Before I start, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my new friend Unicorn1980. I borrowed her material with her permission (rewritten of course) as she too is a great writer. I would suggest reading her original story called "Captain's Camp Fire Tale"
CHAPTER 6
The bar on the corner remained open late due to all the traffic of American sailors. A tall man wearing a navy blue coat and a white cap came strolling down the street accompanied with two sailors patched up with bandages from the earlier brawl in the alley.
"Now, when this man arrives, let me do the talking, understood?" the petty officer reminded.
"Understood sir!" both answered at once.
"At ease, let's go get a drink, my nerves need it" he shook his head in disgust.
They walked in the pub as a young man was bustling between the four tables of patrons while a middle aged woman ran the bar. The petty officer scanned the bar looking until a direct gaze drew his attention to the far corner booth. Allan, Lento, and Gaspar sat quietly staring at the door waiting for their guests. The petty officer walked directly to the booth and joined them.
"You're right on time… that's good!" Allan smiled wickedly. The petty officer sat down at the table with his two subordinates. The officer raised his hand to flag down the waiter as Caleb looked up and noticed the new three guests. "I should ask for my money back" Gaspar sneered. "Screw you!" one sailor spat. Gaspar jumped up and reached over to grab the sailor by his tunic but the other sailor pulled out a knife. Gaspar sat back down and laughed. "You think that will stop me?"
"I will…" the officer said quietly pulling out a gun.
"Enough of this stupidity!" Allan pulled Gaspar back. Caleb carefully approached the table sensing these men were dangerous. "Three mugs of ale…" Allan muttered not even regarding him. Caleb kept a straight face and quickly returned to the bar to get the ale.
"Mother, those are the men" Caleb whispered.
"Shhh… listen and speak only when spoken to" his mother instructed, only glancing out of the corner of her eye. She filled the mugs and sat them on the bar. Caleb brought them quickly to the table, "One moment…" a voice stopped Caleb dead in his tracks. Caleb turned around, "Yes sir" he answered steadily. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about Captain Chester would you?" Gaspar intimidated.
"No sir, other than he comes in sometimes" Caleb answered truthfully.
"Is that a fact?" Gaspar looked comical.
"I only bring the drinks and food sir, I don't fraternize with the patrons" he held his composure.
"You wouldn't be lying to me would you young man? Would you like to know what I do you young men like you who lie to me?" Gaspar eyed him wickedly.
"Not particularly sir...I'm just here to serve you food and drink, nothing more" Caleb replied stoically.
"Leave the boy alone, we got more important matters to discuss" Allan interjected waving Caleb off to his relief. Caleb had only seen Gaspar once before but couldn't quite make the connection and wisely decided to resume his duties.
"Sorry about my companion, he's a bit edgy" Allan laughed. The sailors with the petty officer sat silently drinking their ale watching closely.
"I got the information you wanted" the petty officer whispered.
"Ah, my kind of guy, direct and to the point" Allan acknowledged with a nod. Lento kept silently observing everything. The petty officer took out a manila envelope and slid it on the table to Allan.
"Where are the other two" Gaspar interrupted. The petty officer looked at him with a scowl.
"They were arrested by the police thanks to you" he retorted quickly as Gaspar took out his pocket knife staring at the blade while Allan opened the envelope reading the letter inside.
"Now you're positive that this information is correct" Allan asked suspiciously.
"Of course it is, we make it our business to know any vessel that sails in proximity of our ship and what direction is goes in" the petty officer said taking a huge gulp.
"It would be a pity if the information was incorrect" Gaspar continued stroking his knife blade.
"Don't make threats you can't keep Gaspar" the petty officer warned.
"He is right, Petty Officer Davis…but I don't think you would betray us" Allan whispered slipping him two hundred Belgian francs.
"Of course not" the petty officer replied a bit unnerved that Allan knew his real name yet happy to see currency coming his way.
"Good, because we would like to continue to use you; it's profitable for both of us" Allan raised his hand seeing their mugs were empty.
