《Isle of Rhodezmore》 In the beginning there was an end The very same moment the portal to their refuge opened, Mari felt his little hand leave hers. His cry ripped through her bones as they tore him from her. Already out of breath from the sprint back to the ship, the harsh winds made it impossible for Mari to open her mouth and call out to him. His name caught in her throat. Turning away from the portal that had appeared just above the helm of the ship, she reached out for him- grabbing at the air to find nothing. The fog grew heavier with every second that passed. Mari dropped down onto the deck where the fog was thin enough to see, and¡­ there! Running down the port side of the ship she could see the bare wild feet of a man jumping down to the dock and three others followed. She stood in a second to sprint after them, this time screaming out his name with every last bit of air in her lungs. The cry that was heard through all dimensions. And as soon as his name left her lips she was met with the force of a cedar board to the side of her head. Everything immediately clouded. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. When Mari woke she could feel herself being dragged through the portal meant for her and her young son. Only, he was gone. -How could this happen again? How is it so easy for them? Taken from her the same way she was taken from her parents and them from theirs. Everyone thinks they¡¯ll outsmart them. Everyone thinks they¡¯ll never let it happen- not to them. But they are always wrong. -It shouldn¡¯t be this easy. I want my boy back. I need him back. The Isle and The Gale Mari laid on the only bunk in the candle-lit Great Cabin, skimming through all the notes she had taken over the years. Something she did as often as she could and every time, she had something new to add. But there hasn¡¯t been anything new for a long time. Every account in her notes is different, but one thing is true for all, and so it is written in the front of book one only. All found themselves in this dimension when their jump took place just after their children were taken from them. Each of the notebooks are the same- warn black leather binding with their corresponding number scratched into the cover and nothing more. She bought them from a merchant on the south boardwalk. The territory she prefers over all others. Inside the notebooks, she keeps a record of every person on her crew and any others she has spoken with about their arrival here during the 12 years since she had arrived. Their names, and a detailed account of how each had come to find themselves on the island made of ships. Every account in her notes is different, but two things are true for all, and so they are written in the front of book one only. All found themselves in this dimension when their launch took place on the first quarter moon and immediately after their children were taken from them. There are eight crew members now, but eleven entries total for the Sable Gale, in addition to 27 other entries of people from other territories on the isle. * The Isle of Rhodezmore was a large floating structure made mostly of old wooden ships connected only by rope and bridges made of planks between each territory. The last Mari counted there were 4 Major territories. The North End, East Edge, South End, and the West Edge- all with several sub territories within them. The massive island was made of 64 complete ships and hundreds of pieces of others. The large structure served no purpose to the naked eye other than being the only place of refuge in the entire dimension. Through the tightly woven corridors between territories, past the more spirited part of the island, where all the noise feels like it''s coming from a distant place, the Sable Gale rests. The ship was built of cedar and resembled a caravel. In fact, it was once a caravel but now with necessary upgrades to withstand sailing the sea and through dimensions. Mari inherited the ship from an uncle she never met and never wanted to. Her mother''s brother didn¡¯t have the reputation of being a kind man or even a kind child growing up. But nevertheless, before he disappeared, he left the Sable Gale to Mari. When the Sable Gale arrived at the Isle of Rhodezmore 12 years earlier, Mari was barely 20 years old and had found herself the captain of the Sable Gale only one year before that. She had been sailing with her Aitona since she was a child, off the Bay of Biscay, and is capable as a captain in that respect. But, until now, she has never had to command a ship out of the wrong dimension. She loathed the gift at first but over time began to love the Gale and the crew that came with it. The ship was made of cedar planks stained with such a deep auburn, it was nearly black. Hanging from the side were ropes adorned in bangles from the South End of the island where the Torrid people crafted metal tools and trinkets. The island of ships was alive all the time. People moving through territories to shops that were open at all hours, visiting neighbors, and sharing meals. And though it didn''t seem like it the people of Rhodezmore did sleep. Each territory had their own sleep rotation and bells rang out throughout the isle at 8-hour intervals as the sun would never set or rise in this dimension. