Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 6: Pitch Black

Chapter 6: Pitch Black

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

The Princess rocked like a loose tooth. Then it popped as the ocean emptied into a giant whirlpool.

Commands were lost in the chaos. The crew tumbled. The bowsprit flipped vertical. The stern deck plunged into the sea. Waves unstrung the rigging. Spray soaked the sails. And Charybdis gulped, trying to swallow The Princess whole.

They were going to die. Oh shiver-their-timbers they were going to die. The Princess's fate could be condensed into one phrase.

Certain death.

Fortunately, those were two of Sinbad's favorite words.

"SHIT!" Sinbad repeated. Elated, he leapt across a wooden plank extended over the sea. Life-line taut, he bounced as the ship sliced through the whirlpool. "OH BABY! YESSSSSSSSSSS!"

"Captain Sinbad!" Tulio wrestled a loose line. Pirates darted behind him as he called through a cupped hand. "Captain! Remember the plan - "

The Princess careened. Sinbad laughed as waves spilled over the bulwark and battered his crew.

"They'll be dog-tired tonight!" Victoriously, Sinbad flourished is scimitar at the whirlpool. "RUBER! Full steam ahead!"

Yes. They had made it! Sinbad inhaled, drenching himself with the whirlpool's energy. Once again, they had found the magical whirlpool, Charybdis!

It was a small wonder. Finding Charybdis was a triumph unto itself. The whirlpool occupied icy waters just shy of the North Pole. Navigating the glaciers was safe as kissing a sabretooth-tiger (and just about as enjoyable).

Moreover, Charybdis was nearly impossible to find; its coordinates were garbage! Second star to the right until you hear the siren's song. What kind of directions were those? Unhelpful, that's for certain! The best a pirate could do was sail for the Wishing Star, listen for eerie singing, and pray that the whirlpool didn't open right under his keel.

Luckily, Sinbad had chased Charybdis for six years. And he was a pro. Still...

Sinabd grimaced. They almost didn't make it. For some reason, the North Pole was particularly inhospitable on this exploration. Orcas burrowed into the hull, icebergs trapped them in corners, and the wind howled over the siren's song.

Sinbad scanned for the moon. The face was full and bright tonight. And judging by its trajectory, Sinbad estimated the night was waning fast. The moon was approaching zenith height - it was almost midnight. In minutes it would be September twenty-second. The Autumnal Equinox would end. And the whirlpool would disappear - along with the mysteries inside.

Sinbad rose. He grinned defiantly at the wild waters.

Not on his watch. This time he was going to conquer Charybdis. This time, he was going to win.

"GENTLEMEN!" Sinbad turned on the plank. He tugged his life-line. "Gentlemen! This is it! This is the moment we've been waiting for! TULIO!"

Tulio gave a waterlogged glare. "Aye?"

Sinbad smiled. "What's the plan?!"

"Quickly!" Dimitri yelled, hauling Vlad upright. The ship crashed, knocking them into Drago and Rothbart. "Before we sink would be nice!"

Tulio clung to the mast. He was the brains of The Princess (which was a good indicator of the crew's intelligence), but he hated strategizing under stress. And riding a rickety ship across a gigantic whirlpool was pretty stressful.

"Okay!" Tulio panted. "Here it goes -Captain Sinbad jumps overboard tethered to a rope. While he explores the whirlpool we paddle for dear life!"

The ocean roared. Miguel called from the shrouds.

"And that's your plan is it?"

"Yup!" Tulio hollered. "That's pretty much it!"

Miguel beamed. "Well I like it! Captain Sinbad!" Miguel dodged a broken sheave block. "Good luck!"

Sinbad saluted. Balancing on the plank, he prepared to dive.

"Ruber!" Sinbad called as his life-line was extended. "Set full course against the current! Keep to the whirlpool's outskirts! If I'm not back in ten minutes - "

Sinbad jerked up a thumb. "Pull me out! Savvy?"

Ruber glowered from the helm.

"Transparently." he answered, turning the wheel.

Sinbad paused. Overcoming a sudden suspicion he peered at Ruber. Perhaps it was the perilous climate obscuring his vision, but Sinbad swore that Ruber had spoken with a curled lip.

But just at that time, the ship lurched. Sinbad stumbled off the plank. The rope buzzed over the bulwark, trailing behind him like a fishing line.

Sinbad whooped. Stomach in his mouth and adventure in his heart, he dropped into the whirlpool.

Smack. He belly-flopped, lost his breath, sunk -

- and was hurled into the mercy of the Charybdis.

It was terrifying.

Sinbad had traveled many estranged lands. He'd explored the most bizarre places, including a dragon's stomach, the edge of the world, and a girl's bathroom.

But nothing could have prepared him for Charybdis. The whirlpool was...

...creepy. Almost...disturbing.

Above the surface, the whirlpool had screamed. But underwater, the noise stopped. All Sinbad could hear was the singing. There were no words, just a voice. A voice singing long, beautiful vowels: Ah ah ahhh...ah ah ahhh...Ah ah ahhh...ah ah ahahahh...

It was the song of the siren. Sinbad had expected to be seduced by the song. And he had expected the voice of a woman. But he was surprised. The voice sounded like...a little girl. A clear, sunny little girl. And for some reason, that scared Sinbad even more.

But the siren's song was the least disconcerting.

The whirlpool was a monster. Whether it was from hubris or inexperience, Sinbad had underestimated its power. The force was suffocating. Lifeline cutting into his waist, Sinbad swung like a ball on a string. Water pressure increased by a thousand magnitudes as the current drove him down, down, down....

Sinbad kicked. Frantically he climbed the lifeline. Red scar burning across his palm, he squeezed the rope.

The heart of the whirlpool was pitch black. Pitch black.

And, it was...

"Moving?"

Sinbad stared. And clearly he saw. The center of the whirlpool, the place where water converged and air did not go, was moving. It was moving like a bag of black worms.

Something was down there. Something was trying to get out.

Sinbad grinned. Releasing the lifeline, he descended into the vortex.