Page 8 of The Cocky for Cody
“Do you know how to kick your legs?”
“Who am I kicking?”
“Nobody. You kick your legs to propel yourself through the water… while you’re floating… and breathing. And before you know it, you’re snorkeling.”
“But isn’t it dangerous?”
Cody chomped on a grilled tomato and caught the trickling juices with his tongue. “Only if you panic and drown. Or get taken by a shark. Or eaten by a big saltwater croc.”
“And what, exactly, is the likelihood of those things happening?”
“Shark attack? Minimal. Croc attack? Even less chance. You panicking and drowning? Now that’s the one that’s got me concerned. But don’t worry, I’ll be there to protect you. You’re in safe hands, I promise. Come on, it’ll be fun. It’s something you’ve never done before. Every visitor to Queensland needs to see the reef. It’s a chance to get close to nature, see all the turtles and starfish and those adorable little clownfish up close. Don’t you wanna go find Nemo?”
“Are you referring to the crazed and conflicted captain of the submarine in Jules Verne’s seminal classic? Or do you mean the Disney cartoon character? I’m not seven, Cody. If you want toentice me to come along on these little adventures, you need to do better than dangle an animated fish in front of me as bait.”
“You’ll get to see me in a wetsuit,” he toyed. “Skin-tight, black and bulging. Trust me, they leave nothing to the imagination.”
Suddenly he had me… hook, line, and sinker.
I had never seen an outdoor shower before, let alone washed in one, but Cody assured me the bathroom out back of the shack—complete with a rustic wash basin, clawfoot bathtub, and fresh water running from a tank to a shower head fixed to a pole—was completely private.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop peering into the surrounding bush for peeping Toms and predators before dropping my towel and stepping under the shower.
I was expecting to jump as the water cascaded over me, assuming the temperature would be freezing. But instead, the island sun had warmed the water in the tank to a perfect, soothing temperature.
Insects hummed their soft hymn to the bright, beautiful day.
Leaves rustled in accompaniment.
I closed my eyes and let the water caress my skin, let it ease away any anxieties I had over sharks or crocodiles or whatever else might endanger my life in this beautiful, perilous paradise, knowing that Cody would be there to keep me safe from harm.
Until—
“Squark!Check out the glare bouncing off that lily-white patootie! Someone bring me my sunglasses!”
My eyes shot open, and there right above me I saw Kevin the cocky, perched on the shower head.
I squealed in panic.
Kevin squawked with glee, but before he could shit on my head I’d grabbed my towel, juggling it over my private parts before bolting back into the shack.
“What’s the matter?” Cody asked urgently as I fled inside. “Are you okay? Did you get bitten by something? What color was the snake? The medics will need to know so they can bring the right antivenom. I’ll call the emergency chopper now. Just breathe, slow and steady. Slow and—”
“It wasn’t a snake. He’s back!”
“Who?”
“Him!That flying gargoyle of yours! Beelzebub in bird form! Hannibal Lecter with feathers! Kevin!”
At the mere mention of his name, the demonic creature flapped through the open window near the ceiling, settled in the rafters, fluffed up its feathers, and proceeded to turn its head almost all the way around.
I screamed again and threw myself on the bed. “Oh my God! That thing is Linda Blair! Someone call an exorcist!”
Cody was instantly beside me on the bed. “Shhhh, babe, it’s okay. Cockatoos can do that.”
“Do what? The work of Satan?”
“No, they can turn their heads, like, one-eighty degrees. They have more vertebrae than we do.”
