Dolphin Rider

A tale of fantasy. By Jeremy Eichholz

Where the water is deep, and blue, where dolphins live, in secret

1

In water deep and blue, where merpeople once flew, lived a girl. Her name was Elgiva, which means, "Elf Gift". She had a tall, fair figure. Her golden hair fell in waves of gold down to her waist. She was tanned, from years in the sun. Her fingernails were long, and painted blue. Her white skirt went down to her ankles. A blue girdle was wrapped around her waist. Around her neck, she wore a golden chain. Attached to this, in the form of a fairy, was attached a ruby stone. It was her most treasured item. She walked majestically, with no fear of the land under the sea.

Her only friends were the dolphins, and the fish. She could talk to her friends, and understand them. She was young. Only of fourteen years. Yet in her seclusion, she was not lonely. Her best friend, Eloiny, which means "precious", kept her constant company.

She lived in a small cave. It had been carefully carved by the hand of Mother Nature, and was perfect. It had a small stream running in the back of it that provided fresh water. It was so crystal clear, she could see the shells and a strange, steel long thing.

It looked almost like a cross, with one end shiny, and with strange marks on it, with the other end blocked by a small cross piece. Beyond the crosspiece, it was wound with some kind of cord, and ended in a smooth, red ball. The longer part of it reflected light and made the shadows dance. Time and time again, she had tried to bring it up out of the water, yet it was so deep, she could not reach it.

She had a dozen small shelves carved inside the cave, and on them, were a large collection of different colored stones, shells, and driftwood.

She had a small fire going at the moment, cooking some fruit from her garden. She never ate meat, as all of her friends were animals. At that second, a high-pitched whistle sounded, announcing the arrival of Eloiny, the dolphin. He was not alone however, and a group of others came splashing along with him. Elgiva clapped her hands and ran towards them. She wrapped her hands around Eloiny and said, "I am so glad you are here."

Eloiny was a smaller dolphin, but blue, and the fastest one in the sea around her. He was so smart, that sometimes, she had wondered if he was part human. She finally let him go, and Eloiny rolled over, signaling that he wanted his belly rubbed. Elgiva sighed, the started rubbing him. She loved him so much, she would do anything for him, and Eloiny knew it. But she also knew that Eloiny would do anything for her as well. For these reasons, and other reasons, they had developed a strong bond together, and were rarely seen without each other.

Eloiny whistled, and then stared into Elgiva's eyes. Then he sprayed water into her face, and ducked away as a handful of sand went flying over head. Elgiva, soaking wet, threw herself in the water, and swam over to tussle with Eloiny.

When the happy time was over, she swam out to a small sandbar, and sat down. This was her favorite place in the world. She could lie down there, and watch the clouds come by. This time, as she dried herself off, with her clothes spread out to dry, she wondered about what was beyond the horizon. She was just beginning to get warm, when Eloiny whistled one long time. It was time for him to go home. Elgiva turned around and said, "Goodbye Eloiny! Come again tomorrow!" She gave him a big hug, then, resumed her rest.

A few hours later, she put on her dried out clothes, and made some supper for herself. A few apples, grapes, and some other fruits and vegetables finished the meal, and she then laid down to sleep.

That night she dreamed. She saw the world created. It started as a dot in time. But it steadily grew, larger and larger, until the dot had grown into the world. Then a man appeared. He was tall. He wore a heavy white cloak, and carried a wooden staff. His head was covered by a hood, and his eyes were brown, and solemn. His manner was light, however, and his face radiated joy. Then he started to chant, and plants and trees appeared. Then rivers and streams, and lakes, and finally, even the great waters, of which there were four. Waterfalls appeared, and canyons. Birds flew in the air, and fish swarmed in the sea. And then all was silent. The man took a small chest, opened, it, and started to chant. From it came all magical creatures, small, big, flesh eaters, and plant eaters. And then, silence once again reigned. The man said something, and a man stepped forward, then a dwarf, then an elf, then five wizards of every race stepped forward, and they were each given dominion over part of the world, which the creator then named, Benyat. Then, summoning all his power, he brought to life a man. He was tall. He was dressed in pure white robes. He had an iron staff, which he held loosely. Then the magician said, "I am Fraishyif. I created you, and I command you to take control over this great world I have created while I am gone. I will be back." The man nodded, and the magician disappeared. The man took control of the world, and made it a dark place. Orcs and all manner of evil things came to be through his evil doings. And so the whole world hated him. To keep them from uniting against him, he divided them up into clans, and sent each one to live separate from each other. Then he planted thoughts about the other clans in each of the clan's leaders, and they all warred against each other. Thus the man was absolute ruler, until one day, Fraishyif came back, and the man had him killed. But that very night, he rose again, and smote the evil man down. And all the people rejoiced. But Fraishyif said to them, "You do not deserve a ruler. I will leave again, but I will return. Meanwhile, you may fight your wars, and kill each other." And he left in the same manner of before, leaving all people dismayed. Then the scene changed, and he was with a woman. And she became pregnant, and conceived, and gave birth to a girl. She was sent away with a stranger, and the stranger betrayed them, and left her on an island. And she looked exactly like her. Then, in his wrath, Fraishyif forged a sword, and he threw it to the island the babe was on. And it stayed there, to ever keep her safe. Then the dream ended.

