Well, here's the first of hopefully many prompts for Castaway's Kingdom. The prompt I choose was Fire.
Disclaimer Really people, do I even need to bother?
Emerald Fire ~ Tierra del Fuego. 1621.
A boy sat on the cold desolate shore of a small cove, watching the waves break against the sand. It was a clear but cold night and he was glad of his sheepskin poncho to keep him warm. Looking up into the nighttime sky he could see billions of stars, accompanied by a bright full moon.
Around him was a mixture of sand and pebbles, stretching for a small distance until reaching a series of cliffs that stood out boldly against the wind and sea. But the wind was quiet tonight, light compared to its usual howl.
The boy stared out at the sea, his eyes the same color as the moon lit waters. He didn't even notice something was behind him until it nosed his back.
"Gurr, Neb. Why are you out here instead of back at the hut?" asked the Labrador with a thought.
Neb shrugged. "I'm not sure Den. I just couldn't get the sea out of my head. It's a full moon tonight and it's very loud."
Denmark sat down on his hunches and mimicked what his human friend was doing for a minute before stating, "Aren't you cold?"
Neb had to admit he was to the dog, though for some reason he couldn't place, he didn't want to leave.
The pair sat there for about a quarter of an hour before Denmark spoke again. "Neb, I think we should go back inside."
It was a moment before the boy answered. "I suppose you're right." He wasn't entirely why he had come out here in the first place, but it sat just out of reach in his mind. He stood up hurriedly, mist bellowing out from his mouth as he breathed. With Denmark beside him be began walking towards the path leading back to the hut when a glint on the ground caught his eye.
He bent and scooped up the object in one fluid movement and stopped to inspect it. The object was small and cold as ice. The boy squinted at the thing and held it up to the moon between his thumb and forefinger.
Moonlight shone through it, illuminating a green flame in the middle of the rock. Neb gasped as he realized what he held in his hand. An emerald. His eyes widened as he remembered Scragg's and Jamil's conversation aboard the Flying Dutchman. This emerald belonged to Vanderdecken! Why else would such a jewel be at the place some called the tip of the world?
Denmark was looking at it curiously until he caught his companion's thought. Then he too stared at it, the object that had driven a captain to try and round the Horn, thus dooming him and his crew forever.
"Den…what do we do with it?"
"Get rid of it." The dog did not like the rock; it was a thing of greed and had only caused misery to those who looked for them.
"How?" asked Neb.
"Grr, throw it into the ocean."
"But if it ended up here once…"
"It's a full moon, the tide's stronger. It's will take it away."
Neb shivered, either from the cold or what he held in his hand he did not know. Slowly he turned his back to the cliff and faced the sea, then hurtled the emerald out into the freezing air.
They watched as the Dragon's Eye flew into the air, the moonlight giving it the appearance of St. Elmo's fire. Together they listened for a "plop!" but none came. There was nothing but the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs, and that of the world changing around them while they stayed the same.
Again Neb shivered. He and Den turned to make their way back home, one thing that hadn't changed in the past few months.
You have no idea how weird it was to use Ben and Ned's other names, I had to keep correcting myself. I hope you can take a minute or two to review.