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Mari''s bed is full of layers of blankets and a variety of down feather pillows, and it is her favorite place to be. The captain''s cabin was always too big in her opinion, so she filled it with oversized pieces of furniture- a large plush chair in one corner and an even larger vintage desk just by the door. She hung dark blue and rose printed fabric on the walls and added layered area rugs throughout the room. But still, it was just too big. It made her feel much smaller than she was, and she hated to feel small. The oak-planked floors creaked as the wooden ship swayed. She hardly noticed the sounds around her anymore, so when the mystery within these journals becomes too overwhelming, she closes her eyes to listen. Laying down the second of four notebooks Mari reached above her head and cracked the window open. Just enough to let the sound of the waves in. She has always loved the sound of the sea and still finds solace in it despite being surrounded by it day and night for what feels like an eternity. On the same side table she laid the notebooks on was a first-edition copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, and a decorative hair comb made of sapphire leaves and rice pearl accents. She bought the hair comb for a special occasion that seems to never come, but now and then she will take it out of the drawer, fasten her auburn hair in a low bun, and place the hair comb just above and to the right. But the woman she sees in the mirror reminds her of her past life, so she never looks for too long. Mari blew her candle out and settled in under the heap of blankets, but just as she closes her eyes, she is startled to annoyance by two very loud, very determined bangs on her cabin door. ¡°What is it!?¡± she snaps, sitting up from bed, placing her feet on the floor. She had a short temper, and always had. She also know whoever was knocking on her door could only be one of two people- Michael who knew her too well to be scared; or Andrew who was too eager to care. ¡°Could I have a minute, Mari?¡± It was Andrew. Her shoulders drop. she didn¡¯t have the energy for this conversation but she had turned him away the last two nights, and can¡¯t avoid him forever. She grabbed a sweater and pulled her boots on on her way to the cabin door. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk,¡± she says, swinging the door open and rushing past him. Eye contact was not a strong suite of hers. Making eye contact with someone who looked to her for answers meant she believed she had them all, and she had none. She was cowardly in this way. Mari couldn¡¯t stand to see what she so often ran from feeling herself. A heartache so deep a piece of you is changed forever every time you let yourself feel it. Catching up to her quick pace Andrew asks exactly what Mari hopes he won¡¯t. ¡°Is tomorrow going to work?¡± ¡°Every launch is an experiment, Andrew, I couldn¡¯t possibly know.¡± ¡°But does it feel different than last time? Do you have something new?¡± ¡°Listen, IF I¡¯m right about tomorrow- it will work. But I have no real evidence that I am right. I am still just guessing,¡± she replied even though it wasn¡¯t true, and Andrew knew it. Every one of these experimental trips are calculated, Mari wouldn¡¯t waste her time, and even if they do not work they always provide more information. ¡°I could help, let me take a look through the notebooks.¡± Andrew urged. ¡°I don¡¯t share those with anyone and you already know that,¡± more annoyed now than before. She doesn¡¯t keep the notebooks under lock and key, but she has never willingly shared them with anyone. Not even Michael- her closest confidant. ¡°Sometimes it just takes an extra pair of eyes,¡± Andrew said, feeling defeated now. ¡°I have a child back there too, you know, I can¡¯t just do nothing!¡± He turned away from her but continued. ¡°Every second it feels just in reach and then I do nothing to make it happen. I do nothing but wait!¡± She knew almost everything about everyone on that ship. Of course, she knew about his daughter. They all had a son or daughter they missed. Isabell was 8 when he left for what was supposed to be a weekend trip to collect the sail boat he had just purchased from a listing in Uncle Henry¡¯s Digest. He didn¡¯t have a trailer to haul it so he decided to catch a ride out to where the seller lived and sail back to the boat launch in his town where he would keep it through the summer, but after a nightmare phone call from his wife tell him Isabelle had disappeared, he found himself here. The need to find his daughter may be the only thing she understands about him. Andrew stood to leave but paused before stepping away. He knew if he walked away he was wasting a rare moment to get answers from her, but he was exhausted too. Two days ago Mari announced that they would be attempting another launch and he hasn¡¯t slept since. Tomorrow is the seventh day after the Spring Tide and the first quarter moon of this phase. Tomorrow is the day they travel. