All Chapters of Dark Water: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The fire in the village roared high, sending smoke twisting into the sky. The flames writhed, forming images that were beyond nightmarish. A wizened woman stood nearby. One eye was glazed, blind from birth but giving a rare sight that no other had. The second sight to the other world and powers that foretold present and future. She watched quietly. The crackling filled her ears as she studied what the fire was saying. 'What leads travellers to be so foolhardy?' She asked herself, shaking her head. 'They see not the true treasures that surround them. Only caring about trinkets that hold no real worth.' She shifted, looking across in the direction of the sea. The intrusion was widely felt but none felt what she did. A great blessing as the cold darkness chilled one to the core, like a cloth, saturated with rain and clinging to the skin. "May the Gods and their guardian spirits come through to them," she whispered. "The errors must be seen, and the price must be paid. May my prayer

Lloyd swore under his breath as he plucked the wiry splinters from his chafed hands. The sharp fragments of the rope had embedded themselves snugly under the surface of the skin. It was times like this that Lloyd cursed himself for biting his nails as the blunted fingers struggled to pluck at the protruding ends. "Soak your hand for a while." Thomas glanced over as he walked past, hearing the grumbles. "That will bring them closer to the surface. One of the crew also swears by putting a thin layer of paste or something sticky on them. Then they pull out." "That sounds worse than waxing your legs." Lloyd forced a smile. "Something I swore I'd never do again. I took half the skin off." "It won't do that. Not if you're careful. We'll be sailing again soon, so you'd best sort it out before then. Try a potato. Press it for a while and it can draw them higher." The crew had slowly returned. Their faces set like stone as if they could feel no enjoyment anymore. The fascination of the e

The morning slipped in afternoon, the sun proud in the sky and radiating heat. The crew slackened their pace and work stilled for a while as they sought whatever shelter they could from the angry heat.Lloyd felt his legs buckle, collapsing in a heap in the shadow of the mast, sweat pouring from him. Every muscle in his body throbbed painfully, his hands red and chafed. They certainly never pictured this in the movies.He wasn't too sure why he was thinking of movies. Probably due to missing the couch, the TV and his collections of DVDs, his refuge after a hard day. Any break from reality would be savoured right now, even the lousiest of movies.'I wonder what Thomas or Nathaniel would think of them,' he thought to himself, trying to take his mind from his pains. 'They'd probably both find fault, especially if it's an era they know. Thomas would be more fun though; I don't think he'd be so astringent.'In the distance, the shape of an island glowed on the horizon. It was not the des

Lloyd was tired as he sat in the chair and stared up and the blacken ceiling. He tossed his arm over his forehead as he stayed awake. Sleep seemed to be running away from him.Slowly, he sat and drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on them. He didn't know why, but he felt if he were to fall asleep. Something would make sure he didn't open his eyes again."Get on with it," he muttered to himself and reached for the dusty book nearest him. "Maybe it'll keep you awake. Or scare you more so that sleep eludes better."His hand hovered over the bronze clasp of the drawer as he pulled the book to him. He knew Nathaniel would be livid if he pried into his papers...but that was a small risk if these pages yielded nothing.Still. This time, new information danced before him. Rather like a good novel, he saw different things. The words were blurred as if water had made the ink run. A high possibility when all was considered.'...a mighty Great President of He

Lloyd lay where he was for a while. His eyes closed and his focus was solely on the soft sway of the ship. If he tried hard enough he could imagine himself swinging on the hammock in the garden on one of those lazy summer days that were few and far between.Normally he would be rudely disturbed by the cat next door. Jumping on him with a sly look in its eyes and a smug expression.Now he was disturbed by the general hubbub from above. The sound of dragging ropes and muffled shouts."I guess I ought to go up," Lloyd mumbled. "They don't like me as it is. If I start looking idling then they'll like me even less. And I don't think they'll be like the kids at school and just make digs at me."He wasn't expecting to be struck dumb by the sight that greeted him as he came to the deck. It was like he had stepped back in time. To the golden age of the sail and the time when the world was in its infancy discovering new countries.The island looked broody, like the illustrations in his books or