Return to the Shore

As Druknet stepped outside, he was immediately swallowed up by the storm.

A harsh wind tore at him, nearly knocking him off balance. A mixture of rain and sleet peppered his face. The village was even darker than usual. The stars and moon were completely blotted out by storm clouds.

As he pressed toward the shoreline, the village faded into the mist behind him.

“The shore… The shore… The shore…” He muttered.

The ground beneath him became uneven and slick the further he moved from the village. His crutch slipped against the wet stone as he carefully made his way forward. The sound of the sea grew louder. Waves violently crashed against the shoreline with a force that echoed through his chest.

As he neared the exact place he had washed ashore, he felt a sudden ringing in his ears. The memory of himself nearly drowning in the current flickered through his mind.

Come back. The voice echoed faintly in the distance.

His hand trembled, but he shook his head, forcing himself forward.

Water surged over his ankles as the tide rolled in. He now stood in the same spot he had washed up at days before. The conditions were nearly identical.

He stared out toward the sea.

Come back.

A flash of lightning tore across the sky. For a brief moment, it illuminated something caught against the rocks along the shore… It was a metal chunk of a ship's hull.

There was another flash, revealing faded lettering. The words read ‘SS Erika’.

He suddenly became dizzy, as his vision went white…

The storm had vanished and was replaced by a hazy fog. The ground beneath his feet had turned to wood. It let out a creak, as it seemed to rock back and forth.

“Pull the nets.” A stern voice cut through the air.

Men rushed around him, pulling ropes and shouting at one another. Without thinking, Druknet moved with them. He gripped onto a rope, helping the group haul up a net full of fish. The movements felt familiar and natural to him.

Abruptly, his vision flashed white again…

The freezing water flowed back around his legs. The storm returned. The tide pulled him further out, up to his knees.

He staggered, as a burning sensation suddenly came from his pocket. With his shaky fingers, he reached into it and pulled out the pocket watch…

The ticking was louder than ever before. It cut through the noise of the storm.

Come back.

Druknet froze, as the words became sharper.

He shielded his eyes with his arm, as a flash of lightning struck down in the distance…

Uncovering them, he was back on the ship with the deck beneath his feet. Storm clouds appeared to be building above.

Across from him stood a clean shaven man with long hair who wore an overcoat and a captain's hat.

The man pulled out a watch from his pocket… an eerily familiar watch. He checked it, then looked up at the sky.

“There’s a storm rolling in.” He pointed to another man standing beside him. “I haven't seen the navigator since last night. Go find him below deck.”

“Aye aye Captain Russel.” The man said.

Russel…

The words echoed in Druknet’s head, as his chest tightened.

Thunder rumbled over the ship, followed by a streak of lightning…

He was back standing on the shore with the watch ticking violently in his hand.

Out in the distance, the surface of the water bulged unnaturally. Something loomed just beneath.

A set of fingers stretched upward, breaking through the water. A gray hand emerged, slowly. The rest of it followed, until the draugen had fully risen from the sea with strands of seaweed clinging to its body.

It moved, unstaggered by the waves crashing against it, as it locked its glowing eyes onto Druknet.

“Wh-what are you?” Druknet Stammered. “Wh-who are you?...”

A strong wave abruptly swept over Druknet, causing him to fall backwards into the water…

The deck of the ship rocked back and forth, as waves crashed over its deck.

“Brace yourselves!” Captain Russel barked loudly.

The ship slammed into jagged rocks, throwing some crew members overboard. Drunket lost his footing, slamming into the deck. Water began to flood into the breach in the ship’s hull.

Druknet stumbled toward the one and only lifeboat on the ship, fighting to keep on his feet. He crawled down onto it without hesitation. Above him, shouts and screams from his crewmates rang out, as chaos erupted.

He ignored them, gripping onto the rope for the pulley, which suspended the lifeboat off the side of the ship.

“Deckhand Christopher, what are you doing?” Captain Russel shouted from above.

“...” Druknet didn’t answer. He began pulling at the rope, lowering the lifeboat, along with himself, toward the water.

“Come back!” The captain shouted.

The ship lurched, as water continued surging into its damaged hull. The captain stumbled forward, barely catching himself on the railing.

“Come back!” He screamed over the storm.

Suddenly there was a crack, as one of the ropes holding up the lifeboat snapped. Its backend fell violently. Druknet clung to one of the seats with all his strength, while it hung at a ninety degree angle, suspended by the remaining rope attached to its bow.

The ship tipped further.

“Come-” The captain suddenly lost his grip and tumbled over the railing.

Without warning, the rope holding the lifeboat snapped and Drunket followed behind him, as the two men crashed down toward the cold icy abyss of the sea…

A wave crashed over Druknet’s head. He let out a gasp, as he pulled himself back to the present.

The draugen stood closer now, unmoving.

“Come back.” It moaned.

“Y-you’re Captain Adam Russel.” Druknet stammered, as the fog in his memory partially cleared.

The draugen reached his hand out toward him.

“No…” Druknet staggered backward. “I-I didn’t do anything…”

The Draugen stood motionless, waiting.

Druknet Panicked. “Get away!” He shouted.

He threw his crutch and scrambled back toward the shore, crawling and dragging himself out of the water.

He didn’t stop nor did he look back. Forcing himself to his feet, he ran until the village came into view.

As he reached the edge, he stopped, frozen…

Sticking out of the ground was his crutch… The very crutch he had tossed into the ocean just moments ago…