Chapter 20: Hold On!A Chapter by Steve ClarkSomething lurks under the water - something set to dismantle the ship.Hold On! “Whatever is that
noise coming from under the ship?” asked one of the sailsmen. “What
noise?” said Tikvah. “Listen.” The men
paused, their ears searching for unfamiliar sounds. There were only waves
splashing against the hull. “You are
imagining sounds.” “Shush. Listen.” Again,
there was no noise. Suddenly,
a cry came from above them. “Get on
deck now!” The men
scurried up the ladder, out into the sunshine. Berin, Glavino and Rini followed.
As they reached the top, they noticed the men lined on the edge of the ship
staring at something in the water. Berin ran over to see. He peered below, into
the dark blue waves. A shadow eased itself just below the surface of the water.
It was at least as long as the ship, and nearly as wide. “What is
it?” “I know
not,” said Tikvah, next to Berin. “It is a ferrian!” yelled the first mate. “A what?” “A ferrian! I have seen one of these
before! Arm yourselves!” “Arm
ourselves?” “With
what?” “Whatever
you can find. This creature is going to sink our ship if we do not kill it
first!” “What?” The men
ran in all directions, seeking anything sharp. “Halt,
men!” Most of
the sailsmen froze, turning towards the captain who stood above them. “There are
harpoons and bows and arrows hidden in my cabin. I brought them along in case
we encountered the Bacana.” “Yes, they
will help, Captain,” breathed the first mate. The men ran to the captain’s
cabin and broke down the door. Soon they returned with all manner of weapons,
real and makeshift. Berin held his sword, though he knew it was fruitless.
Glavino was behind the sailsman with the harpoon, and Rini stood behind him.
The men filled the side of the ship and aimed their weapons at the creature. At
that moment, its head rose into the air. “Look at
the size of its head!” “May the
gods be with us!” The
creature looked not unlike a fish, with a fin at its crest and flippers on
either side. It was the sheer size of the creature that made Berin stare
wide-eyed. Its blue-grey head rose to the level of the deck, about thirty paces
away, its mouth opened, showing its teeth long and sharp as Keturah swords. Its
eyes gleamed red as it blew a puff of air and water into the sky. “A waterfall!”
cried one of the sailsmen. The water came splashing down onto the deck,
drenching the men. Berin wiped his face and looked around. The men were still
poised, ready to defend their ship. The ferrian dove under the surface, its
shadow closing the distance between itself and the ship. “Steady
yourself!” cried the first mate. The men
braced against something, anything, solid. But no collision came. Instead, the ferrian swam under the ship and came up
on the other side. The men ran across the deck. As they did, the whole ship
shook, causing each man to fall. Two men both landed on the spears they were
clutching, piercing their hearts. The rest lost grip of their weapons as they
clambered back to their feet. Berin, somehow, managed to remain upright. He
rushed to the edge of the deck. Where he stopped, a large crack in the wood
appeared. The force of the ferrian had
snapped the solid wood in two. “The ship
will break up if it hits us again,” said the first mate, now standing next to Berin. “We must
kill it,” said Berin. The men with the harpoon reached the edge and set up the
weapon, aiming directly at the shadow in the water. It was swimming away. “Be ready
to shoot the beast!” “But it is
leaving!” “It is
not. It will return, ready to ram the ship into splinters!” “We will
be ready.” Indeed,
the shadow turned in an arc, before swimming straight for the ship. “Steady! Steady!”
demanded the first mate. Berin
braced himself against the side, his sword returned to the belt. He needed both
hands. The ferrian crept closer and
closer. Shoot! Berin
thought to himself. The first
mate waited. “What are
you waiting for?” demanded Berin. “Hold,
hold.” The ferrian was now right upon
them. There was no way the ship would survive the impact. Berin closed his
eyes, clasped his hands, and waited for it. “Shoot
now!” The
harpoon left its canister, the rope following its trajectory. Spears followed. Berin
opened his eyes, seeing the mass of weapons heading straight for the ferrian. The harpoon and spears rammed
into the ferrian’s head just as it rose above the water, thumping into the
ship. At that, the side of the ship broke in two, causing the deck to bend
outwards. The wood snapped, nails flinging in all directions. Berin grabbed for
Rini as he fell onto the deck. Glavino was nearby, his part of the deck swaying
away from them. “Grab
hold! It looks like we are going to sink!” “What
about the ferrian, Papa?” “I know
not. I hope the weapons killed it.” As the
deck came apart, so did the compartments below deck, like breaking a freshly
baked loaf of bread. Unable to remain buoyant, the ship began lowering itself
into the ocean. The masts swayed both ways before crashing near Glavino. As a
sail covered him, he glanced at Berin. The wide eyes and gaping mouth was all Berin
could see, could focus on. The part he was holding on to sunk quickly into the
ocean. “Whatever
happens, hold on to the ship until I tap you on the shoulder,” Berin said. Rini
nodded. Berin glanced over the side. The water was coming ever closer as the
deck sank into it. So was the body of the ferrian.