"Another round for us all… and a toast to profit" Allan said absently snatching Gaspar's knife away from him. Caleb nodded returning back promptly with another round.
Gaspar knew not to cross Allan because he had gotten him out of quite a few sticky situations in the past. Gaspar was well connected in the next most profitable illegal trade which made him a good asset in Allan's entourage.
"To profits" everyone else said raising their glasses each taking a huge gulp of ale.
"The more of these, the better the information will become" the petty officer smiled holding the bank notes firmly.
"Very well" Allan smiled with a satisfied grin. "The more relevant the information, the bigger your reward" he finished.
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Within an hour they arrived near the coast of England and Chester radioed the HM Customs to let them know of their approach. They were told to wait as there were a few other small vessels seeking to gain access to the port until they could come and inspect their ship. The winds had died down and the clouds had parted enough for them to see the sun setting just above the land. All four of them were out on the deck with fishing rods passing the time until their ship could be boarded for inspection and Chester stood quietly smoking peacefully waiting for a bite.
"Good thing we ate those biscuits earlier" Tintin shook his head.
"Si, I was very hungry too" Enzo nodded re-baiting his line.
Snowy sat eagerly by Tintin waiting for him to reel a fish in. Snowy trotted over to Haddock and Chester's bucket sniffing the contents licking his chops. Before anyone could say anything he reached with his long snout and stole a pollock out of the bucket and bolted to the other side of the ship.
"Snowy! Bad boy!" Haddock shouted.
Chester glanced back in the bucket at the only other fish they had caught for almost an hour which was a small cod. Tintin and Enzo laughed.
"I wouldn't laugh too hard, the two of you have yet to catch a fish" Chester pointed out.
Suddenly Haddock's fishing rod began to bend, "Whoa! I got another one!" Haddock boasted.
"Me too!" Chester sat his pipe down as they both began reeling with big smiles until they saw what they caught. "More pollock" Haddock said unhooking and tossing it into the bucket.
"I guess it's better than nothing" Chester sighed.
"You got that right" Tintin said a bit discouraged with not one catch.
"Patience, we'll catch some" Enzo waved his hand optimistically.
"It's been almost an hour and they've caught four between the two them, and us, not one," Tintin said with disappointment.
"We've been doing this for years!" Chester reminded Tintin.
"Too right you are, you acquire many skills sailing the seven seas" Haddock boasted proudly.
"Hopefully they'll come soon" Tintin commented looking across the harbor.
"You got to entice them lad!" Haddock laughed.
"I was talking about the HM Customs" Tintin corrected.
"My friend who works in customs usually works an evening shift, but I know most of the locals that work the coastlines" Chester replied re-baiting his hook.
"So all of your family is from England?" Tintin asked.
"Yes, but we are spread out all over" Chester nodded.
"Didn't you tell me your mom was from Scotland Captain?" Tintin remembered.
"Oh yes, she was indeed a Scottish lass and my father a Belgian seafarer like all the Haddocks were" Haddock replied.
Chester cast his line out again, "I suggest you guys focus on our meal so we can eat soon"
"Right!" Tintin said winding his reel to make sure he hadn't lost the bait off of his hook.
"I think I got one" Enzo said winding his reel slowly, then quickly and out popped another Pollock.
"We'll at least we got a score on the board now" Tintin smiled as Enzo began to take it off the hook tossing the eight inch fish into their empty bucket.
"It looks like baby pollock is what's on the menu at the moment" Tintin joked.
Haddock glanced at their bucket and his and Chester's, "We barely got enough for a snack" he griped. "You lads need to put your backs into it!" Haddock teased.
"Well done Enzo" Chester winked. Enzo smiled and sat quiet and content watching the waters patiently.
The scene was peaceful, sitting on the side of the boat in relaxation not thinking about anything but the present moment. These moments together with friends Tintin cherished. Almost twenty minutes went by they sat quietly focusing on catching their diner until everyone's rod began to bend, especially Enzo's.
