Evadeen Brickwood - The Speaking Stone of Caradoc

Technically, their ship was on its way to D’ântilla, an island state in the Caribbean Sea. Only that D’ântilla no longer existed in the future and the Caribbean Sea did not yet exist. It didn’t trouble the time travellers one bit. Even people with green skin and the hairy Konks with their human faces seemed normal after just two weeks. They would visit a few Atlantean islands and prehistoric England, then return to Alesia and travel back to the future through the time portal. It was a good plan.

“Trev, where’s Chryséis ?”

Trevor shaded his eyes with his hand against the sun. “I think she’s in the front with Kheton and Lelani.”

Kheton and Lelani were a young Cydonian couple. Kheton was their guardian and some sort of junior citadel judge and had agreed to take the children as far as the main island of Atala.

“I’ll go and see what Chryséis is up to.”

“Okay, I’ll just keep drawing this bird here. Can’t believe it hasn’t moved.”

“Maybe it’s sleeping. Why don’t you just take a picture?”

They had brought a small digital camera with them.

“I like to draw, and besides, I have nothing else to do.”

Trevor gazed at the screeching seabirds sailing through the air. They had humped beaks and were featherless. Featherless?

“Could be flying therasaurus, the way they are gliding down from the rocks.”

“Or maybe they’re just a strange, featherless species of birds.”

“Yes, sure. Don’t fall into the water while I’m gone,” Katherine grinned and Trevor looked up crossly.

“Funny,” he grumbled, feeling his ears go red. “Will I ever live that one down?”

He was still embarrassed by the incident in the harbour. A sharp push by someone on the landing had sent him into the murky waters just before they left.

“Oh come on, I’m just kidding.”

“Whatever.”

“Okay then, see you later.”

Katherine staggered along the railing. She had to get past the colourful seabird with the parrot beak, Trevor had been drawing. The bird suddenly took to the air with a loud croak and gave Katherine a mighty fright.

“Hey!”

“Scared to fall into the water, Katie?” Trevor grinned and scrawled a few more lines on the paper.

“No, not at all.” Katherine’s voice trembled a little. She walked on bravely to the front of the ship. Trevor put the drawing pad aside and studied the view. They were just leaving a small island behind, all covered in tropical plants.

The ship was close enough for Trevor to see horseshoe crabs scurrying along the beach with hungry seabirds in pursuit. Soon they passed another island that looked rather less inviting. Stark rocks jutted out of the foaming surf that thundered against the steep shore. The rocks were covered in shrieking white dots, while large birds circled the shallow bay. If they were birds at all.

Just as Katherine returned with Chryséis in tow, a deep growl rose in the distance and echoed off the rocks. The dolphins that had accompanied the ship were nowhere to be seen.

“Look over there! Is that — a whale?” Chryséis cried.

The hulking body of a large animal with a long neck and broad flippers dived just below the water surface. Waves sent the ship wobbling.

“Looks just like the whale in Aztlan. Don’t you think?”

“You mean that huge thing on the beach? I’m not so sure.”

“What else can it be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. But it was sad how the fishermen cut it up and stacked all that the blubber. Had to be a whale.”

“Well, it’s their job, isn’t it?”

“It’s still sad.”

The sea animal with the long neck came up and stared at them with intelligent eyes while paddling on its back. The three friends stared.

“That’s so amazing. Get the camera, quick!” Chryséis leaned over the railing.

“Where did you put it?”

But it was already too late. The ‘whale’ dived and was gone, just to reappear with a bigger companion in a cloud of water spray. They both darted off into the open sea. The boat wobbled again and seawater splashed up.

“Whoaaa!” Chryséis jumped back. ”I’m getting all wet.”

“Did you see that? If they are whales, I’m Mickey Mouse!”

The ship lifted ever so slightly off the water and the wobble stopped. They floated effortlessly on the water’s surface due to a standard anti-gravity device, which impressed the time travellers even more than the strange animals. Trevor managed to take a picture and zoomed in to have a better look.

“Let me see that.” Chryséis took the camera. All she could make out was water spray, a long thin neck and a triangular fin. “It’s too fuzzy. Could be a big fish. We should have brought a better camera with sound and video function.”

“Sure, let’s quickly go back home and fetch another camera.”

“Ha, ha — too bad we can’t use a cell phone!”

“Maybe they’re dinosaurs…Elasmosaurus…saurus,” Trevor stuttered as he put down the camera, hardly daring to say the words.

“Yeah, just like the monster of Loch Ness?” Chryséis laughed and shoved him. “Get real Trev, Elasmosaurus?! They died out ages ago. I mean ages!”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Here we go again —” Chryséis teased, but she felt uneasy.

Trevor could be right, of course. After all, they had seen strange farm animals back in Cydonia. What if saurians still roamed the oceans?

“Do you think there are lots of ‘Nessies’ out there?”

“Who knows,” Katherine said casually. “Nobody on the ship seems to mind them. Seem quite harmless. Probably just wanted to check out the ship.“

“What if they’re not harmless?”

“Oh get out of here. I’m sure the ships are prepared for that with rayguns and stuff like that. If there’s trouble, they’ll just zap them.”

“Nicely put, Trevor.”

Trevor shrugged his shoulders and sat back down on the heap of tackle next to Chryséis .

“Oh well, if we can’t get a proper picture, I’ll just make a drawing.”

Chryséis stretched her neck to get a look at the bird Trevor had penciled earlier. It was quite life-like, right down to the feathers and eyes.

“Trev, that’s very good! I didn’t know you could draw like that.”

“Oh it’s nothing, just a dumb sketch.” Trevor drew back, a little embarrassed.

“That’s more than a dumb sketch. You’re good!”

A light splash announced that the cheerful dolphins were back. Katherine leaned over the railing and whistled just as the mermaids in Aztlan had taught her yesterday. Did the dolphins jump a bit higher?

“They understand you,” Trevor said admiringly.

“You think?”

“Mhmm.”

Trevor wiped water droplets off his page and carried on drawing from memory. Two of the dolphins ‘danced’ backwards on their tails and answered Katherine’s whistling with excited chatter.

“Oh cute!” Katherine whistled some more.

“Those birds are making a heck of a noise,” Trevor complained.

“They don’t come with volume control. It’s called nature.”

While Katherine and Trevor were having a friendly squabble, Chryséis observed the birds fishing in the shallows. Black-rimmed wings tucked back at the last moment before the dive, then bobbing to the surface with wriggling fish. Just before the ship rounded a massive wave-beaten rock, a long snout with sharp teeth broke through the surf, snapping at the birds.

“Wow, what was that?” Chryséis caught another glimpse of the jaws clamping one of the featherless birds. The ship rounded the rocks and the animal was gone. “Did you see that thing?”

“No, what thing?” Trevor looked up from his drawing pad then lost interest again.