May 2011
Adrian Hartman wasn’t expecting to die that day, so he hadn’t thought to make a will. Now, as he lay slouched across the pool edge, pink shirt and copious shorts plastered unflatteringly to his spread belly, he realised this would cause difficulties for his numerous children and their mothers.
At times, with some glee, he had mentally designed his funeral. A double slot would be booked at the crematorium, and the captive audience of friends and family would have to sit through an hour of his favourite music, without prayers or eulogies. But he had never written down his choices, because they changed and it didn’t seem urgent. He hadn’t foreseen what would be needed, yet in certain circles he was considered very wise, and the happiness of many people depended on him.
Crawling ants and buzzing flies soon clustered about his wounds. Somehow he retained enough sense to realise that to stay under the burning sun would lead to worse injury, and with much groaning and creaking he managed to heave himself away, only to collapse again in the shade of the nearby pine trees. He had no idea how much time passed.
At some point steps padded along the side of the pool and he heard what he thought might be somebody scrubbing the congealing blood from the tiles where he had struck his head as he fell – the work of seconds, but surely to get rid of blood in the water would be a bigger challenge. It would take nearly two days to empty, clean and refill the pool, and would draw attention at a time of low local water pressure.
They might just rely on the natural disguise of blowing debris and dust which disturbed the surface play of moving light and shadow all the time, since the pool was set – fabulously – among wind blown pine trees above a cove. In any case, whoever was doing the cleaning must think the job finished, for the footsteps moved away, down the steep stony path leading to one of the pebbled beaches that punctured the rocky coastline.
Adrian, lying supine and exhausted, half remembered seeing the owner of the sweaty seaside restaurant fishing from his makeshift jetty for the evening menu. But it was too far for his weakened voice to carry even if he did shout for help, and in his growing confusion he could think of nothing else to do.
The Infinity Pool Description:
In this thoughtful novel set on a sun-baked island, Adrian Hartman, the charismatic director of the Serendipity holiday community, is responsible for ensuring the perfect mindful break, with personal growth and inner peace guaranteed. People return year after year to bare their souls. For some, Adrian IS Serendipity.
But Adrian disappears, and with him goes the serenity of his staff and guests, who are bewildered without their leader. The hostility of the local villagers is beginning to boil over. Is their anger justified or are the visitors, each in a different way, just paranoid?
As romance turns sour and conflict threatens the stability of both communities, everyone has to find their own way to survive. This evocative story explores the decisions of adults who still need to come of age, the effect of well-intentioned tourism on a traditional community, and the real meaning of getting away from it all.
