MYSTERY OF THE DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com These are the tales of the brave and foolish Souls that ventured into the treacherous dark Lemurian Waterways aboard the Mysterious Buccaneer Ship The Calabar Felonway as they search for the infamous Dead Man's Chest

Monday, June 19, 2006

The Conversation

Several days have passed since my adventure with the Bog Queen. I sat in a comfortable Adirondack chair at the stern of the Calabar, relaxing, sipping raspberry tea, and reading a scroll of Anita Marie’s tales of the Pacific Northwest.

Some crewmen were swabbing the deck, cleaning up after a sudden and violent storm the night before. I overheard one muttering something about “Neptune’s wrath”. Others spoke of strange sea creatures they had seen the night before.

The Captain had gone with L’Enchanteur and some other passengers to search for a golden key and another traveler was seen departing with the Phoenix who had dropped in to visit Matilda. I was content to sit out the rest of the voyage and read.

Thewomp! A large grayish brown mass swept in front of me and landed on the stern’s railing. After a flurry of flapping wings, a large pelican settled herself in front of me. She turned her long graceful neck around and peered at me with striking yellow eyes.

“Uh, hello!” I stammered. I had not expected a bird that large to suddenly appear. The pelican only stared at me. I was a bit taken aback. I had expected all the creatures of Lemuria to be sentient and articulate.

“Did L’Enchanteur send you?” I asked. The bird continued to eye me without expression.

“She’s probably wondering why I haven’t gone on any more adventures. Well, I’m pretty worn out from the last one. That really knocked me out.”

The pelican cocked its head and looked at the scroll I was holding.

“I bet you think I’m wasting too much time reading instead of writing. Hey, we’re supposed to be supportive of each other here and I’m just doing my part. It takes time to read everything. And who are you to comment otherwise?”

The bird arched its neck and began preening the feathers on her back.

“You know, I get this same stuff back in the Real World. ‘Lori, how come you’re watching so much TV. Lori, how’s that book coming? What? You haven’t finished it YET? Well, you have so much time in the evenings.’”

The pelican stopped preening. She squated and made a messy deposit on the deck.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “And I bet you think I’m all upset about THEM! Well, I’m not. I don’t need them to affirm my work. And you….. you just don’t know anything!”

The pelican finally turned around and glared at me. I scowled back at her, my arms and legs crossed, my foot tapping the deck in anger.

Several long, awkward moments of silence passed. I could hear the ship’s rigging banging and clanging.

“FINE!” I shouted. “I’ll show you! You want me to go on an adventure? Fine, I’ll go on an adventure!”

I jumped up from my chair and pitched my hat to one side. I struggled with the buckle on my belt. One of the crewman hanging from the mast shouted: “Take it off, honey!”

I pulled off my shirt and flung it away. A chorus of crewman erupted from the deck. “Owwww!” “Woo-hoo!”. “Way to go!” and a deafening refrain of wolf whistles followed after me as I ripped off the last bit of my outer clothing. I stood at the stern of the ship in my red lacy underwear, my head held high amidst the din.

I clambered up onto the railing and turned to the pelican, still sitting there. I had regained my composure somewhat and was a little ashamed at having hollered at L’Enchateur’s emissary. I said softly, “Thanks. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Then, with a great leap, I dove into the azure blue sea.


Lori Gloyd © June 19, 2006

4 Comments:

At 3:52 AM, Blogger Imogen Crest said...

Amazing!

 
At 7:19 AM, Blogger Vi Jones said...

Great story. You see, the pelican really is a totem.

Vi

 
At 6:43 PM, Blogger Believer said...

Oh, Lori this struck me so funny. Poor pelican probably just needed to rest his weary wings a bit--then again maybe it was your "muse" in disguise. lol

How'd ya enjoy the swim? Lots of Neptune's creatures and friends in Lemurian waters.

 
At 8:35 PM, Blogger Heather Blakey said...

Utterly joyous and Vi is right. That pelican is your totem. Listen to her often.

 

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