Point of View: Tintin

"Come on, Snowy," I gesture at Snowy to come with me. I walk back to my cabin and sit on the bed. I keep on thinking about what Captain Haddock said earlier, and what Diana saw on the water that kept me thinking if I really should believe Captain Haddock.

An eye on the water. Is that the sea monster? Or is it just her hallucination?

I breathe in deeply, and shake my head to clear my mind. I came here to rest, not to think of things that would bother me. I put the small hourglass in my pocket. I bend down to remove my shoes, and kick them off my feet. I straighten my back and lie in bed. I feel Snowy jump up the bed and lie beside me. I pat his body, and I bury my face in his fur before dozing off, still thinking of the eye on the water Diana saw.

I wake up, and I look at my watch. It's already 11:00 pm. I sit up, open the lights, and stretch my body. I look at the mirror, and my suit is still okay for presenting to other people. I pull some parts of my suit, hoping that some crumpled parts would straighten. I straighten my bowtie, and spin around to look at myself. I look okay, and I style my hair to make it look neat. Snowy also wakes up, and nudges me to straighten his bowtie. I spray on some perfume to smell good, and I slip my feet on my shoes once again. I arrange the bed, and Snowy and I walk out of my cabin.

I walk up the stairs, wondering if the ball is still going on. I reach the ball room, and the ball is still going on. "Come on, Snowy," I say. "Let's find Captain Haddock and the others." He barks happily, and run after me. I walk up our table and found my all of my friends present. Of course, with the exception of Diana. "Hello," I greet them, and I sit on the chair. Snowy sits on Diana's chair. "Where have you been, Tintin?" Thompson asks me. "I just rested for a while," I answer him, scratching my head. "So, what happened?" I ask them. "Nothing important, really," Thomson replies. "Just a bunch of new music played by the orchestra and a few greetings from Captain Ahmet."

I nod. "By the way, Professor Calculus," I say. "Professor Mike told me that you should be on the Research room by 8:00 pm…" my voice fades. I became confused because I didn't know there's a ball, and he surely asked me to tell Professor Calculus to be on the Research room. But all the professors are on the ball. "Well, I assume that he means you have to be at the Research room by 8:00 pm tomorrow. He didn't told me when, but, I'm sure it's going to be tomorrow," I say. "Your bow? Oh it's completely fine," Professor Calculus says, pointing at my bowtie. I sigh. "Captain Haddock, can you please tell Professor Calculus what I have said? You're much closer to him. And remind him to use his hearing device," I ask Captain Haddock.

"Sure," he says, and he leans at Professor Calculus and says what Professor Mike asked me to tell him. Professor Calculus fumbles for his ear trumpet, and he sticks it in his ear and nods as Captain Haddock tells him what I asked him to tell. We all talk about the ball, and eat our food. Captain Haddock stays silent as he rests his chin on his hand as he looks through the ball room's big windows.

"Captain Haddock," I say. "Is there something troubling you?" He looks at me. "Tintin," he says. "Where is Diana?" he asks. "She is at her cabin, resting. I don't think she won't be back for the ball," I reply. "Where is her cabin?" he asks. "Just beside Thompson and Thomson's cabin. You know their cabin right?" I ask him. "Yes. Well, excuse me for a moment," he tells me, as he stands up and runs out of the ball room. He's been acting strange since I left the ball room and went back again. I stare at my food when Snowy nudges his nose up to my arm. "What is it, Snowy?" I ask him. He barks at the direction of the ball room's exit. I assume he is tired already, and is inviting me back to sleep again. "You're tired, Snowy, my boy? Come on, let's head back to our cabin," I tell him. I stand up. "Thompson and Thomson, Professor; I will be leaving the ball now. I think Snowy is tired," I say. "Oh, go on, Tintin. Have a nice night," they both say together. "You too," I say, and Snowy and I head back to our cabin.

As we walk down the steps, Snowy runs fast ahead of me. "Snowy, wait up," I tell him. He barks, and runs faster than ever. "Oh, Snowy," I sigh as I run after him. We are at our line of cabins now, and Snowy is waiting for me in front of our cabin. "I'm coming there," I tell him. He barks happily and wags his tail. I pick my key up in my pocket, and walk up to my cabin. I was about to place my key into the slot when Snowy barks again, but when I look down, he isn't there. I look around, and I see him in front of Diana's cabin. "What is it this time, Snowy?" I sigh. "Come here, Snowy. Come here." Snowy barks again, but he didn't walk up to me. "There's no time for playing, Snowy. I thought you're tired. Come here," I tell him. He barks again, but he didn't walk up to me. I frown. He sniffs the cabin's door, and barks at me. I groan and say, "Snowy, come back here." I walk up to him, and pick him up. "Why won't you listen to me, you ha—"

"—told me that there's a monster," says someone from Diana's room. Wait, isn't that Captain Haddock? I put down Snowy, finally realizing what he wants me to do. I put my finger up to my lips, gesturing him to keep silent. I know eavesdropping is bad, but I tried it already. I move my ear up the door, and try to concentrate on what they are talking about. "A monster? In the sea?" Diana asks him confusedly. "Yes, a monster. I believe that there's one. Many ships have sunk on the part of the ocean, and I think the sea monster caused it," Captain Haddock says. "I believe you, Captain," Diana says. I widen my eyes. Diana believed the Captain regarding the monster, unlike me. "Really?" he asks. "Yes. A moment ago, I thought I just saw an eye in the ocean. A big, yellow eye. I thought it's just my hallucination, but it makes sense to me now. That must be the sea monster's eye!" she says. "I'm with Tintin at that time, but I don't know if he heard me say that I saw the eye."

