I was painting Guizmo's bilge when there was a huge commotion outside. A chopper was flying in circles over me, there was a serious-looking military vessel doing weird maneuvers right in front, and a police car raced to the secluded pier where I was.
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| Los chicos malos circling overhead |
A guilty conscience is a terrible thing: I was convinced that they had somehow figured out that Guizmo was not registered with the Spanish Coast Guard and were coming for me. But then again, my boat was on land. So, in its current state, it really was no different than any piece of furniture. No one registers their grandmother's French commode with the coast guard, so why I should I have to register anything?
It turned out that the Spanish coast guard had caught a couple of divers illegally harvesting
red coral. The divers must have dumped their loot overboard when they realized they were being arrested, as all their 20+ containers were empty, and the coast guard must have dropped their own divers from the chopper, as there were a bunch of very wet policemen in wetsuits.
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| The powerboat next to the cop car was caught illegally harvesting red coral |
I looked into why people might want to buy red coral; after all, it's moderately expensive at around $5-$50 per karat. Apparently, it is believed to possess extraordinary properties in India. It is said to act as a talisman against evil, to cure circulatory diseases when set in silver and worn on the ring finger, and to bring harmony to a marriage. If there was any truth to any of this, people would be fools not to cover themselves in red coral. But for once, I agree with the Guardia Civil: the coral looks way prettier on the seafloor than in the form of jewelry.
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