Love At Sea: De La en Glässer

The brave Frank Elton

"We be here." Cockerell spoke for the first time since they started the journey and their brutally killing arguments. "Where here?" Macmillan shoved her head back under his arm. "Keep your head down damnit. I want you whole not headless!" "Jus' beyond those trees be the ship restin' quietly in the dark." Frank Elton steeped out from behind the trail of tall people. "Interesting and perplexing that they chose the area inhabited by cannibals. Look there." Even though it was dark, one could see the various skulls of dead animals littering the grounds. "Animals do not dare step claw in this area." Just a little distance from them was a low burning fire and raised voices. "I doubt they have been here long." John pointed out as a matter of fact. "At it boy, you are getting used to the whole theft thing. Now if you could only devise a way of getting past the maneaters and stealing the ship, you would be a charm."

"I question such possibility. There is a big reason they are the most feared tribe in the island. Nothing gets past them without going unnoticed." "Theobald and his men have surely been noticed. I mean who could miss the screams and angry insults?" And terribly pale red faces, Bernadette wanted to comment but thought it better to shut it. "We can only follow the shadows of the trees and hope they are distracted enough not to notice us." The brave fifty-four-year-old priest took the lead and made himself as small as possible keeping to the only place he thought was safe: the ground.

"Whatever happens stick with me. Do not scream. Do not shout and when I tell you to run, you run." She could not see his face, but she could feel his emotions. "I am not willing to lose you anymore. I want you in front of me." Bernadette swallowed and bit on her lower lip to keep from crying. The crawl was painful, and her injured leg felt strained the most. Macmillan's comforting hand touched her every now and then encouraging her to move forward and to keep up the pace. They were almost out of the hell whole territory. She could feel the fresh smell of clean sea air and not the stench of dried blood and carcass.

An arrow of small size passed through the air and landed on one of the men behind her. "Macmillan?" She called out in the darkness panicked. "I am fine, no one make a sound." But the smallest of sounds was made. "Do not move and do not say anything. The first arrow is none poisonous, the second is." Frank Elton said. He tried looking for the direction in which the arrow had come from, but it was hard to tell with the trees and grass. A giant of great stature walked into the field of decay and regrowth. So dark was he that he blended into the darkness. His large foot crushed the skull of what would have been a rabbit. He threw quick glances towards the area then grunted an utterly unintelligent sound before moving back into the shadows and overseeing the strange white men arguing. "I am so glad I am not them." Bernadette uttered with a breath. Macmillan could not resist and eye roll. "Get your butt moving." After a second thought she asked. "Who did it hit?" It took a while for the voice to reply. "It hit me sir, right on the butt cheek." John groaned out. "Do not worry, they do not waste good poison on a trial arrow."

They were a large distance away from the man and his hunting group of blood thirsty beasts but that still did not mean they were entirely safe. "Do you hear that?" It was a distinctive sound Roach used to make. A mimic alerting danger. "Shh, listen, pay very close attention and listen." The sound was repeated in fast yet short rapids of time. Each being softer than the other. "I know that sound." It came again and then again and for the final time- which sounded like a bird whose feather had just been plucked. "Get up and run."

Frank Elton could not care if his voice was heard or not, he was on his feet heading to towards the resting ship. "Do not look back but run." He shouted again. "Shit." Macmillan was up on his feet dragging an almost limp Bernadette. "Help. My legs feel paralysed." Cockerell placed a hand on the lad's shoulder. "I will help ye." "Oh, and did I forget to mention, the first arrow causes numbness, but only for a while, though if received on any important organs or veins then causes instant death." How had Frank Elton managed to speak without being out of breath was a puzzlement to Macmillan. The captain was panting like his balls were on fire and the woman on his arm was not making it any easier. "I cannot. Macmillan, please slow down." His heart rate picked up as he heard agonised screams of pain. "Macmillan."

Bernadette could feel her legs going numb and blood starting to pour from her stitched wound." We are almost there, just a little longer." But did they have time? They were being chased after by men with barely a bead to cover their bodies. They had to make it, Macmillan swore, they had to make it to the ship. At least Bernadette had to. He could feel it, he was slowly losing her. An arrow to the leg had him almost collapsing. His men were before him, and he still had quite some ground to cover. He could feel the instant effect of the small arrow and prayed he had received the one casing numbness.

Another set of unpleasant noise came from the opposite direction but not towards them. They run towards the men that chased after him and his crew. A group of people he knew so well with the old hug, Ahi An Ma, leaning on her crooked cane but still trying to keep up straight. He did not have time to thank her, but he did catch the smallest hint of a smile. "Macmillan?" Was he hallucinating already? Was the sky always this low to the ground. "Macmillan." Bernadette cry shouted. He had already tripped over his own feet twice. "Macmillan we are almost there, look a ladder." Cockerell and John were already overboard as well as the two extra sailors. Frank Elton was still at the bottom boots wet encouraging she and the captain on running faster.

"You go up first and I will follow behind, we do not want him falling." She looked at her leg. "I doubt that I can." "Bernadette, we might end up dead if you do not. A boat would have been the best option, but Cockerell is a bit busy up there." She nodded. "Macmillan?" He was seeing flying sheep. Literally flying sheep. "I do not think he is that conscious." The priest agreed. "He will be alright." "Okay." Bernadette climbed the first few steps. His heavy body was placed against her back and the belt was looped around them both. She groaned as she moved to the next step. "Mother, I do not want to eat that-" He was saying. "I am already big and strong." "You can do this Bernadette." She climbed the next step, and he became much easier with Frank supporting his weight from behind.

The deck was a scumble of confused sailors, a delighted sight she for once never thought would miss. She crawled her way to the railing and watched the happenings of the men below her. Ahi An Ma and her people were nowhere near, probably they had already returned home, or worse they had been killed. She decided on the former and not the latter. The ship had already begun sail and was moving at a fast pace away from the shore and the gruesome sight of dead pilling bodies. "Hey, stop! Stop it and wait for me! Stop!"

She looked back at the deck. All the men were present so who could have been calling out to them? She picked up a telescope and looked through. It was none other than Jonathan with an almost bushed in head. His pants were no doubt stained with freshly spilled blood and his prosthetic foot was long gone. She was a naughty girl after all, and one more sin would not hurt her list. She pulled out the shiny gun out from the bag that was still slang across Macmillan's body. As clueless as she was, she pointed its barrel towards the perverted man and fired. Magnified she watched as he fell face first into the water with a pool of blood following after. A group of men with terribly oversized- she thought of Macmillan's parts.

This was a strange comparison, she thought. A fascinating topic as a matter of fact and oh, they had balls the size of a- "Such amount of bloodshed will leave you with nightmares." A blush painted her cheeks pink. She had long forgotten about the killings and maneaters. "Yes yes. I will-" Her eyes involuntarily settled on Frank's parts. Nope, she scolded herself, she was not going to wonder about the different sizes men came in. A curious question, one she was most definitely going to ask when given the chance bugged her. Did women come in different shapes? She had never as a matter of fact ever thought about such a question, or even really observed her lady bits. She needed a mirror. "We need to get that cleaned and restitched and you need some rest." Macmillan was already being escorted down below to a room of a comfortable feather mattress. She took one last look at the distant island and its strange culture before it finally disappeared into the dark night.

Cont'd.