“There!” shouted Jonas from behind the wheel of the motorboat, pointing to a spot in the sea. “I see something ahead. Do you see it?”
Elias O'Reilly stood beside Jonas at the bow of the motorboat with their other two friends, Kieran and Leo. What had started as a carefree voyage was turning into a haunting ordeal. Their navigation system crashed for a minute and by the time it was back up, they had lost their way and were moving into a unfamiliar part of the sea.
As the cold wind whipped through the hair of the young men, they watched with open mouths and wide eyes as the Garner Island emerged from the thick mist. The myth turned out to be real.
The island seemed to pull at them, the navigation pointer moving fast as the boat rowed itself forward into the fog.
Elias swallowed hard as his vision changed. For a brief moment, he saw his mother standing on the deck beside him. She had been dead for eight years. He blinked and the vision vanished.
The mist rolled back, letting their boat in as the tall manor appeared. He glanced at his friends noting the fear in their eyes.
“Er, shouldn't we turn around at this point?” Leo asked, his gaze fixed on the manor. “This is some creepy shit, guys.”
“No,” Elias said as his friends looked at him the same time. “I…just stay with the boat. I need to see for myself.”
“Are you crazy?” Kieran snapped, tapping his temple.”The island is real which means the lady of the manor story is real too. What if she hurts us or something?”
Elias sighed as the engine groaned to a stop. “Trust me guys. Give me fifteen minutes. If I'm not back, you're can leave.”
“No way, man. We ain't leaving you here,” Jonas said.
Elias stepped onto the dock and lights came on in the manor glowing from the stained-glass windows. He climbed until he found his way to the cliff behind the mansion.
A woman stood at the edge humming softly to herself while the sea answered with its mournful melody. Her white dress danced in the wind as her dark hair flowed down her back. She looked regal and beautiful, Elias almost went down on his knees.
Matilda slowly turned to him. She looked twenty-five but her hazel eyes carried centuries in them. “You're here. You found it,” she said quietly.
Elias moved closer, her scent pure and inviting. “No, I think this place found me…called to me.”
Her gaze lingered on him, curious. “What are you?”
He laughed softly, his eyes shining with tears. “No one's ever asked me that.”
“I didn't ask who you are.”
He nodded. “This place called to me many years ago…I saw you in my dreams.”
The mist thickened around them as Matilda smiled and gazed back at the sea, humming again. He stood beside her and interlocked his fingers with hers. For the first time in a century, the island welcomed a second soul home.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "over the edge".
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image created by AI using NightCafe Studio
