Leading the Way
By Kylee Hudson
Due: June 17th, 2014
Pages: 5
It was quarter to twelve; almost closing time. The last round of alcohol was served and nineteen year old Annabeth began to wipe down the countertops and tables, longing for the bar to close for the night so she could go home to rest. She wished she could be home, hanging out with her friends and enjoying the rest of the time she had left as a kid. Unfortunately, it'd be too easy if life was that way.
Anna lived in a very old, small, run down village, where there was very little well paying jobs available. And with her mother gone and her father deathly ill, Annabeth had to spend her hours working in a run down bar, just barely making enough money to feed and take care her total of five younger siblings and father. But she didn't complain. It's not like her family was the only family in the village that was poor. Ever since the village's main and most reliable industry had run out of business, the whole village went bankrupt. But everyone was happy. Everyone had each other and that was all that mattered to them.
She grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor as the last group of men got up and walked to the door to leave.
She went to the front porch to lock up when a sheet of paper fell from the sky, and gently drifted down onto the mat in front of her. She frowned and leaned against the doorframe, smoothing out the paper and reading it over.
It was a map, a very old and withered sheet of paper. The words were hard to read from the rips and tears in the sheet and the burnt spaces in between. It was an unusual map, not one she had ever seen in school before. This map almost looked a different language, with strange names of places and waters.
Getting more and more curious of the foreign map, Anna put the paper back into her pocket, saving it to study over later.
The ocean front was much colder and foggier than its usual days.
Anna spent most of the night after she left the bar pondering over the map, and decided to get up early and go see the one man in the village who would know about this map; the boat keeper.
The boat keeper was a quirky yet wise old whiskery man, who tended to keep to him self. He didn't necessarily hate people, but he definitely wasn't fond of them. But he was passionate about the sea and boats, and would tell you everything you need to know and more in a heartbeat.
She walked down the boardwalk ramp and knocked on the old door. The old wrinkled man slowly opened the door and squinted and spat on the mat beside her,
"Whad'ya want?" he coughed.
"Um, you know a lot about maps right, so I was wondering if you could tell me more about this," she dug the paper out of her pocket and handed it to him.
He grabbed the map and looked it over, then motioned her inside. The sat down at a very small and beaten table in what Anna assumed to be the dining room. He pulled out a pipe and began to smoke, sitting for a long while in silence as he studied over the paper.
He cleared his throat, "Yes, I've seen this map before, a very long time ago."
"Really? Can you tell me more about it like where it's from or something?"
"Actually believe it or not, this map was from our village."
"...But it looks nothing like our village. It's not even really in the same language."
"That's 'cause this map was created long before our time."
"Then why would anyone want an outdated map?" Anna asked.
The old man snickered, "'Cause of its value."
"...It's value?"
"This map has been around for decades. The legend holds up even to this day."
"Legend?"
He lowered his voice, "There once was this very wealthy man, who buried all of his life savings away, and created this map so he would remember where he put it. Unfortunately, he died in an accident and lost the map. Many people heard of what happened and tried to look for the site where he buried his money, but no one has ever had luck in finding it. They say the man's ghost flies around, tricking people into finding the map and getting them to lead him to burial site, but no one ever makes it out alive.
Anna shifted in her seat, "So, if by a weird chance someone were able to find the spot-"
"That person would be rich beyond their wildest dreams." The man's eyes lit up.
"...Could you take me there?" Anna asked curiously.
The man immediately shook his head and stood up, "No, no, no, that can't happen. Its way to dangerous, even for an old sailor like me."
"But-" Anna protested.
"No, sorry m'lady but I can't let a pretty, young lady like yourself go off on something as dangerous as that," he took the map and stuffed it in his pocket, and shoved her to the door. "Thanks for stopping by and if you got any questions in the future feel free to stop again. G'day" he pushed her out of the house.
"But-" he slammed the door shut.
