Note: Readers, I've changed the way of writing this story. I've taken up suggestions, and I'm glad that someone appreciates my story. It will be easier for you to read and understand this. I'm open for more suggestions, and I will be happy to take them up. Thank you for correcting my errors, and I hope you'll be more comfortable reading this. Thanks for reading my story.
Happy reading!
Point Of View: Diana
I'm going to see Charlotte again.
Days passed by since I last saw her, and now I'm going to see her again. She's so friendly and kind the first time we met, and even have some respect for me. I wonder what she's doing after the Kraken's assault. I head for the Infirmary as fast as I can. When I open the door, I see Charlotte placing a tray of some equipment and medicines. She smiles as she sees me.
"Hello, Diana. It's nice to see you again. Please take a seat; I'm going to change your bandages," she greets me as I walk in the room.
"It's nice to see you, too, Charlotte," I greet back. I did what I was told, and she unwraps slowly the bandage on my left arm. I see my almost fading wounds and scratches. I didn't notice them first because I was wearing a long sleeved dress, and I'm not even aware that the shrapnel got through the fabric.
Charlotte puts some medicine on a cotton ball, and she gently dabs it on my wounds and scratches. She throws away my old bandage and wraps a new one on my left arm.
"Can you take off your dress for a while? I'm going to change the bandage around your torso. You can turn around," Charlotte requests.
I turn my back on her, and I take off the top of my dress. She passes me a part of the unwrapped bandage so I can unwrap the front part of my torso. I hold my arms over my chest as she rolls the bandage.
"So, Tintin told me you've met him," I say, breaking the silence.
"Yes, I indeed met him a while ago. He's a nice man," Charlotte says. "You're friends?" she asks.
"Yes, we are. I've been friends with him since I was five, so I guess you can call me his childhood friend," I tell her.
"Wow. Your friendship is very long," Charlotte says in amazement, as she finally unwraps my bandage completely.
"I think so, but it's also long since I last saw him. My family left Belgium when I was twelve, and the only remembrance I have of him those years is the necklace he gave me," I tell her, clasping the pendant of my necklace.
"So your necklace is really valuable for you. Good thing it didn't fall off your neck when you're fighting the Kraken. You're amazing, Diana. You're so brave fighting that Kraken," Charlotte says to me.
I smile and I say, "It's nothing, I'm just doing my—"
But I suddenly remember that I'm not supposed to talk about my job. It's a secret.
"Doing what, Diana?" Charlotte asks me innocently as I feel her dabbing the medicine on my wounds.
"Nothing," I reply. I just hope she doesn't get curious.
"Okay," Charlotte calmly says. "So you're a skilled archer, huh?" she asks me.
"I think you can say that. I've practiced for years, and I can do well with daggers, too. I'm can run fast, too, I think," I tell her.
"That's really amazing, Diana," Charlotte compliments me as she wraps a new bandage around my waist.
"Oh, thank you so much. I never really get praised that well," I tell her.
"No problem. You deserve to be praised," she says.
"By the way, what happened to the tentacle on the ship?" I ask Charlotte.
"Oh, they've taken it to the Research Room. They are surely researching it for something, maybe its cause of being electric. Some people here on the ship wants to see it, and the results as well, but normal people and crew are prohibited to go inside the Research Room, unless you get to be invited inside for some important matters. The professors spent days already inside the room, so I guess they got some good results from making research about the tentacle," Charlotte explains to me.
"Oh. And what became of the two missing professors?" I ask her.
"Sad to say, they are already gone. The other professors say must have been attacked by the Kraken, and we are sad to learn about it. The items you have found are proof of it. People already gave up looking for them; thought that the two professors are hiding in the ship," Charlotte explains.
"So it happened to us, too," I say sadly.
"Huh? What happened to us, too?" Charlotte asks innocently.
"Well, from the first two expeditions, two professors also died on that part of the ocean, also caused by a sea monster. And I'm convinced that that sea monster is the same Kraken that attacked us," I explain to Charlotte.
"That's quite disturbing for me," Charlotte says sadly as she finally wraps the bandage around me completely.
"How's Captain Ahmet doing?" I ask Charlotte facing her.
"Well," she says as she arranges the items on her tray. "He's doing fine, now. Your Captain Haddock took over the ship's wheel for three days when Captain Ahmet was recovering from his injury. But Captain Ahmet is back for his duty."
"That's good to hear," I tell her. Then I heard the very soft singing again in my ear. I cover my ear for a while, waiting for the singing to be gone. After a few seconds, the singing fades. I remove my hands from my ears.
"What is it, Diana?" Charlotte asks me.
