Mirror Mirror

Chapter 17

“Hey! Lacey, what did you say these stones were for again?  Jarrod was holding the talisman in his left hand, and touching the stones with his right.  Stephen was lying down beside him and watching Lacey as she steered.

“Well, the blue one is for protection, the purple is for strength, and the green one is for immortality.  I think that’s the way it went, if I remember correctly.  Why?”

“Well, the blue ones kinda glowing.”

Stephen sat up and pulled the talisman gently from his hand.  Sure enough, the blue stone looked bright and glowed mysteriously in the dark.  A small flickering came from inside, but the light stayed on.  Lacey left the wheel and ran down.

“Well, what do you know?  It works!”  She exclaimed happily.

The moon was still low in the sky.  “I guess that was for our protection.”  Said Stephen as he looked at the big moon above him.  “I think we’re doin’ okay!”

The three of them looked out into the wide, open sea.  For miles ahead, there was nothing but water.  Each had their own idea of how things were going to be once they got back.  Lacey reached for Stephen’s hand, and clasped it, and with the other, she sought Jarrod’s. 

“We’ll get through this together.  Don’t worry.  We’ll make it.”  She said meaning every word.  They agreed with her.  They would definitely get through this thing together.  At that, they hugged each other.  Nobody would have made a better team, than these three.

They had left the docks just after three forty five, and now all of them were tired.  It was five a.m.  They decided to split some time between themselves, and try to get some rest while they still could.  Jarrod offered to take the first shift with Lacey, and Stephen reluctantly let him.

He was dog-tired.  He lay back down on the floor where he was a few minutes ago, and watched as Jarrod and Lacey made their way to the top.  His eyelids grew heavy.  He forced them to stay open, knowing where his dreams would take him.  Still, he knew he had to rest.  He tried to think about Lacey.  Meeting her was changing him in a way he could not describe.  He felt alive again after so many years.  She was different from Sarah in almost every way. 

She was different from him too.  He guessed that might have been the reason why he felt so attracted to her.  She was a welcome change to his dreary existence.  She had a family, friends, and a life of peace and tranquility.  All he had was Sarah.  Without her, his life would have fallen apart.  He owed her a lot.  He’d had a lot of heartache and misery, and every time he felt he could no longer go on, Sarah had pulled him out of it with her outrages demands.   And then he would start feeling as though she was the one who had suffered more, and complained less, and that now, he too should add his woes to the bandwagon of dismay, and let it ride away to another place, far away from him.  He thought about all the things they had done for each other, to wipe away the sadness they had been offered. 

“I guess this time too, we’ll work it out.  Just hang in there Sarah.  I’m on my way.”  That was the last thought he had, before drifting off into oblivion.

Lacey had been trying to keep up with Jarrod’s conversation.  Her mind was not in it though.  Her eyes kept drifting to where Stephen lay, and she kept wondering what drove him so hard.  Jarrod noticed he preoccupation and gently touched her shoulder. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  I was just wondering about Stephen.  How long have you known him Jarrod?”

“I’ve known him a long time.  We’ve only just become friends though.”  He said, shaking his head as he thought about it.  He was tired too, but he felt that Stephen needed the rest more than he did.  That guy wouldn’t stop until he got what he came for, but that was one of the reasons that had him sitting here on a boat in the middle of the ocean, instead of on a comfortable chair in front of his reliable laptop back home.