Lost

Chapter 10

For a long time, I stared, minutes passing, as if my brain was trying to comprehend just how many people had died. But then again, time was standing still so it didn't really matter. How can there be time but no time? If I had stayed down there forever, would I have stayed young forever?

My brain hurts.

Anyway, when I finally brought myself back to reality, I checked the crumpled clue again.

'Find the pit of a thousand lost souls Take the treasure which shows you the way
Follow the path of the untold
There is naught that you should say
At half past three, here the silence shall strike
Avenge me, the lost Amelia Earhart, with all your might'

I squinted at the words. 'The pit of a thousand lost souls must be where I am now.' I thought to myself, 'so I have to find the treasure which shows me the way.'

I picked my way through the wreckage, my eyes trained for some sort of treasure. Something...shiny? I wondered why I could remember facts about the Titanic and Amelia Earhart, but I couldn't remember my own life. At any rate, it was convenient. I found myself at the start of the room were the large bed sat, it's silky canopy fluttering in an unknown breeze. I reached out to touch what looked like a tantalizingly soft red comforter, only to feel something...slimy. From where I touched it, gross blackness spread until the whole thing was moldy and wet, the wood smashed and the canopy hanging in shreds. I ran about, touching all the furniture that wasn't broken. The same thing happened. It turned into a decaying pile of brokenness. I stood there for a second, trying to comprehend what was happening. The Titanic was found at the bottom of the sea. It wasn't truly lost. Lots of the beautiful furniture had been carried up and restored. Put in museums for people to see. So...the things in that room weren't truly lost. But they were broken. So are all broken things lost? I turned that thought over I my mind. The things in that room were...unfixable. But broken isn't the same thing as unfixable. So...all unfixable things are lost. At least, that's how it worked out in my mind. Still looking for the 'treasure which shows you the way' I combed through the debris. I examined rusty necklaces and smashed china plates, crushed and waterlogged roses, their petals scattering the floor in a mournful array. My fingers traced the names which adorned the walls, mementoes of long forgotten lives. I imagined the captain of the Titanic, so proud of his glorious ship, watching it tip up, up, up, and then crash down to the bottom of the sea, never to return to its former beauty.

And then I saw it.

The skeletal hand poking out of the broken debris. As I cleared away the broken remains of the RMS Titanic, I became more and more horrified. It was another skeleton, clothed in a stained white uniform, a captain's cap fallen off of his bony head. The brass pin on his chest read:

"Captain Edward John Smith"

It was the unfortunate captain of the Titanic, lost among the shreds of his broken dreams. In what remained of his hand, he clasped a compass. It was the only thing that didn't seem damaged. It was like it was truly lost. The red needle pointed dutifully north.

'Take the treasure which shows you the way'

I grabbed the compass out of Captain Edward John Smith's dead clutches. Suddenly afraid that the pit of a thousand lost souls would disappear, I raced to the exit. With one last glance thrown over my shoulder at the hundreds of names, I stumbled up the stone steps and back out into the dark night.

There were my friends, all peacefully sleeping around the dying fire. Their faces were still and the immense silence still invaded my thoughts. For a moment I panicked, wondering if time would be frozen forever. But then, like someone sighing after holding their breath for a long time, the breeze blew and the trees rustled. The scuds of clouds drifted over the moon, expelling the dreamy light. My friends continued breathing, their faint snores blending with the chirping of the crickets. I crept over to Isaac and checked his watch.

3:31

I smiled and shoved the compass into my pocket along with the clue. Then, I tip-toed into the space between Irene and Alex. As I lay down, Irene's head found its place on my shoulder and Alex flung her arm over me in her sleep. Feeling finally at peace, I fell asleep between my two friends.

Morning comes far too early when you sleep outside. We all learned that the hard way. The sun woke us at six in the morning. Everyone grumbled rubbing their eyes and complaining.

"We didn't make it to half past three last night." Alex groused, her hair sticking up all over the place.

"I did." I said quietly.

"Well what happened?" Will asked, almost accusingly, and everyone turned their attention on me.

I was afraid of this. I fought the blush that was spreading across my face and reached into my pocket to pull out the compass. Everyone gathered around, staring at it as I explained what had happened. The more I told them of the unfixable furniture from the Titanic and the skeleton of Captain Smith, the more unreal it sounded. But it had happened. I was sure of it. How else had I woken up with a compass in my pocket?

"It points west," Isaac suddenly stated, staring at the sky and then back at the compass in my palm, "it's broken."

"Not necessarily. The clue says 'take the treasure which shows you the way' so the compass isn't pointing north. It's pointing towards wherever we need to go next!" I exclaimed, suddenly aware of how important this compass was.

Everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes shining. It was exciting figuring out what Earhart meant in her small poem. But the excitement quickly faded to confusion and then terror as deep growls filled the air.

"It's the monsters!" Irene screamed.

I managed a garbled, "run!" But no one needed to be told twice.

We tore into the jungle, heading for the camp to warn everyone. The sounds of the monsters surrounded me. Their hot breath was on the back of my neck. Their deep roars filled my ears. Their stamping footsteps urged me on. I knew that if one of them caught me, I would be torn to shreds. I wanted to turn my head. To look at them. To see what I was so terrified of. But I was afraid I would trip and fall if I looked over my shoulder. If I fell, the monsters would get me and I would be done for.

And so I ran.

I ran harder than I ever had before.

And I cursed myself for endangering the only people in my life. I had only met them less than a week ago but if one of them died, I'd never be able to forgive myself.