I'm not sure if this will be as good as I want it to be…and I've never written any for this category, but I have for Invader Zim and Percy Jackson and the Olympians….please review! If I don't get enough reviews, I probably won't update…..
It was dark, stormy, and the ocean was choppy and dangerous. It churned and slammed against the side of the ship. Waves crashed over the sides and spilled onto the deck. I stood at the front, trying to find land. If we could find somewhere to land, we could wait for the storm to pass. But I couldn't see anything through the pouring rain. Thunder roared and lightning flashed.
"Helen! Come inside! The storm is getting worse!" my father called me in. I'm only thirteen, have no mom, live in Colorado, and was on my way back from a trip to Italy. We were taking a boat to Maine, then a plane to Denver.
I looked once more at the crashing waves, and thought I saw a flash of light behind a little house further away with trees in the background, and a small figure running away from it. But then it was gone, and all I could see was rain, waves, and the endless ocean.
Only minutes after I fell asleep, I heard screams. People yelling at others, telling them to get off the ship. I jumped up and ran into my dad, who was just coming to get me. He grabbed my shoulders.
"The ship is sinking. Everyone is going to jump. Promise me when you hit the water, that you'll let the waves carry you. They'll lead you to safety." He said, unnaturally calm.
"They didn't lead mom to safety." I protested. He sighed, and I regretted mentioning my mom. There was an accident a few years ago, when I was five. Dad said we would never get on a boat after that, but then we did, and now it was going down.
"She wasn't chosen. But don't fight the ocean. The ocean will always win." He murmured as he hugged me, and then we ran to the deck.
People were running around like crazy. Jumping overboard, and diving into the unforgiving waters that were swallowing our ship. I looked once more at my dad, helping the others prepare to jump, before I leaped into the freezing water, and felt the waves tug at my clothes, dragging me away. I found it easier then it should've been to keep my head above the water. I looked back and saw only the top of the ship above the water, and small heads bobbing around. I didn't see my dad.
As the night continued on, and the storm slowly passed, I drifted further and further. The stars began to shine and reflect on the surface of the ocean, shimmering with power.
I began to wonder if I'd share my mom's fate. Would I drown like she did? What if I don't drown and a boat found me? Where would I live after that? Who would I go to? How long would I be out at sea?
Not much longer. A voice in my head said. I found myself replying to it.
"How do you know?" I asked out loud.
Because I've seen thousands of people get ship-wrecked out here, and I know where they wash up, and when. I help to guide them along the journey. The voice said.
"What journey?"
Drifting around in the middle of the ocean, heading to who-knows-where, and being all alone with a strange voice speaking to you in your head isn't journey-like enough for you? Hm. Most people think it's a journey to their deaths.
"Who are you?"
A totally awesome voice in your head.
"I mean what your name?"
I go by many names. Oh, so many names, yet I've been so forgotten I wonder why I still have a name. You would think after millennia's of years, they would just say "oh, you're too old for a name now! You will now be known as the guy with the face who is countless years old! Congratulations!"
"You're crazy." I said. Huh. I'm crazy. I'm talking to a voice in my head! What sane person does that?
I've been called worse.
"Like what?" I challenged. I hope wherever I wash up has a mental-house.
Words that I refuse to say, mainly because some don't have translations and others because it's just not right to repeat. Some foul words I'll tell you, though! The nerve of those people! Hehehe….it was actually kind of funny once. Some old man yelled once at me, 'you idiotic, brainless, knuckle-headed idiot who belongs in a house of idiots run by idiots, you idiot!'
"There's something wrong with you."
Whats wrong with me is it's taken them FOREVER to get me my dinner! Honestly, with all the work I do, you would think they could at least let me have a decent dinner quickly! I would've gotten better food at a fast-food place somewhere in whatever country I run across first….never cared much to memorize them anyway.
"Okay then, WHAT ARE YOU?" I must say, it felt nice to have someone to talk to.
I'm many things. I could be a hawk, a ram, tortoise, monkey, alpaca, cow, camel, eagle, mouse, cheetah, dog, cat, wolf, horse, fish-
"I get it!" I wondered how many animals he would've listed.
But I didn't finish. He pouted.
"All well."
You should rest. You will need rest for tomorrow. Relax now. Nothing bad will happen. Promise.
I found myself listening to the voice. It was soothing, in a weird way. Hyper and happy at some point, grumpy at others, and calm all at the same time. Though how I fell asleep that night, floating around aimlessly, I will never know.
I didn't wake up until I hit my head on something. My eyes shot open and I found myself staring into the nose of a horse that was so black, not even the sun could brighten it. I had hit my head on its hoof. I screamed. Its head shot up and scurried backwards and ran off, kicking up sand behind it.
"About time you showed up! I thought I would've been dead by the time you got here! Who are you, anyway?" this old man –CRAZY old man, I should say- waddled up to me with a wooden, hand-craved cane. I didn't say anything. I was always told 'don't talk to strangers'.
