Fireside Books: Fireside Books in Parksville and BookWyrm in Port Alberni offer used books at just five dollars or less. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Details available online. Ask about returning books for a book credit. Two locations, one amazing adventure in browsing.
Eddie Van Haddock & The Rockfish: In a little town by the sea, where the stories never end, lived Captain Dave and his crew, every child's favourite friend. With a smile as wide as the ocean and a heart that's full of dreams, he sails a mellow submarine where magic gleams and beams. Captain Dave and his crew set sail in waters deep and blue. Where adventures come alive, they laugh and learn and play in their underwater dive. Captain Dave and the Mellow Submarine.
Dave Graham: The sun was sparkling on the water off Craig Bay, just south of French Creek Harbour, and the Mellow Submarine was gliding along nice and slow, close to the rocky shore.
“According to my chart,” said Captain Dave, tapping the little screen on the control panel, “there's supposed to be a patch of very old rock along this coastline. Some of it is so old and crumbly that the waves have worn holes clean through it.” “Holes?” said Larry the Lobster, scrambling up beside him to look out the front window. “What kind of holes?”
“Caves,” said Captain Dave. “Underwater caves. The ocean has been pushing against these rocks for thousands and thousands of years, and little by little, the softer parts wore away, leaving tunnels behind.” Larry pressed both claws to the glass. Sure enough, as the submarine rounded a rocky point, he could see dark openings in the cliff face below the waterline, like small doorways leading into the stone.
“Can we go look?” Larry asked, his eyestalks wiggling with excitement. “We can look,” said Captain Dave, “but caves need extra care. It's easy to get turned around in a cave, because every tunnel can start to look like every other tunnel. So here's the rule: we stay together, and we always know which way leads back out.”
“Together and back out,” Larry repeated. “Got it, Captain.” Captain Dave eased the submarine down until it hovered just outside the widest cave opening. He switched on the outside lights, and a soft yellow glow spilled into the tunnel ahead. “This looks like a good one to start with,” he said. “Nice and wide. Easy to see the way back.”
They floated in slowly. The walls of the cave were smooth and covered in tiny white barnacles and clumps of pink algae, like a stone hallway decorated for a party. Little fish darted in and out of cracks, and a red rock crab scuttled sideways along a ledge. “It's beautiful in here,” Larry whispered, even though there was no need to whisper underwater.
They followed the main tunnel a little way, and then it split into two smaller passages, one curving left and one curving right. “We will take the left one,” said Captain Dave. “And remember that to get back, we simply turn around and go right.” They explored the left tunnel for a while, admiring a cluster of glowing orange sea cucumbers and a shy octopus who tucked herself into a crack the moment the submarine's lights swept past.
Overhead, the rock ceiling dipped and rose like the inside of a giant seashell, and here and there, a thin beam of daylight slipped down through a crack far above, painting a wobbly gold stripe of light across the tunnel floor. “How did all this get here?” Larry asked, watching the light shifting as the sub drifted past.
“Patience,” said Captain Dave. “That's the real answer. Water is soft, and rock is hard, but if soft water pushes against hard rock for long enough, thousands and thousands of years, even the rock has to give a little. Bit by bit, the waves carved out these tunnels, the same slow way a river carves a canyon.”
“Thousands of years just to make one tunnel,” Larry said, shaking his head in wonder. “That is patient.” “That's enough exploring of the caves,” said Captain Dave. “Let us head back out and see what else Craig Bay has to offer.” He began to turn the submarine, but just then, something caught Larry's eye through a small round porthole near the floor of the sub: a narrow side passage, barely wider than Larry himself, and deep inside it, something was glimmering, a soft blue-green shimmer flickering on and off like a tiny light going on and off, on and off.
“Captain, look, something is glowing in there.” “Probably plankton,” said Captain Dave, glancing over. “Some tiny sea creatures make their own light. That's pretty neat, Larry, but let's save a closer look. Let's head out.” But Larry was already easing open the small side hatch used for quick trips outside the sub.
“I'll just take one quick peek,” he said. “I'll be right back, I promise.” “Larry, wait—” Captain Dave started to say, but Larry had already scooted through the narrow passage, following the flickering blue-green light deeper into the rock. At first, it was easy. The tunnel was narrow but straight, and Larry could see the light bobbing just ahead of him, always a little farther, always just around the next bend.
He scrambled after it eagerly, past walls glittering with tiny shells, past a sleepy sculpin fish who barely opened one eye as he passed. Then the tunnel split. Then it split again, and the little glowing light, which turned out to be nothing more than a drifting cluster of glowing plankton caught in a gentle current, finally scattered apart and winked out altogether, leaving Larry alone in the dark.
Larry stopped and looked around. Behind him, the tunnel stretched away into blackness. Ahead of him, it did the same. To his left and right, two more tunnels opened up, looking exactly like the one he had come from. “Captain Dave!” Larry called out. His own voice came bouncing back to him strangely, echoing off the stone walls from three directions at once, so that he could not tell anymore which way the echo had even come from.
“Captain Dave!” he called again, louder this time, and his heart began to beat very fast inside his shell. Nothing answered but the soft, hollow sound of water moving through the tunnels around him. Larry took a shaky breath and made himself think: panicking would not help. He remembered what Captain Dave always said, that the ocean was full of good, patient creatures, and that the best thing to do when you were unsure was to stay calm and wait for help to find you.
So Larry settled down on a smooth patch of rock, tucked his claws in close, and waited, trying very hard not to cry. Meanwhile, back near the cave entrance, Captain Dave had noticed the side hatch standing open and Larry nowhere to be seen. His stomach gave a worried lurch. “Larry,” he called through the sub's outside speaker, sending his voice echoing into the tunnels.
