Hook, Line & Sinking (Completed)

2: Dropping In

So, I was about to copy this next chapter out of my wordfile and into wattpad when my todler, happily sitting on my lap decided now was a good time to smash on my keyboard. Aaaaaaah......

I just about had a heart attack when my entire chapter disappeared. XD

Thank god I saved everything so here it is. I hope you all like this one! Comment, follow, vote! Let me know what you think.

Much love and of course Merry Christmas!

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A Dash of Water

Now my focus went to the island itself. I could of course already call for that boat but I probably wouldn't have much chance to explore this place again. Dev would be doubly vigilant to keep me away from here and I could imagine Matt actually physically stopping me should he catch me getting onto a boat headed for Sharkfell. I pursed my lips, come to think of it, that wasn't so bad a thought... I wouldn't mind clashing with him again.

The island interior was beautiful and impressive. From a distance it was intimidating with its black rock shores and huge towering volcano. That volcano hadn't been active for 20.000 years but it still inspired awe to look at.

A little inward I found a stream that meandered back to the coast and up slope towards the volcano and I followed that for a while. It brought me to a small lake with beautiful rock formations and I had fun looking around for a while and collecting small shiny rocks in pretty colors.

I thought they might be gems but if so I didn't think they were very expensive ones, not enough reason to make an entire island off limits and then hide that you owned it. Especially seemed unlikely because if those gems were worth something they'd be mining them and from the foundation web page I knew nothing had happened on Sharkfell for several generations.

An hour later I still hadn't found a reason to make this island off limits although I had found the guesthouse Jamie had mentioned. It was clean as far as I could tell from peering into the windows and rustically furnished but hadn't seen real inhabitants in quite some time. It was large enough by my estimate to house maybe a dozen people.

I called the boating company and the guy there said in hushed tones that he'd meet me on the beach, wait there for ten minutes if I wasn't around and then leave again. He seemed a little more uncomfortable about picking me up and insisted on more money and when I told him I would otherwise be stranded on the island he groaned and said he'd be there.

That left me with forty-five more minutes until he got here and a ten minute walk back to the beach. So I climbed up on a rock formation beside the water to get a better view at the island over the top of the trees. With my pockets full of pebbles it made a funny noise when I jumped or walked. The view was great but it wasn't high enough to see the beach and I kinda wished I could get a view at it and possibly see the shadows of the many reefs.

One moment I was appreciating the view, the next my foot slipped and some ground gave way and I was sliding into a crack in the earth. Darkness closed in around me and I went slipping and sliding down a rocky tube. I screamed and it echoed when I hit the bottom but I'd landed in sand which had cushioned my fall.

It was completely dark and terrified, heart pounding, I spend a moment just listening, hearing the drip of water, the sliding sound of dirt rolling in through that tube behind me. Dirt I'd displaced myself. When I heard nothing else I assessed my own injuries but I thought I was okay, except for some small scrapes and bruises I hadn't actually hurt myself.

Fishing out my phone I turned it to flashlight mode and was greeted with the sight of a small round chamber with a low ceiling, loose dirt floor and little else. Infinitely relieved there was no sign of animals or bugs I investigated the crack through which I'd fallen down into the cave but it was steep, slippery and too high for me to climb back out of it.