cove of the dead

part 1 A watery grave

The van rattled along the icy ground, "There's a storm coming missy" said the driver in a uneasy tone "It will pass" said Jenner calmly. " l suppose you're here to examine the wrecks?" asked the driver, who had begun to shake. "How did you know?" "Why else would someone come to such a godforsaken place. Listen, once before I've driven someone to the same place for the same reason, and when I came to pick him up, he was half dead, driven mad by fear they say,he was" the van jolted to a halt, "Please Miss, don't, I beg you" but Jenner had closed the door and was gone.

Jenner looked around at her surroundings, the cliffs were steep and jagged and she could hear the waves pounding against the same rocks that in the past would have claimed many ship's and led many seamen to a watery grave. It was up to her to explore the wrecks, but it wouldn't be easy. The wind howled down from the surrounding mountains and a sea mist began to creep up the cliffs. There was a flash of lightning and the clouds burst, the rain began to pour in great torrents. Jenner blundered in the direction that she hoped the cottage was.

It was nearly dark when she finally arrived at here destination, exhausted, she stumbled through the open door. There were no lights in the cottage but after about a minute of stumbling around, her eyes finally adjusted and she could see the interior of the room, furniture was strewn upon the ground as if the last inhabitants had left in a hurry, cobwebs hung in every corner, the windows were shattered and broken and in the middle of the room was a pile of rubble where the roof had caved in."well this is just great, smashed windows and no roof, how am I meant to sleep?". eventually she found a dry spot in the corner of the room and rolled out her sleeping bag.

Jenner woke early the next morning with barely an hour of sleep, bags hung under here eyes but she pulled herself together, wriggled out of here sleeping bag and gathered her diving gear.

From the cliff top Jenner could see a rough route down to the water's edge. After half an hour of clambering, she'd finally made it. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the rocks. After a short break she slipped into her wetsuit and fins and pulled her mask on, but as her feet broke the water's surface there was an ear splitting roar and, out of nowhere came a gigantic wave that crashed onto the rocks where Jenner sat, pulling her into a swirling torrent of water. Jenner surfaced, spluttering and gasping for breath, she tried to swim to shore but was pulled back by something cold wrapped around her leg, she thrashed around, desperate to free herself from it's clasp, but it only tightened it's grip and pulled her under. Jenner, with all her remaining strength, tried to prize the thing off and found no eel or fish, but a hand, a very human hand. She gasped in horror, inhaling a mouthful of seawater. Down, down it dragged her,until she thought her lungs would explode, and then, it let go and, with the last of her energy she swam to the surface and powered to shore, she'd barely made it to the cliff top when another giant wave came crashing onto the rocks.

CHAPTER 2

Jenner couldn't sleep that night, what strange creature had grabbed her leg, could it, would it have killed her?

moonlight shone through the holes in the ceiling, it was cold very cold, ice crystals began to creep up the walls, Jenner shivered and snuggled into her sleeping bag.

A while later she was awoken by a strange sound, it was a beautiful sound but haunting, it came from somewhere out to sea. A long silence prevailed, until, after what seemed like an age, it started again, but louder this time it sounded like singing Jenner couldn't take it any longer, something was pulling her fate or destiny she did not know. she stood up, the folds of her sleeping bag crumpleing to the ground, she strode towards the door captivated by the singing.

frost covered the ground, the stars twinkled in the night sky, she could hear the waves softly lapping against the shore, it was low tide and the jagged mast of a ship wreck jutted out above the water, the full moon reflected on the calm water Jenner had reached the shore and stumbled across the rocks to the water's edge.