The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

STEP ONE: DON'T THROW UP

-Arya-

The rocking woke me, my eyes slamming open as I heard retching in the darkness. Didn’t anyone have some Dramamine? Why did we have to get stuck with the ONE lady who got motion sickness on a damn cruise ship. The little girl was softly crying out in her sleep, the man cooing softly to her. The interior of the boat was illuminated for a flash of a second as lightning crossed the skies, followed by the crash of thunder. "Fish. Fish, wake up." I prod her, hearing her groans of disapproval. At the next flash of lightning I see her eyes pop open, a frantic look on her face as she listens. An older gentleman stands up from the seats "Hello everyone, my name is Darnell. As all of you can hear, a storm is coming, and I don't think it will bring anything pleasant. I suggest we all brace ourselves for a rough night." Darnell's voice was deep and comforting, though I couldn't see him in the night. If he was going to take charge of our group, I wasn't going to fight him on it, and it seemed no one else would either. We all rustled around, preparing ourselves for the ensuing storm. I glanced at Fish, seeing turmoil in her eyes. "um, excuse me, Darnell?" Fish said timidly, her voice reaching out through the dark. I heard shuffling and a couple subdued "excuse me's" as Darnell made his way towards us. Another strike of lightning lit up his face enough for me to see that he was in his early thirties perhaps, with crows feet beginning to form at the ends of his hazel eyes. His ebony skin smelled of shea butter and oak as he leaned down towards us. "Yes, child?" he asked. The words from anyone else would have sounded demeaning but from this man it almost sounded as an endearment as he cocked his ear towards my friend. "Um, well, sir. It's just that I am a water-born and well; I can feel that this storm will be huge." Darnell listened attentively, no sound giving away his thoughts. I was grateful for him then, feeling stronger with someone to guide us through this mess. I felt Fish relax somewhat against me, having said what she felt needed to be said. Darnell sat on his haunches for a moment, digesting what Fish had told him. "Ok everyone" he said as he stood in the boats cabin "Our little water-born here says this storm is goin to be awful ugly. We will need some folk who can gather items for us to tie down with, while others make sure things are secured. If this storm indeed gets bad, we will not be found unprepared." His words emboldened me, and I resolved to try and help as best I could. "Excuse me, Darnell? If someone could help with the hatch, I think I can bring us up some rope." I felt a strange pause in the group amidst the bustling; a earth-born was a rare thing, rarer than water-borns. I hated singling myself out like this. An older lady, judging by her voice, called out "I will help the girl". The man with the small girl lifted his palm into the air, and gently brought a flame to life in his palm, illuminating the interior for us to see. A lady in what I guessed to be her 70's came hobbling towards me, a glint of adventure in her eyes. "What do you need?" she asked me, having stopped by my side as we faced the front hatch. "I just need someone to help me with the door, I am going to try and bring up some seaweed for us to use as ropes" Her gray hair sparkled in the fires glow as she nodded her head, her arms raising up as her hands formed small circles at her wrists. Slowly the hatch opened, and I saw her eyes turn an almost white color and a small tunnel formed in the water right outside the door. It reminded me a little of Ursula from the movie "The Little Mermaid", only without any malice. You know, the scene where Ursula creates the wind tunnel that traps Ariel to the ground while the prince fights for his life? Her tunnel made a clear path towards the ocean floor, making it easier for me to sense the life that grew there. The lady cleared her throat, bringing me out of my movie fantasy to focus on the task at hand. I brought my hand out in front of me, willing the force of the earth to flow through my body. I imagined the seaweed at the ocean floor, rising and climbing towards me. My body felt lighter, whole somehow, as I felt the earth answer my call. The seaweed grew up towards us, the salty smell filling my senses as some with many shoots rose up while others that looked more like large leaves climbed towards my outstretched hand. I could almost hear their voices in my head as I willed their shape to braid and bend around one another. They reached towards my hand, my palm feeling the finished product as it grew and grew in length. Once I thought I had enough, I allowed to plants to stop their growth and recede back into the waters. The lady stopped her current, a breathe escaping her lips as she silenced her magicks. In my hand and wrapped in a circle by my feet was what looked to be about 30 feet in seaweed rope. Ha! I preened to myself, how was that for some magic seaweed shit! Darnell wasted no time in instructing people to tie the makeshift rope around their waists as well as to the few railings that aligned the interior walls. We all knew that the main guardrail was up by the body of the deceased crewman, but no one could seem to go up there and use it. So we made do with what we had, all of us working in tandem as we fastened ourselves to one another as anchors. We had just finished when we heard the first of the screams start up again from the boats that surrounded us.