Chapter 1
Mrs. Churling, reciting the last of the night time story, slammed the book shut, both hands on the front of the smooth, thick plastic cover, “Time for bed, children.”
Sandy, laying in her bed, asked, “Mom, what happens to him?”
Sandy’s younger brother, Mickey, yelled “He gets shit out!”
Sandy’s other younger brother, Mickey’s twin, Charlie, said “We have to wait, don’t spoil it Mickey.“, before sticking his tongue out at Mickey, from the bottom of their bunk bed, across the large room.
Mrs. Churling said “Mickey, I hear that again and there will be no screen time tomorrow.. Don’t ruin the story for everyone else either.”
Mickey replied “Sh-“, baiting his mother, before finishing “Shucks!” Charlie pressed both of his feet against the bottom of Mickey’s bed and pushed him up up and down, before Mickey leaned over the side and tried to swat Charlie, unsuccessfully, then jumped down, threw his blanket onto Charlie, then pounced onto Charlie and disappeared under the mess of blankets, as the two attacked each other.
Mrs. Churling, closing the door, put her hand over the light switch, saying “Boys.. Lamp off tonight.”
Sandy, interrupting the chaos unfolding in the bottom bunk, said “You have to learn to sleep in the dark. “ Her brother’s heads popped up from the mess of blankets, an expression of discontent upon them. Sandy then added, yelling so Mrs. Churling could hear “And no walking around in the dark!”
Mrs. Churling began closing the door, switching off the light, the lamp still on.
Mickey yelled back, “Mom!!, She keeps saying we walk around.. We don’t!” Mickey ejected from Charlie’s bed, dragging his blanket back onto the top bunk.
Charlie reached over the frame of his bed and turned off the lamp, “We can sleep in the dark, but it’s too dark to walk around.. Mom, I think Sandy is mental.”
Mickey ejected from the top bunk, hitting the dark room's carpet floor with a thud, "Saaaaaaaandy..." he said
Mrs. Churling swung open the door, cracking the knob into the wall, as she flicked on the light, stomping into the room, yelling “MICKEY!.. No screen time tomorrow, I already told you. Charlie, leave your sister alone.”
Both the twins erupted into discontent, “Mom!, Come on!”
Charlie yelled, “We don’t walk around!!”
Mrs. Churling swatted the light off, “Listen to your sister, she’s older than you two.. Good night.”
From the darkness, Charlie’s voice hushed, said “We don’t walk around.. That’s stupid; we can’t even see.”
Sandy replied, “Turn on the lamp, quick.”
The lamp turned on; Charlie was leaning over the frame, hand on it’s switch. Mickey sat up, watching Sandy walk to the middle of the room, beside the bedroom door, where the closet door lay ajar, “What are you doing?” Mickey asked. Pushing it closed tightly, she walked over to the toy bin, grabbing the bin and pulling it towards the door, pushing it against the door, so it could not open.
Walking back to her bed, Sandy laid down, saying “Turn off the lamp.”
She waited a couple seconds, before sitting up, to see her younger brothers both staring at her silently.
Mickey said, “That’s not funny.”
Charlie replied to sandy “Turn the lamp off?.. You put the toy bin in front of the closet door and all you have to say, is turn the lamp off?”
Sandy said, “Well, you said it wasn’t you walking around and I made sure to close it yesterday night and in the morning, it was open!”
Mickey said, louder, “Shut up, that’s not funny!”
Charlie said, “Whatever, your weird..“, leaning over the frame of the bed, turning off the light.
Sandy found herself in a dream state, on the ship of the Captain, his hook gleaming upon one of the pegs of the helm.. He was different from what she imagined him to be.. Silently staring at her from above. Dropping down from the mast, a man, tan skinned, with unkempt facial hair, a white, filthy shirt, black pants and boots. He approached her, knife in his mouth.. Removing the knife from his mouth, he continued walking the deck towards her. Looking up, she could see more men above, pulling at the rigging and lanyard, attempting to unroll the white sail that was bound tightly up the mast.
“We’re about ready to set sail, sweet heart.. You coming along?” The man said, grinning, approaching very close to her now, knife in hand.
“Where?” Sandy said, feeling her heart begin to beat faster.
The sailor looked up, Sandy followed suit, looking up.. A storm was brewing; rain, began to fall, as she watched the white sail fall.. Specks of red began to dye the white sail. Looking down at her feet, she could see the sundeck began to spot with red.. She dragged her black dress shoe across a droplet, the white ribbon on each toe blowing in the wind. The liquid was thick, sliding across the deck, underneath her shoe. Looking at her blue dress, littered with white clouds and yellow flowers, she saw red spots all over it, thinking that she would have to explain these stains to her Mom. Feeling droplets on her head, she matted her long blonde hair, feeling the liquid in between her fingers; she rubbed them together and found the liquid syrupy, unlike water.
“Anywhere, but here.” The sailor said, sheathing his dagger and walking to the starboard.
“ANCHOR!!!” The Captain yelled out from the helm. Coming down from the crow’s nest, a man similarly dressed to the others, along with several more, jumped down once they descended enough, slamming against the deck and running up to a door, pushing it open and disappearing down into the bowels of the ship.
Wind blowing harder, the sailor that greeted her looked over the side of the boat and yelled at the Captain, while leaned over the side of the boat “Anchor in!”
Sandy turned, watching the Captain frantically spinning the wheel, his coat the same color as the rain, as if he expected it. Looking out into the distance, near the port of the ship, he paused, before turning back to Sandy, “Get below!!” the Captain yelled at her.
From all around the ship, an echo clearly yelled back, in a strange, female voice, “Get below!!“, cueing a flute, which began playing all around them; a melancholy tune, consisting of only a few notes, but skillfully played and unaffected by the wind. Sandy looked all around, as a thick fog began to set in
The Captain yelled again, “GO!!!!” and from all around them, again, the female voice echoed his words, as the flute began to play louder. Looking to the doorway to the cockpit, the door was closed.. She ran to it, across the slick deck, as the ship swayed back, almost sending her backwards, falling to her knees and squeezing her nails into one of the small cracks between each panel of the sun floor. Rising, the ship now pulled her towards the door; sliding, she clasped the strange steel ring the door had for a handle, yanking her weight back, until she realized the door was push to open, so she pushed the door forward... And woke up.
Sitting up, she looked to the closet, seeing the toy bin moved, the closet ajar and her brother’s bunk beds, empty, as the sun shone in from the window.
