Quest on the Marl Road: Children of the Bluff Series

By Kathleen Bodden-Harris

Through a fateful turn of events, Lenny the Land Crab and Sarge the Soldier Crab meet at the mouth of the Great Cave and are soon set on a mission together. Their quest is to bring awareness and change to the natural world of their tiny island home in Cayman Brac. It seems the people in their midst have an invasive and controlling manner towards their native neighbours thats affecting their homes and lives. The islands geological features, such as caves and the bluff, join the cast of many of the indigenous creatures that the crustacean pair encounters along their way. The animated stories collected by them on their journey are passed along to the reader. The tales they spin entertain, educate and enlist all who enter the pages to their cause.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781532008061

Kathleen Bodden-Harris

Kathleen Bodden-Harris lives in Cayman Brac in her home sandwiched between the rugged bluff wall and the Caribbean sea. The contents of this book and consequential series were derived from her personal observations of natural from her life on the Brac. The area near the bluff behind her house contains a labyrinth which she built. It is used personally and communally as a tool of meditation and spiritual healing. Many of the animals seem drawn to the energetic circles of stone, as are humans seeking a sense of spiritual and mental balance through its path. Kathleen’s life is consumed with merging harmony of humanity along with the needs of nature. Her goal is to bring awareness to the innate necessity as a form of monitoring the progress of this tiny nation in the global scheme for conservation needs with economic developments. The author reaches out to her book’s readers to enlist their enlightenment to her cause. Quest on the Marl Road is the first of her books published in her Children of the Bluff Series. Book 2 will soon be published. In May of 2016, the book was awarded the inaugural 1st place in the Cayman Island’s Literary Awards. This edition is now richly decorated with local award winning artist Simone Scott’s colourful illustrations. Together, the native author and artist have combined their efforts to produce a delight for all senses. The book serves as a modern-day myth and travel guide for the island of Cayman Brac.

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Copyright © 2016 Kathleen Bodden-Harris.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-0805-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-0806-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016911633

iUniverse rev. date: 11/18/2016

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Preface

Chapter 1 Lenny the Land Crab’s Story

Chapter 2 The Gathering at Great Cave

Chapter 3 The Quest Begins

Chapter 4 The Sea Grape’s Story

Chapter 5 Encounters at the Dark Path

Chapter 6 Little Girl, the Brac Rock Iguana

Chapter 7 Her Majesty, Queen Isabel

Chapter 8 King Sebastian and the Labyrinth

Chapter 9 Trekking the Marl Road

Chapter 10 The War of Sea and Sky Begins

Chapter 11 The Aftermath

Chapter 12 Starving Parrots

Chapter 13 Mother Bluff Has Lost Her Crown

Chapter 14 Revelations of Mother Bluff

Chapter 15 Homeward Bound

Chapter 16 Hellos and Good-byes

Chapter 17 The Quest Ends; the Journey Begins

QUEST ON THE MARL ROAD

Adventures with the loveable creatures of the bluff in the natural beauty of Cayman Brac and the conservation struggles of the Cayman Islands

PROLOGUE

T he history of the Cayman Islands is not an ancient one. Beginning in the eighteenth century, the islands were steeped in mysterious legends and notorious stories of shipwrecks, pirates, and lost treasure. From there, its reputation evolved to include world-famed sea captains, able-bodied seafarers, and shipbuilders.

Today, the islands boast some of the most pristine waters and diving in the entire world. The rich natural wonders of the islands have played out since the dawn of time, when they first peeked from the unfathomable depths of the ocean from which they were born. All of the inhabitants of the islands found their way here through happenstance of some sort, and mankind has had its hand in their affairs. Creatures have had to fight for their survival in the drastic environment of their new home. Now they must fight to share this small island home with the human race and their advanced technology. Before the arrival of humans, adaptation was their key to survival. Now they have found that the human element is a far more dangerous foe against which they have no defence. You are invited to step into their world, hear their voices, walk their paths, and join them in their struggles to maintain their island home in paradise.

PREFACE

I n the heart of the beautiful Caribbean Sea sits a small nation of three tiny islands called the Cayman Islands. The largest of the three is Grand Cayman, which is to the southwest of its sister islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Because they are all so small, there is not a wide variety of animals and plants. However, each island boasts some of its own wildlife that is just a little bit different and found only on that particular island. There are no freshwater rivers flowing above the ground on any of the islands, but there are places where the underground water can be accessed below the land and in wells. Although the creatures and plants live many miles apart on the different islands, they are all dependent on each other to support their worlds. What they eat, where and how they live, and how they raise their families are interrelated. When these creatures begin to disappear, their absence affects all of the others.

This story is set in Cayman Brac. Unlike Grand Cayman and Little Cayman, the Brac, as it is affectionately called, is not flat. It rises up from the ocean like a wedge of cheese and soars to the heavens on the island’s north-eastern side. The fact that there are only a few soft sandy beaches on the Brac adds to its unique qualities; most of the shoreline is rocky and difficult to cross. The Brac can be a harsh environment in which to live, but those who call the Brac home know the weather and know that the sea can be either kind or cruel.