"He heard you," Captain Haddock says. "Why do you think he had?" Diana asks him. "He's your best friend. You didn't see each other for years, I'm sure he will listen to every word you say," Captain Haddock says. "We must tell Captain Ahmet about it!" Diana says. "I don't know if he'll believe it. But…" Captain Haddock's voice fades. "But he can believe it, if I'll tell him what I saw!" Diana says. "Thank you for telling me, Captain," she says. "I should go now, Diana. I must…" I run away from the door, carrying Snowy, knowing that if Captain Haddock sees me by the door, he'll know I'm eavesdropping. I wind up the key into the slot, and close my door.

So that's why Captain Haddock asked me where Diana is. He warned her about the sea monster, not knowing that Diana saw its eye accidentally. I'm starting to believe that there really is a monster. I untie my bowtie, and throw it on the desk mirror. I kick the shoes off my feet, and sit on the bed. I'm still thinking of what I heard. What if there really is a monster? What would happen to us now?

Snowy barks at me, and wags his tail. "What a long night, Snowy. Come on, let's sleep," I pat his head. I change into my sleeping clothes and lie on the bed, and close my eyes before dozing off once again, thinking of the things I heard.

Next morning…

I stretch my back. It's the second day on the ship. I take a bath, and change into my usual clothes. I open the door, and I feel the warm sunlight touching my face. It's another day at the ship. I walk around the ship, greeting the crew. I walk a little more and then I see Captain Haddock in his usual clothes, his expression still the same from last night. "Good morning, Captain," I greet him. "Good morning, Tintin," he says. "I need to talk to you." Captain Haddock gestured at me to follow him, and he led me in front of his cabin.

He leans against the metal handles. "Tintin, why didn't you tell me that Diana saw the monster's eye on the ocean water last night?" he asks me. I stare at him. "I…I forgot," I tell him. He looks at me. "Good thing I warned her about the monster and she told me about what she saw last night," Captain Haddock says. "Do you believe it now, Tintin?" I look down. "I don't know, Captain. I'm still confused," I say. Captain Haddock walks up to me and pats my shoulder. "Just keep watch, Tintin. The sea monster might be there anytime," he says.

"Sea monster?" someone says. Captain Haddock and I look back, and we see Gina. "Gina? What are you doing here?" I ask her annoyingly. "I went to see you. What sea monster are you talking about?" she asks us. "Didn't you hear from the other crew and passengers? They said that there's a sea monster up and about in the sea," Captain Haddock tells her. "Be careful about it, young lady," he says, before leaving us. "A sea monster? Is that true?" Gina asks me. "I don't know. I'm still confused," I say to her. "Confused? Why confused?" Gina asks me again. "Last night, Diana said that she saw an eye in the sea water, but I don't know if that's just a hallucination or something," I tell Gina.

Gina frowns. "So you talked with Diana," she says. "What? Yes, I did. What if I talked to her? Is it forbidden?" I tell her, completely flabbergasted. Gina looks at me. "Why won't you talk to me?" she asks me. "I am now," I tell her. "What did you come here for?" I ask her. "I would like to know your answer to my question last night," she says. "My answer?" I say. "Yes, your answer," she says impatiently. "I can't answer your question now," I tell her, walking away. She grips my wrist and stops me. "Hey! What now?" I ask her. "Tintin, do you… do you still like me?" she asks me. "What kind of question is that?" I ask her, pulling my wrist away. "Answer me!" she says, her voice getting louder.

I stare at her, completely surprised. "Gina, I didn't come to this ship for that. So please leave me alone first," I tell her. "Please," she says. "Answer me." I start to get annoyed; I'm not in the mood to talk about this. "Stop it," I say. She looks down. Her fists are shaking. "I knew it," she says softly. "What?" I ask her, pretending not to hear her. She looks up at me. "You like Diana!" she says, her tears falling down. "What? Gina, stop this nonsense!" I shout at her. "You can't answer me because you like her!" she screams, but no one notices or hears because it's only the two of us on the area. "My question is so simple! If you can't answer my question, just say 'no'! It's easy!" she shouts. "Why won't you answer me? Last night, you left me on the ball without saying anything! Then now, you won't answer! You wouldn't even want to talk to me! It's so simple!" I'm hearing every word she shouts. I assume she's crying now, because her voice is shaking. I can't face her right now. I look down, my fists are shaking of anger, yet she continues to shout. "Answer me! Face me and look me in the eye! It's easy, right? Come one, and—"

"So what if I like Diana?" I faced and shout at her. She stops shouting, and she stares at me, her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open.

