The Island That Rose and Fell
Dr. Reisha Albury had spent half her life studying the ocean around Andros, and the water still surprised her. Some days it felt like a patient teacher. Other days it acted like a trickster that waited until she felt confident, then swept the board clean. Then the earthquake hit—a soft, almost polite tremor felt from the Berry Islands to the Exumas. She never experienced a quake in The Bahamas before and knew of none on record.
But a week later, when fishermen radioed in saying a new island had appeared twenty miles off Andros, Reisha closed her notebook and took the report seriously.
Boaters could be dramatic. A patch of sandbar could feel like an island if you wanted a story to tell at the bar. Still, the way two separate crews described it caught her attention: “A real island. Big enough to stand on. Smells like wet stone.”
That last part stuck with her. Sand doesn’t smell like wet stone.
By noon she’d arranged transport, packed her diving gear, and loaded the small research skiff with enough equipment to satisfy the most skeptical funding board. She didn’t invite anyone to join her. She wanted first sight for herself.