She had had the dream before, yet she did not know what it meant, and she always woke up frightened. That night was no exception, and she woke up covered in sweat. Slowly, she laid her head back down, and gradually, fell asleep.

At the same time, young Oona was asleep in a canoe. He was thirteen years, and had dark brown hair. His green eyes were closed at the moment, but were usually searching, taking in everything. He was tall, and wore a brown cloak. Inside it was a hunting knife he owned. The canoe belonged to his father, a fisherman. Oona had been kicked out of the house in one of his father's drunken rages, and he laid down to sleep in the canoe. Yet unknown to him, the canoe was not properly ties, and had started drifting almost immediately. Yet still, Oona slept on, unaware he was drifting out to sea, without a sail, or paddles.

Elgiva woke again in the morning, and began to prepare for her day. She picked some strawberries, and mixed them with other fruits, and created a type of fruit salad. As she ate, she wondered over her dream she had had last night, and pondered on it to find the meaning. When she finished, she put bowl away, and washed up for the day. She went outside to check on her garden, and take out any weeds that might find a place to grow inside it. She noticed a large clump of weeds, and was just starting to pull them up, when she heard the whistle of Eloiny.

Dropping the flowers she had picked, she ran down to the beach, and wrapping her arms around Eloiny, said, "I'm so glad you came early! I was just weeding my garden when you whistled for me. Eloiny nudge Elgiva gently, and swam away, back to his home. Elgiva, sorry he had to go, but knowing it was necessary, left to return to her gardening. When she had finished, she dumped the weeds in a pile of them that she had made, she went inside her cave to prepare a snack before she went out for a swim. When she was about done, a bird flew through the window. He had bright blue plumage, and his beak was black. He had a small orange triangle under his chin. Elgiva held out her hand, and the bird landed on one of her fingers. Elgiva, trembling with joy, almost shook the bird off. However, she restrained herself, and started to sing. Her voice carried, like the breeze, and so beautiful was it, that some would say it was the voice of an angel. The bird, singing along with her, sounded almost ugly in comparison, but Elgiva enjoyed the time, and almost unwillingly, let the bird go.

Elgiva went out doors, and started to dance in the small forest on the island. When she stopped to rest, she mad a wreath of flowers for her hair, and then slept fitfully for about an hour.

When she woke, she hurried to the beach, and waited for Eloiny to swim over to her, knowing he would. After waiting a few minutes, she called his name, but still, he didn't appear. By this time, Elgiva began to get worried, and she quickly jumped into the ocean, and without a thought for her own safety, swam to Eloiny's home on the reef. She had never swum out this far, and by the time she reached half way, grabbed onto a rock to rest. Seeing that her clothes were slowing her down, she took them of, and laid them on top of the rock. Then she lowered herself back into the water, and continued her swim. She was out of breath and worried even more then before. She was surprised that Eloiny had not come to her, and very sad. She was worried that he was in some trouble. When she got her breath again, she dove down, to his cave, to find him. She was almost down to the cave, when the need for air became too great. She swam upward, trying to regain the surface. She wasn't getting enough air, and she had to make it up soon. She was breathing out air now, and then, after a last desperate kick, fell unconscious.

Oona woke up to the blue sky, and an endless ocean. As he gazed around, panic took hold of him. Where was he? What was he doing out here? Listening for the answers for the questions he knew wouldn't come, he had a terrible thought. His own father. When he got back, his father would beat him so terribly, that he might kill him.

There was no choice but to continue. Besides, he didn't have a paddle, or sail. He managed to stab some fish with a spear made from the fishing net. He had taken off the net, but kept the pole, and tied his knife onto one end. Now that he had them, he didn't know how he could cook them.