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Andrew¡± she said looking up at him, but just as he turned to meet her glance she stood and walked away. She needed to rest before morning. Preparing to Launch On her way back to her cabin, Mari noticed that the deck was nearly empty that night. Usually full of life, music, and laughter, it felt cold. Everyone was in their cabins or bunks below deck, likely making plans for tomorrow''s launch. It was always an exciting but dangerous time, even when it didn''t work. But everyone aboard knew the rules of traveling dimensions and respected them. It was the other people who belong to where they travel to that could be unpredictable. Reaching the warmth of her cabin, Mari undressed and crawled back under the layers of thick blankets. The conversation with Andrew affected her in a way she hadn¡¯t expected. She knew it would be a recurring conversation with him, but this time, it shook her in a way it hadn¡¯t before. Her own son would be turning 16 this year. Mari grabbed the fourth notebook and flipped to the last page she wrote on: "Think happy thoughts." It was fiction and possibly too ridiculous to work, but it was all she had, and she needed to try something. This somehow felt right. Mari picked up her copy of Peter Pan. She had lost count of how many times she¡¯d read this book, but she remembered that it saved her life already once before. When Mari was four, the same age her son Bennie was when he was taken from her, she was taken from her own parents. Back then, traveling through dimensions wasn¡¯t widely accepted, and it was even less understood than it is now. She remembered how worried her parents were that day and how strange they were acting, but she couldn¡¯t remember the moment she was taken. She remembers only that one moment they were about to launch, and the next, she was waking up in a room of 12 other beds filled with other children who would never see their parents again either. Three very violent bangs on Mari¡¯s door rattle her awake. It was 7 AM, and after tossing and turning all night, she had just fallen asleep around 5:30. It was the sort of sleep so deep that only three very violent bangs on your door could wake you. That¡¯s Michael. Sweating and unable to see straight, Mari rolled herself out of bed and stumbled to the desk on the other side of the room. She threw on her maroon knit sweater, her favorite, and smoothed her hair back. She slapped her cheeks a few times to wake up, or at least appear awake, and opened the door. ¡°Good morning, Michael. I expected you much earlier,¡± Mari says ¡°Liar. You just woke up; I can smell it on you.¡± Michael knew her better than anyone, but she wouldn¡¯t admit that to him. Pursing her lips together, she invited him in with a gesture of her hand, grabbing a glass of water from the desk as he walked past her and snuck a gulp to swish. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Did Andrew come to see you last night?¡± Michael asks Mari opens the window to spit the swished water out and wipes her chin on her sleeve before he can see. ¡°Andrew comes to see me every night.¡± ¡°Sure, of course. But did you speak to him this time or just let him rock your socks off?¡± Mari cringed at the thought. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot; we walked on the deck. Why are you asking, Michael?¡± Urging him to get to the point. ¡°Last night, someone tried gaining access to the navigation system, and some of the crew say it was Andrew.¡± ¡°I seriously doubt that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± he asked, more accusing than curious. ¡°Because, Michael, he wants to get home just like the rest of us. He wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize that. I know him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good guy, I know that, but the good members of my crew say they saw him. And there¡¯s one more thing- the scope is missing.¡± This detail bothered Mari. A launch could be done without it, but once you get to wherever you¡¯re going, you will want that Omniscope with you. An Omniscope can help you see 6 times farther than any modern scope and shows you things you couldn''t see otherwise. ¡°Way to bury the lede,¡± Mari sighed. ¡°Ok, keep an eye out for him, but today is moving forward as planned, with or without the scope, so don¡¯t let it distract you. We have a lot to do to make sure this ship makes it through in one piece.¡± ?While the rest As the crew readied the ship, Mari went to her private bathing quarters toward the stern. She undressed and tossed a bucket of cold water over her head. Ignoring the feeling that someone¡¯s watching because it¡¯s just a feeling she¡¯s gotten used to these last 12 years. She lathered with soap and dumped a second, and then third bucket to rinse away soap, and hopefully any lingering feelings of doubt. She won¡¯t be able to wash the salt completely off her skin or out of her hair, but the cold sea water will wake her up at least- then a cup of coffee to warm her bones. Wherever they end up on this launch, should it work, she hopes there¡¯s a room she can rent with a bathtub deep enough to submerge up to her neck. After dressing Mari took her usual spot in the rocking chair just outside her cabin door. She held her cup of coffee close enough to breathe it in and closed her eyes for her first sip. Ouch! Fuck that¡¯s hot! She thought to herself, spitting the boiling coffee onto the deck between her legs. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go,¡± Michael called to her. ¡°Should we head to the East End for supplies now or do you need to see the Healer about that burn,¡± he chuckled. She could tell when Michael was nervous because his favorite way to cope was to harass her. She knew exactly how to fix this annoyance but she swore the last time they slept together would be the last and she always kept her word. Even if she regretted it. ¡°Go on without me,¡± she said. ¡°I have some things to do around here.¡± ¡°Aye, aye, Captain.¡± Micheal quipped, before turning and leaving her behind. They would be gone for a few hours, but Mari still didn¡¯t want to waste any time. She was going to see Maggie, and considering she¡¯s this territory''s Seer she could have a lot to say about this launch. And most of all she didn¡¯t want to risk Michael catching her there. She would never hear the end of it.