Ocean Vibes
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The captain had been right, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was warm and the air clear as they sailed past the edge of the horizon and into the first rays of sunlight. They were out in deep water now, with nothing to block their view but the vastness of the ocean around them.
There wasn’t much wind today, which made for easy sailing; however, that also meant no sails being used, so it was a silent ride across the waves. The only noise was the steady thud of the oars hitting the sides of the boat’s hull.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this,” said Tashia, her voice hushed as she looked up at the vast expanse of blue sky above them.
“It is truly breathtaking.” Ainsley turned his head slightly to look back toward the island, where the sun still peeked over its horizon. “We should get some rest while we can.” He smiled, then looked forward again and began walking toward the stern.
Tashia followed him, not saying another word until he sat down on one of the benches. Then she did the same.
A few minutes later, the captain joined them, taking his own seat. “Are you sure about this?” asked Ainsley, looking toward the bow.
“Yes,” replied Captain Kermadec. “The coast is just ahead and the tide is rising, which means our destination will be close by soon.” He leaned his elbow against the side of the bench next to Ainsley and sighed. “So far, I have never regretted my decision to come here, but there are days when I wonder if I am making a mistake.”
“Why do you ask me?” asked Ainsley. “You know I’m no navigator or seaman.”
Captain Kermadec laughed softly, then continued. “That isn’t what I mean. It’s because your mother was always such an amazing woman, and though she didn’t tell me how she came to be here, I would guess that she found herself stranded here somehow.
Perhaps she fell overboard from a shipwreck? Maybe she was caught in a storm? Whatever it may be, she was obviously drawn to this place—as many others have been—and I think that must be why I feel connected to it.” He paused and shook his head.
“But, regardless, I understand how difficult it could be to leave behind everything you love, especially when it seems like there might be hope elsewhere. You’re fortunate to have someone who loves you enough to want to stay here, even if it is simply because you wanted to.”
Ainsley nodded and tried to smile, though he couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes.
Captain Kermadec patted Ainsley’s shoulder. “As long as you keep moving forward, I believe you’ll find the answers you seek. That’s all any of us really need anyway, isn’t it?”
Ainsley stood up and walked away from the stern to stand beside Tashia. Together, they watched the sea.
A little after noon, they spotted land in the distance. As the captain steered the boat closer, they saw a large rock sticking straight out of the water, covered with moss and grass. Beyond it stretched a small beach, littered with driftwood, rocks, and seaweed.
“Land ho!” shouted the captain.
Ainsley ran forward and jumped onto the sandy shore, pulling Tashia along with him. Once they reached dry ground, Ainsley set down his pack and pulled out his sword, which he had kept hidden under his shirt.
“What are you doing?” asked Tashia, surprised by Ainsley’s sudden action.
He held up the blade and pointed toward the rocky cliff. “This is where I’m going to go. If I can climb that thing, I’ll be able to see over the forest, and I bet I can spot whatever’s happening.”
She stared at him, confused. “How are you planning on getting over there?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t thought that far yet. But if I can get over there, I should be able to make it back to the island before dark. And I’m guessing the others won’t be too happy if I’m not there waiting for them tonight.”
“They probably wouldn’t be too happy either if you were dead,” she whispered.
Ainsley chuckled and gave her arm a squeeze. “Yeah, maybe so. Come on; let’s get started. We don’t want to be late.”
Together, they picked their way across the sand, stepping carefully around the debris left from the previous night’s rain. The wind blew hard off the ocean, and waves crashed nearby as they climbed higher into the woods. Soon, they emerged on the other side and found themselves facing a sheer-faced mountain, taller than most trees.
“I’ve seen bigger mountains,” said Ainsley, eyeing the craggy rock face. “But I don’t remember seeing anything quite this tall.” He turned to Tashia. “Do you think you can help me?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Just give me a minute to gather some things.” She turned and began collecting branches and leaves from the surrounding area.
When she returned, she handed him several strips of bark. “Here,” she said. “Wrap these around your hands.”
Ainsley took one look at the thick material and knew instantly that it wasn’t going to work. “It doesn’t matter what kind of wood you use,” he said. “It’s just going to tear apart.”
Tashia frowned and looked disappointed. “We’re wasting time,” she complained.
“Not necessarily,” said Ainsley. “Look.” He placed a hand flat against the trunk of a tree and pushed upward with all his strength. Nothing happened. “See? There’s nothing holding this tree up except its own weight. I bet we could tie together enough branches and weave them into something strong enough to hold us up.”
He turned to her. “Give me ten minutes. Then come back and help me.”
“All right,” agreed on Tashia, but she didn’t sound very enthusiastic about helping.
The two of them worked quickly, weaving branches and twigs together until they had made a rope nearly five feet long. Next, Ainsley tied the ends together and secured each end around his waist.
Afterward, Tashia helped him test his makeshift climbing gear. Together, they swung from branch to branch, testing the length of the rope, and checking to see how much tension was being created between the two of them. When they finally deemed the equipment safe, Ainsley climbed to the top of the cliff and waited.
“Ready?” he called down.
“No!” came the reply.
Ainsley smiled. It seemed like he always ended up having to do everything himself. Well, now he would have an assistant who was eager to help—if only he’d stop complaining about it.
“You know,” he told her, “there might be a better way to do this.”
She shook her head. “There’s no time for that. We’ve got to hurry or else we’ll miss our chance.”