It was thrashing about. One of the other sails dropped over its head and
wrapped around the beast. Unable to break free, the ferrian writhed until its strength dissipated and death was its
only resignation. At that
moment, Berin and Rini entered the water. “Hold your
breath!” Berin cried as the plank they held took them under. The bubbles and
white water was too great for Berin to see anything, so he closed his eyes.
Finally, feeling they were far enough below the surface, Berin tapped Rini.
They both released the plank, swimming to where they thought was the surface.
Only Berin could not tell the location of the surface. He opened his eyes. The
bubbles were heading in a different direction to them. Oh no! That
must be the way to the surface. He grabbed
hold of Rini, who swam onto his back. They both followed the bubbles until they
reached the surface. Gasping for breath, they floated onto their back. “Can you
see anything?” “I see a
floating plank, Papa.” “Swim to
it.” They
reached the plank and climbed aboard. All around them was white water. There
was no ship, only elements of its remains that floated. Some of the sailsmen,
like Rini and Berin, were holding on to anything that floated. Berin paddled
their plank closer to a sailsman. It was Tikvah! “Are you
fine?” “Yes.
You?” “Yes.” “What are
we to do?” “There is
land over yonder. I saw it just before the ferrian
attacked.” “Are you
sure?” “Positive.” “In which
direction?” He looked
up into the sky. “If the
sun is there, then it was in…that direction,” he pointed. “Are you
sure?” “Yes, I
think.” “We have
to trust him, Papa.” “I think
you are right.” “Where is
Glavino?” Glavino! Where
was he? “Berin!”
came a cry from behind them. “My
friend! You are safe!” “Only by
the gods!” “Paddle
this way. We think there is land over there!” The four,
along with other sailsmen, did their best to swim in the direction Tikvah
suggested. Sure enough, when were out of range of the sinking ship, they could
see land in between the dips of the waves. “Over
here!” They
paddled until they were close enough to the shoreline. People in boats came
towards them. “What
happened?” one of the rescuers said in the lingua franca as they dragged
drenched men aboard. “We were
attacked by a ferrian.” “A what?” “A ferrian.” “What is
that?” Berin
described the beast. “Ah, we
call them unfera. We thought they
lived further north.” “Really?” “Indeed. I
wonder what has brought them this far south?” The boats
made it to the shoreline, where the men lay on the sand, breathing in deeply. “How did
we escape that?” “The gods
must be watching after you,” said one of the rescuers. “Come, we
must get you to the town,’ said another. ‘There you can rest and be fed.” The
rescuers carried them as best they could until their strength returned. “You are
fortunate. No one survives the attack of an unfera.” “Yes, no
one.” “How did
you do it?” Berin and
Glavino relayed the tale. “Unbelievable.
I would never have imagined such a deathly experience.” Glavino
stumbled, falling to the ground. “What is
the matter?” “I am too
weak to carry on.” “Look
Papa, there is blood creeping down his leg!” “Stop the
bleeding.” “Glavino,
where does it start?” Glavino
pointed to his rear. “Quick,
take off your clothes.” “No.” “Glavino,
this is no time for modesty.” “But no
one has seen me naked.” Berin was
surprised. In all this time, Glavino always managed to remain hidden when
clothesless. “I care
not. Take off your pants.” Glavino
obeyed. Berin ignored Glavino’s belongings as him and their rescuers packed a
mud ball to stop the bleeding. “It
stings!” “That is
the seawater, sorry.” “No more!”
Glavino pleaded. “This will
help.” The bleeding
soon stopped and Glavino was able to return his pants to their position. He lay
on his stomach, biting his lower lip and scrunching his nose. “When will
the stinging stop?” “Not for a
while. Can you move?” “Not
likely.” “Try.” Soon Glavino
was able to walk. They slowly covered the distance to Zuzi, the harbour town. “Finally,
we made it!” cried Glavino. He was taken to the local medicine man, while Berin
and Rini were ordered to rest in one of the local inns. “I am so
glad we made it,” said Rini, the hearty soup the innkeeper provided dripping
down his chin. “As am I. Slow
your eating, son.” Glavino
returned to them, hobbling. “How is
your, umm, injury?” “Do not
want to talk about it.” The
innkeeper came with a steaming bowl of soup for him. Glavino slowly ate it, his
eyes looking into the bowl as if it were some distant place where his mind
wandered. “Glavino,
are you fine?” Glavino
remained silent. “Whatever
is the matter? Is it your rear?” “Dead.
They are all dead.” “The other
sailsmen?” “Yes.” “That
makes you sad?” “Of
course. We are, as the Zuzi man said, rather fortunate.” “We must
thank the gods.” “Says you.
Why did the gods save us and not the others?” “I know
not, Glavino.” “This is
not right. I should be at the bottom of the ocean with them.” Berin
searched for the right words to say. None came. Glavino excused himself and the
innkeeper took him to a bed to rest. “Papa,
what does he mean he should be at the bottom of the ocean?” “I know
not, Rini. I know not.” © 2016 Steve Clark |
Stats
87 Views
Added on August 10, 2016 Last Updated on August 10, 2016 AuthorSteve ClarkAdelaide, South Australia, AustraliaAboutA free spirited educator who dabbles in the art of writing novels and articles. more..Writing
|