"Hm?" I look up, and I see her staring at me. She must've noticed that I covered my ears, and I assume she cannot hear the singing too. "It's nothing." I'm wondering about what Captain Haddock and I discovered. Should I tell Charlotte about the Sirens we assume to be real? But what will she say if she learned about it? Will she say I'm crazy?
But I have to keep it to myself first. So far, the only people I know to hear the singing is Captain Haddock and I. What would Tintin say if I tell it to him? Would he believe us? Maybe. But we don't have enough proof to tell that the Sirens are real. But the possibilities are strong. We already seen the Kraken, so there's a huge possibility that the Sirens do exist. And we have to be cautious now. Lives will be at risk if the Sirens are indeed true.
Charlotte looks concerned. "Are you sure it's nothing?" she asks, removing the bandage on my forehead.
"Yes, don't worry about me," I say to her.
"Well, dress yourself again. It's cold in here," she says as she smiles. I did dress, and when I do, the door opens. Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy come inside the room. As Tintin closes the door, Snowy runs up to me and stands on my lap. He gives me a sloppy wet kiss, and I pat his head.
"How are you doing, Diana?" Tintin asks me.
"I'm fine now. The bandage is not tight anymore. Are the books arranged and sorted already?" I ask him.
Tintin laughs. "Oh, come on, don't be ridiculous. It's not the time to ask me that," he says.
"Yes," I laugh too. "But really, are they arranged?" I ask him sarcastically.
Tintin smiles. "Yes, they are. And we have to tell you something," he says. "
What is it?" I ask him.
"We've been just informed that the blood of the Kraken is dangerous. Once it enters the body, it will destroy you very slowly. It does not show effects, so you have to be aware of yourselves. If you happen to see the blood of the Kraken, inform the professors immediately. They're just in the Research Room," Tintin informs us.
"But we are not allowed to go to the Research Room except if we are invited," Charlotte says.
"You can just tell us, okay?" Tintin says.
"Alright," Charlotte nods. "So you're allowed to go there?" she asks.
"Yes, we are," Captain Haddock replies.
Charlotte stands up. "I have to get going now. I still have things to do. And by the way, Diana, those are your last bandages. After two days, I will have them removed already. Now you can move freely if we have them removed."
"That's good to hear!" I exclaim, stretching my back. "After two days, I will finally have freedom of movement! It's really hard to move with these bandages you know."
Snowy barks at me happily, and I smile as I rub his head.
Charlotte smiles. "I have to get moving now," she says.
"Thank you, Charlotte," I tell her.
She was opening the door when Tintin takes her hand. "Wait, Charlotte, uhm…" Tintin started to say.
I was a bit surprised when he held Charlotte's hand. I feel embarrassed, but Captain Haddock calmly stands beside me with his arms crossed. I feel awkward being in the scene, but I can feel there's something more I can feel. Still not quite sure what it is, though…
"Charlotte, could we talk for a moment?" Tintin asks her.
Charlotte innocently stares at him. "Oh, yes, I remember," she says.
I don't know what she's talking about, but I bet they talked about something the first time they met.
"Please excuse us for a moment," Tintin looks at us, and he and Charlotte goes out of the room, still with their hands holding each other. The door slams shut, leaving Captain Haddock and I silent in the room.
Captain Haddock gives me a look of pity. At that time, I think I know what he means, and I feel more embarrassed.
"What?" I ask him.
He looks away. "There's no need to hide, Diana," he tells me, crossing his arms again.
I look away. "What do you mean, Captain?" I ask him, looking at my bandaged arm.
Captain Haddock sighs, and puts down his arms. "You know what I mean, Diana. Why don't you just tell Tintin?"
I'm still confused, captain, I wanted to tell him that. But I can't make myself say it. I'm too embarrassed to tell him that.
"Still hearing it, captain?" I ask him, dropping the subject. "You know what I'm talking about."
"Yes, I heard at a while ago. You did, too, Diana?" he asks me.
"Yes, captain," I reply, patting Snowy's body. "But for some reason, other people can't hear it. Why are we the only ones who can hear it? I know the singing is soft and very hard to hear, but why do we hear it? Why only us?"
"I can't say," Captain Haddock says. Then, I heard the singing again, and it was a bit painful for my ear. My eyelids started to get heavy again, but then I hear Snowy whimper on my lap.
I look at him. He's lying down on my lap now, and he scratches his paws over his snout. He's getting cranky now. Now I understand what Snowy's doing.
"Snowy, you can hear it too," I tell him. The singing stops. Snowy looks at me and gives me a bark, giving me confirmation.