After looking around for a bit, he found that he had no way to make a fire. So he decided that raw fish was better then none, and began to gut it. When he was done with flaying the fish, he threw the entrails overboard, and watched as the stream of red went straight down. He started to eat a bit gingerly, but once he had had his first bite, having awakened his appetite, tucked into it.

He was about halfway through, when he saw something in the water. "It's shadows." He said to no one. "Only shadows." But he looked up in the sky, and saw there were no birds. Then the awful realization struck him, that there was no land anywhere near him.

That's when he also noticed the shadows were moving in a circle around his boat. Then a dorsal fin broke the surface. He should have known better then to throw a bloody mess from the boat. He jumped into the middle of the boat, and stayed there, not moving a muscle. A single thought flashed through his mind again and again. Sharks!

Elgiva woke up screaming. Her chest felt like it was on fire. All she could remember was the terrible sensation of being underwater, and not being able to come back up again. Her screams broke off as Eloiny's face came into her vision. He had brought her to the shore, and nudged her up until she was safely on it. Eloiny's whistle sounded concerned, and Elgiva knew exactly what he was saying. But how? Before, she had just been able to guess at his whistles and grunts. She marveled at this, and then laid back down, and started crying from the extreme pain. She lay there the whole day, wondering and repeating, "Eloiny, where were you?" Finally, her sore body let her sleep.

She didn't wake up until the next day, when the sun is highest. She started to get up, then, was reminded from the pains in her chest. She couldn't move at all. She started to cry, she was alone, she couldn't move, and she was hungry. Eloiny swam into view, and nudged her gently. Elgiva screamed in pain, and said to Eloiny in gasping breaths, "Please! Don't touch me!" But when she said it, it didn't seem like she was talking normally. She talked in whistles and grunts, and, finding this out, fainted from fear. She lay there all day, her skin was red, and she was covered with blisters. But Eloiny never left her. He continually sprayed her with water to keep her cool. It wasn't doing much good, and it stung greatly when it hit her, but Elgiva knew it was helping, and she didn't complain. When night fell, the coolness fell over her, and she dozed, just barely.

She woke up from her doze with extreme pain, and knew she had to drag herself back to the cave. It was either that, or die. And so naked, hungry, and starving, she crawled painfully to the cave, and there, collapsed.

A raven flew out of a tree. He sensed that the life of the human would soon be over. He hopped on the ground, close to Elgiva, and stared at her. He took a few more hops, and took a careful peck at her skin. Elgiva screamed with pain, and so startled the magpie, he flew away so quickly, it was as if a ghost was after her.

And so Elgiva laid, hurt, almost to death, naked, and starving. Her mouth felt like sand, and she knew death was coming soon.

Eloiny watched from the beach with despair as the magpie pecked her. He was startled by her scream, and wondered how she could still be alive.

It was then that he saw the ship. A great wooden hull filled with men. On the near side, it said, "Fair Maiden". For that was the ships name. Eloiny had never seen anything like it, and quickly hid, still keeping watch over Elgiva.

The men were shouting orders, and obeying them, and soon, a gangplank was lowered. A man, who seemed to be in charge, came down with a band of men. He was short, wore a strange shiny think on his head and chest, and had pale skin. He carried a strange sharp thing in a kind of belt. He quickly said to the men around him, "Spread out! Discover all the resources we can. We must have them to survive till we get back to Bainzitain." The men nodded, and spread out in all directions.

Eloiny knew it would only be a short time until she found Elgiva, and he was right. Soon, a shout rang out, "Come here! A girl! And she's almost dead!" The men came running.

One of them, a doctor, said, "We can't move her, or she will die. If we can dig a hole underneath her, and slide in a stretcher while we dig, we should be able to move her, though she will be in great pain." The men agreed, and began the work. Elgiva began screaming the second the dirt was moved from under her.

A gag was shoved into her mouth gently, to make sure it didn't hurt her, and she was finally put on the stretcher. After sufficient supplies had been taken aboard, the "Fair Maiden" sailed north. Eloiny, in her wake.

2

Oona was afraid. He had never encountered sharks before, but he knew from stories the men told around the campfires, they were bloodthirsty monsters who would kill just for the fun of killing. He took his makeshift spear, and brandished it, all the while knowing what a pitiful excuse for a weapon it was. When before, the sky seemed bright and blue, it now seemed a dark and cloudy void. The sharks, their fins in the air, started to move in. Oona braced himself for the attack. He saw to his right, a dorsal fin that was larger then the rest. It was completely black, while the rest were grey. It seemed that the large shark was closer then the rest.