A new kind of creature has come to these islands: humans. The animals and plants have worked hard to adapt and make their worlds work in harmony with each other. It seems the humans have come to conquer them. Now more than ever, they must work together to save their world and fight for their very lives.

Who will unite them? How will they fight, and whom can they turn to for help?

The Mighty Mother Bluff has always been there for them, has always been there to look up to. Perhaps she has the answers they need to save their world.

CHAPTER 1

LENNY THE LAND CRAB’S STORY

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Lenny the Land Crab busy constructing his new home.

L enny the land crab was putting the last-minute touches on the new crab hole. He would be sharing it with his mate, Leanne. There was excitement in the air, and he couldn’t wait to show Leanne the completed details he had added to their new home. She was deep in the bottom of the hole sweeping and clearing the large passageway. Lenny called down for her to join him. Leanne, the sun’s starting to set. Let’s watch it together.

Leanne was plump, with her dark ripe eggs in her underbelly. She struggled through the entrance and turned back to marvel at their new home. My, we really do have a lovely home here, don’t we? He sidled up next to her, glowing with pride. You know, she said to him, by tomorrow it’ll no longer be just you and me. We’ll officially be parents!

Lenny smiled at her in response. And that’s why you should sit next to me here. Let’s enjoy the sun setting over the bluff. You need to rest. You’ve got a heavy load to carry down to that shore, and we’ll have to get you across the Dark Path quickly and safely to deliver our eggs. I’ll be with you every step of the way. He beamed.

She turned to look at him. You are the sweetest thing, she said. You’ve picked the perfect spot for us. The sea grape trees are so strong and protect us with cover and shade. These greystones are such good neighbours too. They’re so quiet, and they always give us a quick hideout whenever the dreaded night heron’s on the prowl.

They rested together as they watched the sky turn to gold, then pink, then purple. The trees up high on the bluff were silhouetted in black against the colourful sky. The darkness of night came peacefully and quietly.

Look! she said. A light shining in the distance had caught her attention. There’s the moon. How strange. I thought it would be on the other side tonight.

You’re right, he said. Wait a minute – there’s more than one moon. That’s not right. You stay here and let me check this out. I’ll be right back. As he moved closer, the moons were getting brighter and nearer. He could hear his neighbours screaming and scampering across the greystones. He felt as though he was caught up in a moment of time, trying to discern what he was seeing. Then he saw them.

As fast has his pincers could carry him, he ran back to Leanne and grabbed her by the claw. Quickly, we’ve got to get to the sea! That’s not the moon. It’s humans! They’re after us with sticks and buckets.

Leanne, heavy with her eggs, struggled to keep pace with him. She was reeling from uncertainty as they made it past the greystones and sea grapes. They stopped to catch their breath and realized they were on the edge of the Dark Path. They could hear the yelling and screaming coming from the bushes behind them.

Lenny turned to her and said, We’ve got to make it to the other side. We’ll be safe over there. We’re not far from the shore now, so just stay close to me and keep looking straight ahead to where we’re going. As he rattled off his instructions to her, his voice was loud and firm. He was trying to instil confidence in himself, acting as if what he was saying was true.

I will, she promised. Without hesitation the pair started to cross the Dark Path, but suddenly a pair of bright lights shone out. Leanne turned to look. There’s the moon! We’ll be safe now, she said in a mesmerized tone. It’s so big and bright and … Her words trailed off.

To his horror, Lenny turned to find Leanne had stopped in the middle of the road. No, Leanne! he yelled in fright. That’s not the moon! Run to me quickly!

His strained voice snapped her back to reality, and then she realized the danger. She ran as fast as she could, but her large egg sac was cumbersome and weighty.

There was a blinding light and a sickening crunch, and then two large, black round things passed right in front of his eyes. There was deadly silence. Lenny stood like a stone statue as he looked on the scene in total horror.

He raised his great claws up to the sky and cried, No! In an instant, his loving Leanne and his entire family had been taken from him and now lay in a gooey mess along the Dark Path. Trying not to believe his eyes, he stood there in complete shock as he looked over the dreadful sight.

Charlie the night heron swooped down to land over the remains. He was always quick to make good of a really bad situation. He didn’t see Lenny at first on the side of the road in the darkness. Lenny silently and cautiously backed away, and he heard Charlie say to himself in a sinister tone, Nice! My favourite: crab caviar! That’ll make a really good appetizer for the evening. Why, it’s even served on a nice cracked crab shell. The heron amused himself with his stroke of luck. He took his time, trying to figure out where to begin eating his prize. Too bad Nellie and the kids can’t be here to join me. I’ll take some back home to them. Just as he was about to begin eating, he looked up and saw Lenny. Their eyes locked. Charlie stretched his neck out to get a little closer to Lenny. He cocked his