Black Sea

Chapter 9

I watched as the woman paced back and forth, her blonde hair was tied back tightly behind her head; she wore black leather pants and a leather sleeveless shirt. Her coat, also leather was thrown carelessly over what had been a dining table but now was cluttered with all manner of electronic devices whose parts were scattered across its surface.

She turned to the man seated on what had been the bandstand; he too was dressed all in black leather. The woman waved her arms and moved her hands about as she spoke while the man sat quietly.

She stopped talking and then began pacing once more. I looked around the room and I remember being here, it was beautifully decorated, with aqua colored carpet with yellow stripes  running across it that reminded me of waves  . Chandeliers ran down the middle of the ceiling and hundreds of smaller lights covered the rest of the dark green ceiling resembling stars.

But now, it looked like a bunker in a war zone. Gone were the fancy trappings replaced by rust and the smell of dampness and fish. My hands are tight behind my back tied to a steel pole in the floor and I am unable to move from my position and I have a splitting headache.

The woman turned toward me and then began walking in my direction, the man she had been talking to remained where he was. When she got closer she pulled a pistol and then placed it against my head.

Now this is an odd thing to do to someone who is already dead; can she kill me again?

"Who are you?" She said sternly.

"Will it help you if you know my name? If so I am Roger Littleton.

"I'm don't want your name, you know what I'm talking about, why are you here; now?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, you see I am dead or I am insane and none of this is real, you're not real and neither is he and neither is this ship."

"Where did you come from?" She continued.

"I already told you, I came out of a raft that was floating in the ocean, I was on a ship that sunk and the ship was the Caribbean Star; this ship.

"You know that's impossible because we're onboard right now." She said anxiously.

"Do I, as far as I'm concerned it is quite possible and quite plausible because I watched her sink beneath the waves, I have no idea or explanation for what is going on right now, how this boat is above water, I have no clue who you are or how you got here or what you are doing here. As for me my body is floating in a raft out there and this is some kind of out of body, spiritual journey possibly ending in my entrance into hell.

"Show him," the man finally spoke.

"What?" The woman protested. "We can't."

"Show him!" The man shouted.

The woman reluctantly untied me and jerked me to my feet which made the pounding in my head all the worse.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Shut up and walk," the woman said brusquely.

She pointed her weapon at me again. "Well what are you waiting for; let's go," she said.

I decided that it was in my best interest that I do as she said because she looked like she would not hesitate to use the gun on me. I turned and began walking all the while she was giving me directions from behind.

"Turn right," she said. "Forward and then left, straight ahead see that light."

And indeed I did see a light ahead, seemingly quite bright, bluish white in hue and it seemed to be spinning. And then, I was startled by what seemed like hands touching my legs, reaching up and then touching my hands; cold and clammy hands.

I was startled and reeled back in horror but the woman pushed me ahead with the business end of her pistol. As we inched closer to the light I could begin to see what was laying hand upon me.

Lined up on either side of me were small creatures none over two feet in height, their faces more fish like than human. Their color in the bluish arc of light seemed to be a pale white and their eyes like glass marbles were attached to the sides of their heads with whisker like appendages extending from their mouths , gill like organs on the neck of the beings moved in and out like flaps as they breathed and their human-like hands were webbed.

They bowed as I passed and their hands reached out to touch me as if they were reaching to touch their king, their murmurings were unintelligible as they clambered for a position to run their hands along my legs.

I was at once repulsed and fascinated at the scene that befell me and forgot about the woman behind me until once again she poked me with the gun. I moved forward through the throng of beings all the while the bluish-white light bathed the fantastic scene before me.

The woman stopped me before I entered the lighted room and she stepped up beside me. She looked down at the creatures surrounding us and the looked me in the eyes before turning her attention to the room.

She did not move for a moment as the creatures round about us pushed and shoved  for position. At once the creatures ceased the muttering and stood still as the woman reached out her hand and pointed, my gaze followed and I shielded my eyes from the blazing light and then I saw what she wished for me to see.

"Impossible!" I shouted.

The creatures raised their hands above their catfish heads and a collective sound emanated from them.

"Impossible!"