Without warning, the shark whirled around and charged straight towards the boat. Oona, all thoughts of his weapons lost, flung himself over the side as the boat broke into splinters. The shark swam around the wreckage, his eyes with a murderous gleam. Oona, gathering himself, grabbed his spear from the wreckage, and pointed it towards the shark. Oona knew he was going to die.

The shark suddenly started to writhe and splash. Oona, wondering, noticed a spear in its head. It wasn't his own, because he still held it. Then, realizing his chance, he flung his own spear into the leathery hide. He swam away just in time to prevent himself being pushed into the eating fray in which the other sharks, smelling the blood from the black one, were tearing into him with fury.

Oona looked behind his to see his rescuer. There was no one there. He looked back towards the sharks, and saw a mermaid in front of him watching. She was beautiful. Her pale skin and golden hair matched her hazel eyes perfectly. The lower half of her was covered in blue scales. Oona, who had never even heard of a mermaid, was at a loss for words. The mermaid turned around with a serious expression on her face, "My name is Alysia. I saw that shark about to tear you to pieces. His name is Tor, which means "Terrible One". You were very lucky today." Oona, holding onto a piece of wood from the boat, couldn't say a word. Alysia started and said, "Quick! Follow me!" She handed Oona a shell, and dove into the water.

Oona, not sure what to do, looked at the shell. It was a large one, and covered in strange symbols. He was very confused. Where did that strange creature go? How could he follow her? He was still thinking these things when Alysia swam back up to the surface, and almost fearfully said, "Quickly! Follow me! Put the shell over your mouth and follow me!" Oona, still surprised, did what she said, and as she dove back into the water, put the shell over his mouth. He dove into the water, and at first held his breath. Finally realizing that he needed air, he started to swim upwards, back towards the surface. He was almost to the surface, when his lungs burst. He took in a deep breath, and discovered he could breathe! He realized that the shell must have something to do with it. And so, catching his breath, he swam back down with the shell over his mouth.

Elgiva was afraid. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know what the large thing that had carried her away from her island paradise was. She knew only that she was alone. She was taken away from what she loved and knew, into something she did not. She was aware of the swaying underneath her, and it made her sick. She was also aware of quiet voices, but she didn't know what to make of them. She had never before heard any type of speech except the sounds that her animal friends made. Oh how she missed them. She missed the beautiful sun, and the cool breezes that blew there. Her home and all her friends. She wanted to get up and go after them, but she knew she could not. She did not know the things of which she was surrounded by. She knew they were cold, and hard. Forgetting all her burns and wounds, she tried to get up, but fell again screaming in extreme agony. Three shadows bent over her, speaking in hushed tones. Yet she did not notice in her pain. Then something cool and soft was laid over her, and her burns were soothed. She stopped screaming, and finally went into a deep sleep.

Oona swam silently through a different world then he had ever been in before. Fish swam together, and the ocean floor was covered in green plants and coral. Flashes of blue, green, and many other colors flashed about as they followed the scales of the fish they were on. Entranced by the beauty of it, he did not notice Alysia beckon to him to come faster. Finally, she grabbed his arm, and jerking it, started to swim faster. Oona tried to pull back to take all of the scenery in. Alysia pulled harder, and said angrily, "Do you want to live, or not!" Oona, surprised she could speak under water, looked back, and saw a large dark shadow. As he took a closer look, he noticed it had teeth. That was all he needed to know. He took off swimming as hard as he could with Alysia right in front of him. The shadow was now close enough to be defined, looked like a huge serpent. Its head was grotesquely shaped, with horns jutting out on all sides. Its teeth were as long as swords, and razor sharp. The rest of its body was green, and on the end of its tail, a poison barb swished around.

Oona looked back, and frantically started to swim. They were swimming past a coral reef, when Alysia disappeared down a large hole inside it. Oona followed, just narrowly missing the snapping jaws of the serpent. Inside the hole,

He emerged into a small corridor, shaped in a circle. He looked to his right, and saw another corridor branch off. He looked to his left, screamed. There was a statue of the serpent they had just been chased by that was so realistic, he had thought it real. Alysia, impatient, said, "C'mon, we are almost there." Oona, finally thinking that he might be able to speak in the water because of the shell said, "That's good." Surprised that he could talk, followed Alysia down the corridor.

