Besides the lack of nurturing sunshine, a massive fish kill has struck the Keys. I stood helpless at the rail yesterday watching an Angelfish, lethargic from the cold, struggle to the surface. Gasping for oxygen, it’s fins beat fruitlessly against the waves. Saddened, I went back into the warmth of the cabin knowing its fate. When I emerged a juvenile Scorpion Fish was bobbing like a cork off of the bow.
This morning a line of dead marine “life” floated past the stern like a funeral dirge. I'm told most of the victims are lying on the seabed. Their bloated bodies will eventually ascend to the surface. No one knows how many. But the forecast isn’t good. Suddenly there’s a lot of murky water here in the Keys.
And then there’s the murders. The count stands at three. The first victim was a woman, “R”. She lived in the harbor with her man, “M”. They were notorious for their drug use, their ability to make their neighbor’s cherished objects disappear and their horrible housekeeping. The second was her female friend who supposedly overdosed on the mainland. A few days later, “K”, a fifty-three year old male, was found floating in the harbor. The paper reported it as a boating accident. However he lived in the boat next to R and M. Information is sketchy, but if I was “M” I’d be sweating bullets.
Onshore, things aren’t any brighter. Traffic was backed up last Thursday for miles. Three cars collided on the seven-mile bridge in a fiery display of why air travel isn’t such a bad idea around here. Two people died. Not content with autos, the Overseas Highway also nailed a bicyclist yesterday just outside of the marina. I live in fear of that road, but cross it I must. $1 stone crab claws await on its other side.
May they all rest in peace. Man and marine life alike.
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