The Gathering - Chapter 7 of The Camera Doesn't Lie
The next morning the rest of the group showed up, with Jake and Paul shuttling them in from the airport. There was another guest room on the upper floor and Cleo won the toss so she and Lewis got to stay in there. But there were several additional rooms in the basement near the underground passage that led to the back of the Grotto.
"An easier way for you to get to the pool," Rowan explained to Bella and Will, who were in one of the basement rooms, and to Emma and Ash who were in separate rooms but right next to each other.
While the others were taking a quick swim in the pool Lewis wandered around the back garden, stopping at the windblown pine that was right on the edge of the drop-off, down to the bay below.
"That is an incredible view," he told Paul, who strolled up to see how he was doing.
From their vantage point they could see the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge going over to the Oakland side of the bay. There were a few boats out on the water, including several cargo ships and one large cruise ship. Far to the south they could see the Bay Bridge, connecting Oakland with the San Franciscan peninsula.
"We're lucky there's no fog today," Paul explained. "Sometimes you can't even see down to the water."
After the mermaids had had enough time to stretch their tails Rowan explained that she had called the photographer's shop and that he was arriving later that afternoon. So if they wanted there was time for them to go see the Muir Beach moon pool before trying to get the photos back.
"So what's this big idea of yours?" Rikki asked.
"Let's go visit their moon pool and then I'll tell you all," Emma said with a big smile.
On the other side of the Marin peninsula, just north of Muir Beach, a rocky ridge drove right into the ocean. One of their Yank friends, Jackie, had been exploring the ridge about a year ago on the night of a full moon and had discovered a hidden crack that led into a small cave, where a sea pool had formed. But like the Mako moon pool it was open to the sky, and on the night of the full moon light would shine directly down onto the water of the pool. Jackie had been in the water when the light shone down, and had been changed into a mermaid just like Rikki and her friends had.
Jackie and her husband Seth now lived in Los Angeles, but came north often, to visit and to swim with the other mermaids there.
"Jackie and Seth are coming up this weekend so we'll see them then," Rowan told Rikki as they drove west on the highway, around Mount Tamalpais, towards the beach.
"What about Tanya and Stephen?" Emma asked.
Ash and Zane were also riding with Rowan. Melanie was driving the other car and was pointing out the sights to Cleo, Lewis, Bella, and Will as they followed Rowan's car.
"They'll join us tonight, to hear what Emma's big plan is," Rowan said.
As they arrived at the Muir Beach area Rowan pointed out the guesthouse that Jackie and Seth usually rented.
"It has easy access to the beach and there are a lot of rocks there, making it easier to stay hidden when we have tails," she explained. "Normally we'd jump in there and swim into the pool through the ocean tunnel, but today we'll walk in."
Rowan pulled the car into the beach parking lot and found a parking spot. It was early afternoon and the beach was crowded, with families from the City as well as locals.
"There're a lot of people here," Emma stated as they climbed from the car. "Aren't you worried that someone else might find the pool?"
"The entrance is pretty hidden, but yes, I worry about that all the time," Rowan replied. "But I don't think most people like going near where the entrance is; the place gives off a feeling of…"
"Magic," Rikki interjected. "Kind of a creepy feeling if you don't know what it is."
"Exactly," Rowan agreed.
Once Melanie and the other four had joined them Rowan led the way across the beach, towards the rocky ridge to the north.
"So this is where you became a mermaid?" Will asked Melanie as they walked across the sand.
"And you were given the choice," Lewis said. "I think that's great. With Cleo and the others it was an accident."
"My best friends said they had never been happier so yes, I chose to become one," Melanie explained. "And they were right!"
After leaving the beach Rowan led them around some rocks and through some tall brush, right to a large bush that was right against the rocky side of the ridge. As Rowan pushed the bush aside the others realized had been woven onto a frame to make it easy to move and blocked access to a narrow crack that led into the ridge.
"That was smart," Rikki told Rowan. "We need to hide the entrance to our cavern back home."
"Yeah, or more Yanks might find it and you know what'll happen then," Melanie said with a giggle.
Inside they found a sandy passage that ran deep into the ridge. The path led to a rocky shelf that they climbed; on the far side worn steps led down into a cave with a familiar looking pool of water; complete with underwater shelf, the glow from an undersea passage, and above them a crack in the ceiling that admitted light into the cavern.
