"Anthony Wall - The Eden Mission (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wall Anthony)

would you mind changing?"

Susan waited, heart thumping.

Vanessa arched her carefully plucked eyebrows and said: "Of course I don't
mind. I only took this bunk so as not to disturb you if I came in late."

Susan smiled. Maybe Vanessa was a natural blonde.

Tucked up in the bottom bunk, Susan lay awake. Her brain buzzed with the day's
events. Such a lot. And the voyage was only just starting. She pictured Gary,
who always made an effort to be fair.

He's probably right about that man Curtis. Why had she disliked the radio
officer ...?

Susan's eyelids drooped. She thought she heard the click of a cabin door. Yves
or Darren going for a midnight stroll? Her curiosity stirred. Funny ... Susan
fell asleep.

She woke to find herself bathed in a buttery light, pouring through the
porthole. Drowsily she wondered what she would do today. Then she noticed the
bunk above her--like a low narrow ceiling--and realised where she was. At sea!
Bound for adventure!

Susan sat up, swung her legs sideways and stood stretching for a moment. No
trace of sleepiness now. A series of purring snuffles rose from Vanessa's
bunk. Susan chuckled. So glamour girls snored, did they?

Ten minutes later Susan was on deck. She shivered with pleasure. The
sun-spangled water folded and unfolded to the far horizon. The Atlantic,
unimaginably wide and deep. Not a sign of land anywhere. Nice to be alone ...

"Hello, Susan. Sleep well?"

She frowned at Gary. "Wish you wouldn't creep up on me like that."

Norman, who had been hidden by Gary, stepped into view. "Oh ... Good Morning,"
Susan said sweetly.
Norman peered over the ship's side. "Sea's green," he commented. "That means
it's murky with plants, rich feeding for fish. Blue water is poor in marine
life."

He took off his spectacles and began polishing them on a huge red
handkerchief. Rather vaguely he added: "And did you know that barnacles, like
those clinging to the bottom of this ship, might prove valuable to man? Their
adhesive properties are being investigated to see if they can be used in tooth
fillings and to mend bone fractures."

Susan stifled a yawn. "Fascinating. By the way, Gary tells me you're an ace