The Rocks Below

By nigel bird

When Sam hears that the storms along Scotland's east coast, there's only one thing he wants to do - catch the surf. Missing out is not an option. Taking his board out to sea is full of risk. The storms are even heavier than Sam expects and he doesn't escape unscathed. Nor do the local towns and beaches which are left battered, damaged and covered in the detritus of the sea, including some rather strange looking rocks the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. It becomes clear that the local councils will need help in tidying up and the Surfers Against Sewage step forward to restore normality. In the storm's aftermath, however, there are a series of unusual events. First of all, there are the missing dogs, followed closely by the disappearence of some young children who were last seen playing on the sand. Not to mention the unusual noises that have been keeping people awake at night. Talk on the streets of Dunbar is that it's Black Agnes returned to take revenge. Others fear environmental catastrophe. Still more cite ancient visions of the end of the world. Fusing elements of crime fiction, science fiction and adventure stories, this is a book that entertains and stimulates thought in one exciting read. "I would recommend to all." Johnny_S "A compelling tale. Highly recommended!" Ignite, Amazon Top 500 reviewer "Aesop is applauding." AJ Hayes "Atmospheric sci-fi." Nicola Mills

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sea Minor
• Release date: Mar 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301432820

Book preview

The Rocks Below

a protest song

by nigel p bird

Unlucky For Some

Sam Surf had been looking after his children all day. He’d spent the afternoon cooped up indoors changing nappies and cleaning up the kitchen. Nightmare. With his kids they’d made a batch of burnt muffins, a cake that came out soggy in the middle and a load of jam tarts from which the jam seemed to have decided to abandon ship and spread itself all over the baking tray. Next time he was in charge, he was going to stick to DVDs, books and the dressing up box.

     What made it all worse was the weather forecast. Tonight was going to be the biggest storm on the East coast for many years, at least according to the weather-girl.

     For Sam, big storms meant big surf and, other than his family, the waves were what he lived for.

     When his wife returned home after a hard day in the classroom, he filled her in on the details of the baking, the who’d done what to whom and the number of nappies that had needed changing.

     If I’m not back by 5:30, make the calls, he said as he pecked her on the cheek and pulled the door behind him.

     The light was already fading and he’d need to be quick if he wanted to have some fun. He ran down the concrete steps, leaped into his Sam’s Surf ’s Cool work van and sped off to the beach.

     When he arrived, he sat in the passenger seat and twisted his hairy arms and legs this way and that until he managed to get them inside his wetsuit. The engine was still running and he enjoyed the current of hot air that tumbled from the fans in the dashboard.

     As soon as he got on his rubber balaclava and rubber boots, he switched the engine off and jumped out of the van into the elements.

     From this point, he was working against the clock - the sooner he could get to the water the better.

     He ran to the back of the van, battling against the wind, pulled out his board and slammed the door shut. It was a shame that he only had the 6 footers with him – they might be perfect for Dunbar most of the year round, but with gales like the ones forecast, he knew that an extra foot would make all the difference. Still, it was all he had for the moment and he wasn’t going to miss this ride, not for anything.

     After locking the van doors, he put the keys on top of the wheel on the driver’s side and set off.

     To anyone watching, he must have looked like an alien being with his perfectly smooth black body, shiny bald head and the board tucked under his arm. Thing was, there was no one around to see anything – the weather warnings had made sure of that.

     When Sam left the protection of the trees and stepped onto the salt marsh, the wind battered his body. It meant his legs had to work twice as hard as usual to get him half the distance with each step. Not that a little thing like the weather was going to stop him. He’d surfed in the dangerous, icy waters of the northern coasts many a time and that was a testing ground for any boarder.

     It wasn’t long before he left the dunes with their sharp, dry grasses and landed on the soft clean sand of the beach.

     The tide was on its way and he didn’t have far to go until his feet met the edges of the sea. He sprinted in like he was a child and this was mid-summer.

     Stopping for a moment, he attached the Velcro strap around his ankle so that he wouldn’t be separated from the board and looked up at the sky.

     It was only then that he doubted the wisdom of his trip. The clouds stretched across the heavens in an angry shade of grey all the way from Dunbar to the Kingdom of Fife and it was only at the horizon that the pink glow of the sunset managed to survive. The lighthouse on the Bass Rock was already flashing brightly in the gloom as if it were pleading for help. The waves were crashing on cliffs and rocks in the distance and spraying up their white foam like Palomino horses leaping into the air.

     A thought took hold of his mind. A piece from the news he’d heard on the radio before he left home. Something about an ancient civilisation predicting the end of the world this December. Maybe it wasn’t quite as ridiculous as it had sounded.

     If the world was going to end, then there was nowhere Sam would rather be for his final moments than with his board out on the open sea. He sprinted into the waves, throwing himself into the water as soon as it reached knee height.

     He checked out the buoys and noted the increasing swell size – 3m at 10 seconds, 5m at 12 seconds, 7m at 14 seconds. 10m at 16 seconds. This was crazy. Made the hairs stand up on the back of Sam’s neck.

     He stood for a second. Felt the sand vibrating beneath his feet, sending tiny tremors through his body.

     How he wished his mates were here to experience this. If only Ross hadn’t broken his leg on his snowboarding holiday and Tom hadn’t been sent abroad to work for his slave-driving father it might feel safer to go in.  

     Sam lay back on the board and with his arms he paddled as hard as he could. He tried to ignore the icy cold as it froze his face and his

Reviews for The Rocks Below

[lexieconyngham · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the way this book built up, giving different events affecting various people and adding to the mystery. The atmosphere was terrific, and the characters drew me into the plot, too - each was interesting in different ways, and one of them I was truly sorry to see go! The suspense was nicely judged: the only reason I've given it a 4 instead of a 5 was that I was left wanting more!

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure whether this should be called a series of interconnected short stories or a novella, but in any case, Bird uses it to promote an environmental message. Actually, I found the story, concerning the mysterious disappearance on the Scottish coast of dogs, children, and adults to be more compelling than the ultimate message. Bird has a knack for creating out-of-kilter characters who are fun to watch, and the Scottish setting is very well done--at least it adds an element of exotica for this American reader! There is a nice bit of John Wyndham type science fiction here as well.