my hair off my face. Then I stared even harder.
One section of the falls seemed to flow a tiny bit less fiercely than the rest. I could almost see the dark of the rock behind it. And for a brief moment — only a couple of seconds — I saw something else. A flash of color behind the falls; a splotch of something green against the dark rock.
At first, I assumed it was a tree.
Then I saw something else.
I glanced at Aaron. He was clutching the railing and had his head down.
“Aaron,” I murmured.
He looked up. “Huh?”
“Did you see that?”
“See what?” He was definitely green now. He looked like he was about to be very sick.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Come on. Let’s go back up.”
I turned back to the waterfall for one last look as we made our way to the steps. Yes. It was definitely there. I wasn’t imagining it.
There, among the rocks, behind the thundering falls that surely no human could survive. Right there, I was sure of it.
I saw a person. I saw a face. I saw a pair of dark eyes, boring through the falls and the mist and the frothing, rushing water and connecting with mine.
There you are!” Mom was by my side within seconds of us sneaking inside. “I’ve been looking for you. This is fun, isn’t it?”
“It’s swishy!”
“I’m just going to sit down,” Aaron said, and stumbled to the chairs at the back of the cabin.
I spotted a man in a Majesty Tours uniform on the other side of the cabin. “Back in a sec,” I said to Mom, and before she could ask where I was going, I was across the room and waiting for the man to finish the conversation he was having on his walkie-talkie.
He ended his call and was about to walk away when I touched his arm. “Excuse me.”
He glanced down at me and gave me a smile. “Yes, young lady. How can I help you?” he asked.
I tried to figure out how to put my question into words.
“I
, um. Do you, errr . . .”
The man looked at his watch. “Sorry, miss, I don’t have time for —”
“Has anyone ever been seen in the falls?” I blurted out.
“Has anyone what?”
“Has anyone — I mean, like, is it possible that someone could swim behind the falls and, well, kind of . . . hang out . . . there . . . ?”
My words fell away from me, and my faced burned. What an idiot. I sounded ridiculous. The man obviously thought so, too. He burst out laughing.
“Ha-ha, you kids have such great imaginations,” he said. Then he leaned right down, as though bending to talk to a little kid. “It’s a fun idea,” he said. “You should ask your mommy if you can go home and write a story about it.”
I bit my lip. My face burned even hotter, this time with irritation.
The man straightened up again. “Look, we haven’t been running these trips for very long. You know why?”
I shook my head.
He lowered his voice and said, “Because no one knew this island existed till last year.”
“Seriously? How come?”
“It was completely hidden behind clouds,” he said. “Clouds that never went away. All this time, we never knew there was an island here. It got left behind the rest of the world.”
“Which is why it’s called Forgotten Island?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
“So why did the clouds clear? What changed?”
The man shrugged. “I guess something in the air or on the seabed. Out here, any small change in nature causes something else to alter. We don’t know what it was — but we’re not complaining.” He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the falls. “Are you?”
“Not at all,” I replied.
“And to answer your question, no, it’s absolutely impossible,” he went on. “There is no one living there. No one can even get there. Between the dangerous swells on one side, the treacherous falls on the other, and cliffs like monstrous spears in between, I can assure you that there is no possibility of getting behind the falls and hanging out there. Does that answer your question?”
I gritted my teeth. “I guess so,” I mumbled.
“Good.” The man smiled an I-know-so-much-better-than-you kind of smile and went on. “Do you know how much water comes hurtling down that mountain?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Almost two hundred thousand gallons every minute.” He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest.
If I’m honest, I didn’t really know exactly how much that was — but it sounded like a lot. So I gave him the answer I thought would make him happy.
“Wow,” I said.
“Uh-huh,” he replied, looking so smug you’d think he’d actually built the waterfall himself.
“So I guess that makes it hard for someone to swim through it?” I asked.
The man laughed again. “Hard?” Then he beckoned me over to the window. I followed him and looked out to the mass of white spray as he pointed. “You think it’s hard to swim through that?” he asked.
Before I could answer, he went on. “It’s not hard. It’s impossible.”
“Has anyone ever tried?” I insisted.
He frowned. “Actually, yes. When it was first discovered last year. A young man tried.” He shook his head. “Such a sad case.”
“What happened?”
He held my eyes for a moment before replying in a low voice. “He was never seen again.”
“He . . .”
He nodded. “He died.”
I gulped.
“So, no. It is not possible. Anything else?”
I shook my head. “No. Thanks.”
And after a sharp nod, the man walked off and left me standing in the window, looking out at the avalanche of white, frothing water.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we shall soon be moving away from the falls. As we leave Forgotten Island, you may return to the outer deck. Please be aware that we can experience moments of turbulence at any time, so remember to hold on to the safety rails at all times. Your safety is our paramount concern. After we leave, we will be taking you on a tour of the area and are due to return to the dock on Majesty Island in approximately two hours’ time.”
