-8-
Oil on Water.
Jesse glanced at Randolph, seeing that his older friend and mentor (was he going too far thinking that way?) staring at the oil-covered water and rocks with disgust and horror.
"I love my van, but I wish we didn't have to use gas," Randolph muttered.
Jesse knew how he felt; after seeing the way Willy's sister Luna was covered with oil, and she was very sick. While the orca was not in the best of condition, Jesse could tell she was a lot like her brother. Jesse only hoped that he and Luna spent more time together, just to see what she was like, and to see how similar she was to her brother.
But right now, he and Randolph were taking a break from helping Luna. The pair of them had spent a lot of time scavenging for the ingredients for an old Indian remedy Randolph had learnt as a child before giving the mixture to the sick orca. The poor thing had gratefully taken it, sensing the sincere desire to help.
Now it was just a waiting game.
"I know," Jesse was quiet, but his voice carried; Randolph turned in the corner of his eye. "It's weird, you see things like this, spills like this, and you think they're so far away. But here, I can smell it. And I hate it. It's worse than a gas station."
"It is. Do you know what oil is?"
Jesse turned.
"It's old plants, animals that have been compressed, mixed with other chemicals. It's the same with coal. The people who harvest it refuse to look for anything better, and places like this cove, which are havens for nature, they suffer for it whenever a spillage happens."
Jesse bit his lip, remembering Nadine's tearful reaction. "What's going to happen?" He asked quietly. "With the whales and the cove?"
Randolph looked tired.
"I don't know," he sighed. "I don't trust that oil bastard. I hated working in the aquarium; Dial was a nasty piece of work, more concerned with money than anything else. Animals are going to be scrubbed and given antibiotics to help them recover from the effects of the oil. Many are dying, and some of them are barely holding on by threads. Luna is lucky, Jesse," Randolph said seriously, turning to face his younger friend, "and I hope she recovers, but even an old Indian remedy is not a guarantee of success."
"I know," Jesse replied, although he was a little worried now.
Randolph sagged a little, and sighed, "It's not the reunion you would have wanted with Willy, and a chance to meet his pod, is it?" He asked wryly.
"No. I mean, I did see them when I saw those guys putting a leak into his tank, and I realised one of the reasons why he refused to perform at the park; he wanted to be with his family and he knew of the threat against him, and I realised I could see them when I was on the boat and saw a few of the orcas in the sea. When I accidentally dropped my harmonica into the water, Willy actually dove down and got it," Jesse smiled an awed smile at his friend, who returned it with one of his own, "but when I saw Luna on the beach…," he shook his head. "I only hope we can help them this time."
"Yeah, and not depend on the oil company; don't depend on their promises, Jesse. They mean nothing. All these bozos care about is profit; they'll be more likely to capture the pod survivors, and put them into captivity."
Jesse glanced sharply at him, but he conceded the argument. He was too tired to fight, and if he had to admit it to himself, he could actually see it happening.