Shasta was the captain's cabin boy. He was fifteen, and was tall. His hair was dark, and his eyes were brown. His clothes consisted of rags and a belt with a small pouch in it. In there, he kept all his belongings. He had many friends in the ships crew, and he knew that if he needed any help, all he had to do was ask. Yet he was hard working, and he never took advantage of his friends. At the moment, he was polishing the gun cabinet, while the captain navigated their course. He was almost done with his job, when he realized that the captain was sleeping. He quietly finished his job, and walked over to the captain, intending to play a prank on him. He was about to blot the navigation pages with ink, when his eye caught something that was flashing in the sunlight. It was about the size of his fist, and sparkling green. It was like an odd shaped diamond, its top having less height then the bottom. In that instant, he knew what it was.

He silently woke the captain. The captain woke up angrily, and said, "Don't ever wake me up again young man!" Shasta smiled and said, "I just thought that you wouldn't want the whole ship to see that large emerald you got there in your pocket." The captain looked up wildly. "Does anyone else know about this?" Shasta, afraid of the captain, said, "N...n…no one s…sir." The captain looked at him and said, "Oh stop you're stuttering. You will not say anything of this to anyone. Understand!" Shasta answered, "Y…yes sir!" Shasta quickly ran down the hall, getting away from the captain, and his rage.

Elgiva woke up. She knew she was getting better. She could move around a bit now. And her clothes were of the softest silk. Still, she could not do many things. She had withdrawn into herself. Never looked at anyone, or anything. She was afraid, and lonely. She needed a friend. Yet she had not found anyone friendly. She lay in her bed all day, her eyes closed, resting. It was dark here. And cold. She was thirsty, but there was nothing to drink. She felt like she was in a living hell. And she would not permit anyone to come close to her. The ships dog had just come down. His name was Butch. He was huge. He was a light brown color, and his tail was long, and whip like. He headed straight for Elgiva, and was met by screams of terror, for she had never seen a dog before. Butch hastily backed off from her, and ran back up to the deck.

Shasta, hearing the screams, came to the deck just in time to see Butch scramble out the door. Ignoring Butch, he ran down the steps into a small room he didn't know existed. He was met by two men chasing Butch out the door. He pushed past them, and kept running, curious to what made the scream

He opened a door, and saw a bed. There was a shelf above it, and a closet on his left. As he looked closer, he saw that someone was in the bed. It was a girl. She was dressed in white silk, and was asleep.

At that moment, the two men caught up with him, and taking hold of him, through him out the door, and onto the deck. Shasta shook his head to clear it, and walked back to the captain's cabin.

Oona was amazed. The pieces of art in Alysia's home were amazing. Paintings, sculptures, and beautiful designs were everywhere. They finally came out of the corridor, and entered a huge cavern in the coral. Mermaids and mermen were everywhere having a good time. Yet as he swam in with Alysia, they all became silent with shocked expressions on their faces. One of them, a mermaid swam over to them. He was big, with green scales on his lower half. His beard was trimmed, and he had brown eyes. Right now, they were cold, and angry. Then he started to speak in a deep voice, "Alysia! How dare you bring a human, into our domain! Humans have never been here before, and so our waters kept clean. Now you bring a human into our very midst! How dare you!" Alysia trembled and said, "H…he was going to die! Tor was attacking him! I just had to save him!" The merman looked at her. "But why did you bring him here! Why didn't you just leave him?" Alysia answered, "I brought him here because Tronstug was chasing us. We just barely made it back in time." The merman said in a slightly softer tone, "Then you know what the penalty for a human coming to our domain is." Alysia looked fearful, then nodded. She broke into tears and said, "Please don't kill him! No! No!" Then merman looked startled and said, "Why not?" Alysia answered, "Because…because I place him under my protection." The merman started. "I have heard enough of this nonsense. Kill him!" Alysia dove for Oona, who had no idea what was going on, and laid on top of him. "You will have to kill me first! And if you ever kill him, but not me, then I will kill myself as well." The merman looked troubled, and then he said, "You always were stubborn. Take him to you quarters. I don't want to see his face again." Alysia got up and said, "Yes father."

Oona looked at her with a strange expression, "He's your father!" Alysia nodded, "Yes, he is. But I hate him. I hate him!" She started to swim towards a small opening in the coral, and beckoned for Oona to follow.

