The Village in the Sea

Chapter 2

(super awesome cover above made by @Toucan1022 )

Chapter 2

Victoria woke up to the sound of waves crashing and her falling off of the small bed. She slowly got up, feeling the house shake beneath her feet.

Panic swept through her body as she thought of the sinking cruise. Screams rang in her ears and they wouldn't go away, even when she covered her ears.

It's not real, it can't be real.

This isn't happening.

She calmed herself, sitting on the bed and taking deep breaths. But the house shook even worse and she started hyperventilating again.

Victoria wasn't in the house anymore.

No, she was back in the boat, surrounded by people and the sea. The waves were as loud as the screams and she was hanging over the railing again.

Stop, stop, stop.

It took her several minutes to realize that the screams weren't only in her head, she was yelling, too.

She slowly got up and walked to the wooden door across the room.

Fresh air.

Only, when Victoria opened the door she stood outside on a wooden porch that was built slightly above the sea. There were several other houses near her, each on wooden poles that were sticking out of the ocean water. Small boats were attached to each house like a car would be in a driveway. The sun was just beginning to rise, but there were still a couple of old fashioned lamps sitting inside the houses.

But Victoria didn't see any of that. All she saw was the sea and waves at least five feet tall.

Another wave smashed into the hause, sending salt water splashing onto her feet. Victoria slammed the door, fresh air not having helped her at all. Mrs. Locke rushed in, holding a candle to provide a little more light.

"What's wrong?"

"Ocean. Water. Not land," panted Victoria. She wasn't sure if the water on her face was from the sea or if she'd been crying, but either way she hastily wiped it on her arm.

The women looked apologetic and said, "Ah, yes, that. I was going to warn you about that, but considering you were probably so traumatized I thought you should rest. There is alot of other things I should tell you, if you're willing to hear them."

"If it's anything as important as not saying you live in a village where we live basically in the ocean, than yes. I'd like to hear," said Victoria. She was sitting back down on her bed and trying to slow her heart beat.

"Alright, well, I may as well start at the beginning. As a warning in advanced, whatever I say I have heard from somone else, but I have also tested it and seen it was true."

That scared Victoria, what could Mrs. Locke possibly say that she wouldn't believe?

"We live in a town that us locals call Adhaesit. Yes, like ad-hey-sit. I don't know what it means anymore than you do. I'm assuming you already have figured out that we don't live on land, but twenty years ago when I first came here there was an actual island. There were small farms and we had plenty of food. But, the ocean started slowly rising, killing all of our crops. We were forced to destroy our houses and build them on tall stilts, as so the water wouldn't reach our house. After the trees died, we scavenged them for sturdy wood and made boats to get around in." Another wave shook the house. "Also, don't worry about this house. It hasn't fallen down in the 10 years I've lived in it and I suspect it won't fall down now."

"Now," she continued. "You're probably wondering why we still are here. Why not just take a boat back to the nearest island? I used to always wonder that when I first arrived. This is the part that you will probably think me insane for. Once you entered my house, a curse was layed on you so that you would never be able to leave the triangle. The spell was layed on every house in the village, and we don't know why."

Victoria interrupted Mrs. Locke,"What triangle are you talking about?"

"Why, the Bermuda Triangle of course. We are forever stuck inside, and after the revolt several years ago the curse expanded to us never being able to step foot on land again. I've tried, it's like an invisible wall between us and the real world."

"Okay, so assuming the curse is real, who placed it on us? Curses don't tend to randomly appear."

"The Mayor. We never see much of him, but some people say he's a sorcerer. Others say he wanted complete control over people. I don't quite know what to think of him, but I don't think I ever want to meet him."

"So, you've actually tested this theory of a curse? This isn't a hoax or superstition?" asked Victoria.

"I've tried escaping, the whole lot of us did. We couldn't."

And, although she had only know Mrs. Locke for a day and had every reason to see her insane, Victoria believed her.