I look down. What did I just say?

There's silence. We stood there, not saying a thing.

"I knew it," she says softly. "But, still… you can still answer me," Gina says, facing me again. "Stop it, Gina. Stop!" I tell her, facing her. "Tintin, please! I still lo—"

"Stop!" I cup my hand over her mouth and she stops shouting. "Stop this, Gina." I can feel her hands clasping my wrist. I pull down my hand that cupped her mouth. "I'm sorry. There are more important things than that subject," I tell her, before walking away with Snowy.

I closed myself in my room. I sit on the bed, my head buried in my arms. What did I just say? Is it true?

I feel something nudge my leg. Snowy. "I don't know what's happening, but I think I should avoid Gina for a while," I tell him, patting his head. Snowy whimpers and he jumps on my lap and gives me a wet kiss. "Alright, alright," I tell him, laughing softly. "Thank you for making me happy." He gives me another kiss, and he buries his face in my chest. "Let's go outside," I tell him. "There are other things we should do."

That night…

"The weather's awfully bad now," Captain Haddock says to me. The sky is dark, and is covered thick, grey clouds. The rain falls gently; more like drizzle. "Where is Diana?" Captain Haddock asks me. "Oh, I haven't seen her since morning," I tell him. The idea of her makes me awkward because I remember what happened this morning. "Maybe we should go look for her," I suggest. "The others are okay, though."

Captain Haddock and I wander around the ship, calling Diana. We both ask the crew, but they don't know where she is. We look for her longer, but then Kurt comes running towards us. "Captain Haddock! Tintin! We got a problem!" he calls our attention. "What is it?" Captain Haddock asks him. "It's Diana. She went over to talk with Captain Ahmet. I don't know, but she was being held back by some crew. Said she needed to say something to the Captain," Kurt explains, as he pants from running.

"Oh no. She did what she said!" Captain haddock exclaimed. "What is it, Captain?" I ask him, pretending I don't know what he talks about. "She told me last night that she will tell Captain Ahmet about the sea monster, and she'll say what she saw the same night, too. She thinks the Captain will believe him!" Captain Haddock explains. "Excuse me, but what is it about the sea monster?" Kurt asks, completely confused. "We'll explain later. Where's Diana?" I ask him. "At the ship's bridge, " Kurt says. "Lead us there," I tell him, and he runs as we run after him.

We come in the ship's bridge, and there are so many people in there. I can hear Diana shouting.

"But Captain, I saw it last night!" she says, and there are people holding her away from the Captain. "Nonsense! Ms. Diana, you might have seen the reflection of the ship's light on the water," Captain Ahmet disagrees, as he stands there with his smoking pipe. Another person takes charge of sailing the ship. "Please, captain, believe me! I saw it with my own eyes!" she says more. I hold her shoulder. "Diana," I say. "What are you doing?" I ask her. She looks behind her. "Tintin, Captain Haddock. Help me!" she says. "Oh, so you're asking help to make me believe? What you have said is nonsense! Repeat that, and I will have you locked up in this ship!" Captain Ahmet says angrily. "You should at least believe it, Captain. What if it is?" I tell him. "And what if it isn't? A sea monster within the seas, what nonsense! I sailed the seas, lad. I never been on a sea with a monster!" he says. "Go back to your cabins. Or else if you force me again to believe your lies, I will have your team locked up!" he says. "It's for the safety of your crew!" Captain Haddock shouts. "You dare answer back to me, Haddock? For the last time, get out, and don't ever repeat that lie!"

Suddenly, the ship tilted to the right, and almost all crew fell on their feet. The only ones left standing up are Captain Haddock, Captain Ahmet, Diana, Snowy and I. We look through the windows, and the drizzle turned into a storm. The ocean waves are much larger and more dangerous. The ship titled from side to side. "What's happening?" Captain Ahmet exclaimed. The left wall of the bridge sounded, and something big created a dent on it. "What the—"

Screams are heard. A huge, slimy tentacle poked a hole through the dent and got in between Captain Ahmet and Diana and I. The sudden appearance of the tentacle made us jump, and Captain Ahmet was thrown at the person who took the wheel. "The captain's unconscious!" he screamed. I shielded Diana from the force. "Are you okay?" she asks me. "Yes, I'm okay," I tell her. The tentacle slips out, leaving a very big hole on the left side of the bridge. "Everybody out of the room!" I shout. All of the crew stand up and run out of the bridge. "Blistering barnacles!" Captain Haddock curses. I help Diana and Captain Haddock stand up. "You! Get out of here with the Captain. Go!" I shout at the man who took the wheel, and he runs away with Captain Ahmet on his shoulders. "Captain Haddock, take the wheel!" I say. Captain Haddock runs to the wheel.

I run towards the hole, and saw something that made me believe that there's a monster.