The summer sun glinted on the waters of Kelos Bight, a mile or two out from Kelos harbour. It was a lovely day, the waves were just ripples on the surface of the azure blue sea, perfect conditions for a bit of scientific endeavour.
Two vessels bobbed in the water. One was a fishing ketch, heaved-to with sail furled and a tow-line out to the second floating object. The eyes painted on the bow faced the other vessel, and her sides were lined with crew curious to see what would happen.
The second vessel looked like a huge wooden barrel tipped onto it's side and half submerged in the sea. A viewing port could be seen at the front, thick glass in a brass frame, and assorted flipper-like control surfaces were dotted around the contraption. A hatch on top was open, and a small gnome could be seen from the waist up standing in the opening. He was wearing a fine blue tail-coat of a vaguely naval cut, and his diminutive stature was capped by an excessively tall red velvet top hat. He regaled the small audience with clear pride in his creation.
"Behold my wonderful vessel the Dolphin ! Created by me, Marv the famous Gnomish Inventor, to travel beneath the waves, invisible to those above. There is no magic used in this vessel, not in it's construction, and not in it's operation. It is pure science and cunning artifice ! Watch as I slip beneath the waves, disappearing out of sight until I choose to regain the surface. For this first test, I shall submerge the Dolphin, travel a short distance underwater, and re-appear on the other side of your boat a few minutes later. All by the application of science !"
Art created by AI in Wombo.art
With a flourish and a wave, Marv flung the tow-rope free, ducked down into the hull and closed the hatch behind him. Ponderously, and with the gurgle of water entering ballast tanks, the wood and brass machine sank below the waves.
The crew of the ketch moved to the other side of their boat, enthusiastically awaiting the moment when the Dolphin would resurface.
Below the waves Marv sat in his captain's chair, peering through the forward viewport and monitoring the various dials and gauges he'd installed. Periodically he would crank the handle to his left to rewind the complex geared clockwork mechanism behind him. As the large spring released, it turned the paddles outside the hull that provided forward motion to the vessel.
Marv was disappointed to find that the Dolphin wasn't the agile underwater vehicle he had hoped it would be. He would definitely make improvements to his next vessel so that it was more streamlined ! But as it was, it was sluggish and hard to control. He also regretted only fitting one viewport, but glass was an expensive imported luxury in Kelos.
After ten minutes or so of repeated cranking, Marv realised that the air was growing stuffy. He wished he had installed some kind of breathing tube. This was becoming a problem.
The only solution was to divert some of the air held ready to clear the ballast tanks at the bottom of the Dolphin. He turned the switch to open the valve, and fresh air flooded the cabin.
But with less reserve air, more water flowed into the ballast tanks and the submersible sank deeper beneath the surface of the sea. The wooden hull groaned and creaked, and Marv saw that one of the depth gauges was moving rapidly close towards it's red end zone.
The gnome flipped the air switch back and pumped the lever which would push water out of the ballast tanks. Nothing happened. The reserve air indicator dial showed empty. The groaning of the wooden hull was becoming more insistent now, and Marv was horrified to see that salty water was starting to seep through the caulking, dripping onto the floor around him.
That was when his impecunious state came back to haunt him. He had funded the whole vessel himself, unable to find any willing investors. With glass so expensive, he had settled on half-inch rather than the three-quarter inch he had originally wanted. As his invention sank deeper and deeper below the waves, a crack appeared in the circular viewport. It rapidly spread from one side to the other, and water started trickling through it.
Marv panicked. This was not the triumphant first voyage he had expected it to be ! In his dreams, he had envisioned a glorious tour de force that would confound those who doubted him and attract a flood of rich investors. Now, the sound of cracking timber made him realise he had perhaps overlooked a few details in his efforts to construct his contraption with a fixed and very limited budget.
He reached below his chair into the emergency box he had thoughtfully installed. Pushing aside bars of chocolate and a small bottle of port, his fingers found what he was desperately seeking. The one piece of magic he could afford; a short-range teleport scroll. He had bought it as a final escape method in case anything went wrong, never expecting to have to actually use it.
Breaking the seal he unrolled the scroll. Just as he started to read the arcane words written on the parchment, a sharp snapping sound rang through the vessel as one of the barrel-staves gave way. Seawater splashed around the interior of the submersible, and Marv just had time to mouth "Oh, cra...." as the hull imploded.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, the crew of the ketch were getting bored. Some were a little concerned that the Dolphin should have reappeared by now, but mostly the crew were losing interest and just looking forward to getting back to the tavern.
Just then, the lookout in the crows nest called down. "Movement to starboard, one hundred yards !"
The crew rushed to their stations and unfurled the sail. It took only a couple of minutes to reach the place the lookout had indicated.
There in the water were half a dozen splintered pieces of wood, shaped like bits of a barrel. Rising to the surface was something else; a sodden red top hat, and within it, a piece of parchment.
The captain reached out with a gaff-hook and fished them out. Looking at the soggy blank piece of parchment, he shook his head with an expression of pity.
"Poor Marv, he should have bought the deluxe teleport scroll from the Mages Guild. He must have known that the standard one comes with water-washable ink, only the deluxe one is waterproof."
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
