When Stars Fall

Chapter 10 - From The Belly Of The Beast

A pained whimper rolled over the pirate's brittle lips. Smee's narrow shoulders shuddered, and no clear thought wanted to be washed into his mind by the waves of fear.

The creature, meanwhile, pushed its massive body out of the water. A deep gurgling and rumbling sound came from its mouth, its tail flapped wildly, and again and again, it jerked its head from side to side. Its vast jaws snapped into the air as if it were fighting an invisible enemy. An awful sound was heard whenever the massive jaws hit each other as soon as the mouth opened and closed again. The crocodile roared and raged, twisting and turning.

It was that moment when the boatman understood that if he cared anything about his life, it would be a better time to take flight. Whatever was going on here - when the stars fell, and the crocodile escaped its waters, something could not be right!

Smee was gathering all his strength to rise from the water when the beast let out a booming roar. It went through the pirate's marrow, so angry and inhuman it sounded in his ears. Then an unearthly gurgling sound came from the fanged mouth. A massive gush of blood poured like spilled ink across the ivory-white beach. It stained the yellow teeth and greenish scale plates a dark red, over which the lights of the falling stars danced like flames.

Eyes wide, Smee watched the beast twist its glowing red eyes, its long, slippery tongue hanging out of its mouth, and finally slump. The wild throbbing in his chest continued even after the crocodile's rattling, and roaring had ceased. Blood flowed from the beast's nostrils and mouth, turning the white sand a ruby red. Only the sound of the waves and distant sounds of startled animals could be heard and ...

There it was again. His name?But that could not be.Had the crocodile called him?

Smee's legs were weak with fear, and they shook like aspen left when he ordered them to move. Very slowly, he put one foot in front of the other, and against all reason, he stepped closer to the beast. Cold, fearful sweat stood on his forehead and shone in the pale light of the night. The man's leathery brow furrowed deeply. Only a few more steps separated him from the massive creature, which was large enough to bite a dinghy in two easily.

The stench of seawater, fish, and reptile stung his nose, mixing sickeningly with rotting flesh, carcass, and the metallic hue of blood. Smee's face contorted in disgust; not even the wind managed to dispel this smell, and his bulbous nose wrinkled. Nausea forced its way down the sailor's throat. He wouldn't have been able to tell whether it came from fear or the stench. His heartbeat drummed in his ears. Smee's blood rushed along the waves, merging everything into a wild, chaotic sound. But in between all this confusion was something else.A sound in a rhythm that kept repeating itself evenly ...

Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack...

Smee was now so close to the monster that he could hear it. The ticking in the monster's belly came from the old alarm clock it once accidentally devoured as it sought to quench its thirst for human flesh. The sound sent an icy shiver down Smee's spine. 

"Is it ... dead?" the old sailor murmured as if anything or anyone could give him an answer.

Suddenly, a jolt went through the beast's body, making it tremble. Smee let out a hoarse scream, staggered back, and landed backward in the sand a second time.

Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack ...

The beast trembled. Again and again, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning. Something bulged outward on its flank like an outgrowth in the flesh, bursting the scales, then poking through the scale plates. A spike glinted in the moonlight, then a sickening smacking and tearing sound rang out. With repetitive motions, the shiny thing jerked through the beast's flank, pulling it open more and more, even as a sharpened blade sliced the taut sails of a ship to shreds. The horn scales cracked and groaned, ligaments, muscles, and flesh smacked with a sickening sound. Dark blood oozed from the body and flowed in streams over the scaly body. The dense mass and numerous puddles of blood and salt water formed quickly softened the sand beneath.