Chapter 3: 3 – Musings about men and sharks

---

Thanks to the lights being turned down, participants of the tour were able to experience a quite scenic view, surrounded from virtually all sides by the aquariums, lit up to provide a better view of the creatures living inside them – both various species of fish and corals. However, for Aidan it did not make all that much a difference; his night vision was excellent after all. He could see quite well even in the dark, and to be perfectly honest, he actually preferred it like this. Because much like sunlight, the bright light of screens and lamps proved very straining for his eyes.

“Then why the fuck would you start working in IT?” a certain person had once asked – and while that was a perfectly valid question, Aidan did have his reasons.

First and foremost, he had an instinctive drive to learn and to constantly expand his knowledge in various areas – a certain other person had once labelled it as a misdirected hunger.

Was it though? At times, Aidan wondered. In a way, he supposed there might have been some truth to it. Because⸺

“Look.”

A large shark floated by, moving slowly through the water, and another swam in the opposite direction, its beady eyes seemingly staring right at them. There were smaller fish as well, decidedly more colourful, yet none of the sharks seemed to be at all interested in them.

“Do you like sharks?” Jonathan asked.

Well⸺ “I suppose I like them well enough. They’re fascinating creatures.”

And indeed, they were. Most of them were coldblooded, their body temperature matching that of the surrounding environment. There were exceptions though, like the Lamnidae family, which included the great white shark.

“They are, aren’t they?” Jonathan chuckled, laughter in his voice.

Then, seemingly on accident yet also very much on purpose, he brushed his fingers against Aidan’s. And Aidan, having seen the touch coming, very deliberately did not move his hand away.

“Your hands are really cold, you know?” Jonathan said, idly, and then wordlessly entangled their fingers while seemingly giving the aquariums his full attention.

Aidan meanwhile looked from the hand to the man and then back ahead. “I’m anaemic. It comes with the territory.”

At this, Jonathan laughed quietly, putting his other hand up to his mouth. And Aidan, Aidan unwittingly followed the movement with his eyes, finding his attention lingering on those lips.

Some sharks had better eyesight, and in the case of certain species, their eyes reflected light. However, the role sight played in hunting was very much debated, with certain scientists believing that electro- and chemoreception played an even greater part, at least in some species. And by and large, sharks were known to have reasonably good night vision. However, from what Aidan could recall, most were also more or less colour blind, unable to perceive colours the same way humans did.

In terms of other senses however, sharks were indeed superior to humans – by and large, at least. Because although they were primarily known for their sharp sense of smell – some species capable of detecting incredibly small amounts of blood in the water – they could have a quite keen sense of hearing as well, capable of detecting prey from miles away. In addition to that though, they also had something that humans did not – the ability to detect the electromagnetic fields produced by all living things. The hammerhead shark in particular was said to be particularly adept at using this to find prey.

“Say,” Jonathan said, peeking at one of the dimly lit signs. “Did you know that some sharks appear fluorescent under blue light?”

Yes, but so did a number of things. Aidan did not say so though, instead opting for a thoughtful hum as he slipped into thoughts about the lateral line – the tactile sensory system possessed by most fish, allowing them to detect nearby changes to water speed and pressure. Some humans did possess a similar perception for conditions on land, albeit not quite as reliable.

“That shark over there,” Aidan finally said, pointing to the one just floating about. “It’s sleeping.”

“Is it?” Jonathan said, looking towards it. “Its eyes are moving though.”

Well⸺ “They are, but it’s essentially unconscious. Sharks need to keep water flowing into their gills in order to breathe, and some have to do so while moving. It’s called sleep swimming. Species such as the great white do it.”

“Hoh?” Jonathan said, seemingly intrigued. “You sound like quite the expert.”

Hah. “I wouldn’t call myself an expert. I just like to read and I’m relatively good at retaining that information.”

“A bookworm then,” Jonathan said, laughing quietly. “I bet you have a huge library at home.”

“A book collection, yes,” Aidan agreed. “I wouldn’t call it a library though, because that would imply that I’d lend them out to others.”

At this, there was more quiet laughter, then a gentle squeeze on his hand as Jonathan glanced in his direction. How much he could see of Aidan’s expression was debatable though; he was only human after all.

“Aidan,” Jonathan then said, speaking warmly. “Tell me more about sharks. I think I’d rather hear it from you than read about it on these signs.”

Hah. “And here I thought you liked hearing yourself talk.”

At this, there was a quiet but nevertheless detectable spike of irritation from the self-proclaimed marine enthusiast.

“Not a fan of a man of many words, then?” Jonathan asked, letting go but keeping his voice light enough to make it sound like a joke.

Aidan sighed, glad to finally be able to reclaim his hand. “I do like a man who knows his way around words,” he finally said, having taken a moment to think about it. “That said, if a man is all talk and no action, then I’m not sure we’d be very compatible.”

“Hoh.” A spike of interest melded with the irritation, thinning it out.

Jonathan said nothing more though, and since he was not speaking, Aidan figured that he might as well.

