From chapter six (beginning page 90) of Cursed Hearts. Christopher, Cat, and Anton are finishing dinner at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego:
“Brother,” Chris ventured, liking the sound of it, “does not the sea look odd to you, this night?”
In Anton’s exhale before turning left to look, Chris guestimated their host’s level of drunkenness.
“Hmmm!” Anton narrowed his eyes. “For the security of the state, I shall investigate this!”
He stood, not at all unsteady, and began walking purposefully toward the beach. With a glance at one another, Chris and Cat did, too. They wound their way through the few outbuildings of the hotel, catching up with him just at the sand. Leaning on a lamp post, Anton shucked his shoes and peeled off his socks.
“Follow me!” He called.
They did similarly. Not knowing if Cat saw, Chris did note the driver about eight paces behind them. They trotted to catch up with Anton. The tide was in, so he was only a dozen yards ahead.
“What… what’s with the surf?” Cat asked.
Each small breaker that came in was foaming in an odd, almost electric blue. Lines of the same blue were flashing up and down the strand, as if parts of the sea were sending messages to itself.
“Amazing!” Cat breathed. “What’s going on? Anton! Wait!”
He was rolling up his slacks to his knees. Was he thinking of going out in that?!
“Bioluminescence,” Chris said.
“What?”
“This is a rare event: a type of algae-bloom that emits light.” He pointed right to where a wave seemed to crackle in with blue fire. “Wait for that to withdraw, then run and jump hard on that spot!”
“Jump…?”
“Now, Cat!”
With enough wine in her to follow anyone’s orders, she sprinted the fifteen feet then jumped into the air. Her feet came down hard onto the wet, compacted sand.
A bright pulse of light blue light surged up and down the beach.
“Oh my God!” Cat cried. “That was sooo cool!”
Bioluminescence in the sea off San Diego. Who would write about such a thing?
machciv 