"I asked you a question, now answer me!" he demanded.
"I'm Helen." I said slowly.
"That's a nice name." He completely calmed down. "Im Frank. Or was it Fred? No….no, it was Frank. I'm sure now. Welcome to this nameless island! You like horses?"
"Yeah, I guess…" I said unsurely.
"Good! You get to help me take care of them. It's been a while sense I've seen other people. He sometimes comes down and talks for while, and shares with me some stories of the past. Back in the Golden Age. But it wasn't all made of gold….so why was it called the Golden Age?" he babbled.
"Uhh…I don't know." I pulled myself up into a sitting position, and then stood. I got a good look at Frank. He was wearing an old T-shirt that was and ripped, dirty jeans. His hair was gray and wild, and his eyes were a faded blue, almost grey.
"Come, you should change. It's not good to sit in a wet clothes." He sang cheerfully and turned around, walking away. He was the only sign of human life I could see, but I wasn't sure if I should follow him.
Ugh. Really, you people are so wimpy. Just follow him. It's all part of the journey. The voice said again. I trusted it, and ran forward toward Frank, but slowed when I came within four feet. If he tried to hurt me, I could surely hit him hard enough to retreat to the woods. He's an old man, why would he want to hurt me? Maybe I really am going crazy, or having some really weird dream. He led me into a small wooden hut and tossed me some old clothes.
"Not the best…but once you become a good enough horse-keeper, I'm sure they'll send you some good ones!" the old guy smiled and pointed over to what I think was a bathroom.
"You can change in there. While you do that, I'll go get the mares ready!" and with that, Frank left. I was tempted to wait a few minutes, then run out of here and into the ocean or the other side of this island and find actually sane human beings, but went into the what-I-think-is-a-bathroom and changed anyway. Dry clothes felt nice.
When I came back out, Frank was standing in between two horses, each one with a leather bridle and saddle on. The one on his right was small, but had a really long mane and tail, and was a brown and white pinto. She was pretty. The one on the left was a reddish mare with a white blaze going down her head. He handed me the reins of the pinto.
"This is Agapi, which means 'love' in Greek. She's one of Aphrodite's horses and no matter what this horse walks through, she never gets a speck of mud on her…I guess that's what happens when she belonged to the goddess of love and beauty…" he said.
"Aphrodite? Isn't she some myth?" I asked, taking the reigns.
"That's what I said! But they're real…they're out there…watching us…" his voice grew quieter and kinda creepy.
The other horse was named Louloúdi, meaning 'flower' in Greek. According to Frank, she was Persephone's horse. How long until this guy realizes that Greek gods don't exist?
But he showed me the whole little island. On horseback, it was a lot quicker then it would've been on foot. Toward the middle of the island, surrounded by woods, was a huge field with flowers of all colors and grass so green that people would've killed for it. And in the field, were hundreds of horses. Some were so jet black that they seemed like statues that were painted. Others where so white it was like they were dipped in bleach. There were so many different colors, and so many horses that you couldn't tell where one started and other ended. A few were chasing each other away from a patch of grass. The darkest black of the horses was chasing everyone away that close to the shadow it was in.
It took a while to realize that it was the one I saw when I washed up on the beach.
"All the gods have horses for their chariots. Even the swift-footed Hermes. He may prefer to run, but he has a horse, even if it's more for companionship and not for work. And a wonderful looking horse it is. Do you see the one over by the chestnut? The darker brown one?" I followed where Frank was pointing and saw the dark brown nipping at a small chestnut. The mane and tail were blonde, standing out against the darker brown of its body. The chestnut pinned its ears, bared its teeth, and chased the dark one away.
"Kleftis is his name. It means Thief. And a rightful name for him too! If you leave the door of the hut open, he sneaks in and eats the apples and almost anything else he can get his mouth on!" Frank exclaimed.
"Speaking of Hermes, that reminds me. Tomorrow he comes for a visit, and I'll have to make my choice. It's tomorrow that he brings Persephone back down to Hades for the winter, and he'll stop by. I either go with him to Hades, or I go back to the place I left years ago." he sighed, almost saddly.
"Greek gods don't exist." I told him, for the thirteenth time. I've been counting.
"They do. And you'll see that tomorrow, along with how to care for the horses, whose horse is whose and their names. Its hard work, but worth every backbreaking second." He said.
We were silent on the way back to the hut. Agapi was a smooth horse, so the ride back was comfortable. Getting off though was another story. I'm bad at riding horses. In fact, I don't even know how, nor did I really want to know. I like to look at horses, but the most I've ever ridden one was those little pony rides at fairs. So I can't really say I got off. I fell off instead. I could've sworn, the horse laughed at me! It made this little nickering noise!
I was too tired to eat when we got in. Frank pointed to a little room and said I could stay in there for the night. By the time I started to fall asleep, Frank was still up staring out at the sky. Following his gaze, it seemed like the moon was smiling.