You are reading story Blood in the Water at novel35.com

“Sharks are relatively intelligent creatures. Compared to many other types of fish, they mature slowly, and reproduce sparingly. Instead of having a whole clutch of viable offspring, there tends to be only one at the time. Knowledge about their courtship and mating behaviour is limited however, as it has rarely been observed in the wild. There are certain theories though, claiming that males might bite the females in order to display their interest or in order to remain attached during mating.”

At this, Aidan sensed yet another spike; this one of a different kind of interest. He pointedly pretended not to notice however.

“That said, there are a number of documented cases wherein female sharks have reproduced asexually. Such instances are rare though, since such means of reproduction decreases genetic diversity, since a lack of genetic variation would make the species more vulnerable.”

Jonathan hummed, turning his visible attention back towards the sharks themselves. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Aidan said, saying nothing further. Because although he certainly did have more to say on the subject, he felt no acute need for it.

Instead, he looked towards the sharks moving about, absentmindedly wondering how old they were. Most sharks could live about twenty to thirty years after all, although some might live to be more than a hundred. How long these sharks would live was another question though, because here, they were clearly not lacking in sustenance, and digestion took time. They were probably not getting quite as much exercise as they would in the wild though, where some species could travel around eighty kilometres during the course of a single day.

“You know,” Jonathan said, looking towards him once more. “As a kid, I used to be really scared of sharks. I’d watched this movie, this classical story with a massive, man-eating great white. I mean, watching it now, the special effects aren’t that great, but as a kid? Terrifying. After that, I wouldn’t swim, not even in the lake over at my grandparents’ place.”

Huh. “They wouldn’t go into fresh water though, because they’d be unable to live in waters with such low saline content.”

“Well yeah,” Jonathan said. “Logically, I obviously figured that there wouldn’t be sharks, but... I was still terrified. But yeah, with time, I got over it, I guess? I mean, sure, I wouldn’t go swimming in shark-infested waters if I could avoid it, but⸺”

“Most sharks are carnivorous,” Aidan said. “But very few of them actively target humans, even amongst the species that have been involved in attacks on humans. Mostly, humans get attacked because they are mistaken for seals – which isn’t particularly strange, considering many of those who are attacked are surfers or people in wetsuits. And people with shiny things like jewellery, who splash around too much.”

“Fair enough,” Jonathan said. “Besides⸺”

He looked towards one of the larger specimens and his eyes lit up considerably. There was not a trace of fear in them though, but rather something else; a definite intensity.

“⸺it’s their damned own fault for going in the water, no? It serves them right, for not realising they’re not the apex predators they think they are.”

That was indeed fair enough. Still⸺ “Not all sharks are considered apex predators either. The great white shark is not viewed as such, as it is sometimes hunted by orcas.”

“Sure,” Jonathan said. “There is strength in numbers, but⸺”

“Not all sharks are solitary hunters either,” Aidan said. “Relatively few of them are, and even those meet up for breeding or at particularly rich hunting grounds. Most hunt in packs.”

“Well,” Jonathan said, and the dark did little to hide his smile as he turned his gaze towards Aidan. “Maybe we should follow their example? The gift shop’s that way. My card will get us a ten-percent discount.”

 

---

 

Truth to be told, Aidan was not particularly interested in the ten-percent discount. However, Jonathan had insisted, and then tried to entice Aidan into selecting some sort of trinket as a souvenir of their visit.

Ultimately, Aidan had ended up buying himself some undoubtedly overpriced fridge magnet, and he had declined any offer of Jonathan buying him anything to thank him for sticking around this entire afternoon and whatnot. The other had looked noticeably put out by that, but had shown remarkable recovery speed, asking the question at last:

“Will we see each other again?”

Aidan did not have a definite answer to that. He did have something of a gut feeling though, and figured he might as well act upon it.

And after numbers had been exchanged, Jonathan Clancy left quite happily, leaving Aidan standing there staring after him. He did turn around to flash a smile and a wave at him though, and Aidan did return both the wave and the smile, but maybe not with the degree of enthusiasm of those that he had gotten.

Then, Aidan turned on his own heel, heading in direction of Fells Point. With it being in the late afternoon, it was still too early to head for the bar. Instead, he turned the corner, making sure there was no one watching or following or listening. Then he pulled out his phone, looking at the string of messages there.

“He wants another chance, huh?” Aidan muttered, looking from the phone out towards the waters reflecting the largely overcast skies. The sun was still visible though, casting down a few rays of brightness onto this realm.

Another chance, huh? Well, it was not as though Aidan could not forgive such transgressions – he had forgiven far worse things in the past after all. Still⸺

I can’t meet you now, but we can still chat.

Ask me again in two weeks.

Two weeks would be enough – for the both of them, truly. No, actually, for all three of them. Granted, two weeks was nothing as far as Aidan’s lifespan was concerned. However, it ought to be enough time to distance himself and to get a clearer perspective, and to wait and see.

---

 

You can find story with these keywords: Blood in the Water, Read Blood in the Water, Blood in the Water novel, Blood in the Water book, Blood in the Water story, Blood in the Water full, Blood in the Water Latest Chapter