"This may be it!" Chester's face lit up.
"What do you mean 'this may be it'? It is!" Haddock quickly reacted pulling his line in. "This one's feisty! Looky here!" Haddock proudly pulled out of the water almost an eighteen inch pollock.
"Na, mine's better and bigger" Chester said still reeling his in, "This one doesn't know when to quit!" Chester gritted his teeth receiving a slight jerk forward, but was finally able to pull it out of the water. He nodded in satisfaction holding it up to Haddock's fish. It too was pollock, but a couple inches shorter than Haddock's. "Still not bad" Chester snorted.
"Nice try, but not quite" Haddock grinned unhooking the wiggly fish.
Tintin continued reeling and maneuvering his fishing rod until with a bit more effort he pulled it out of the water. Tintin looked a little frustrated as it too was a pollock but only about ten inches. He sighed and started to unhook it. Haddock glanced at his fish but didn't make fun of it. Haddock wanted to make Tintin want to try hard, not frustrate him.
"Better luck next time Tintin" Haddock shrugged his shoulders yet feeling confident that he had bested his competitors, but then he realized Enzo was still struggling with his.
"Here, let me help" Tintin said looking just how bent Enzo's fishing rod was, "Great snakes! What do you got on there? A shark?" Tintin laughed.
Chester and Haddock watched them closely. With some careful reeling and tough pulling a minute later a huge pollock had to be careful reeled out of the water as it wriggled ferociously trying to break free.
"Crikey! I think that one bests Captain Chester's and Haddock's!" Tintin smiled happily.
"Billions of Blisterin' Blue Barnacles lad!" Haddock exclaimed. "By all that is holy!" Chester too felt humbled as they watched Tintin and Enzo carefully secure their big catch which was well over thirty inches long!
"I think Enzo caught the granddad of them all! Bravo Enzo!" Tintin praised.
"Thanks, I knew something would come my way eventually" he smiled modestly.
"That settles it, dinner is served Captains!" Tintin returned the boast.
"Well time to get the cleaning knives…" Chester disappeared momentarily.
"We'll cook the fish and show you that no one else knows how to prepare fish like we do" Haddock bragged.
"Hopefully not like the last time you prepared and cooked fish" Tintin reminded.
"Belay that chatter lad or I'll have you flogged" Haddock laughed dismissing his claim.
"Well I'll clean the small ones" Enzo volunteered.
Almost two hours went by as they cleaned, fileted, and cooked their catch. Enzo's catch weighed almost fifteen pounds. Chester had a small sack of potatoes in a bottom cupboard Tintin missed earlier while searching for food earlier, so they peeled, cut, and fried some chips too. By the time they had fileted and fried their fish with olive oil, which Enzo had brought a lot of from home, they were all feeling quite famished. Chester and Haddock bustled about frying their dinner. Tintin was afraid that Haddock would ruin it at first, but to his surprise it began to feel like they were out eating. Chester and Haddock argued a little about how long to fry the filets, but Tintin realized cooking and being hungry made that task just that much more difficult. Once or twice Haddock threw Snowy a small piece of fish and Snowy jumped catching each one in his mouth each time. Tintin and Enzo sat eagerly at the table when finally Haddock and Chester brought the abundant amount of fish and chips to the table. By this time nightfall had already come, the skies had cleared, and the waters had calmed a lot. Snowy wagged his tail following the captains around whining for more filets as they were ready to sit down. The smell of the fried fish and potatoes wafted over making even hungrier. For the finishing touches, Chester pulled out a bottle of champagne and uncorked it.
"No champagne for me" Tintin waved. "You got to, it's a rule, if the captains cook for you, then you at least owe us a toast" Chester said filling a small glass of bubbling champagne for everyone. "He's right lad" Haddock agreed. Tintin glanced at him still amazed at no matter how much whiskey or champagne either of the captains consumed, they were always able to keep a bit of coherent wit about them.
"You're going to still try to turn me into an alcoholic yet" Tintin declared.