Rikki looked closer at the walls of the cavern and sure enough, faint pinpricks of blue could be seen, indicating the presence of moonstones. Under the surface of the water a large concentration of the blue stones could be seen, including one big cluster that was the size of a volleyball.
"You're the closest thing we have to an expert on mermaid magic, Lewis," Emma said, stooping to look at the cluster of stones. "What do you think of this?"
"Looks like it's giving off waves of something," Lewis said, looking closer at the stones. "The water is rippling slightly around it."
"Are they hot?" Bella asked.
"I can't tell," Lewis replied.
"Is the water warm around the stones?" Rikki asked.
"I don't know," he replied then turned and looked around the cavern. "Look, there are other clusters in the walls.
Leaving the pool Lewis went to examine a particularly bright cluster of stones. After waving his hand in front of the stones he turned back to the others.
"Doesn't feel hot to me at all," Lewis exclaimed. "Just gives me a little tingling sensation."
The others turned back to the pool.
"I take it that passage leads out into the ocean," Cleo said. "Like the Mako pool."
"Yes, but it is longer and twistier," Rowan replied. "But still easily passable."
"Well then, let's go for a swim!" Rikki exclaimed. "Last one in's a sea slug!"
She quickly dove into the pool, catching the others off guard, but not for long as Rowan dove in a fraction of a second later. The others quickly followed with a big splash, causing the guys to jump back to avoid getting doused by the cold, ocean water.
"So do we wait for them here?" Zane asked.
"Nah, let's go back out to the beach and wait for them there," Will told him. "I'm ready to do some swimming myself."
"You guys go ahead; I want to look at these stones a little more," Lewis told the others as they headed up the steps.
"Always the researcher, aren't you Lewis?" Zane asked, teasing Lewis in a friendly manner. "Don't get yourself zapped or shocked, or changed somehow!"
"Don't worry; I won't let that happen," Lewis said with a grin.
After the others left up the stairs Lewis waved his hand again at the cluster on the wall, watching how the stones got brighter as he did so.
"Amazing!" he said, and then turned to follow the other guys back out onto the beach.
After replacing the bush in front of the crack Lewis walked back and found Zane sitting on the beach by himself.
"Where are the others?" Lewis asked, sitting down next to Zane on the sand.
"Will and Ash are right over there," Zane said, pointing towards the middle of the beach where a series of rocks extended out into the ocean, forming several tidal pools. Will and Ash were examining one of the pools; it looked like they had discovered some type of animal or a shell of one.
"Going swimming, Lewis?" Zane asked. "The water's cold but not too bad."
"Maybe later," Lewis told him. "So, how're you two doing?"
"Oh, being married to Rikki is great," Zane said with a grin. "I'm trying not to make too many mistakes around her 'cause I don't want her to hurt me."
Lewis laughed.
"She can be a little intimidating at times," he said with a grin.
"No, she's great," Zane said, thinking about the last week since they had gotten married. "We should have gotten married a long time ago."
"She was mad at you, remember?" Lewis jibed him playfully.
"There was that," Zane said. "But the last week has been great, at least until that photographer caught us on that beach on Maui.
"So what really happened?" Lewis asked.
Zane recounted the story again, from his point of view, up to the point when Rikki had joined him at the trashcan where the photographer had parked.
"And the picture on the flyer matched the guy we saw, so that's how we know it's him," Zane concluded.
"Well, Emma says she has a plan that will help get the photos back," Lewis said.
"I hope so," Zane told him and stared off at the ocean.
"There you are," Rikki said from behind them a few minutes later.
Zane turned and stood as Rikki ran into his arms and gave him a big kiss.
"Still newlyweds I see," Rowan said to them with a grin and then held up her hand to forestall any reply from Rikki. "No, no need to apologize. You still are on your honeymoon, afterall!"
"You guys ready to go back?" Cleo asked.
"Sure; I'm tired of sitting out on this hot sand," Lewis told her, and called out to the other guys. "Hey Will! Ash! Let's go, the girls are back!"
Will and Ash left the tidal pools and hurried back up the beach to them.
"How was your swim?" Ash asked Emma after giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Nice," Emma replied. "The water's colder than back home, and murkier, but we could still see pretty well."
"I want to go to Mako," Melanie said, pouting. "It sounds wonderful!"
"We will, we will," Rowan told her friend with a smile. "Okay, let's get back. Tanya and Stephen should be there, as well as Paul and Jake."
Continued with Chapter 8, The Plan
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