"He can?" Captain Haddock says, looking amazed. He looks at Snowy. "Then he can hear the singing. You know, Diana, I'm starting to think that we have strong sense of hearing."
"You think so, Captain?"
"Dogs have strong sense of hearing. Snowy can hear the singing, and we can hear the singing, too."
Captain Haddock got a point. We just knew that Snowy can hear the singing, too, so we might have strong sense of hearing too.
"Do you think we should tell Tintin and the others about it?" I ask the captain.
"Not yet, Diana. I'm thinking of the right timing to tell it. I'm still not sure of it, but I'm thinking of telling it first to dear old Cuthbert. He can help us," Captain Haddock tells me.
"Do you think they will believe it, Captain?" I ask him.
"Maybe. There's already the Kraken, so I think they will believe about the Sirens," Captain Haddock tells me.
I look away. I hope the others will believe us if we tell them about the Sirens. I was thinking seriously when my tummy makes a rumble, killing the silence.
"Uhm…" I say, embarrassed again.
Captain Haddock laughs softly. "You're hungry, aren't you?" he asks me.
"I just ate a while ago, captain," I tell him.
"Well, you haven't had food for days, right? You're asleep for a week, and you had just one meal. Come on, I'll accompany you to the canteen," Captain Haddock says, giving me a hand.
I smile as I take his hand, and he leads Snowy and I to the canteen.
That night…
I hope they serve good dishes tonight.
When I ate at the canteen this morning, they just gave me lots of sandwiches, and they're not really appetizing. I asked Captain Haddock if he can persuade the servers to give me the food I really wanted, but they just said no. Snowy was also hungry at that time, so I have to share my sandwiches with him. But, I'm not really satisfied with food like that.
I put on a simple purple dress. One of my mother's hand sewn dresses. I'm a little surprised that it still fits. I braid my hair down and I proceed to the room wherein I will eat with my companions. I open the door, and the room is nice. No one was there but me, so I guess I'm the first one to reach the place. There was a long table placed in the middle of the room. Seven people can eat together in the table. There are three chairs on each side, and one chair at the end of the table. There are candles on the table, so I can tell that the dinner will be fancy.
I sit on the right side of the table, the last chair. I sit there, waiting for the others. I look at the lit candles when I notice that my eyeglasses are smudged, so I pull out the case out of my pocket and opened it. I pick up the cloth inside and wipe my eyeglasses. The door opens, and everyone comes in. "Ah, just in time," I say, putting my eyeglasses back on. "I've been waiting."
Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thompson and Thomson, Snowy, and Tintin come in. But one person surprised me most: Charlotte. She's here.
"Good evening, Charlotte. You surprised me," I greet her. "So, you're going to eat with us?"
"Ah, yes," Tintin answers for her. "I invited her to eat with us. I thought we could thank her for helping you out, right?"
"Of course," I say. "That's going to be no problem. I'd like to know more about Charlotte, too. So, what are you standing there for? Come sit down."
Thompson and Thomson sit on the left side of the table, as well as Charlotte. Captain Haddock sits beside me and Professor Calculus on his side. Tintin sits on the front chair, near Charlotte and Professor Calculus. People come in, carrying plates of food. As they place the dishes on the table, my mouth water. The dishes look so appetizing—caramel pears, braised pork loin, roast of lamb, steamed lobster, filet mignon steak, cheese soufflé, risotto—and more. My eyes lit up in the presence of my favorite dishes: desserts. I want to eat right away, but I forgot that I need to pray. I did pray, and my companions and I started digging in.
"So," Thompson says, forking a meat. "Are you okay now, Diana?"
I slice some steak. "Yes, I'm completely fine now, thanks to Charlotte," I say, and then Charlotte smiles at me. "How about you? I haven't heard a thing about you two since the assault."
"Ah, we're fine, yes," Thompson says. "Except for Thomson here. He says that he's been hearing a soft singing in his ear the last two days. But I swear that I don't hear anything."
Thomson chews on his lobster. "Well, I certainly hear a soft singing, and it's bugging me! Ah, makes me sleepy," he says.
Captain Haddock looks at me. He nods, and I apparently knew that he wants me to talk with Thomson or him later. I add Thomson to my "hearing" list. I already know three people and a dog hearing the singing: Captain Haddock, Snowy, Thomson and I.
"That must be your imagination. You knocked your head on the low door of our cabin," Thompson assumes.
"Certainly not. Then, I shouldn't be hearing it now. I knocked my head three days ago," Thomson defends.
"Well, maybe you're just hearing things, Thomson," Tintin says. "Don't worry, it'll go away in a few days. Anyway, so, we'd like to hear something about you, Charlotte." Tintin smiles at her.
