Circle Sea 1: The Pirate Maze

Chapter Twelve: Twilight Encounter

The sun was setting as Jim set off again along the village road. The shadows of twisted trees and uneven buildings cast dark shapes across the path. He had walked down to the harbour at night and everything had been quiet and peaceful. During the day the village had been filled with life. As dusk cast its gentle fingers over the island, the atmosphere was changing and becoming somewhat mysterious and, for Jim at least, a little more interesting.

The Hubbards lived in a small cottage set back from the road in a space created by a curve in the rocks. It was a single-storey building with a thatched roof and two smoking chimneys surrounded by a low wooden fence. Jim knocked on the door and stepped back to wait for an answer.

Mr Hubbard pulled back the door slowly and peered out at him with his old and twisted face. His back was bent over and he leant on an ancient wooden stick.

‘Ah, Jack,’ muttered the old man happily. ‘You’ve brought me blue shirt. What was it your mother wanted for it again?’

‘It’s Jim sir,’ he replied as he handed over the garment and made sure that the right coins had changed hands.

‘Now don’t you be goin’ and getin’ in trouble again young man. You’ll end up in a bad place you know.’

‘Yes sir,’ said Jim. it was something that the man often said to him, just as he often forgot his name. He was pretty sure that old Mr Hubbard couldn’t possibly have heard about the previous night’s adventure. His memory was so bad anyway that he would already have forgotten about it if he had.

‘Good night, Mr Hubbard,’ Jim shouted out as he turned and left the little garden and closed the rickety old gate behind him.

‘Good night, Jack,’ the old man shouted back before he pulled the door shut behind him.

Back on the path, Jim looked again at the book Odd Eric had given him. It was old, and the pages were crinkled and stained. It had undoubtedly spent time in the water but had been dried out carefully. Some of the pages were completely ruined, or missing altogether, but it seemed to be in fairly good condition.

It was now too dark for him to be able to read it, but he flicked through the pages enjoying the feel of the paper against his thumb. Books were precious, and very few people had more than one or two. Most families had an old bible of course, in which they would write out their family history. As the schoolmaster, Darnell had more books than most, and needed them for his students. Jim was looking forward to having another more or less complete book to read in class.

By the time he had reached the schoolhouse the sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon and the village was consumed within the shadow of the cliffs. The moon was rising above the distant water and Jim could see its light reflected on gently rippling waves far down below him.

The schoolhouse stood at a bend in the road and there was nothing on the other side but a curving stone wall overlooking the water beneath. The road was wider at this point which created a large open area where the children usually played.

Jim was about to step out from beneath an overhanging doorway when he noticed two shadowy figures approaching. He would not normally have worried about meeting people on the road but some instinct told him to watch out.

He ducked back behind a supporting wall and watched.

He had already recognised the distinct shape of Captain Mercy and his feline companion, Meg. There were moving quietly and watchfully through the darkest shadows, and Jim was fairly sure that they were up to something. There was a certain shiftiness in their movements which immediately raised his suspicions.

They approached the door of the schoolhouse and the Captain knocked on the wood with the brass end of his stick.

The two sailors stood back and waited.