Boring? You Wish

A girl and her friends decide they want to see what's inside the strange ship that docks in their home

Nothing interesting had ever occurred in Tara's village, Sladoff. It seemed to be the dullest place on the planet since there was only the inn for entertainment; and that was mainly for the men. The women had nothing to distract them from their daily toils other than gossiping and trying to keep a tight rein on their little ones. Tara, however, always found ways to keep herself amused; whether it was participating in the village boys' rough-and-tumble wrestling games, or sitting out on her favorite rock to stare out at the sea and let the spray drench her hair and clothes. Mother did not like either of her amusements over the other, but there was nothing to be done to deter her teenaged daughter. Maren merely shook her head as the girl dressed in the loose shirts and trousers that were also worn by her friends; supposedly to keep her pretty dresses from getting muddy and torn.

No-one noticed when the old ship drifted near the sheltered cove, except for the young children Tara and her two best friends included; and the fact that from the day it docked, fog shrouded the vessel and seemed to eddy and swirl about the villagers' ankles day in and day out seemed not to bother any of the adults. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the eerie ship at all except when it was mentioned in passing by the youngsters as they played their games; and even then they seemed to dismiss it almost instantly. Its hull was massive, easily four horse-lengths in height, and seemed to not have been scraped in a long time, as barnacles and moss encrusted the belly and sides of the wizened wood.

There seemed to be something about the ship that screamed 'Danger! Do Not Approach' but Tara was curious to see what was inside; it couldn't be a crew, since the Scarlotta, for that was its name, had been docked in Sladoff's dock for more than a fortnight and nothing had emerged either from below or from the captain's cabin. “Come on, guys! We have to take a look inside!” Tara kept her voice to a mere hiss, her bright green eyes looking intently at the twin hazel of Dirk and Drake, her best friends and comrades in all the crimes enacted during their games. The boys shared one of their secret, twins-only gazes, each an almost perfect mirror to the other except for the fact that Dirk had a thin white scar that started under his dark brown hairline on the left side of his face and ended at his cheekbone; a result of trying to see if his head was as full of hot air as his brother claimed, at least there had been more hay than sharp rocks at his landing-site.

Their female friend waited anxiously, chewing on the tip of her short-cropped red hair. She was still a few fingerlengths shorter than the twins, but still managed to hover over them without much trouble. Mostly because they let her, but neither one would ever willingly mention that fact to her. With something akin to relief, Tara received a solemn nod from Drake. Gathering the two into a tight hug, she turned and headed in the direction of the ship's gangplank, her unshod feet making no sound and barely leaving a print in the dust. Dirk followed almost immediately after, but his brother took a moment to look back at their homes to see if any adults were looking in their direction. It seemed none were, and he followed the other two in the direction of the strange ship that had chosen their dock as a resting spot.

Tara and the boys slowly crept up the practically rotted wood of the makeshift bridge that spanned the length of a half-horselength across and eventually reached the ship's deck. “You can't even see the village anymore,” Drake pointed out, his brother and their friend looked over the rails and realized that the fog was, indeed, thick enough to reduce the visibility of their home village to nothing; an apprehensive shiver made the fine hairs on the backs of their necks rise eerily. But the three shook off the sensation and convinced themselves that they were letting their overactive imaginations get the best of them. Giving one last look in the direction of their home, Dirk followed his twin and Tara as they commenced to explore the chillingly silent ship.

Sneezing, Tara covered her nose with the sleeve of her billowing blouse, not liking the smell of dust and rot that hung oppressively in the dank and gloomy atmosphere inside the ship. Though it seemed that it didn't phaze her friends one ingot as their faces were still and serene, their bright eyes looking everywhere at the cobwebs that hung thickly from the ceiling and moss that covered every barrel and storage box beneath the deck. “We should find the captain's cabin!” Drake looked around to see if he could find the heavy door he knew must lead to those quarters. “There's probably treasure in there,” Dirk completed his brother's sentence, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Tara's mind instantly ushered forth images of gold and precious jewels, necklaces of pearl and earrings of sapphire. “Lead the way then!” She encouraged them, eager to actually find something interesting in that musty vessel.