Mom and Millie were sitting together, looking out the window. Aaron was still sitting in the back. I went over to join him.
“Want to come back outside?” I asked him.
Aaron groaned. “I’m not feeling too great,” he said. “Must have eaten something weird at breakfast. I’ll be OK soon, I’m sure. You go out. I’ll join you in a bit.”
“I’ll stay with you,” I said.
“No! Don’t miss out. Go. I’ll come find you as soon as I feel better.”
I got up from my seat. “As long as you’re sure?”
“I am.” Aaron gave me a weak smile.
“All right. See you in a bit,” I said.
Now that we’d been given the all clear, at least half the passengers were making their way outside. I went to the front deck where we’d been earlier, but it was packed. Even the sides of the boat had people squeezed into every inch of space.
I was desperate for one last look at the falls, so I picked my way along the deck and approached the stairs at the back of the boat.
That was when I saw it again. The shadow in the water. This time it had come closer to the boat. Close enough that I could see what it was. Or rather, who it was.
“Shona!” I yelled. She must have changed her mind and decided to join us after all! She was under the water and hadn’t seen me yet.
I glanced around the boat. No one was looking this way. That settled it. I was going down there again. I wanted to see Shona — and, yes, if I’m honest, I wanted to feel closer to the falls again. Just one last time.
With one final look around to check that no one was watching, I slipped to the back of the boat, hopped over the barrier, and carefully slipped down to the lower deck.
Gripping the rail so hard my hands were white, I inched along the deck.
Luckily, the upper deck extended beyond the lower one, so no one would be able to see me from above.
Craning my neck to look into the water, I searched for Shona.
Where was she?
I clung to the railing and stared harder.
And then I saw her.
“Emily!”
“Shona!” I yelled, leaning over the railing. She was close to the boat, her head bobbing above the water. “You came!” I called down.
“I thought I’d surprise you!” Shona called back. “Didn’t want to miss out on seeing the falls!”
“They’re stunning, aren’t they?” I called down to her.
“They’re the swishiest thing ever!” Shona yelled. She was treading water with her tail, but kept bobbing under. The swell was strong, and so was the force from the falls.
“You OK?” I called the next time her head bobbed above the water.
“It’s really hard to keep my head above the water,” she replied. “I think I’m going to go back. See you at the hotel.”
“Wait!” I shouted. I’d had a thought. The boat had fully turned away now, and I was at the back, facing the falls. My last chance to see if I’d been right about seeing something. Maybe Shona had seen it, too.
“What is it?” she called up.
“I thought I saw something! In the falls.”
“Saw something?”
“Yeah.” I stared across at the white froth thundering down over the rocks. Mouth open, I gazed at the rainbow rising above the spray, like a bridge into the beauty. For a moment, it took my breath away. The mist on my face felt like snowdrops on my cheeks.
“What kind of something?” Shona called.
“I . . . I’m not sure. Like, maybe a person.” I stared into the falls, trying to find the spot where I’d seen the eyes, already convincing myself I’d imagined it.
The man had been right. Of course he had been; he knew what he was talking about. I’d
imagined it. Just a flickering of light, colors bouncing against the flow of water. I was a fool.
As I stared, a sudden wave hit us, making the boat dip heavily to one side, then rock back the other way. Up on the passenger deck, they were fine, but down here, the spray from the swell shot across the deck, almost knocking me over. I gripped the railing.
Another wave hit the boat. A sudden lurch and —
Wait! What was that? Was it . . .
I knew I should go back upstairs where it was safe, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. This was probably my last chance, and I was sure I’d seen it again. Was it a face?
“Shona! There! Look!”
“I can’t see anything!”
After leaning across the railing to get closer, I reached up to wipe the spray out of my eyes. In that moment, I saw it again.
“There!” I yelled, and with my other hand, I pointed and jabbed at the falls.
In the same second, the boat took another sudden lurch, dipping down hard at the back.
My feet slipped. I didn’t have my hands on the railing. I was on the floor.
“Emily!” Shona screamed from the water.
I didn’t have time to reply. Didn’t have time to think about what to do. Didn’t have time to grab the railing. Didn’t have time to do anything.
With one more lurch, the boat dipped forward, then sharply back again, and I slipped off the deck and into the water.
What was happening? Where was I? Where was the boat?
My thoughts tumbled and thrashed around in my head as my body tumbled and thrashed around in the water.
What had I done?
Why had I been so determined to get Shona to see what I saw, when it was probably — definitely — just a trick of the light?
Where was Shona?
Kicking frantically with my legs, I tried to swim back to the surface, but the weight of the water kept pulling me back down.
I wanted to cry, but even that felt pointless. My tears would be nothing compared to the gushing from the falls.
And then a familiar feeling gave me at least a tiny bit of comfort.