“Larry, where are you?” No answer came back. Captain Dave knew the caves at Craig Bay branched off in every direction, more passages than any chart could ever show, and the Mellow Submarine was too wide to follow Larry into most of them. He needed help from someone who actually knew these tunnels, someone who had lived among them.
He remembered an old story the harbourmaster had once told him about a very old, very wise rockfish who had made his home somewhere deep in the Craig Bay caves for longer than anyone could remember. Captain Dave switched on the sub's outside light to its brightest setting and called into the largest tunnel, “Hello, is anybody there? I need help finding my friend.”
For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, out of the shadows at the back of the cave, something stirred. A large, round shape drifted slowly forward into the light, all mottled orange and brown and speckled with age, with big, patient eyes and long, spiny fins. “Well now,” rumbled a deep, unhurried voice, “it has been a long while since anyone came calling in my caves.”
“You're the rockfish,” said Captain Dave, “the one who knows every tunnel?” “Quillback's my name,” said the old fish, “and yes, I know these tunnels better than the back of my own fins. I have lived in this very cave system for ninety-three years, give or take a season. Rockfish like me, we do not wander much. We find a good, safe den, and we stay put, sometimes for a whole lifetime.
So I have had plenty of time to learn where every passage leads.” “My first mate is lost in there,” said Captain Dave. “A young lobster, bright red, probably very frightened by now. Please, will you help me find him?” Quillback's old eyes softened. “A lost little one. Yes, follow close behind, Captain, and swim slowly. These tunnels do not reward hurrying.”
The old rockfish turned and glided into the dark, moving smoothly. Captain Dave, now in his diving gear with a torch in hand, followed closely behind. Quillback led him left at the first split, right at the second, and then paused at a third, tilting his big head to listen.
“Water moves differently through each passage,” Quillback explained, “depending on how narrow or wide it is, and how deep. After ninety-three years, I know the sound of every single one, the way you might know your own home in the dark. This way.” Deeper and deeper they went, and Captain Dave found himself grateful beyond words for the old fish's calm, unhurried company.
Just when he began to worry they might never find their way, Quillback stopped. “Listen,” he said softly. And there, faint but unmistakable, came a small trembling voice. “Hello? Is somebody there?” “Larry,” Captain Dave called, and swam forward as fast as he dared through the narrow tunnel, until his torchlight found Larry curled up on his rock ledge, eyes wide with relief.
“Captain Dave,” Larry cried, scrambling up and rushing to meet him. “Well, I got lost, and I called and called. I didn't know which way was which, and—” “You're safe now,” said Captain Dave gently, gathering Larry close. “This is what matters most.” Larry noticed the old rockfish hovering nearby and blinked. “Who—who is this?”
“This is Quillback,” said Captain Dave. “He has lived in these caves for ninety-three years, and he is the reason I was able to find you at all.” “Thank you,” Larry said softly. “I was so scared. I—I didn't know caves could be so confusing.” “Most creatures do not,” said Quillback kindly. “This is why the ocean has old ones like me tucked into quiet corners, remembering the way, so that when someone gets turned around, they are never truly lost, only waiting to be found. Now then, shall I show you both the way back to the sunlight?”
“Please,” said Larry, still holding tight to Captain Dave's hand. Quillback led them back through the winding passages, and this time Captain Dave paid close attention, noticing how the old rockfish always seemed to know instinctively which tunnel curved toward open water and which one only led deeper into the rock.
“How do I learn to do that?” Larry asked, swimming close behind the old fish. “Practice, patience, and paying attention,” said Quillback. “And until then, a good rule for anybody, lobster or fish or captain: never follow a pretty light, or anything else, farther than you can easily find your way back. And always, always tell someone where you are going first.”
“Oh, I will remember that,” said Larry, and he meant it with his whole shell. At last, daylight appeared ahead of them, filtering down green and gold through the cave entrance. A moment later, they drifted out into the open water of Craig Bay, where the Mellow Submarine sat waiting, just where Captain Dave had left it.
“Thank you, Quillback,” said Captain Dave, shaking one of the old fish's fins. “We could not have found him without you.” “Come back and visit sometime,” said Quillback. “Not to get lost again, mind you. Just to say hello. It gets quiet down here, and I do enjoy good company.” “We will,” Larry promised. “I want to hear all your stories about the caves, all ninety-three years of them.”
Quillback's big eyes crinkled in what might have been a smile, and with a slow, unhurried swish of his fins, he drifted back toward the shadowed entrance and disappeared into the caves he knew so well. Captain Dave and Larry climbed back aboard the Mellow Submarine, and as they rose up out of Craig Bay toward the sunny surface, Larry let out a long, tired sigh and leaned against the porthole.
“Captain, I'm very sorry I swam off on my own.” “I know,” said Captain Dave, “and I'm glad you are safe. Just remember, next time something pretty catches your eye, take a breath and take me with you.” “Together and back out,” Larry said, smiling now. “I promise, Captain. From now on, always together.” Above them, the water turned bright and clear, and the Mellow Submarine rose gently into the sunshine, leaving the quiet caves of Craig Bay and their old, patient guardian tucked safely behind them.
Eddie Van Haddock & The Rockfish: As stars light up the sky so softly, Captain Dave tucks his crew in with a gentle lullaby. Dreams of whales and mermaids, of treasures lush and green, await each little sailor aboard the Mellow Submarine.
Fireside Books: Fireside Books in Parksville and BookWyrm in Port Alberni offer used books at just five dollars or less. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Details available online. Ask about returning books for a book credit. Two locations, one amazing adventure in browsing.