"Na, you just need to loosen up a bit landlubber" Haddock smiled.
"He's right, a little bit is good for you!" Chester agreed. Enzo wasn't shy about getting his share.
"See Tintin, Enzo isn't afraid of a drink" Haddock pointed out.
Tintin graciously threw Snowy a filet as Captain Haddock and Chester finally sat down. "A toast to our safe arrival in England" Enzo smiled.
"We aren't there yet, but will be shortly" Chester replied spotting a light coming toward them from the coastal direction.
"A toast to our big catch" Tintin pointed to Enzo.
"A toast to some relaxation once we get ashore" Chester replied.
Haddock hesitated unable to think of anything to toast to for a moment. The rest of his companions were silent and then his face lit up. "A toast to the church of malt liquor" he shouted comically as everyone else laughed.
"You'll never do Captain" Tintin teased at his crazy comment, and then they feasted which to Tintin's surprise tasted really good.
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A moonless night was over Marlinspike Hall and all was calm. The windows had been replaced, again. Professor Calculus, Nestor, Thomson, and Thompson congregated in the dining hall each with a bowl of vegetable soup and a hot cup of tea at the long table where many banquets took place. Professor Calculus sat on the left side of the seat at the end of the table, while Captain Haddock's seat at the end was where the "Lord" of the manor sat, as Tintin would jest. To the right another empty chair. This was where Calculus knew the Lord's prince sat. Professor Calculus knew Tintin meant the world to Haddock. When they travelled to South America, Calculus pretended to be clueless, but could see he was disheartened without Tintin around. The moment Tintin appeared he saw a fire light back up in Haddock's eyes:
"Tintin where in Heaven's name have you sprung from?" Haddock asked Tintin with much surprise and delight. Calculus stood there watching as if some drama was unfolding before him. "Well…I've come straight from Marlinspike, you don't look very pleased to see me" Tintin laughed. "Why didn't you stay there silly fellow?" Haddock was elated inside to see Tintin but yet more concerned for his safety "Let's say I was missing you… Captain…" Tintin said mysteriously.
Calculus couldn't see Tintin's face, but he saw the Captain's as his bright blue eyes began to brim with tears of joy and a smile that only Tintin could elicit from him, but the Captain was more concerned for Tintin's safety than his own. The captain didn't openly voice how he truly felt, but his eyes said everything that could be said, and Calculus saw it. It was that day when the Professor knew that something much deeper than any bond could be existed between the two of them, but never spoke anything about it. The Professor couldn't help but to feel just a little jealous of Haddock and Tintin's relationship for he had dedicated his entire life to science and research. The ladies he dated during his younger years were just as eccentric as he was which never really led to anything lasting. The only other interesting thing Calculus remembered was during the whole fiasco with Castafiore, her emerald, and the kiss she gave him before she departed. Professor Calculus has sent Madame Castafiore bouquets of the Bianca roses he created. After hearing part of Thompson and Thomson's story Professor Calculus sank into his mind remembering events. He was used to being alone, but knowing that Haddock and Tintin were in danger really made it difficult for him to focus for too long on anything.
"Professor?" Thompson waved. "Professor! Are you ok?" Thomson asked trying to redirect the Professor's attention.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm having trouble focusing on anything right now" Calculus admitted as he straightened his lab coat as he was busy in his lab trying to conduct research for a colleague when both Thompson and Thomson arrived earlier. "Clueless Calculus" was one name that Tintin and even Captain Haddock would say teasing him, but Calculus just let them have their fun for it was partly true. Calculus liked being underestimated because it allowed him more element of surprise.
"Why didn't you two inform us sooner of what was going on?" Calculus snapped back to the present. Nestor glanced at Calculus and knew when he became emotional his rationality would somehow disappear momentarily.
"We aren't at liberty to divulge all of the information we receive" Thompson explained.
"Precisely" Thomson agreed as he took a couple spoons full of soup.
"Nestor this soup is superb!" Thompson complemented.