Ainsley nodded. “Okay. Let’s try it.”
Together, the two of them started down the mountain, moving slowly and cautiously. As they neared the bottom, they paused to catch their breath. They had been traveling for almost half an hour.
“Where are you taking me?” Tashia asked.
“To find my brother.”
“That’s nice. Why can’t you take him yourself?”
“Because he’s a stupid idiot. All he does is talk to the animals and stare at the clouds in the sky. That’s why I need your help.”
She snorted. “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to bring him along.”
“Good.”
As they continued to descend, Ainsley felt his muscles begin to burn. His legs were burning. His arms were burning. His whole body was burning. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest.
Unfortunately, the longer they waited, the less likely he would be to spot anyone coming after them. So he forced himself to keep walking, even though every step was becoming harder and harder to take.
Finally, when they reached the base of the mountain, he stopped. “This is where we part ways,” he said. “Now go and wait by that rock over there.”
She nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave without you.”
Ainsley smiled and waved goodbye. He turned and began making his way back toward the forest, looking for any sign of movement.
When he finally spotted them, he gasped. At first glance, they appeared to be children. Two boys sat huddled together, their heads bent close, whispering to each other. But as he drew closer, Ainsley realized they weren’t children at all; they were young men.
“Hey!” one of the men shouted, jumping to his feet. “Who are you?”
At the same time, another man stood, ready to attack. Both of the young men had swords drawn.
Ainsley held out his hands, palms facing forward. “Please don’t hurt me! I’m just passing through!”
“What?” The man glared at Ainsley suspiciously. “Passing through? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find my brother.”
“Your brother? You mean the one who lives here?”
“Yes,” answered Ainsley. “Isn’t that right, Tashia?”
The girl stepped forward. “Of course it is.” She then pointed toward Ainsley. “He needs to get past those two guards. Otherwise, we can’t move on.”
“And you expect me to just let you walk past me?” The young man sneered. “We’re not supposed to let strangers pass.”
“But if you want to stay alive, you will allow him passage.” Tashia glanced back at Ainsley. “Can you manage that, or should we send someone else to help you?”
The young man looked at Ainsley and then back at Tashia. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders. “Fine,” he muttered. “Let him pass, but make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble. If he does, we’ll kill him ourselves.”
With a nod, Ainsley walked past the young men. The two followed behind, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings.
Once they had passed the two young men, Ainsley motioned for Tashia to follow him into the forest. Then, once they had entered the woods, he pulled out the map and studied it.
“Is this it?” he whispered to himself. “Are we here?”
Tashia nodded.
“Then that means we’ve made it!”
They both smiled. This meant they could continue searching for her father.
“Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” Tashia asked.
Ainsley sighed. “I hope so.”
“Me too.”
“So what happens next?” she asked.
“First, we need to figure out how to get past these two guards.”
“Oh, I have a plan.”
***
After traveling deep into the forest for nearly an hour, Ainsley finally found a place where the trees thinned out enough to reveal a small clearing. There, standing side by side, were three men: two guards, and one older gentleman dressed in fine robes. It wasn’t until the three of them saw Ainsley approaching that they noticed him.
“Who’s this?” the younger guard asked. “You know, it’s bad luck to travel with strangers. Especially ones as big as this guy looks like.”
“Yeah,” agreed his partner. “Maybe we should just kill him now and save ourselves some trouble later.”
Both of the young men were holding long swords—the kind used for fighting in battle. And judging by the size of their weapons, Ainsley knew they probably wouldn’t hesitate to use them if things got rough.
“No!” yelled the old man. “That isn’t necessary! We already have everything under control.”
Ainsley didn’t say anything. Instead, he kept moving toward the trio. As soon as he was within earshot, he spoke up. “Excuse me. Is this the entrance to the castle?”
“Yes!” the oldest of the three responded. “How did you know?”
Ainsley grinned. “It says so on the map.”
“Ahh.” The old man nodded. “Well, then you must be—”
Before Ainsley could finish answering, however, Tashia stepped between him and the group. Her face was pale.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before,” she said nervously.
One of the men laughed. “This boy has been following us for quite some time. He tried to sneak around behind us earlier.”
The other guard joined in. “Why do you keep looking at your friend? Do you have something stuck in your teeth or something?”
“I don’t…”
“It’s okay,” Tashia interrupted. “I won’t tell anyone about it unless you try to hurt us.”
The young men frowned. “Hurt you? Why would we want to harm a girl like yourself?”
“Because…well, because you look like you might be able to take care of yourselves.” Tashia gave the two young men a nervous smile.
“Don’t worry, miss.” One of the guards put his hand on Tashia’s shoulder. “We’ll protect you from any harm.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “Now please excuse me. My friends and I will go ahead while you wait here. Just stay out of our way. Okay?”
She turned and began walking away from the three men. Ainsley watched her leave and then turned back to the group.
“I guess she trusts me more than she trusts you guys,” he mumbled sarcastically.
“What do you mean?” asked one of the guards.
“Never mind.”
As soon as they left the area, the young men chuckled together.
“Look who decided to show his ugly face.”
“Didn’t think we’d notice him hiding there, did ya?”
“Guess we should just kill him now. What’s the point of taking him back with us?”
“No, no. That won’t do. Let’s not waste our energy on him. Not yet anyway.”
“Good idea. Now let’s go meet the master.”
The End