White Owl Island

by a.m. moscoso

” Hey, look Waldgrave, ” I said holding my journal over the railing of our now at drift Ferry Boat- at this point we were alone- even the ghosts were gone ” you can open  your ey- well, you can look now. The storm is gone and it looks just like an TV commercial for air freshener out there .” I say cheerfully as I  jiggle him from side to side.

” See that’s a shoreline, we’re going to make it to land.”

” Aren’t you even faintly curious as to what that storm was that we passed through to get to this ‘air freshener commerical scene ‘ of yours? ” Waldgrave asks.

” Nope.”

” And why not.”

” I don’t want to think about clouds that eat dead people. That’s why. “

” What on Earth would make you say think of such a thing. Honestly. Clouds that eat dead people.”

I pull Waldgrave back over the railing and start to tap him against my forehead, ” gee, I don’t know what would make me think of such a thing…let me think. Oh. I know YOU would.”

” I am so tired of you blaming every single one of your juvenile thoughts on me. “

” Oh fine Mr Muse. I’ll only give you credit for the mature thoughts. Yeah. You can have credit for all two of those.

But from the generosity of my heart I’ll give you a third one-   Those Ghost People came apart at the seams You saw it for yourself - it looked like something was tearing them into bite sized morsels.”

“Bite sized morsels” Waldgrave sobbed in frustration, “ Can you consider- just think about it for just one minute- maybe that storm was a half way point to somewhere else, maybe those ghost people were simply moving from one reality to another and it just looked strange to us because we’ve never seen that happening before.”

” Nah. If that’s what moving from one Reality to another is all about our world would be chock full of ghosts because no way would they go through that . Plus, I think something ate them because they were screaming ‘ oh god no, no, no arrrgghhh ’. I’m pretty sure something very wrong was happening there.”

” I think something very wrong is happening here to, ” Waldgrave tells me, ” Because the engines have just started back up again.”

It was true.

And now we were moving away from the shoreline and back out to storm that had teeth and ate ghosts.

” I guess we’re just going to go back and forth…”Waldgrave started to say

” Unless we die and then of course, you know. It’s chomp chomp time.” I add.

” Anita Marie.”

” Yeah. ” I said as  the ferry came to a dead stop and then slowly began to move away from the shore” I’m trying to inspire you to do something. “

” It’s not working. “

” I thought as much. “

I walked away from the railing and towards the stairs and I told Waldgrave as I reached for the door, ” I think if we don’t figure out what’s running this ship it doesn’t matter where we go, does it? It wants to take us back to where the ghost people died again. I think that’s what it does. I think this Ferry is a trap Waldgrave. ”

” I’m really hoping that you are wrong about that.”

” But there’s a plus side. “

” I would love, just love to hear this. Tell me. What is the plus side to our very sad and dire situation.”

I try to think fast. ” Well. If something is on this boat with us, and the clouds didn’t eat it then that thing must be alive just like us.”

” You’re making that up. You don’t believe that at all. You know what? Let’s just jump and swim for shore because I do not like what you’re thinking right now.”

I put Waldgrave back into my jacket and zip it up. Then I reach for the fire ax that’s hanging on the wall in a glass case  ( what kind of idiot puts something you need in a hurry in a glass case? Geeze!) and we walk up- up the steps to the bridge to meet a Ghost Killer.

 

We saw her, standing where a Captain should stand and she was looking out towards the place where the storm was and she never turned around. Not even when I buried the Fire Ax’s head into her back. She just laughed and Waldgrave groaned ( big surprise ) ’Oh no.’ 

“Did you really think that would stop me? ” she said.

” No. I just wanted to distract you. “

” From what? “

“From when I did this ” I said as I reached around and grabbed her chin and  her forehead and  then twisted.

It died.

Right there at my feet with it’s head turned all the way around to it’s back and barnacle encrusted face and milky blue eyes tearing their way into mine.

And all I could think of were McDonald’s Happy Meals and those little toys you get for free. I wondered if I would ever buy a Happy Meal again, I hoped so.

” What, what was that? ” Waldgrave whispered.

” Sea Witch.”

” How- how did you know-”

” You know why I call you Waldgrave Playfair? “

“Because it’s a ridiculous sounding name.”

“Well. It is, but a long time ago, when I was kid there was a real Waldgrave. He was my best friend and we used to go down to the Pier and buy stuff, you know Salt Water Taffy, comics. Stuff like that Anyway Waldgrave could really be slow off the mark and whenver we did stuff I’d cheat to win and he’d  always say, ” Can’t you ever  play fair Anita Marie? 

Well. One day we’re there buying stuff and I turn around and Waldgrave is gone so I go looking for him so I go down to the beach. I mean, I think I went down there, because I thought I heard him. Screaming.  When I get down there  I can see this woman  and she’s on her knees and the tide is coming in and the water goes around her, but it won’t touch her and…and she’s holding Waldgraves face down in the sand. She’s drowning him on dry land. I didn’t think you could drown a person on dry land. But you can. You really can.

So by the time I get down there, Waldgrave is gone and I see her face. They all look like that.” I say as I tap my toe against her greenish white cheek.

” I’m sorry .”

“ That’s very kind of you Waldgrave.  It’ must be rough for those Witch things to go through life looking like a Monkey’s butt. Now-” I pull the ax out of  The Sea Witch’s back  and raise the ax over my head.

” Do you have to do that? “

” Yep.”

” Why? “

” It makes me feel better.”

 

“

We started to drift to shore again and as we did I kicked Witch parts off the deck and when they hit the water, the water bubbled and hissed and the Witch Parts burned away in the Sea Foam.

Waldgrave and I aren’t speaking- again. I think he’s mad because he was being serious and I made the Monkey Butt comment. Who knows. He’s fickled if you ask me.

” Must you.” He says to, I don’t know- himself.

” I wonder why that happens.” I say to myself -kind of loud so as to drown out Waldgrave’s conversation.

” I wonder why you care.” Waldgrave continues on with his own very loud conversation

And as we continue to talk to ourselves the Ferry stops it’s sideways trip to the shore and there, close enough to walk to is land.

That really is great until the Ferry Starts to lean to the left and this woman in a big floppy hat starts to scream at us from the beach, ” I don’t know who you people are, but turn that thing around and go…this instant!”

” Huh? ” I yell ” I can’t hear you. The sound of our Ferry Sinking is drowning out the sound of your very annoying voice!”

Wow.

That was fun and I’m inspired ( thank you Waldgrave ) so I’m about to yell more stuff when I accidently kicked the Witch’s head overboard ( yes it was an accident ) and it makes this sloosh sound and the water foams up and turns black and the ooze starts to drift towards the woman on the beach.

” That was totally uncalled for! I mean it now. Turn that thing around and just..scoot. I mean it. The both of you.”

I put my hand against my chest and I can feel Waldgrave, but hey- I can’t see him and apparently this woman can. I’m not sure I like that idea.

Not one little bit.

” You. Old Lady! Quit staring at my chest. It’s giving me the creeps!” I called down to her.

I wished I could have gone on all day with the insult festival I was attending because after all we had just been through I needed a good laugh- but slow as our trip to shore was the Ferry keeled over that much faster and before we knew it me and Waldgrave were on White Owl Island

Pre-Adventure Fun:

The Walnut Incident

can be found

HERE