Anna sighed and began to slump away, when out of nowhere a boy jumped out at her and took her by the arm and dragged her to behind the boat keeps house.
Anna freaked out and pushed her guy away, "Who the heck are you?" She stared at him.
The boy laughed and jumped, "I'm Jax," he said excitedly. "And this is Hammie." He shoved a small white cat in her face.
She pushed the cat away, "That's nice, now what do you want?"
"I overheard you talking to my dad about a map. I can help you."
"Dad? I didn't know he had a son."
Jax looked at the ground, "He doesn't like to talk about me." She could see why. He was a weird kid. Way more optimistic and enthusiastic than most people. He looked only a couple years younger than her, but he was significantly small for a boy his age. His skin was a grey-tan colour, with bright blue eyes and black hair that fell down in front of his face.
"How can you help me?"
"I've learned a lot from my dad about the ocean and maps. And I just happen to have created a replica of that particular map. I can get you there." He pulled out a map almost identical to the original one.
"Great, thanks." She was about to take the paper when Jax took a step back.
"But, if I give you the map, you have to take me and Hammie with you."
She huffed, "No." And started to walk away.
"C'mon, why not?" He ran up to behind her and followed her, "Think of all the money we'll get! You'll be able to take care of your family."
She stopped, "But, you heard him, we might not make it back."
"Meh, he was probably just saying that 'cause he wants it for himself." He waved it off. "C'mon, don't you wanna try?" he watched her.
She pondered for awhile then sighed, "Fine. We'll leave in an hour."
"Yay!" the boy cheered and ran off.
The ocean mist was cool and salty, constantly spraying Anna in the face, damping her unusually tangled long black and blond hair, and making her olive eyes red from the burning salt. She continued to paddle while watching Jax and his cat starring puzzlingly at the map.
"Do you even know how to use one of those?' she asked.
He huffed, "Yes, of course I know, I'm not an idiot. You should slow down around here, there big rocks." He pointed out. No sooner did he finish his sentence, the boat immediately scrapped along a rock, breaking off a portion of the small boat's side. They stopped paddling. The boat didn't sink, but the side was more open to have water pour in at any second. More carefully, Annabeth slowly paddled on.
Even though it was early May, the ocean was still a windy and frigid place. The two didn't think to bring extra clothing or blankets, and now had to huddle to keep warm. Icy water kept splashing into the boat, slowly making the small boat heavier. They lost track on how many days they've spent searching for the spot. Dehydration and hypothermia was quickly coming upon them.
"Maybe we should give up." Jax sighed.
"It's too late now, we have to keep going." Anna's arms ached as she drew the oars back and pulled them forward. Night was coming again quickly and still, they couldn't find the burial spot. Anna began to wish she never agreed to this, but they had to keep going. There was nothing else they could do. They were out of food and water, and were soaked to the bone. Home was too far away to turn back now. She decided all that was left was either victory or death.
She started to think it really was just a legend. It had been weeks now, and drowsiness had overcome them. Anna they began to see things. Anna could've sworn she seen a boat behind them in the far distance, but it kept fading away after she looked at it for a while.
Jax was done for. He could barely keep conscious, and his pulse was very weak. As for the cat, had no movement and was beginning to give off a rancid odour.
Anna rubbed her eyes and tried to focus. A few kilometres ahead were more dark than usual. The fog was thick and took a lot of squinting, but it almost looked like a large piece of land. She couldn't tell anymore if it was real or not.
"Jax." She tried to wake him, but he wouldn't move. The "island" came closer and more into focus. More determined than ever, Anna used the rest of her strength to push forward. She was so lethargic it hurt to blink. Every breath was a struggle. The air was getting thicker and harder to breath. Her hands shook vigorously as she brought the oar around one last time, and then gave in.
She looked up at the island and collapsed. It was over. She rolled onto her back, and stared into the thick icy fog one last time, and could've sworn she seen the old boat keeper looking back at her and snicker.