The Animator (Larry Stylinson)

CHAPTER FIVE - ON SHORE

As the sun set and darkness took over, they finally made it to the shore much to both of their relief and the boat pushed them up the sand and onto the beach and finally came to a stop.

They stepped unsurely out of the boat, their legs feeling rather numb and shaky as they tried to keep themselves upright. Once they'd looked around the shore to see they were alone, they sighed and turned to each other.

"Where do you think we are?" Niall asked him flopping down into the sand and Harry rolled his shoulders and reached into the boat to grab his bag. He sat down on the sand, flattened the map out, and looked around him. He found and then placed rocks on each corner of the map to stop it from rolling up again.

Niall moved onto his knees beside him and they both looked down at the map like it was going to show them exactly where they were and Harry tried to work it out with logic alone. It would have been much easier if he'd known exactly where they'd been when they set off.

"We're between Blackwell Market and Cunningham port I'd say," Harry said running his finger over the coast line he hoped they were near, if not at least they'd be able to work on a plan to get to the right town if they found the nearest town or village to them.

A thump sounded behind them and made them both look up from the map, suddenly afraid that Zaphiors men had followed them. However,  the noise had been made from the tea pot falling from the boat, it was upside down, it's little legs clutching at air as it wriggled in the sand. After releasing their held breaths they looked back down to the map and both frowned with concentration.

"We could be anywhere along this coast realistically," muttered Harry and Niall huffed unhappily. "We should make our way to the path here, it runs parallel along the coast and if we follow it, we can maybe catch a train from the next place we come to." Harry said running his finger along a track.

"Okay, but walking on land is not going to feel normal. I already feel peculiar not being out at sea." Niall said and he pushed himself up from the sand, brushing his hands off on his dirty trousers. Harry rolled up the map again, put it into his bag and stood up, putting his bag back onto his shoulder.

He made his way back to the boat and turned the tea pot the right way around. He agreed with Niall, he felt slightly dizzy upon being on land, he always had when they stopped and it usually took a while to readjust to the new terrain. They didn't have time to adjust though, they needed to get on with their journey and fast.

"Are you going to un-animate the boat?" Niall asked picking up his bag too, and looking through the boat to check they hadn't left anything.

"Don't know how," Harry told him looking down at his hand and then back to the boat which was very slowly shuffling away from them back towards the water. "The boat can go off and sail the seas if it wants."

"Of course it's going to do that," Niall sighed rolling his eyes and Harry moved further from the boat which dragged its way along the sand faster now and back the way it had come towards the sea. Ferdinand was running around behind it, obviously interested by the other object which was bought to life like him. "Come on, lets go this way."

He pointed up the dunes and Harry looked behind him at the sea and watched as the boat began to move through the water zigzagging its way playfully.

"Thanks," Harry called out to it hearing Niall sigh behind him.

"Does it actually have ears?" Niall asked curiously, "Or do you think it can like telepathically just hear you?"

"I've no idea." Harry shrugged, his eyebrows drawing together as he took a moment to think Niall's answer over as he watched the boat rear in the water as it left. Harry then whistled to Ferdinand who was running to and from the waves as if wanting to follow the boat but was afraid of the water. Ferdinand looked over at them, or it seemed like he did and he jumped and ran up the beach to them as the next wave hit him.