Ducie by Chris Freeman
Chapter 6. Ducians know Ducians
Daniela Diaz was a pretty girl. You probably worked that much out for yourself already. I wouldn't say it was a sea shell pretty, a palm tree pretty or a sunset pretty; she was more like an institution. A complex matrix of angles, shimmers and smiles, ghosting her way effortlessly around the scene, the very dust of her personality providing welcome infection to those around her. She lived for the social side of island life. Tonight was her perfect stage.
King Eduardo's birthday celebration was the only real semblance of what I suppose you and I would call a public holiday. The island would grind to an uncharacteristic standstill for two days; one day to celebrate, and another to recover and reflect, then back to work for another year. Except for the miners! The miners never stopped. Vasco was the exception this year. As the winner of the annual 'KEMP' award (King's Elect Miner's Prize), he was free to spend the following day as he wished lazily seeing off the effects of tonight's alcoholic shenanigans. A day off! A privilege bestowed each year upon the miner deemed to have contributed the most to Ducie's lucrative mining and extraction industry. Every year, the award triggered an element of bitterness amongst the miners, but in true Ducie fashion, this took the form of playful banter.
- Hey King's pet! You making the most of your free pass I hope?
Andrea Fuentes hadn't hidden the fact that he resented Vasco's good fortune. It was a safe bet that he instigated the rumour that Vasco only won the KEMP award by virtue of the fact that King Eduardo enjoyed his comedic nature and knew as well as anyone that a drunk Vasco was a dancer, a singer, a clown and a comedian rolled into one tidy package; free for hire at parties! Basically, giving Vasco a free pass to drink the night away would give him enough incentive to make the party swing.
- Get off my back man! I can't help that I'm the modern day Hercules of the mining world. I'd offer to teach you my ways, but you can't break pure genius down into a curriculum.
- Well why don't you just teach me how to lodge my head up Eduardo’s rear end the way you do? That'd cover it!
- Stop hating Andrea. It's not a good look for you.
- I'm messing with ya' tiger. But in 9 hours time, I'll be rolling out of bed and slipping on my bread-winning uniform. You think about that when your sleeping off your wine overdose with King Eddie's blessing.
- Work is work big man. You know the drill. Work to play... the Ducie way. I'll be thinking of you.
Lucas was sitting on Pendulum rock when Daniela came over carrying two glasses of champagne. He recognised her confident strut at the very edge of his peripheral vision, enough so that he could take the cool option of pretending not to see her come.
-Lucas, darling. I come with a gift for you.
Being addressed in this way by a girl that looked like Daniela would probably be a big scoop for many a man, but Lucas had been here long enough not to lavish his ego with undue flattery. Daniela was always this nice to everyone.
-Hey Daniela! How you enjoying yourself?
- It's ok I guess.
- Just ok? But isn't the tonight the night that the more socially capable of our bunch get their chance to show the rest of us how it's done? We're in your world tonight.
Lucas cast a stone absently into the water. It skipped twice, then vanished.
- It's what you make of it Lucas. It's not like you're an outcast. How could you be in a place this small? You're just an intelligent guy. A thinker. The strong and silent type.
- It's not about me being intelligent or strong. You sound like my Mother. I just think these people act like a herd of sheep sometimes.
- There's nothing wrong with that. Herds stick together!
- Herds are dumb. They follow each other blindly without questioning why they're doing it.
- What's to question Lucas? Look where we live. It's paradise. Do you know what some of the big places across the seas are like. Big smoking cities that you could easily get lost in. With killers and robbers and strangers and.....
- Don't you ever wonder why it is that we never see anyone from those places? Why don't they come here?
- Erm...the law...Lucas...hello?...remember? 61 people. It keeps us safe. You know that.
- Oh yeah, excuse me! The law that doesn't make any sense. I mean ok, so people can't visit Ducie. Erm... Why? Are you telling the island would explode if someone from outside set foot on our sands or something? Come on! And people can't have babies. Erm...Why exactly? What exactly is a baby going to do that puts Ducie in danger? Nothing that's what!
Daniela hadn't backed off or even flinched in the face of Lucas's ever increasing aggravated tone. She sat perched next to him on the rock, one foot dangling idly, dragging to and fro across the surface of the water, as she nodded a sympathetic beat to his ranting.
- You've never mentioned the baby thing before.
- Well, it's not like I'm planning it.. It would just be nice to know that if I met the right girl...
Daniela's interruption coincided with a severe change of her tone.
- Nobody meets anyone here Lucas. Ducians know Ducians! There are 61 of us. If there is a love of your life, then she's at this party right now, and you've met her a thousand times already.
- Maybe you're right. Maybe she is here.
Lucas broke his gaze that had been fixed on the horizon to catch Daniela's dancing green eyes. They eyed each other, almost suspiciously for a long two seconds before Lucas leaned forward. Daniela followed instinctively...
A voice echoed across the waves to them.
- Hey love birds! Smoochy, smoochy! This is a party, not a fishing competition. Get your little backsides off that rock and come and talk with uncle Vasco.