The Great Barrier

louder, like the rising tension of an opera singer. But it did not sound like an opera singer; rather, it had the foundational sound of a whale singing with the tonal complexity of a human singer. It was marvellous . Owen dared not open his eyes, for fear that it would cease. However, he heard someone approaching from behind. The footsteps were quiet. A student?

Ophelia Why did she think this was a good idea? She couldn’t explain why, but Ophelia found herself standing in front of a stranger holding a tiny paintbrush, hoping to end coral bleaching. When she was locked up in the infirmary, she had played around with the paintbrush by running it along the walls and bed frame. It almost looked like the colours became more vibrant and clearer – but what was really strange was when she ran the paintbrush across a bruise she had found on her side when waking up that morning. Her bruise had just … vanished. Eager to experiment more with the paintbrush, Ophelia had run it along a bleached piece of coral she had found on one of the school’s excursions to the beach and to her surprise, a deep red followed the paintbrushes trail until the whole piece looked alive again. She couldn’t help but think the paintbrush had something magical about it. “Hi … Mr Davis, right?” Ophelia squeaked. “Yes! Sorry,” - Owen had been caught off guard - “are you here about my presentation?” “Kind of … I think I found something that could help.” She paused. Would he really believe her? “I think this paintbrush could end coral bleaching.” Owen almost grimaced, confused, before clearing his throat and bringing back his soft smile. “May I …?” he gestured to the paintbrush. Ophelia, looking at it intently, handed it to him. “Where exactly did you find this?” “It’s a long story, but I woke up this morning by the edge of the rig and it was wedged in my shoe. I think it might have healing properties.” Surprisingly, Owen smiled, he was running out of solutions after all. “Well, let’s test it out.” Earlier, Owen had felt like he was a victim of the curse of knowledge; now, this was exemplified, and he had to do something. The paint brush that Ophelia had showed him was life-changing, it could be the start of the solution to coral bleaching! Anything the bristles touched was reverted to a state of life, a state of youthfulness and newness! His shoes were polished, the pathway clean, and no harm to the brush was seen! After a talk with Mr. Daly, Owen and Ophelia took the first boat back to Queensland. Looking down, Owen could see the white, bleached coral below the surface. Clenching his fist, he felt more determined than ever that he could really do something; he could fix this! He could paint the life back into the reef!