"Why, thank you sir" Nestor smiled.
"So what exactly is this 'All-Seeing-Eye' cult about?" Calculus remained calm trying to finish his soup. Both Thompson and Thomson were wearing grey suits with grey bowlers rather than their usual black.
"It's a rather bizarre cult riddled with demon worship and aliens" Thomson began.
"It would seem that for some reason they have taken in interest in Tintin to be precise" Thompson added.
"All of this makes no sense gentlemen" Nestor interjected.
"…but it will, because Dr. Mueller escaped, and according to intelligence, he has aligned himself with this cult like group" Thomson continued.
"Well I've never been a man to truly affiliate myself with any religion and don't judge others based on their belief, but that is strange that Dr. Mueller would align himself with such a group," Calculus stated.
"This group gets more bizarre with the more information we receive" Thomson continued.
"Rituals, some including animal sacrifice and other suspicions human as well" Thompson replied grimly.
"My word! Let's not speak of such things" Calculus exclaimed. Nestor was a bit unnerved by the comment but didn't show it.
"I don't understand folks these days. That is why I enjoy the peace and quiet here out of the way of other people's affairs" Calculus reiterated.
"So according to registry records, the Sirius is ported in Glasgow" Thompson went on. "That was its last delivery" Thomson clarified.
"Perhaps we will get a telegram just as Master Haddock wrote in his letter" Nestor concluded logically. Thompson, Thomson, and Professor Calculus just kept seemingly talking themselves in circles. Nestor sat quietly for ten minutes listening after he finished his tea then began collecting the empty bowls to return them to the kitchen. When he returned back to the dining hall they were still debating all of the possible places Captain Chester could be as the hour approached almost eleven O'clock as the chimes in different locations in the manor began to chime.
"The mail should be running tomorrow if you don't mind me saying, it may be better to wait until we get a more definite location" Nestor suggested.
"That may be the best idea in the end" Thompson agreed.
"Indeed Thompson" Thomson too agreed.
"I must be up early gentlemen. I will notify both of you if we do receive a call from them. I have a couple of gadgets I simply must give to Tintin and the Captain that I should finish within a day or two" Calculus concluded.
"Fascinating" both Thompson and Thomson replied.
"Well good night professor" they both again in unison replied.
"Good night to you too gentlemen, and notify me too if you hear anything" Calculus reminded. Nestor escorted them to the door. As Nestor watched both of the detectives drive off, Nestor couldn't help but feel concerned for Haddock and Tintin after hearing all of this insanity he thought; however, Haddock and Tintin had dealt with many perilous situations in the past and come out unscathed. It had been awhile since they had an adventure like ones in the past. A couple of minor adventures and dramas had taken place over the years which still proved interesting.
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After a wonderful meal the travelers felt much better. The HM Customs finally showed up and finished the few left overs and were quite thankful. Tintin could not believe just how well connected Captain Chester was with his country folk. When they first arrived they were quite reserved, but within a few minutes of conversing with Chester, they were all laughing and sharing food and drink. Tintin noted on how relaxed they were with their ship inspection and Snowy remained hidden down in the storage area.
"Make sure you give my regards to your sister" one of the coastal guards reminded.
"I will indeed" Chester laughed. "Thanks for sharing that tasty meal and the whisky" another thanked as the three HM Custom Guards returned to their small ship.
"If you see Mr. Schnider arrive please notify my sister, I do believe INTERPOL has a warrant out for him" Chester reminded.
"Don't worry, we will be consulting with our sources and detain him if he does" the third one spoke being the more serious out of the three.
"So are we making port tonight?" Tintin asked.
"We may as well spend the night here and port in the morning as the hour is late" Chester replied.
"Well then I'm going to go get Snowy" Tintin disappeared momentarily to bring Snowy back on the deck.
"You and Enzo get dish duty!" Haddock commented when Tintn returned.
"Fair enough" Tintin nodded.
"Since we got to enjoy a nice meal it's only fair" Enzo agreed.
