Ile de Mora

The water shimmered in the bright sun making the sea a vast mirror. I climbed the mast to a perch above the mail sail and scanned the endless ocean. Specks appeared off to my right. I unhooked my special glasses from my waistband hoping they would bring the speck closer.

Voila! The speck became an island with a central mound covered with trees and grass. The mound sloped to a wide white strip of sand. Could this be the Ile de Mora with the black X that I had seen on the map in the captain’s cabin? What did the X mean? Danger? Taboos? How could that be when it seemed deserted?

As I stared through my glasses, three figures emerged from the tangle of trees and bushes. I saw lean muscular bodies wrapped in loin cloths. Long dark hair floated around their heads. Their smiles enticed me. No eyepatches! No knives! No guns! I wrapped an arm around the mast and leaned toward them as if this would give me a better view. Were these the Bog Tempters we had been warned about?

Through my glasses, I looked into eyes that bewitched me. One held a lyre. Could I hear the beguiling music or was it just in my head? One held out his arms, his hands beckoning me to come. The other waved a scroll, unrolling it to reveal what looked like a map. Could this be the treasure map? I wanted to leap from the boat and swim to their shore.

I watched, more entranced, more attracted, more captivated. These handsome creatures couldn’t be the awful Bog Tempters. I stayed on my perch, unaware of time passing, unable to remove my glasses, lyrical music calling to me.

A bell clanged calling everyone to the evening meal. My hands stayed on the mast. I was unable to remove my glasses; I couldn’t break the spell. I didn’t want to break the spell. Darkness fell and the visions faded. I tore off my glasses. The music stopped. I sighed, seeing nothing in the black expanse of ocean. I descended the rope ladder rung by rung.

Would my shipmates believe my tale about a magical ile?