24 THE BOAT

CHAPTER 24 THE BOAT Sunlight spread down through the water and illuminated the robot. She was marching across a wide sandy plain, dotted with boulders and seagrass. The ocean was a little deeper there, and floating above her was a glittering school of fish. The fish were twisting and turning together, as if they shared the same mind. Roz had seen flocks of birds flying through the sky in a similar manner. Then, as now, she couldn't stop watching the undulating group of animals. The robot called out, "Hello, fish, my name is Roz! I am headed north in search of the Ancient Shark. Have you heard of her?" But the moment was interrupted by a distant buzzing noise. A boat was approaching. Roz hid against some rocks and waited for the boat to pass. The engine noise grew louder and louder, and then the boat appeared. It plowed across the surface, its underside dark against the bright sky. At the back end, its propellers fizzed through the water and left a trail of frothy waves in its wake.

There was activity to the rear of the boat, and then a huge fishing net slowly lowered into the ocean. Roz tried to warn the fish. "Swim away!" she cried. "A fishing boat is coming!" But the engine noise drowned out her voice. The net swept through the school, scooping up fish as it went. Their shiny bodies thrashed as they tried to break free, but the net was too strong. When the net was full, it was reeled in, and the fish were hauled above the surface and out of sight. In a matter of minutes, the vast glittering school had been reduced to a few survivors, who quickly flitted away.