After thirty minutes of returning the eating area to its prior state, they sat outside to admire the starry night. Tintin had a small look of concern in his eyes as they continued to sit quietly watching the HM Customs make their rounds from afar. Captain Haddock never truly seemed to miss a beat, "What's on your mind lad?" Haddock sat across from him at the nose end of the ship.
"Just wondering how the professor and Nestor are faring" he answered truthfully.
"I'm sure they are fine" Haddock seemed convinced.
"Why don't you send them a telegram tomorrow" Chester suggested. Tintin nodded in agreement.
"So who's going to share a sea tale tonight?" Enzo asked as he knew Chester had plenty to share.
"Why don't we let Haddock share one of his tales" Chester winked.
"That's a swell idea! Captain tell them about 'The Lady Polly'" Tintin's face lit up instantly.
Captain Chester gave Tintin and Haddock a confused look. "Na…" Haddock smiled.
"A lady?" Chester cocked an eyebrow.
"No, it was a strange tale I told Tintin, Calculus, and Nestor a couple Halloweens ago… about an abandoned ship named 'The Lady Polly'" Haddock corrected.
"Oh…" Chester nodded, "This should be interesting" Chester smiled.
"Yes tell us please!" Enzo got comfortable as the ship rocked only slightly.
"Alright!" Haddock grinned repositioning himself lighting his pipe. Chester, Tintin, and Enzo intently listened. Snowy lied next to Tintin.
"This happened actually about twelve years ago actually when I was captain of the Karaboudjan. The Lady Polly was a grand passenger ship that had set off from Norway on her way back to England but never reached her destination" Haddock's face became animated. Chester lit his pipe trying to remember if he too had heard any such story while he sailed, but continued to listen. Enzo's eyes widened as Tintin just loved to watch how the alcohol seemed to turn him into a book of fascinating tales full of sound and fury.
"We sailed those Norwegian waters, and I daresay on some nights when the skies were overcast, if it weren't for the lights of our ship it would be so pitch black you couldn't even see past the tip of your nose" Haddock paused. "Without the ships lights you can't tell which is the sea or the sky. It's foggy, dark and cold. This is the kind of cold that once it sets into your bones you'll be needin' more than a bonfire to ward it off. The last thing you'd want to happen is a power failure; no way to move, no way to see, and no way to radio an SOS. That recipe for disaster is exactly what happened to the Karaboudjan!" the captain paused again as the only sound they could hear was the lapping of the calm waters on the side of the Shooting Star. Haddock and Chester's pipes brightened as they both took a puff, and a bit of dying ash flew into the air as if the story were coming to life.
Tintin and Enzo were both sitting around the captain like children full of wonder despite Tintin already having heard this tale before. Captain Chester was nodding with everything Captain Haddock said remembering a similar incident on the Sirius. "Go on…" Enzo prompted eager for him to continue.
"It started with the radio, we could hear lots of static but voices as well, then the lights began to flicker, and suddenly we were dead in the water. I shouted for my shipmates in earshot of me to light a torch and get the engine back up and running. It was an awkward situation feeling your way around even though you've walked the ship a million times, it's a lot different when there are no lights…" he paused reaching into his jacket for the last of the bottle of champagne taking a big swig.
"Oi! pass it around, some of us are thirsty too!" Chester interrupted. Haddock passed the bottle to Chester who finished off the bit that was left.
"I'll never forget that evil night… my biggest worry was that you don't know what's out there, could be rocks, an iceberg, or another ship! When we finally managed to get power back, out of the fog another ship was heading right our way. I panicked sounding the bell, screaming out orders to my crew as they all scrambled to try to get the ship out of the way; but it was too late. What seemed like a ram was nothing more than a mere bump, and no damage was done to my ship—and you know why?" Haddock stopped so his audience would take a breath.
"She was dead in the water…" Chester chimed in.
"Exactly!" Haddock pointed. "Only another captain would know the answer to that" Haddock nodded with a enthusiastic smile.