"Uh, well. Hm, what should I say?" Charlotte says uneasily.
Charlotte says things about herself, and the others are listening to her. I don't really hear what she's saying, because I'm way too busy eating the chocolate cake I have. At the first bite, I realize that this is what I needed to become full. I eat what I can, while the others eat and listen to Charlotte's stories. Tintin asks her about a lot of things, and I can see that he really is interested in Charlotte. I observe him, and he is looks so happy with Charlotte beside him. I smile at the scene. I've never seen him look so happy. Sure, he's happy being with his other friends and I, but he's happier than that. So I guess that means something, huh?
I look at my plate, having these thoughts. But someone calls me.
"Diana?" Tintin looks at me, with a little smile on his face.
"Huh?" I look at him, and I notice that Charlotte stopped talking and the others are looking at me as well, with little smiles on their faces. "What?"
Tintin smiles at me and points his finger to his cheeks and chin. And from that moment, I know what he meant.
I fumble for a napkin on the table and I wipe my face with it. I look at the napkin in my hands, and it's stained with chocolate frosting and syrup. My friends manage a little laugh over it, but I'm not angry.
"Go on, go on," I wave my hand at them.
Charlotte smiles at me and keeps going to talk about herself. A few minutes later, Thompson and Thomson excuses themselves, saying that they have something to do. Professor Calculus also excused himself as well, saying that he's needed at the Research Room. Tintin is the only one left talking to Charlotte. Captain Haddock pulls me aside and whispers at me.
"Diana, you heard about Thomson, right?" he asks me.
"Of course, Captain. He can hear the singing!" I tell him.
Captain Haddock squeezes my arm tighter. "Yes, and I think I need to tell it to the professors."
"When, captain?" I ask him.
"I still don't know, but not now," he replies.
"But why not now? The Sirens might be around somewhere anytime," I insist.
"No, but I think it's not time yet. Don't tell it yet, Diana, without letting me know," Captain Haddock tells me.
"But…will they believe us?" I ask him.
"They will believe us. We have enough proof already," he insists.
"Proof? Captain, we don't have—"
"If there's a Kraken, there are Sirens, too, no doubt about it," the captain says. "Anyway, Diana, I will excuse myself, too," Captain Haddock pats my shoulder. "I will be back here in a few minutes."
Captain Haddock stands up, and he leaves the room. Tintin and Charlotte keeps on talking with each other. They look so happy together. And perfect together…
I feel like I shouldn't be here. I stand up, wiping my hands.
"Well, I guess I have to excuse myself too," I tell them.
Tintin blushes. "What? But—"
I brush my skirt. "I have something to do," I lie. Actually, it looks like they need some time alone together, so I'm doing this for them. "Well, I have to get going now." I left the room, leaving them alone together.
"Now… What should I do?" I wonder.
I walk up the metal handles, the sea breeze blowing in my face. I look up at the moon. It was full tonight. I always liked the moon and the sea breeze. It makes me feel calm. I close my eyes for a moment, when something nudges my legs.
I look down, and it was Snowy.
"Snowy. Why are you here?" I ask him.
Snowy whimpers at me. I kneel down, and pat his head. "Can't handle the romance there, eh?" I say to him. I continue patting his head. I sit with Snowy, my legs sticking out of the side of the ship. Snowy sits beside me.
"Thank you for being here, Snowy. You make me happy," I tell him.
I rub his fur. Snowy barks at me.
"Oh, what is it now, Snowy?" I ask him. Snowy barks at me more, and then he whimpers as he put his head on my lap.
"You feel lonely, don't you?" I ask him sadly.
Snowy whimpers. I bet it's a yes.
"So I noticed. Tintin doesn't give you much attention now, which wasn't like him. What on earth happened to him?" I wonder.
Snowy whimpers once more. He sadly places his head again on my lap.
I smile at him, despite his sadness. "Do you want me to sing for you? It can make you happy for a moment," I offer him.
Snowy's ears perk up. He looks at me with soulful eyes. Once again, I think that meant yes.
I smile at him. "Okay. I just hope I have a good voice," I say. I clear my throat, and started to sing.
My singing echoes around the ship. Snowy closes his eyes. I sing more, and I feel more relieved. I rub Snowy's head while I sing. I sing for a few minutes, but I notice that Snowy's already asleep, so I ended my singing. I take a deep breath after that.
"That's nice," someone says.
I look behind me, and I sigh.
"Kurt," I mumble. "You always creep people out, don't you?" I say louder.
He smiles. He walks toward me and he sits. He sticks out his legs, too.
"Why are you here?" I ask him, still rubbing Snowy's head.
