FATAL MISTAKES

Most people who make fatal mistakes don't survive long enough to learn from them. Hence the name. I'm starting to think I've made so many of them, I've developed a knack for finding them. My name is Gerard, and on a good day I think I am reasonably smart. I love to learn and I'm always willing to try something new. Somehow that keeps getting me almost killed. If I could blame one person for this curse, it would be Lord Edward the Black, my first mentor.

He was a confident man who frequently warned me about the dangers of indecision. He was full of quotes about the subject. More is lost by indecision than the wrong decision. Leaders move and act; followers stand and watch. When you see what needs to be done, jump in and do it. I don't think he ever imagined a problem in shark infested waters.

Taro was a fisherman, boat owner, and head of a small crew. One of his men was home with an injury, so I volunteered to help. I've been out in the boats over a hundred times in my five months on the island. On PukaPuka, everyone fishes. I rotated boats and owners, trying to meet everyone. I have sailed with Taro dozens of times, finding him competent and friendly. We rowed out past the outer shoals and strung nets between Kai's boat and our own.

The morning boats stay out for two hours and then come back as a group, watching out for each other. We caught fifteen trevally but not enough to fill our baskets. Inside the reef we passed a school of brightly colored u'hu. Taro tossed a rope over to Kai's boat and they pulled the net between them. The rest of us were pulling hard to draw the net across the group of fish. We all felt it when the shark swam into the net. The boats were stopped short, and we had to work to keep from being pulled together. The shark was thrashing and rolling on instinct; the only thing it knew to do. The more it rolled, the more tangled it became. Kai and Taro cut the ropes to protect the canoes, but the shark was hopelessly tangled.

I'd been a gamekeeper for the first 18 years of my life. My oath was protecting animals and preventing suffering. It didn't matter if it was deer, turkey, rabbits or fish; they were my charge. I'd made a promise to Edward, and this shark was going to die.

I took off my hunting belt, pulled my knife, and dove in. The shark was big, and did not appreciate my help. I started at the end without teeth; my only smart decision that day. Sharkskin is smooth when touched lightly, but sharp as coral when pressed. I had to wrap myself around the shark and try to hold it still while cutting net and rope. I worked my way up the shark's body while getting body slammed and scrapped every foot. I took breaths when I could while we rolled on the surface. I moved up behind the big fin and wrapped my legs around the middle before cutting the ropes off its head. The last of the rope was caught between its teeth, hanging out both sides. That is when I did something Captain Roche, Taro, and even Kai had warned me to never do. They all said it would get me killed. I wrapped the rope around both of my hands to get a better grip.

The shark realized it was free and took off like its life depended on it. I was pulled under and dragged like a toy. I fought to get my hands free, but a taut-line hitch won't release until the tension does. My knife was gripped in my right hand, and a loop of the rope was holding it tightly in place. That wasn't good. We broke the surface once and I gulped as much air as I could. I couldn't see, I couldn't scream, and I couldn't let go. The next time we broke the surface was too short; I got half a breath and half water. I was choking and dying.

I was underwater forever, a time without time. I could feel the darkness closing in on me, crushing me. Suddenly my right arm was free; the rope was bitten through. It happened so fast; I nearly dropped the knife. Now I was being dragged by my left arm, flopping against the shark. With the last of my strength, I pulled myself up and cut the rope holding my left arm. The abrupt stop was disorienting, I didn't know which way was up. I had no idea how deep I was, but I swam for the light.

When I surfaced, I was surprised how close to shore I was. It felt like I had been dragged for miles. I waived for help, hurt and exhausted. One of the boats saw me and paddled my way. While I waited to be picked up, I got an uneasy feeling and looked underwater. I could only see ten feet, but the shark was closer than that. It was circling me, watching me, smelling me. I realized I was bleeding from a dozen cuts and scrapes, and I got scared for the first time. Up until now, I hadn't had the time.

I put both hands in front of me, knife at the ready. I kept the shark in front of me, turning when I could follow it. A few times it disappeared into the background only to appear from a different angle. My ride home was taking forever. The shark was coming closer with each pass, and twice I pushed his nose away with my hand. I didn't want to stab it unless I had to. I was face down in the water, watching the shark when rough hands grabbed me. It scared the shit out of me, and I screamed. Two islanders were pulling me into the boat when I saw the shark swim right underneath me through a pink cloud of blood. I saw the nostrils expand as it smelled me, drank me.

When the men dumped me into the boat, I landed on my back, looking up. Five natives of PukaPuka looked down at the stranger from a faraway land. The looked at me like I was crazy. Kai was the first to speak, striking his chest with a fist.

"Shark rider!" he yelled.

His crew cheered for me. I rolled over and threw up.