Saving Peter

Chapter 34: Wendy

I knew I had to find a way to get to Skull Rock. And that wouldn't be easy. So I have been walking up and down the beach thinking of how I would manage to get there for hours. I debate whether I stand a chance of swimming there when I spy something in the corner of my eye. I make my way over there and discover that it is a small row boat that has been tucked away. I don't really know why it's here. Maybe it's a gift from he island itself. Maybe one of them left it there. I don't really care, all that matters is that it is here and I and use it. I push it into the shallow waters and climb inside, starting to row towards Skull Rock. 

The thought of rowing out there is not exactly appealing. But I'm in the home stretch now. My goal is finally in sight. Besides, it's not like I can just ask someone else to help me. They have all abandoned me. But I can manage this on my own. I don't need any of them. I never did. How hard can it be? It's just rowing a little boat after all. 

It's not an easy trip. Much harder than I originally thought it would be. I fight against the water, getting splashed whenever the water gets rough. I get annoyed and curse as I row, this is not something I wanted to do. This type of manual labor is not something I am used to, nor is it something I want to get used to. I do my best to avoid the rocks, the last thing I need is to crash into some of the rocks and my boat to sink, which would force me to have to swim for it. After seeing what the waters here are like, I'm glad I didn't try to swim out here. I'm not that strong of a swimmer to be able to handle these rougher waters. 

It feels like I've been doing this for hours. my arms are getting tired. But I push through. I finally manage to safely maneuver my way to the entrance and tie up the boat. I walk into the large cavern that takes up most of the space. All along the walls there are symbols and writing carved into the walls. If I wasn't so focused on my goal, I might take time to take a moment to admire the craftsmanship and detail of it all. But at the moment, it doesn't mean a thing to me except that it could hold important information. I will just have to explore that afterwards. After all, after I accomplish this, I will have all the time in the world to work that out. 

I walk around the entire cavern and start to look over everything carefully. If I can decipher the riddles of the map then I can figure this out. Okay, maybe I didn't exactly solve the riddles on the map. I suspect those riddles don't actually have a solution anyway. This can't possible be any harder than that, can it? It seems doable at the very least. 

I get to work, I should at least see if there are instructions here. There's nothing in any of the stories on how to accomplish this. And there was nothing on the map that sounded like instructions for this. So this has to be where the directions are. I can't afford to make any mistakes. There won't be any second chances. This is a make or break moment. A once in a lifetime opportunity. 

It is slow work but I know it will be worth it in the end. A feeling of satisfaction fills me and only grows with each section I translate. How I am able to work this out so quickly is a mystery to me. I don't really care about that. I plow onwards in my work, determined to get what I want with my goal so close within my reach. 

A tiny part of me is a little annoyed at how long it is taking me to figure this out. I don't think time is a luxury I have anymore. I need to be quick now. I need to be ready. That barbarian of a pirate has made it clear that she is intent on keeping me from my goal. I do have one thing on my side though. The rocks and rough waters that surround Skull Rock should provide me with a few extra minutes. Right? Or maybe not. She is a pirate after all. She was raised on the sea. She would know how to navigate those kinds of obstacles. This knowledge spurs me onwards, encouraging me to be as quick as I intend to be thorough. 

A grin spreads on my face as I finish deciphering the instructions for what I need to do. I turn away from the walls, not bothering to read the rest of it. It's not important anyway. I have the important part. What else could be written there that could be of any use to me? I carefully start following the instructions, using the materials that are in the cavern that I overlooked earlier. I'm not entirely sure how I missed them before. That doesn't matter though. I use them just as the instructions stated. 

I check and double check every step as I go along. I know that this is important. I start the process and almost immediately I can feel myself getting more powerful. This was all worth it. This was worth everything. Now all that I have to do is wait for the process to complete. Nothing can stop me now. I can feel the magic of the island filling me up and my power growing with every second. It is everything I was expecting it to be. And so much more. 

I've finally done it. I will have immortality. And there's nothing any of them can do to stop it now. I've won.