"Nothing. I just like being outside. Calms my mind," he answers.
"Don't you have any friends here?" I ask him. "I mean, I always see you alone in the ship. There are a lot of people in here, yet you don't have any friends."
Kurt looks at the ocean water. "Nobody wants to be friends with me," he replies.
"Huh? But why? You're a pretty nice guy," I say to him.
He smiles. "Thank you for that. But, nobody really wants me as a friend. Or as that Queen's friend."
"Queen's friend?" I ask.
"The reason that nobody wants to be friends with me is…my sister."
"Your sister? You have a sister here?" I ask him.
He looks at me. "Oh yeah. You still don't know. Well, I think I should tell you. My sister is Gina. You probably know her through Tintin."
"Uh, yes. I heard that from him. They had a relationship right?" I ask him.
"Yes," he says.
"But, why Queen?" I ask him.
"Gina trespassed at this ship. So, she isn't actually an official passenger here. Captain Ahmet doesn't know her," he explains. "Well, every passenger here has something to do, like cook the food or assist in the ship. The professors research, something like that. But since Gina is not an official passenger, she does nothing in this ship. She just hangs out every day, doing nothing but causing trouble for everyone. She bothers every person during their work, telling them nonsense stories until the person gets distracted and don't get things done right. People get angry at her, but despite that, she still bothers people. She even gives orders at them. And with that, she is called Queen. They knew that Gina's my sister, so they assumed that I was like her, so they wouldn't want to be friends with me. Why does it have to be that way? Why are people so judgmental?" Kurt slams his fists on the ground.
I feel sad for him. I can't believe that he doesn't have any friends. But, he's so kind and helpful. He's respectful.
"I hate it when it comes out like this! But despite all that, I don't know why I still care for her! Why?" Kurt cries out in despair. He looks at his palm, and tears begin running down his cheeks. "Why?" he asks one more time.
"Because no matter what, she's still your family," I answer him.
"F-family?" he asks.
"Yes. Even if they get cranky, annoying, and stupid at some times, we still care about them. It's because they're our family. We grew up with them, we made good memories with them, so that's why we still care about them. Don't despair, Kurt. You still have someone loving you. Even if Gina is like that—arrogant and selfish at some times—I know that she cares about you, too," I tell him.
Kurt keeps silent for a moment. He then wipes his tears, and did something that surprised me.
He hugs me tightly. I can feel the warmth, and the sadness he has. I can't help but feel sad for him.
"Thank you, Diana. For making me understand," he says. "You're the first person to make me happy. Thank you. I owe you a lot."
I was caught off guard of what he did. But I feel happy too, because there are sad feelings inside of me, and he somehow drift them away.
"Diana," he says. "I'd like to tell you something. I—"
But what he's going to say was interrupted but the singing in my ears. Again. But this time, it's a bit painful. I groan a little, and that's what interrupted him.
"What is it, Diana?" he asks me, letting go of me.
"Kurt," I say. "When I woke up this morning, I went to the library and I saw Captain Haddock. He told me he's been hearing a soft singing in the past two days, and I've been hearing it too sometimes just this morning. Snowy hears it too, as well as Thomson. Captain Haddock and I assumed that the singing are by the Sirens. They're dangerous, Kurt. Captain Haddock told me to stay put, not to tell it to the professors first. But I can't hold it anymore! I have to tell it to them. NOW."
"Sirens? Wait, Diana—" Kurt says, but I was already running away.
I run to the dinner room, and slam open the door. "Captain! Captain?" I shout.
"Diana? What's the shouting for? No, Captain Haddock's not here yet," Tintin says calmly.
Where is he? Where's Captain Haddock? Ah, never mind. I'll just tell it to the professors. I'm sure he'll understand.
"Ugh!" I groan so loud. I run away, with confusion on Tintin's face.
I run to the Research Room. The singing is back again, and there was pain in my ears. They're calm the first time, but why isn't it calm now?
I finally reach the room, and I knock at the door.
"Professor? Professor! Professor Calculus! Please, open this! I have to tell you something!" I shouted.
I got crankier. I bang at the door, but finally it opens. The singing is gone already, but as Professor Calculus open the door, he pushes his right hand at his ear.
"Oh, Diana. It's you. Yes, what is it?" he asks.
"Professor! Thank goodness. I have to tell you—"
But the singing is back in my ears, causing more pain. I hold my hands over my ears.
"Ugh!" I groan loud, closing my eyes. As I open it, Professor Calculus looks at me surprisingly.
"Diana," he asks. "You can hear it too?"
And with that, I figure out that Professor Calculus will believe us right away.