"It was the Lady Polly…the steel screeched like a banshee as she scraped by us… no power or lights on board as it just drifted by us. As it was our duty to board a dead ship to make sure there were no live souls trapped on board. We took torches and other provisions, me and five members of my crew. Dirt and dust lie thick on the deck of the ship. The ship's dining hall was the first place we investigated. Plates and eating utensils lie undisturbed. Then we investigated open quarters where we found personal articles, suitcases, and other items simply left untouched as if everyone had simply vanished into thin air. We thought maybe there was a disease and people died, or a rogue ship had boarded to rob them, but nothing valuable had been taken. We were at a loss for what really happened. So we went to the captain's log on the bridge and that was where our worst fears were confirmed" he stopped again so everyone would breathe.
"The captain of that ship's last log was in 1906, more than thirty years before we discovered the ship. The handwriting was shaky as he wrote how passengers were disappearing one and then two at a time each day. People were frightened and so were he and all of his shipmates. Part of the log he wrote how he truly believed that something evil lurked among them on the ship. Who would be next was the only question he had on his mind as storm after storm blew them off course keeping them out at sea. Crew members become mutinous as passengers became hysterical and before they knew it the ship was in total chaos until the last log of the captain was written. He wrote that all that was left were he, his first mate, and two now orphaned young children who clung to him of nine and ten. We are holed up on the bridge. Something evil is definitely on this ship. As a captain it is my duty to protect my crew and passengers—may God be with those who read this…" Haddock stopped again.
"As we continued to investigate other areas of the ship such as the engine room we could hear movement from other parts of the ship as if something was dragging on the floor. Terrified as we all were, we went to investigate thinking someone was still living who was responsible for the disappearances. When we thought we got to the source of the noise we only saw our own footprints in the heavy dust of the ghost ship. It seemed we were going in circles. Then we heard mournful music and clanging noises, it was at that moment I told my shipmates we make back to the deck as quickly as possible and return to our vessel. I could hear hissing sounds as if a voice were whispering in the air or from the depths of Davy Jones Locker. Our ship's power seemed to be draining. Things started falling over as if to impeding our swift pace, maybe the ship didn't want to give up fresh blood!" Haddock's face looked ghastly as Enzo and even Tintin could feel the hair on their neck standing on end. Chester seemed fascinated but didn't seem to completely believe the tale.
"We ran and climbed stairs and ladders until we finally made it to the deck we were almost home free when we could hear some unearthly growling. I never thought it was possible for one to move so fast, but we ran for our life boat and almost nearly all jumped in as we climbed down to our boat and suddenly…." Haddock turned away. "GRRRRAAARRR!" He growled loudly quickly grabbing Enzo and Tintin by their shirt getting a scream out of both of them.
"Har har har!" Haddock and Chester laughed hysterically as Tintin cursed himself for not being prepared for the punch line of the story and Enzo was still quite unnerved hoping that none of it was true. "So did you really encounter such a ship" Chester finally asked.
"Aye! That we did, but it doesn't mean it wasn't any less scary" Haddock nodded seriously. "Well I'm going to catch some shut eye so we can shove off early tomorrow. Night mates and watch for any 'ghost ships'" Chester laughed and yawned. "Wait, I'm coming too" Enzo said running after Chester back to their cabin.
Tintin and Haddock were left alone, "I got you again landlubber" Haddock laughed as they both stood taking another view of the starry sky as a meteorite went zipping briefly leaving a streak in its wake. Haddock stepped closer behind Tintin, and wrapped his arms around him as they both continued to watch the sky. Tintin put his hands over Haddock's as he could feel his neck being tickled with Haddock's bristly beard. "These nights I live for lad" Haddock whispered in his ear. "Then let us live" Tintin whispered back. Tintin closed his eyes as Haddock kissed the nape of his neck gently. The rest of the night was silent with the faded lights of the shore and distant ships and the quiet lapping of the water against the Shooting Star.