Almost as if they had the design of the ship already implanted in their minds, the twins turned right as one and were instantly in a small green hallway that ended at a heavy iron door which stood partly open. Without much thought to it, Tara took the five steps necessary for her shorter legs to traverse the distance and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She had expected it to resist any efforts and was surprised when the hinges did not even emit a protest and swung the door's weight easily. The chamber was surprisingly clean and free of dust and mold, the elegant oak desk strewn with charts, quills, inkwells, and an interesting crystal orb sitting proudly in the midst of all. The three paid it no mind and looked at the walls of the cabin, which were surprisingly covered floor to ceiling in bookcases filled with heavy books.

“I've never seen so many books in one place before,” Tara was awed, the only books she had actually seen were the village priest's books and the slim book that was a record of all villagers currently living in Sladoff. Turning her head to look everywhere, she noticed that there was a very large window behind the captain's chair, which was turned outwards as if the captain himself had been gazing out through it when death took his spirit. Dirk and Drake watched as she walked in the direction of the window to see what was outside. It never occurred to her to wonder why the glass was un-clouded by dust or cobwebs alike. Bringing her face close to the glass, Tara squinted her eyes and tried to make out anything past the fog that seemed to have thickened in the short amount of time she and her friends had been inside the vessel.

“Guys? I can't-” her voice immediately cut off as she felt something wrap around her arm, feeling as if the claws of a beast had gripped her. Startled, Tara snapped her head to her right side and gaped at the skull currently grinning at her, its bony hand tightly clamped around her forearm. She could not even scream as the abomination pulled on her arm using its skeletal legs, still encased in the tattered remains of his canvas pants and leather boots, to turn its chair and drag her around so her face was level with the round orb they had ignored before. Its depths had changed from crystal-clear to a disturbing cloudy green, and Tara could have sworn the thing was leering at her, but it was only the reflection of the captain at her side.

Dirk and Drake were looking at her, both standing on the other side of the desk, as if they knew exactly what was going on. “We have to get out . . . “ her voice was shrill, the boys were not moving a muscle! “Sorry, Tara, but you have to stay here,” Dirk, the gentler of the two, was looking at the girl with slight pity in his eyes, but still made no move to help her. Drake placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gave their friend a cheeky smile. “We like our immortality, you know? Captain Jack here,” he nodded at the skeletal being forcing her head nearer to the orb. “Didn't quite like us trying to steal his shiny ball, so he cursed us to an eternity of sacrificing foolish little girls to the Soul Gem,” the gem was apparently the orb that was sucking the girl's aura out of her body; and Tara watched as the two she had believed to be her friends changed before her very eyes. Their eyes took on the same bright green color as her own, and their hair lengthened to their shoulders, and lightened to deep red.

Soon enough, the only thing left of Tara was her right arm, which eventually disappeared inside the orb, following the rest of her body. The skeleton of Captain Jack regarded the twins for a few chilling seconds and then turned to resume his contemplation of the world outside his window. “Another job well done, Brother,” Drake smiled angelically and turned to leave the cabin and, subsequently, the ship. Dirk stayed behind for a few seconds, fingering the scar on his face that would never fade and would forever remind him of this particular sacrifice. Then he turned and followed his brother, leaving the village behind and traveling on to the next one, looking for a woman to charm into adopting them and hunting for their next sacrifice.

Every 365 days, the two were to bring a new girl to the ship that followed behind them wherever they went and give her to Captain Jack's Soul Gem. That night became known as All Hallow's Eve, eventually garnering many legends of ghost ships all over the world. But every legend has a grain of truth somewhere in its faraway past, and the twins ghosted their way through many places and many girls. To this day, they might still be searching for their next victim.

Beware of charming twins who mirror each other, except for the scar on the gentle one's face.

Author's Note

Written for a Hallowe'en event contest on Menewsha. Took about 2 hours to complete. Any thoughts/comments?