Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“Harder,” shouted Mistake. “If we don’t move it, this boat may tip over.”

MistyTrail bit her lip and nodded as she saw the angry swells rising higher and higher as the storm moved closer to them. She pulled with every fiber of her body.

“It’s moving,” shouted Mistake. “It’s moving.”

MistyTrail closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she tried to coax more strength out of her body. Suddenly, there was a loud snap, and both them were hurled against the side of the boat. Once again they were sprawled on the floor of the boat.

“Now what?” yelled MistyTrail. “We can’t steer any more.”

Mistake looked at the handle of the tiller swaying in the breeze. She shook her head and sighed.

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice barely audible above the howling wind. “Maybe we should have lowered the sail first. At least with this much wind, we will end up somewhere.”

The wind suddenly increased as the sky lit up with multiple flashes of lightning. The boat tipped to a severe angle and both women grabbed the rail to avoid being thrown to the other side of the boat. A torrential downpour pounded them with cold water, and Mistake noticed that water was accumulating in the bottom of the boat.

“Get the bucket,” shouted Mistake. “We will need to keep the water out of the boat.”

MistyTrail nodded and worked her way forward without ever letting go of the rail. The boat leaned so much that MistyTrail felt almost vertical at times as she moved slowly forward. All of a sudden, a tremendous crack split the air. The noise was so loud that MistyTrail thought she had been hit by lightning. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain.

“Look out for the mast!” screamed Mistake.

Suddenly the boat lurched severely, and instead of being almost vertical, MistyTrail’s arms strained to keep her from being thrown out of the boat in the opposite direction. She glanced behind her and saw the fallen mast. The mast and sails were in the water; the only things holding them above water were the ropes tied to the rail. MistyTrail swiftly pulled a knife from her belt and cut the closest line. Mistake instantly nodded and did the same to the lines near her. The mast bumped noisily against the boat before sinking from view.

With the mast and sails gone, the boat didn’t ride at such a strange angle. MistyTrail sheathed her knife, crawled forward, and grabbed her pack. She strapped the pack onto her body and grabbed the bucket. She started bailing water out of the boat. She bailed for close to half an hour before her arms ached. All the while, the sea rose in intensity, and the rain continue to pour down on them. Eventually, she crawled towards the stern and shoved the bucket towards Mistake.

“Your turn,” she yelled to Mistake.

Mistake nodded and grabbed the bucket. She started bailing swiftly and appeared to be gaining on the water sloshing around the bottom of the boat. Then the waves began tossing spray into the small vessel. Mistake looked up and her eyes grew wide with terror. Instead of seeing the nasty sky, all she saw was a wall of water. The wave appeared taller than the Imperial Palace in Khadoratung.

“Grab onto something quick,” she shouted as she dropped the bucket and grabbed for the rail.

She closed her eyes and waited for the wave to collapse onto the boat, but it never did. Her eyes snapped open, and they were on top of a huge swell. Suddenly, the boat dropped. It felt like they were falling from a great height, but Mistake knew they were riding down the back slope of the huge wave. She also knew that another monstrous wave was coming for them. Her stomach wanted to heave.

The feeling of falling suddenly stopped and Mistake looked up at the next wave. She didn’t close her eyes this time. The small boat flew up the leading edge of the wave and tottered momentarily before plunging down the other side.

“Keep bailing,” shouted MistyTrail. “If the boat fills with water the waves won’t matter much.”

Mistake nodded as her hands grabbed for the bucket. She started bailing, but she had to stop each time they fell down the backside of a wave. She was sure that if there had been anything appreciable in her stomach, it would have exited by now. Her head began to spin with dizziness, and she tossed the bucket back to MistyTrail. She shook her head to clear it and looked up at the next wave. Her mouth fell open in horror as she saw the top of the gigantic wave curling over the tiny boat.

“Hold your breath!” she shouted. “We are going to die.”

The wave crashed down on them with tremendous force. Mistake felt the boat being ripped away from her while she was under the water. It felt like the sea was trying to tear her in half as it tugged at her body from every direction. Her lungs wanted air, but she kept her mouth closed tightly. Her head spun with dizziness, and she was not sure which way was up. She collided with something hard, and a stab of pain shot up through her leg.

Suddenly, her head was above the surface of the water. She gulped air as quickly as she could before being plunged back under. The water moved her in only one direction now, and she felt like she was being dragged along a beach. Her hand felt sand as it brushed against the bottom and her spirits immediately brightened. She pushed away from the sand, and her head broke the surface again. She sucked greedily at the air.

She was sucked back under, but Mistake’s resolve grew harder. She fought the water as it tried to drive her body. Somehow she managed to get her feet under her, and she stood up. She was surprised to find out that she could stand with her head above the surface of the water. She looked all around for MistyTrail as the waves tried to topple her.

“This way!” called MistyTrail.

Mistake turned and saw MistyTrail on the beach. She forced her way through the surf and threw her body down next to MistyTrail.

“Are you alright?” MistyTrail asked. “Are you hurt?”

Mistake wasn’t sure how to answer the question. Her whole body ached and was strangely numb at the same time. She flexed her fingers and then her toes. She moved her head from side-to-side and then rolled over onto her back.

“I think I am alright,” Mistake finally said. “How about you?”

“Good enough to find some shelter,” replied MistyTrail. “Let’s get out of here before the storm hits us.”

“Before?” gasped Mistake as she sat up and stared at the sea.

The mountainous waves were barely visible offshore, but they were still coming towards them. Mistake saw that the waves were breaking into huge sprays of mist some distance off the coast.

“It must be a reef or submerged rocks,” explained MistyTrail. “It’s amazing we got over them in one piece. Let’s find some shelter.”

Mistake nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She saw blood dripping down her leg, but she ignored it. Pain lanced through her leg as she followed MistyTrail.

A jungle ran along the coast, separated from the sea by a thin stretch of beach. MistyTrail stood staring into the jungle, but Mistake shook her head and indicated that MistyTrail should follow her. Mistake walked along the edge of the jungle peering into it. The wind still tore into them, spraying their bodies with fine sand, and the rain continued to pour from the sky. Mistake eyed the jungle with caution, remembering the dangers that might be found within it. After twenty minutes of walking swiftly, she was about to give up and plunge into the jungle when she saw a small rowboat farther along the beach. She turned to check on MistyTrail before picking up the pace a bit. A few minutes later she halted nervously. MistyTrail came up alongside her and stared at the small three-story building standing on the beach.