For a moment it looked like Forest wanted to follow, but he thought better of it and turned, swimming alongside the kelp bed instead.

Ahab followed above him, diving in and out of the giant kelp forest, showing off his dexterity. He could feel the excitement coming off Forest in waves, and he watched the joyous dips of the boy’s hands as he manoeuvred through the water.

They spent a long time there, on the seabed, until Ahab checked his watch and indicated it was time to surface. He took them up slowly, making sure that they had enough safety stops – time floating at different depths – just to make absolutely sure Forest decompressed properly. Ahab hadn’t intended for them to go so deep, but he had to admit the boy was a natural.

When they’d both climbed back aboard the Ambergris, shivering but invigorated, Forest surprised Ahab with a quick hug. ‘Thank you. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.’

Ahab pushed him gently away. ‘Yeah, righto,’ he said, scruffing the boy’s hair. ‘You did good.’

Ahab got the motor started and steered them out of the cove, Zeus whimpering in the crate.

‘Yes, alright, poor old fella. We’re heading back,’ said Ahab. ‘Here, Forest, hold the wheel and keep us steady as we head for the marina. I’ll put a brew on.’

Forest looked at home standing at the sassafras wheel, gazing out over the decks like an old salt. He made small corrections as the hull moved with the swell and the currents – like it was second nature and he’d been doing it all his life. A true Dempsey.

Ahab watched him from the galley as the kettle boiled – the sound of the diesel engine purring below – and wished that the two of them could just keep steaming along, out to sea, away from the mess that awaited them on shore.

When all this was over, he was going to get away for a while, aboard Ambergris. A week, a month. Ned could look after the inn. He’d bring the boy and they’d fish, dive, cook up a storm. They’d sit by the wood heater in the wheelhouse and Ahab would tell him stories about his family, tell him everything he’d missed and more.

They washed their gear with fresh water from the marina tap, then hung it up to dry back in the Ambergris’s warm engine room, a promise of another dive either later that day or tomorrow. Zeus stood trembling on the jetty, shell-shocked by his first boat ride.

Forest had a fresh energy about him as they dodged and weaved around people haggling for fish, a group of teenagers sitting on the edge and listening to music, a family who wanted to stop and pat Zeus – who had quickly recovered and was now barking at birds and straining at the leash like a gambolling puppy.