Elgiva had fallen asleep right after Butch had made his appearance, and thus she did not see Shasta come in the room. But now she was awake, and feeling much better, had asked for a meal. Now she was waiting, sitting up on her bed. Her burns were almost completely healed, and she could walk around freely with little discomfort. She was still disturbed by the incident with Butch, that she didn't realize there was another person in the room until they said, "You're meal is here madam." She started, and turned so as to face the speaker. It was a young woman. She was not dressed warmly enough for the ocean air, and her hair was an untidy mess. Her face spoke of pain, yet she had an air of confidence about her. She didn't have shoes, and her skin was dark. After taking her all in, Elgiva said, "Who are you?" The young woman started, she wasn't used to anyone ever talking to her. "My name is Slienna. It means joyful one. But I have nothing to be joyful about." Elgiva was shocked at the tone in which she said it. She had lived only happiness before. "Why do you speak so harshly? Surely life hasn't done you so much harm as that!" Slienna looked at her sadly, "Oh but it has." And with that, she ran out leaving the tray on the table.

When the men who were watching over her came back in, she asked them, "Who is that young women named Slienna?" The men looked at her incredulously, "Did you speak with her?" When Elgiva nodded, he swore. "I should have told you. She is a witch! A demon! She was going to be executed, but the captain had a use for her, whatever that may be, and he bought her." He leaned up to Elgiva's face with such a terrible expression, Elgiva jumped back with fear. Then he said in a voice full of malice, "Don't ever go near her, and especially don't speak with her!"

The men left, and Elgiva lay back, thinking. What was a witch, and why are they bad? She finally fell asleep, puzzled.

Oona swam into a small cavern in the coral. It was about the size of his house, which was very small. There was a huge bed in a corner, and a wardrobe was in another. Carpets and rugs were all over the floor decorated in lavish designs of swirls and all manner of such.

Alysia swam to a bench made of coral, and motioned for him to sit down. When they both were seated comfortably, Alysia said, "So what do you think of my room?" Oona gazed around in awe. "This whole thing is your room?" Alysia replied laughing. "Yes it is! Why are you surprised? I am after all the king's daughter!" Oona looked at her, "You're a princess? Why didn't you tell me?" Alysia replied, "I thought you knew, with my father swimming up and shouting in your face for you to be killed!" Oona looked shocked, "He wanted me killed! What for! I never did anything to him!" Alysia said back, "He wants you killed because you are here. Not for any other reason. He just hates all humans. But you need to rest; it's been an exhausting day for both of us. You can have the bed, Ill sleep here." Oona yawned, "All right. I think it is the best idea if I get some rest."

He headed over to the bed, and in seconds was fast asleep. Alysia did the same on the bench.

Back on the Fair Maiden, the captain sat in his captain, pale with fear about whether or not the crew would ever find out about the chest of treasure he was carrying in a barrel of flour. If they did, he knew there would be mutiny, and that his own life would perhaps be forfeit.

Just then, Shasta opened the door. The captain whirled around and said, "What are you doing here! Knock before opening young man!" Shasta bowed his head and said, "Please forgive me Mr. Jehofgo. I won't do it again." The captain replied, "See that you don't. Now what is it that you want?"

Shasta was silent for a moment, and then said, "Sir, I would like to know what girl is down below deck sleeping?" The captain sighed, and then said, "I suppose you must know sooner or later. We picked her up from that island we were at three weeks ago. She was almost dead from sunburn and she was covered with scratches. Only a witch could survive something like that. A demon! Stay away from her, deceptive she must be. Just like that slave we took on to cook. Stay away from them." Shasta, his face pale by now, said, "Yes sir, I won't ever go near them." The captain said, "Good. We wouldn't want my best cabin boy I ever had to be cursed or something would we?" With that he laughed, and ignored Shasta.

Shasta walked out, resolving never to go near either of them ever. He was very superstitious, and deeply afraid that they might lay a curse on him.

He went to the small room he shared with three other servants, for it was getting late, and he was tired. He entered the cabin, which had four hummocks in the corners and a small table in the center. He went to his hummock, and laid down, thinking on what the captain had said. Never would he go near those two witches.

Chapter 3

Oona was running. His breath was comingin short bursts, and his chest was heaving. Looking behind him, he saw a strange thing. A tree was chasing him. It had legs, and arms. It was only a matter of time before it caught him…

He woke up covered in sweat. He sighed with relief, realizing it was just a dream… a dream that he would some day live… Slowly, he lowered himself back to sleep, making sure the shell was still in place.