Walking through the dark to the far side of the island made her even more nervous. The path they traveled was narrow and went straight through his private rainforest. There were strange trees and potentially poisonous plants and unseen things living in them. She could hear something rustling in the branches, but she couldn’t find it with her flashlight. Hopefully it was a bird and not some big scary lizard or snake.
“We’re almost there,” Brody said, rounding a thick, knotted tree trunk. He was clutching a camping lantern in his hand.
The path curved ahead of them and opened to a small oval lagoon ringed with a dark tangle of trees and vines. It was almost entirely enclosed from the ocean except for a narrow inlet. There were no sandy beaches on this part of the island. At least that she could see. By now the sun had fully set and there was only a touch of purple lighting the night sky. There was no moon tonight, but there was enough light left to see two kayaks and paddles lying along their path.
“We’re going kayaking?” That wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.
“Yes.” Brody hung the lantern on a sturdy branch and bent down to pick up a paddle. “Have you ever done it before?”
“No. I’m not particularly outdoorsy.”
“That’s okay. It isn’t hard. The water is calm tonight. These are open kayaks, so you don’t have to worry about rolling it.”
Sam swallowed hard and eyed him with renewed concern. She hadn’t considered that until he mentioned it. “Great. Any particular reason why we’re doing this in the dark? No one will see us.”
“I know. But we have to go in the dark. You’ll see why.” He grabbed one of the kayaks and hauled it to the edge of the water. “Come here and step in.”
Sam made her way over and kicked off her flip flops. Brody braced the kayak and held it steady as she climbed inside and sat down. It rocked slightly, but she kept her balance.
Brody handed her the two-ended paddle. “I’m going to push you off so I can put mine in the water. Just sit still and don’t paddle around until I get out there with you.”
She braced herself for the push and glided out into the lagoon. A few minutes later Brody pulled up alongside her. “Let’s paddle out into the middle. It’s almost dark enough.”
Sam dipped her paddle into the water on one side of the kayak, then the other. She was surprised at how easily she moved across the surface. It only took a few moments to reach the center of the lagoon. She let the kayak glide to a stop and held her paddle across her lap. The night was silent and still around them. She looked up to the dark sky and gasped. With no sun, moon or city lights, the stars were like a thick blanket overhead. There were millions scattered across the darkness instead of the fifty she was lucky to see in Boston. Suddenly, the mysterious hike through the dark was worth it.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
Brody looked up at the sky and laughed. “Yes, it is. But that’s not why we’re here.”
“It’s not?”
“No. I wanted to show this place to you. It’s a secret. No one knows this is here. I don’t even think the previous owner knew. I found it by accident. There are only a few locations like this in the whole world and mine may be the only privately owned one.”
Sam looked around herself, searching for what made it so special. She didn’t see anything but some weird trees. And then she saw it. A fish darted through the water beside her. It glowed a bluish-white, leaving a streak behind it like a trail of stardust. After a moment it faded away. “What was that?” she asked. “You have glowing fish.”
Brody smiled. “It must be dark enough now. It’s not the fish that glow. Watch.” He dipped his paddle into the water and agitated it. It stirred up a swirl of glowing white clouds beneath the surface.
Sam did the same with her own paddle. Every movement generated the blue glow in the inky black water. It was eerie and hauntingly beautiful. She’d never seen anything like it before. “What makes it do that?”
“This is a bioluminescent bay. The mangrove lagoon and warm, calm water creates the perfect environment for the tiny little creatures to thrive. They put off a blue-green glow as a defense mechanism when they’re agitated by movement.”
“Is it safe to put my hand in the water?”
“As long as you don’t have on any bug repellant. It will kill them.”
“I don’t.” Sam let her fingers comb through the water, making squiggly green designs like she was drawing in the air with sparklers on the Fourth of July. When she pulled her hand out of the water, it glowed for a moment. “Wow. This is really incredible.”